D+
Philadelphia Eagles
Grand theft in the Round 5 slot: the Eagles steal Sturdivant and grade out a D+.
by Dutch ·
2025 NFL Draft
· 17 picks
· 8 steals
· 0 reaches
Every swap seemed to tilt away from the Eagles, and the value they bled adds up to real damage. The board pushed back all weekend, and the D+ is the result.
They covered a lot of ground and still skipped interior defensive lineman, which is a strange place to end up. That Sturdivant pick is the receipt they will wave around later. Cornerback is handled and the depth chart looks a good deal healthier for it.
In short, the board sent warnings, and they will be hoping it was wrong.
Pick-by-Pick
Princely Umanmielen in the 25th pick is fair value, right on his grade. It answers the question that was keeping the coaches up at night.
Circle this one: Kevin Winston Jr. at No. 57 is a fall that decides a draft. The roster fit checks out.
Luke Lachey at Round 3, Pick 22 is a first-round grade at a bargain-bin price, no notes. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
They read the board right and Josh Simmons was the payoff at the 89th overall pick. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
Taking J. Michael Sturdivant in slot 148 is close to grand larceny; a wide receiver that good had no business lasting this long. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Trey Zuhn III slid further than he should have, and pick No. 152 is lovely value for the offensive lineman. A need, and now a little less of one.
A tidy bit of business in No. 153, where Bryson Nesbit graded well above the range. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
Reuben Fatheree II at slot 158 is right where the board had him, plain and simple. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
No edge and no loss on Lathan Ransom in Round 6, Pick 1; it is a wash and a sensible one. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Jaishawn Barham at the 180th overall pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. Useful body for a position without much behind the starter.
Marques Cox at pick 182 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
Akheem Mesidor in the Round 6 slot is exactly on the number, no argument either way. They walked in needing this and walked out with it.
They took Jack Kiser at par in the 190th pick, which is nothing to complain about. A want dressed up as a pick, at a spot they had covered.
A straight-up fair deal on John Campbell Jr. at pick No. 202, value and slot in agreement. It fills a real need, too.
The board had Fentrell Cypress II higher than the 213th pick, and the cornerback fell to them anyway. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
They let Noah Thomas come to them and pounced at slot 217. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
By-the-book stuff, Dylan Fairchild at the Round 7 slot squarely in line with his ranking. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.