Howie Roseman has been the general manager of the Eagles for 10 years, and since taking that title, he overseen nine drafts since 2010. You can debate his level of input and power in some, especially during years with Chip Kelly and Andy Reid, but overall he has been the general manager in nine drafts since 2010, with 2015 being the lone year he had very little input.
In the nine years where Roseman has been general manager the Eagles have used their first pick on either an offensive or defensive linemen seven times:
2010: Brandon Graham
2011: Danny Watkins
2012: Fletcher Cox
2013: Lane Johnson
2014: Marcus Smith
2017: Derek Barnett
2019: Andre Dillard
The two times he didn't pick a linemen? One was in 2016 when he took quarterback Carson Wentz. The other was in 2018 when he traded out of the first round. Even a look at just the four drafts since Roseman returned to power in 2016 shows he has never used a first-round pick on anything other than a player along the lines or a quarterback.
That isn't surprising when you consider the emphasis Roseman puts on the line. He speaks openly about his belief that you build a team from the inside-out, something that was drilled in him as he came up in the league.
This isn't to say Roseman will always only pick along the lines or at the quarterback position in the first round, but there is a clear lesson to be learned from watching Roseman navigate the draft for years.
That lesson?
When it comes to using a premium asset like a first-round pick, Roseman is going to use it on one of the three positions he really values — quarterback, offensive line or defensive line.
That is especially noteworthy heading into the 2020 NFL Draft. It is safe to say the Eagles won't be taking a quarterback with the No. 21 overall pick. It is also very unlikely they will be selecting an offensive linemen.
Which is why despite the entire world projecting the Eagles will take a receiver at No. 21 overall, Roseman taking a defensive end with his first-round choice not only shouldn't be ruled out, but it should be viewed as perhaps just as likely as a receiver.
Yes, receiver is an obvious need on the roster, but long-term, defensive end is arguably just as big of a need. Heading into 2020 the Eagles top four defensive ends are Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat and Shareef Miller. None are a sure thing for the 2021 season.
It is very possible that Graham, who is going to be 33 next offseason and has a $17 million cap hit in 2021, is playing his last season with the team. Barnett will likely have his fifth-year option picked up, but that hasn't happened yet and he has been mostly a disappointment since being drafted with the No. 14 overall pick in 2017. Sweat had a strong 2019, but is still a developing player. Miller wasn't able to get on the field last season and is on the roster bubble heading into training camp.
Add it all up, and the future at a position that Roseman really values — and is far more important than receiver — is not bright. Even if Barnett does turn his career around, the Eagles need at least one more really good young prospect at defensive end, if not two.
That player could be sitting there at No. 21.
Chances are there will be at least three receivers — Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb and Henry Ruggs — selected before the Eagles select at No. 21. It is possible that Justin Jefferson is gone as well, as more-and-more mocks have him going prior to the Eagles' selection.
Even if Jefferson is there, three receivers, three quarterbacks and potentially four offensive linemen going before the Eagles pick is going to push down some very good players. Edge rushers like LSU's K'Lavon Chaisson, Penn State's Yetur Gross-Matos or Iowa's A.J. Epenesa could very well be on the board when the Eagles go on the clock.
How the Eagles' draft board stacks up will never be known, but most draft experts agree this is a very deep class at receiver. It isn't crazy to think that the difference between the receiver that would be picked at No. 21 — especially if Jefferson is gone — isn't that different than the one selected at No. 53. That isn't the case at defensive end, where there is a major drop off after the first three-to-four prospects.
With major needs at both positions, there is perhaps more logic in taking a defensive end at No. 21, and addressing receiver in the second round, as opposed to grabbing a receiver first. In all his years at the top of the Eagles front office, Roseman has never used a first-round pick on a receiver.
What Roseman does remains to be seen, but if history tells us anything, it is that there is a way better chance the Eagles end the first night of the draft with a defensive linemen, despite their need at receiver.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
