Eagles land near the bottom in a ranking all 32 NFL teams by their under-25 talent
The Philadelphia Eagles have a team with Super Bowl aspirations but they’re also staring into a window of transition that’ll likely see older veteran players jettisoned for younger, cheaper talent.
From the top to the bottom of their roster, the Eagles have one of the most talented teams on the planet. The problem is that the bulk of that talent is 27 years or older, something that forced Howie Roseman to retool his roster in the prime of his franchise signal-caller’s career.
Football Outsiders and ESPN.com combined to rank all 32 NFL rosters based on their talented under the age of 25 heading into the 2020 NFL season.
Philadelphia finished among the worst in the ranking, landing at No. 29 on the list, just ahead of Vikings (30), Patriots (31), and the Atlanta Falcons (32).
29. Philadelphia Eagles
Adding Jalen Hurts was a smart depth move for the Eagles, but he may not make a large impact as a rookie.
2019 ranking: 32
Blue-chip players: None
Notable graduated players: Dallas Goedert, TE; Nathan Gerry, OLB; Jordan Howard, RB; Hassan Ridgeway, DT; Rasul Douglas, CB; Greg Ward, WR; Boston Scott, RBThe Eagles’ second-round draft selection of quarterback Jalen Hurts epitomizes their commitment to depth over star power, but 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 Eagles would likely have repeated as the last-place team in the under-25 rankings if not for their success in the later rounds. Cornerbacks Avonte Maddox and Sidney Jones excelled in relief of presumed starters Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills, posting impressive 56% and 67% respective coverage success rates. One of them is likely to start across from newly acquired veteran All-Pro Darius Slay. With 16 hurries and four sacks, defensive end Josh Sweat outpaced the more heralded Barnett in half as many snaps. And the team must like either unproven sophomore linebacker T.J. Edwards or rookies Davion Taylor and Shaun Bradley, because one of them almost certainly will start with just Duke Riley and Jatavis Brown as veteran options at off-ball linebacker.
Even with those deeper finds, the Eagles have a lot riding on the success of their 2020 draft. Fortunately for the team, it might succeed on volume having made 10 selections, five of which came in the first four rounds. Apart from the aforementioned linebackers, first-round wideout Jalen Reagor is the most important for the team’s 2020 prospects, but the immediate need might not mesh with his combination of tremendous skills and lack of polish. Perhaps he can make an immediate impact with mostly shallow and deep routes in his rookie season while he develops other facets of his route running.
The Eagles actually improved three spots from last season and that was a major reason Howie Roseman allowed veterans like Malcolm Jenkins to hit free agency.
The lack of a blue-chip player on the list for the Eagles was also surprising, as the 23-year old Miles Sanders is one of the top running backs in the NFL, let alone one of the top young running backs in the game.
The ratings were compiled not only judging the talent under age 25, but also the value and length of those players’ current contracts. As Jalen Reagor, Hurts, Quez Watkins, John Hightower, and K’Von Wallace improve, look for a drastic jump from the Eagles on this list next summer.
