The Eagles finished the 2022 NFL Draft on Saturday evening having picked five players, but their work is far from over. Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni, and Andy Weidl spoke to reporters after wrapping up for the day, and Roseman mentioned how hectic the UDFA market can be, and that they’re being as aggressive as they can. The GM also talked about their focus on the linebacker position, and what they’re thinking at CB and safety.
Roseman admitted that he probably would have been disappointed in the number of picks they had this weekend if it weren’t for the players they were able to get with those picks, not to mention the A.J. Brown trade. Ultimately, though, he knows that it’ll be a few years before they’re able to see if they did a good job with this draft class.
Here’s what they had to say:
On the linebacker position
The Eagles’ GM was asked about the team addressing the LB position this offseason, and whether that had to do with Jonathan Gannon and the defense he runs. Roseman scoffed at the notion that they ignored the position in past years, saying that a lot of it had to do with the opportunities throughout the draft and the value of the players.
“HOWIE ROSEMAN: When you talk about some of the guys we’ve added, it’s because of the opportunities that were put in front of us and based on their talent level. And, we’re excited about that.”
He admitted that there were other positions they were hoping to address over the weekend that they didn’t, but he was confident in their process and happy with who they were able to add to the roster.
“ROSEMAN: When we looked at where we were in the draft, and we looked at the players on the board, there were very few occasions where we felt like we were just bypassing a position, or even that we were considering bypassing a position. We just kind of went as the board was going, and if guys were in the same stack, or tier, we had conversations on guys. And, we try to get a little more aggressive after the draft.”
Andy Weidl was asked about the Kyron Johnson pick and he talked about how they were really impressed with him at the Senior Bowl. Weidl mentioned that the whole week, Johnson’s explosiveness and pass rush were on display, along with the effort he gave.
“ANDY WEIDL: On the tape you see the same thing. You see a guy that gets off the ball, you can see a guy that can rush, win three ways. The energy he plays with was outstanding. He’s a guy thats got traits. He ran a 4.40, he’s got an exceptional get off with a 1.50 [10 second] split, and we just saw it. Players come in all shapes and sizes, and he’s one of those natural leverage rushers who can get off the ball and win.”
Weidl and Roseman both lauded Johnson’s special teams play, as well.
On the secondary
As for the defensive back position, particularly at corner, Roseman talked about how they added several CBs last year after camp and via trades, so they look at those players as part of this draft class when it comes to contributing this season. He noted that they would have drafted a CB if they were in the right situation, but it never played out that way with the picks that they had.
Roseman was also asked about the safety position and whether they were interested in bringing in Tyrann Mathieu. The GM said they have a lot of faith in Anthony Harris, which is why they brought him back, and they have confidence in Marcus Epps and K’Von Wallace. He said there’s nothing imminent at the position, but they will continue to add depth.
On the UDFAs
Roseman said that it’s always hectic and there are a lot of conversations going on, but they try to be as aggressive as they can while also knowing they won’t end up signing everyone they’re interested in. Still, he thinks they are going to have a good UDFA class this year.
On Jalen Reagor
“Jalen Reagor is a Philadelphia Eagle and he’s going to be here. We want to have good players in that room, we want to have good players on this team, and he’s worked tremendously hard to get in shape and to come here in this offseason program and now he’s got an opportunity. So, we don’t anticipate anything changing.”
Other notables
- Nick Sirianni confirmed that they think second-round pick Cam Jurgens has position flexibility, similar to Landon Dickerson last year, but is more of a center who can also play guard. Roseman later said that when they saw Dickerson and Mailata on the left side, it was imposing for defenses, and with both players being so young, that’s a tandem they want to keep together.
- Sirianni was asked about JJ Arcega-Whiteside moving to tight end, and he confirmed the move saying that he was a heavier receiver, so this will give him some opportunities use his talent and create some different mismatches.
- Roseman confirmed that they never had any conversations about taking a quarterback with one of their sixth round picks.
