If you thought that Philadelphia Eagles fans would enjoy a quiet bye week, you haven't spent enough time on Twitter.
But rather than debating whether Jalen Hurts will be the long-term answer at quarterback or if it's appropriate to root for the Dallas Cowboys under any circumstances, Eagles Twitter revisited the team's first-round pick Sunday afternoon.
Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer started the debate when he wondered whether the Eagles would have been better off taking Cowboys star rookie Micah Parsons -- rather than DeVonta Smith -- with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft:
While some may scoff at the suggestion, it's a fair question to ask. Parsons had three tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in the Cowboys 27-20 win over the Washington Football Team Sunday. On the season, the former Penn State star now has three forced fumbles, 12 sacks and a league-leading 17 tackles for a loss. Not only is Parsons likely to run away with Defensive Rookie of the Year, but he's in the mix for Defensive Player of the Year in his first NFL season.
It is true that under Howie Roseman the Eagles haven't typically invested major resources at the linebacker position. But Parsons is more of a defensive weapon than a player that you can peg at any one position. The former Penn State star would fit on any roster, including the Eagles.
Many pointed out that had the Eagles not taken Smith with the No. 10 overall pick, they would have been left without a No. 1 receiver (or No. 2 or No. 3). The Eagles would have had a glaring hole at wide receiver had they not selected Smith, who has 50 catches for 701 yards in a rookie season where he's flashed star potential. It's pretty difficult to evaluate a young quarterback if he doesn't have any weapons at his disposal.
Of course, the Eagles used their first-round pick on Jalen Reagor a year ago, a player who increasingly looks unlikely to be part of the team in 2022. As long-time Eagles writer Les Bowen pointed out, the Eagles could have focused on other needs with their first-round pick in 2021 had they taken Justin Jefferson a year ago. They also could have attempted to leapfrog the Cowboys a year ago and traded up to select CeeDee Lamb, who has become an elite wide receiver in his second NFL season. (It is true that the Eagles may not have been able to select Hurts if they used additional resources in 2020 to trade up for Lamb.)
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Parsons did have some off-field concerns early in his time at Penn State, and it became a bit harder to evaluate him as a draft prospect when he opted out of what would have been his third collegiate season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many commenters also pointed out that the Eagles traded up to the No. 10 pick to select Smith. It's possible they got the division-rival Cowboys to agree to move down two picks by guaranteeing that they would take Smith, not Parsons. If the Cowboys had the sense that the Eagles were going to draft Parsons, perhaps they would have stayed put at No. 10.
It's a fun debate. The real answer might be that the Eagles would have needed to trade up to No. 9 to select Parsons, and that assumes that the Cowboys wouldn't have then submitted a better trade offer to assure they landed Parsons. And had the Eagles been able to move up to No. 8 or No. 9, it's entirely possible they would have done so with the plan to select cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
For what it's worth, Parsons went to the Denver Broncos with the No. 9 overall pick in our 2021 NFL redraft this past week. The Eagles stood pat with Smith at No. 10. The Cowboys wound up with interior offensive lineman Creed Humphrey.
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