With the 2020 NFL Draft just hours away, here is a look at the overall success rate of Howie Roseman's time as general manager of the Eagles when it comes to draft picks:
Hits: Barnett, Wentz, Johnson, Cox, Graham
Misses: Smith, Watkins
Unclear: Dillard
Analysis: The expectation in the first round is clear — find a Pro-Bowl level talent that is a consistent starter. Roseman has done that. You can give Reid credit for Graham, but if you do that, then you have to give him blame for Watkins as well. You can give Kelly credit for Johnson, but then you have to blame him for Smith. No matter how you slice it, with Roseman in the draft room since 2010 — excluding 2015 — the Eagles have hit on five of their seven first-round picks, a very high percentage considering only two picks have been in the top 10. Of the seven players Roseman has had a hand in selecting in the first round since 2010, five played a role in helping them win a Super Bowl. That is incredibly impressive.
The one player still up for debate is Barnett. He has been a solid player, but there is certainly an argument to be made he has not reached what the Eagles hoped as a top-15 pick. He isn't a "miss" just yet, but he might be closer to a miss than a hit.
As for Dillard, we will all get a real clear answer this season as to whether he was a hit or a miss.
Hits: Sanders, Goedert, Matthews, Ertz, Kendricks, Curry, Allen
Misses: Jones, Jarrett
Unclear: Arcega-Whiteside
Analysis: Like the first round, Roseman has done an excellent job finding talent in the second round. Ertz is on a Hall-of-Fame track in his career. Goedert, although only drafted last year, already looks like an excellent pick. Kendricks and Curry helped win the team a Super Bowl and Matthews was extremely productive during his time in Eagles’ green. Sanders was arguably the NFL Rookie of the Year last season on offense and is already an elite-level player at running back.
The misses have been bad. Jarrett played in just 13 games with the Eagles and Jones has been unable to stay healthy. Arcega-Whiteside should still be given time to prove whether he can play or not, but as of now, is looking closer to a miss than a hit.
Still, even with Jones as a miss (and you can certainly make the argument the verdict is far from settled on Jones), hitting on seven of 10 second-round picks in an extremely high batting average.
Hits: Douglas, Seumalo, Logan, Foles,
Misses: Huff, Marsh, Te’o-Neshiem
Analysis: The third round is where Roseman has run into some trouble. There is no denying finding talent is harder, and the expectations are lower, the deeper the draft gets. The third-round, however, is still a round where the team should be able to find starters. So far, Roseman has found just one player that started consistently for the Eagles during his time in Philadelphia — Bennie Logan. Foles is obviously a complicated player to judge, but if you wanted, you could say Roseman found his Super Bowl winning quarterback in the third round. Overall, a hit rate of 57% in the third round is certainly not bad.
Hits: Maddox, Watkins, Boykin, Matthews, Harbor, Sweat
Misses: Hollins, Barkley, Henery, Lindley, Clayton, Kafka, Miller
Analysis: The fourth-round has not been stellar Roseman, but it hasn’t been a disaster either. Roseman found quality players in Watkins, Boykins and Harbor. Matthews never played at an elite level, to say the least, but did appear in 64 games and started 16. That is pretty good for a fourth-round pick. Maddox after one year looks to be a potential steal. The worst misses at this point seem to be either Hollins or Pumphrey. The Eagles traded up for Barkley, although that has Kelly’s fingerprints all over it. Pumphrey was a miss in a very deep running back class, which makes the miss extra painful.
Sweat had a strong season last year as a backup and the arrow is trending up on him. As for Miller, the fact he couldn't get on the field last season is not promising, especially considering the Eagles' issues at times with the pass rush.
Hits: Smallwood, Vaitai, Kelly, Lewis, Vandervelde, Cooper
Misses: Pumphrey, Gibson, Gerry, Hart, Reynolds, Wolff, Sapp, Thorson
Analysis: How you judge a hit-or-miss in the fifth round is somewhat subjective. The Eagles have not found any stud, diamond-in-the-rough players. They have found players that ended up contributing more than expected, however. Vaitai started in the Super Bowl. Cooper caught 18 touchdowns. Lewis is still a starting-level running back in the NFL, although not with the Eagles. Vandervelde appeared in 17 games. Again, not Pro Bowl players or starters — but contributors.
The misses, are obvious, with the biggest being Thorson, who didn't even make it out of training camp.
Hits: Kelce, Pryor
Misses: Qualls, Countess, McNutt, Washington, Rolle, Scott
Analysis: The sixth-round, as is likely the case with most general managers, has been a bloodbath for Roseman. He has made eight picks and as of now has only found one starter — granted, that starter has been arguably his best overall pick in the draft when you consider the round and the level of play. Pryor gets a bump up from unclear to a hit after providing some quality snaps last season when called upon to play.
Hits: Mills, Walker, Allen, Poyer, Brown, Chaney, Coleman
Misses: McCalister, Kruger, King, Lloyd, Havili, Owens, Mailata
If you want to look at Roseman’s track record since 2016, when there is no doubt he has had final say, he has hit on both first-round picks (Barnett, Wentz) and 80% of his five picks (again excluding Dillard and Arcega-Whiteside) in the first two-rounds. He does not have, as of yet, one really bad miss on any of the six picks he has made in the first-three rounds.
Roseman's record isn't perfect, but no general manager's record is when it comes to drafting. Overall, Eagles' fans should have confidence in Roseman when it comes to running the draft.