In the fifth-round of the 2002 NFL Draft, with the 162nd overall pick, the Eagles selected wide receiver Freddie Millons from Alabama.
They haven't taken a player from Alabama since.
It is a trend that is so crazy it is almost impossible to believe, but since taking Millons in 2002, the Eagles have gone 156 straight picks without taking a player from Alabama.
Current general manager Howie Roseman, who had unquestioned final say in the draft since 2016, has never selected a player from Alabama. The closest he has come is Jalen Hurts, who spent the majority of his college career at Alabama, but played his senior season at Oklahoma.
Granted, Alabama hasn't always been the powerhouse it is now, and taking Alabama players isn't the secret key to having amazing drafts. Players have come out of Alabama and been busts. But there is no debate that for a long time now, Alabama has been getting the best recruits and fielding the best teams, which is a big reason the rest of the league has been frequently drafting Alabama players.
There have been, according to Pro Football Reference, 115 players from Alabama selected since the Eagles selection of Millons. Of the 32 teams, 21 of them have selected at least one player from Alabama in one of the last three drafts.
Here is a look at the last time each team in the NFL selected a player from Alabama, as well as the total players from Alabama they have selected since the Eagles took Millon:
Since 2003:
Cowboys: 2020 (2)
Broncos: 2020 (3)
Browns: 2020 (4)
Rams: 2020 (3)
Dolphins: 2020 (5)
Giants: 2020 (4)
Patriots: 2020 (6)
Raiders: 2020 (4)
Cardinals: 2019 (4)
Vikings: 2019 (2)
Carolina 2019 (3)
Bengals: 2019 (4)
Steelers: 2019 (2)
Washington: 2019 (6)
Jets: 2019 (4)
Falcons: 2018 (4)
Baltimore: 2018 (9)
Titans: 2018 (5)
Jaguars: 2018 (3)
Lions: 2018 (4)
Packers: 2018 (2)
49ers: 2017 (4)
Bears: 2017 (2)
Buccaneers: 2017 (4)
Buffalo: 2016 (3)
Seahawks: 2016 (4)
Colts: 2016 (2)
Texans: 2014 (4)
Saints: 2014 (3)
Chiefs: 2013 (4)
Chargers: 2013 (2)
Eagles: 2002 (0)
As you can see, the gap between the last time the Eagles selected a player from Alabama and any other team is huge. The Eagles have gone 18 drafts without selecting a player from Alabama. The second-longest streak any other team has gone since then is the Chargers, who haven't selected a player from Alabama since 2013, or seven-straight drafts.
The Eagles long stretch of not selecting a player from Alabama will be put to the test this year. At No. 12, there is a decent chance that three of the best players on the board will be from Alabama — receiver Jaylen Waddle, receiver DeVonta Smith and cornerback Patrick Surtain. If all three are on the board, and the Eagles pass on all three, that will certainly be an interesting and unpopular decision.
For now, it is just a weird trend. It is hard to imagine the team is actively avoiding players from Alabama. Ultimately, the results on the field are what matters most — and not many teams in the league have had better results than the Eagles, with or without Alabama players. Since 200, only three teams have more playoff wins. Since 2010 the Eagles are tied for 10th in wins. That matters more than having players on the roster who root for Alabama.
Their drafting, however, has not been near the top of the league. It has arguably been some of the worst. Those poor results have to do with much more than just a weird trend of skipping out on one school.
But as the Eagles try to rebuild their team through the draft, one good, simple shift in strategy might be to start taking a chance on the best players from the best school.
