Whoever sat across the table from the Eagles should ask for a receipt. They cleaned the room out, prying loose far more value than they gave up, and it was the quiet MVP of their weekend.
That interior defensive lineman hole did not close this weekend, and it was the biggest one on the wall. The Smith pick is the one they will point to when this weekend is judged.
If Cole pans out, nobody remembers the price. If not, this is the pick they hear about.
In short, they left a little better than they arrived, which is the whole idea.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.25
· Pick 25
· Cooper DeJean
· CB
· rank 27
In Round 1, Pick 25 they get a potential shutdown corner at fair value. It fills the loudest need on the roster.
R2.18
· Pick 50
· Edgerrin Cooper
· LB
· rank 49
They took Edgerrin Cooper at par in the Round 2 slot, which is nothing to complain about. It thickens a room that could stand to be thicker.
R3.2
· Pick 66
· Kiran Amegadjie
· OT
· rank 66
No drama and no debate, Kiran Amegadjie went about where he belonged in pick No. 66. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R3.24
· Pick 87
· Dadrion Taylor-Demerson
· S
· rank 86
A market-rate safety, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Dadrion Taylor-Demerson. A need, and now a little less of one.
R3.25
· Pick 88
· Calen Bullock
· S
· rank 83
Fair-plus on Calen Bullock, a quiet win that adds up over a draft. The roster fit checks out.
R3.27
· Pick 90
· Christian Mahogany
· OG
· rank 98
A conviction pick on Christian Mahogany at slot 90 that the board grades a round light. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
R3.28
· Pick 91
· Kris Abrams-Draine
· CB
· rank 81
A tidy bit of business in pick 91, where Kris Abrams-Draine graded well above the range. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
R3.30
· Pick 93
· Braelon Allen
· RB
· rank 106
They liked Braelon Allen enough to skip the value, taking him in the 93rd overall pick. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R4.20
· Pick 120
· Matt Goncalves
· OT
· rank 114
A tidy little value on Matt Goncalves in No. 120, a step better than break-even. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R5.25
· Pick 161
· Ainias Smith
· WR
· rank 141
Taking Ainias Smith in pick 161 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R5.35
· Pick 171
· Myles Cole
· DE-EDGE
· rank 199
A big swing on Myles Cole at Round 5, Pick 35, well ahead of any board in the building. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
R5.36
· Pick 172
· Tanor Bortolini
· C
· rank 189
They paid a round early for Tanor Bortolini in the 172nd pick, more than the board wanted. It fills a real need, too.
R6.35
· Pick 210
· Jaylan Ford
· LB
· rank 206
Jaylan Ford at slot 210 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. Nice player, but the depth chart did not need him here.