F
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles bet the future on Daniels. The board says F.
by Dutch ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 18 picks
· 5 steals
· 0 reaches
You can lose a draft before you make a pick. The Eagles did it at the trade table, overpaying to chase players the board did not price nearly as high. There is no dressing it up: a F.
They have staked the next five years on Jayden Daniels, which is the only story that really matters here. The Liufau pick is fine in a vacuum, less so with running back still on the board. For all the activity, running back went untouched, which is hard to explain.
However the rest shakes out, Mustapha at that price is a win they earned. The bill for those future picks comes due whether the class hits or not.
In the end, a class that has to defy its grades just to matter.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 4 they get a double-digit-sack hope at fair value. Exactly the need they had to hit.
In the 9th overall pick they get a long-term answer under center. A clean fit for the roster.
In pick 27 they get a building block for the line at fair value. A real need, handled.
Good price on Xavier Worthy in No. 50, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Ja'Lynn Polk at the 59th pick is a sensible buy, a touch better than market for the wide receiver. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Josh Newton at slot 67 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
A market-rate linebacker, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Junior Colson. A minor need, but a need all the same.
A surprising call. With running back still to address, they spent Round 3, Pick 26 on Marist Liufau, a linebacker they were not short of.
They bypassed pressing needs at running back to take Maason Smith, a DT-EDGE that was not the priority.
Zak Zinter in Round 3, Pick 35 lands just on the right side of the ledger. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Tykee Smith at the Round 3 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Good things come to war rooms that wait, and Tyler Davis at the 104th pick is the proof. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
They took Max Melton at par in No. 110, which is nothing to complain about. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Cedric Gray in slot 137. Insurance at a position that did not really ask for it.
Malik Mustapha at pick 156 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Trey Knox at the 178th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Nice patience on Omar Speights, who had no business lasting to the 213th overall pick. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
Fair-plus on Jeremy James, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.