The Eagles made it a priority this offseason season to add young talent to their aging roster.
It seems ESPN agrees that was a much needed and very wise move.
The Eagles came in 29th in ESPN's latest annual rankings of the teams with the best under 25-year old talent, finishing ahead of only the Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles were listed as having no blue-chip players under the age of 25.
Part of the reason the Eagles finished so low? Their recent misses in the NFL Draft
Their recent inability to draft a blue-chip player will catch up with them if they cannot turn that trend around. Their lone first-round pick from 2017 and 2018, Derek Barnett, has peaked with just 26 hurries and 6.5 sacks in his best of three career seasons. And after one year, the team's 2019 draft looks particularly poor. First-rounder Andre Dillard blew 7.8% of his rookie blocks, the highest rate among left tackles with 300 or more snaps played. His need to further develop might have prompted the team to re-sign 38-year-old Jason Peters if they hadn't already done so to replace injured veteran Brandon Brooks at right guard. Second-round wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside found the field for just 486 offensive snaps in a healthy season and was inefficient with a -12.3% DVOA when he was targeted. Fourth-round defensive end Shareef Miller did not play a single defensive snap. And fifth-round quarterback Clayton Thorson is no longer with the team. Among their five picks, only running back Miles Sanders showcased his potential, and his workhorse consideration for 2020 relies more heavily on his excellent receiving (20.0% DVOA) than his demonstrated rushing efficiency (-6.6% DVOA).
The article goes on to say that the only thing keeping the Eagles from finishing dead last is the play of Avonte Maddox and Sidney Jones last season, with Josh Sweat also making an impact in a part-time role.
The Eagles coming in this low isn't surprising, but it should be worrisome.
To start, it does put into perspective that while Carson Wentz isn't old, he isn't young either. Wentz, 27-years old, is entering his fifth NFL season and isn't really an up-and-coming player anymore. Wentz, who will be 28 by the time this upcoming season ends, should be in the prime of his career. Many will point to the Eagles' future being bright because of Wentz, and while there is some truth to that, his age and injury history are now starting to become part of the conversation when discussing his future with the team.
Another player many would mention when discussing the Eagles' younger talent is tight end Dallas Goedert, but he just misses the list, as he is 25-years old.
It is hard to see why Miles Sanders wasn't considered a blue-chip player. Sanders nearly won Offensive Rookie of the Year last season, and helped carry the team to the playoffs over the final four games. Sanders, 23-years old, projects to be one of the most productive running backs in the NFL next season.
Even if Sanders was listed a blue-chip player, however, the bottom line is this — the Eagles really, really need their 2020 draft picks to become impact players.
If they don't, they will once again be forced to sign older players to one-year deals to fill in roster holes, much like they ended up having to do this offseason.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
