B+
Philadelphia Eagles
Smith should have been long gone. The Eagles pounced, and earned a B+.
by Dutch ·
2024 NFL Draft
· 21 picks
· 9 steals
· 0 reaches
When a board-topper like Ainias Smith slides to No. 178, you do not overthink it, and the Eagles did not. No fireworks, but a solid B+.
The dealing alone would carry a lesser class. They will answer for taking linebacker early while quarterback went begging. Leaving quarterback unaddressed is the roster risk they will have to answer for in the fall.
A workmanlike haul that should hold up just fine.
Pick-by-Pick
In pick No. 22 they get an island corner. The biggest hole, addressed.
Payton Wilson at the Round 2 slot is right where the board had him, plain and simple. Not urgent, but hardly pointless.
Nice patience on Kris Jenkins, who had no business lasting to pick 62. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
Kris Abrams-Draine in Round 3, Pick 25 lands just on the right side of the ledger. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
The board had Calen Bullock higher than No. 91, and the safety fell to them anyway. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson at slot 93 nudges the ledger their way without any fuss. One more legitimate question on the roster, answered.
A curious use of the 113th pick. Quarterback needed the pick; a linebacker in Cedric Gray did not.
They paid sticker price for Blake Fisher in the 120th overall pick, and that is fine. It patches a soft spot without any drama.
A straight-up fair deal on Theo Johnson at the 125th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. The roster fit checks out.
Johnny Wilson in slot 127 is fair value, right on his grade. This was priority one on the needs board, and now it is handled.
Jamari Thrash at pick 128 is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
Taking Jaylin Simpson in Round 5, Pick 33 is close to grand larceny; a cornerback that good had no business lasting this long. A glaring weakness, addressed head on.
Cody Schrader at pick No. 177 is a sound buy, the sort that quietly helps a class. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
Ainias Smith in the 178th pick should not have been possible, and that is the whole point. Better still, it is exactly the hole they had to fill.
Jordan Jefferson in No. 184 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
Steal is underselling it; Ro Torrence at the Round 6 slot is a heist with the alarm still ringing. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
Tip Reiman at No. 206 is the steal of the weekend, a first-round talent at a bargain-bin price. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
Trente Jones at pick 210 is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. A need, and now a little less of one.
They robbed the room for Daijun Edwards here, a fall nobody at the table saw coming. It fills a real need, too.
Julian Pearl is a better player than Round 6, Pick 45 suggests; smart patience, rewarded. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
A reasonable price with a little left over, Tatum Bethune in pick No. 233. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.