The first mailbag following the Eagles’ biggest trade in five years! Let’s get to the questions…
@bpdizzle: How does Jalen Hurts stack up against this year’s QB class?
As for what the consensus amongst scouts and people in the league might be, I’d assume that Jalen Hurts would be a second or third-tier signal-caller if he was in the 2021 draft.
I’d say that the first tier would be Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Trey Lance. Maybe Mac Jones should be in the first tier, but I’m going to put him in the second tier all to himself. My take is that people would consider Hurts roughly akin to Kyle Trask (not in playstyle, but in terms of projection) in a separate third group.
How would I rank them myself?
Lawrence would be my QB1 and I’d have Fields comfortable coming in second. To me, they’re in the first tier. I’d throw Hurts in the second tier along with Wilson and Lance. Call it confirmation bias if you want for the biggest Hurts guy on this site, but the guy’s excelled at two of the best programs in the nation this century and possesses mobility better than both Wilson and Lance (though that says more about Hurts than the other guys, who are also great athletes).
Lance is the most toolsy guy of the bunch, but I worry about the FCS competition jump, which could also be a concern for Wilson coming from BYU.
It’s a great class, but Hurts is going to be at least an above-average starter in this league at and we’ve already seen his capabilities at the NFL level.
@DKane1012: With Denver most likely not looking for a pass catcher, do you see trading 12, 84, and maybe a 6th (to sweeten the pot) in case one of the big four starts to fall? Especially if it’s Kyle Pitts, to jump ahead of Dallas.
I’m assuming the “big four” is Kyle Pitts, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, and Ja’Marr Chase. I love that this question was asked and it’s worthwhile to consider, but LOL at the idea of a sixth being the sweetener that tips the scales for a team to move out of the top 10.
If they truly loved any of those guys, they probably just stay at 1-6. The main draw of the trade for the Birds was obviously the future first-round pick that gives the team more optionality going forward, but you have to deal with 2021 before you get to 2022. If they felt that Pitts was an All-World player that they badly coveted, they’re not making the trade.
If anything, I’m thinking a second trade down is more than likely than a trade up. Given the way the Eagles have historically built through the trenches, it seems more probable that they move down and grab someone like Gregory Rousseau or Azeez Ojulari in the late teens rather than jumping back into the top 10.
@chickenparmtips: Which team had benefitted the MOST from Howie Roseman. Vikings for Jefferson? Jets for getting Joe Douglas because Howie was immovable?
The Vikings?!? Minnesota is the TEAM that Roseman’s benefited the most from. How quickly we forget the Vikes making a panic trade for Sam Bradford on Labor Day Weekend 2016. The deal put the wheels of Carson Wentz’s development into motion, as he became the starter as a rookie and had an MVP-caliber campaign in 2017.
Besides what it meant for Wentz, the Eagles got a first-round pick that they used on Derek Barnett, who recovered a fumble on the biggest play in the history of Philadelphia sports, and a fourth-round selection on Josh Sweat, who’s slowly morphing into a hell of a pass rusher.
Oh, yeah, before I forget: Howie’s team pantsed Minnesota 38-7 on January 21, 2018.
The Eagles don’t win a Super Bowl if it’s not for Roseman fleecing Minnesota.
@thewillisfactor: With 11 picks, how many starters should the Eagles come away with for this season?
I’m viewing this in terms of guys who will be starters as rookies this upcoming season. You’d have to be happy with getting two instant starters, overjoyed if you get three, and fairly disappointed if it ends up just being one player. If it’s zero, get your torches and pitchforks ready for a march on the NovaCare.
If their first-round pick isn’t a Day 1 starter, that’s a disaster. It would be the second time in three years that this scenario would’ve played out. Winning organizations just don’t have those types of issues. You’d assume another top-40 pick should start, right? I’m not saying that this guy needs to be a star or a Pro Bowler or whatever, but he should snag a starting spot on a team lacking talent like the Eagles are.
They have two third-round picks. You shouldn’t typically count on those guys to be starters right away, but again, they have holes all over the roster and if they hit on a legit player, it’s plausible that they can be an impact contributor as a rookie.
