I MISS SPORTS, WE ALL MISS SPORTS! Even though the Sixers are an emotional roller coaster, I miss them as well. I can’t wait until the NBA is back when things clear up with COVID-19. I know this is normally a blog about Sixers basketball, but the NFL draft was this past weekend and I’m itching to write about sports, so here we are! The 2020 NFL draft was the second live-virtual sporting event since things have been shut down (The WNBA Draft) and it set huge viewership records. Of course, everyone was home watching and so was I. The Philadelphia Eagles had an interesting draft weekend to say the least. Here are my somewhat rational thoughts about the Eagles’ draft weekend:

Round 1- No. 21- Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU

This was the first pick of the weekend that blew up Eagles Twitter. The Eagles stood firm at no. 21 and selected the speedster out of TCU. Reagor is 5’11 and 206 pounds and ran a 4.45 at the combine, which seems to be a little slow for someone labelled as a speed WR. When looking at some highlights and game tape, you can see his straight-line speed and movement within space is outstanding. After watching, I did some digging and it looks like he went to the combine about ten pounds heavier (muscle) than his normal playing weight. After the combine he dropped the ten pounds and during his pro-day, he ran an unofficial 4.35, which is lightning fast.

There are a few reasons why the city almost exploded when he was picked. After Henry Ruggs was taken 12^th by the Raiders, the next receiver wasn’t taken until 15^th by the Broncos, who selected Jerry Jeudy.  The Cowboys selected WR CeeDee Lamb (Oklahoma) at 17, which wasn’t necessarily a position of need for them. Some scouts had Lamb as the best receiver in the class and the fans believe the Eagles “let” the Cowboys draft him. Many wondered why the Eagles didn’t just trade up ahead of the Cowboys with either the Falcons or Niners to get Juedy or Lamb. The word was the teams in front of the Eagles had a price tag the Eagles refused to pay. Those teams had leverage, as the whole world knew the Eagles needed a receiver and would draft a receiver during the first round. So, the Eagles resisted losing draft capital and waited for their guy at pick 21. With LSU receiver Justin Jefferson on the board, and all mock drafts pointing to the Eagles getting him, they decided to skip out on Jefferson and select Reagor.

Jefferson (111 recs, 1540 yards, 18 TDs) had a tremendous year last season compared to Reagor (43 recs, 611 yards, 5 TDs), but the quarterback play for each team was at opposite ends of the spectrum. Jefferson had Heisman winning, records setting, number #1 pick Joe Burrow, while Reagor had a freshman QB throwing him the ball. He had much better stats in 2018 with an experienced quarterback, catching 72 recs, 1061 yards and 9 TDs. Overall, this came down to what the Eagles wanted and felt each player could bring them. They felt Jefferson would be a slot receiver and may have trouble winning on the outside and they needed a speedy receiver that could win on the outside and stretch the defense vertically.

Round 2- No. 53- Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma

WHATTTTTT?!?!?! Friday Night, the city truly believed Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson lost their minds! After thinking about this all weekend, I still can’t wrap my head around why they would pick Jalen Hurts in the second round. If he would have been picked in the third or fourth round, I don’t think the decision would be as puzzling. But the second round! The second round is for eventual starters. Are you telling me Carson isn’t your franchise QB for the next 8-10 years? It just doesn’t make sense right now. Is this injury insurance for Carson? Are Eagles going to use him as a Taysom Hill/Slash type player? That’s fine but Taysom Hill was an undrafted free agent. Hurts started off at Alabama and transferred to Oklahoma, where he was a Heisman finalist this past season posting amazing numbers (3851 yards passing, 1298 yards rushing and 52 total TDs). The Eagles say they view Hurts as a QB first and if that is the case, they may have accidentally started another QB conversation in Philadelphia. Ultimately, I think he will play WR/RB/Flex in order to get him in space to make plays because he is an exceptional runner. He will obviously be apart of some trick plays, but the coaching staff and organization are truly leaving fans in the dark with this pick. There must be some reason they drafted Hurts in the second round and the entire city of Philadelphia will be awaiting the day when we can see why.

Round 3- No. 103- Davion Taylor, LB, Colorado

I think the Jalen Hurts pick overshadowed this good pick. The Eagles linebacker core has been relatively mediocre for the last two seasons and they drafted a potential future upgrade in the third round. He has an interesting story, only playing two full high school games due to his religion. He enrolled at a JUCO and then attended Colorado and made plays all over the field. Taylor ran a 4.49 at combine and his speed shows up on tape. He was able to make a ton of tackles for loss with his speed but tends to get tricked during play action passes. He also hadn’t created a single turnover in college, so ball skills will have to be something Jim Schwartz works with him on. He is a developmental LB but in a year or two could turn out to be a very good starter.

Round 4- No. 127- K’Von Wallace, S, Clemson

Another defense player added to the roster. Last season, Wallace had 72 tackles and was second on the team in solo tackles with 45. He has a knack for being around the ball and was able to get his hands on 2 interceptions as well. He is aggressive, a hard hitter, and plays zone coverage very well. Even though he was able to get his hands on some interceptions, he drops more than he catches. He also has some issues in man coverage struggling to flip his hips and running with the receiver. Both of those things can be cleaned up with technique and coaching at the next level. Overall, a good pick and will more than likely be the safety of the future for this team. I see him splitting time with Jalen Mills this season and playing special teams.

Round 4- No. 145- Jack Driscoll, OT, Auburn

Eagles drafted another position of need during the 2020 draft. With Jason Peters currently a free agent and Big V signing with the Detroit Lions, some depth was needed on the offensive line. Driscoll was a two-year starter at Auburn and adds some athleticism and versatility to the offensive line. He played right tackle and left guard in college and ran a 5.02 at the combine. On tape, you can see his athleticism when pulling on trap and stretch runs. He can get to the second level and help a running back get into the open field. Driscoll isn’t the strongest player but will be a much-needed addition to the offensive line.

Round 5- No. 168- John Hightower, WR, Boise State

You guessed it! The Eagles drafted another speedy receiver. You can see the theme for the draft, the Eagles want to draft players who can stretch the field. Hightower is 6’1, runs a 4.4 and has a large catch radius. His last season for Boise State he put up 943 yards and 8 TDs on 51 catches. How did he fall to the 5^th round? Well he’s small, weighing only 189 pounds and his route running is not polished. Some teams believe he will struggle against press coverage in the NFL. The Eagles will have to develop him but if they do, the investment is going to pay off on this late round pick.

Round 6- No. 196- Shaun Bradley, LB, Temple

A nice heartwarming draft pick. Bradley is a local kid growing up in South Jersey and attended Temple where he was a three-year starter. He has great straight-line speed and the ability to avoid blockers to make tackles. He does have some issues once engaged with blockers and his lateral play speed doesn’t match his straight-line speed. He will more than likely make the team as a special teams player with him being a backup middle linebacker.

Round 6- No. 200- Quez Watkins, WR, Southern Miss

Another track speed type wide receiver. Watkins is 6’2, 190 pounds, and ran a 4.35 at the combine. The Eagles are now trying to compete with the Chiefs for the fastest receivers in the league. He has a good number of strengths. He’s athletic, can sprint through zone coverage to get open and has high value as a return guy. He has some of the same concerns as Hightower, which include struggling against good press coverage and not physical enough on contested catches. Not sure if he will make the roster because the Eagles also traded for Marquise Goodwin from the 49ers.

Round 6- No. 210- Prince Tega Wanogho, OT, Auburn

Prototypical project Offensive line who will be a practice squad player. Could make the 53-man roster in a few years if he works hard on the practice squad.

Round 7- No. 233- Casey Toohill, DE, Stanford

Toohill was drafted purely as a developmental pass rusher. He showed great flashes as a pass rusher at Stanford but had major issues with stopping the run.  If he added some muscle mass, he could possibly be a backup edge for the Birds. If he doesn’t make the final 53-man roster, he will be stashed on the practice squad for development.

Overall, I think the Eagles had a good draft weekend including the addition of WR Marquise Goodwin through trade. The Eagles wanted to add speed this draft at multiple position and they have. It was no secret that teams around the league thought the Eagles had the slowest offense in the league. After this weekend they have a 4X100 relay team at receiver. The fans will be critical of the first two selections but we will see how it plays out. I think they will be satisfied with how fast the Eagles offense will be flying this upcoming season.