The trade table was where it all came apart. The Eagles shipped out far more than they hauled back, and no amount of spin dresses up the bill.
The Stover pick reads as want over need, and the roster will feel it at interior defensive lineman and tight end. For all the activity, interior defensive lineman went untouched, which is hard to explain. Jacobs has a lot of ground to make up just to look fairly priced.
The Randolph Jr. value carries more weight than any single miss elsewhere. Spend now, pay later; the math only works if this class delivers.
Bottom line, they will need several of these picks to beat their grades just to break even, and interior defensive lineman is still a hole.
Pick-by-Pick
R1.23
· Pick 23
· JC Latham
· OT
· rank 18
In pick 23 they get protection for the quarterback. A real need, handled.
R2.5
· Pick 37
· Chop Robinson
· DE-EDGE
· rank 35
No drama and no debate, Chop Robinson went about where he belonged in pick No. 37. Top of the wish list, and they did not leave without it.
R2.18
· Pick 50
· Xavier Legette
· WR
· rank 36
Xavier Legette at slot 50 is money in the bank, a wide receiver taken below his worth. That was the need underlined and circled, and now it is checked off.
R2.22
· Pick 54
· Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
· LB
· rank 59
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in No. 54 is fair value, right on his grade. It adds depth where they could use a little.
R3.22
· Pick 85
· Mike Sainristil
· CB
· rank 80
A reasonable price with a little left over, Mike Sainristil in the 85th pick. A must-fix position, and they treated it like one.
R3.26
· Pick 89
· Cade Stover
· TE-EDGE
· rank 93
They bypassed pressing needs at interior defensive lineman and tight end to take Cade Stover, a TE-EDGE that was not the priority.
R3.34
· Pick 97
· Tykee Smith
· S
· rank 96
A straight-up fair deal on Tykee Smith at the 97th overall pick, value and slot in agreement. A real hole, addressed with a reasonable pick.
R4.6
· Pick 106
· Khyree Jackson
· CB
· rank 104
They paid sticker price for Khyree Jackson in slot 106, and that is fine. It also answers one of the loudest questions on the roster.
R5.3
· Pick 139
· Will Shipley
· RB
· rank 133
Good price on Will Shipley in Round 5, Pick 3, a hair ahead of his grade with no real quibbles. A sensible fit for a spot that needed help.
R5.24
· Pick 160
· Jaylen Wright
· RB
· rank 161
Jaylen Wright in No. 160 is exactly on the number, no argument either way. A sensible fit that makes the depth chart a little sturdier.
R5.34
· Pick 170
· Curtis Jacobs
· LB
· rank 183
Curtis Jacobs at pick 170 is a conviction pick that outran the value. They doubled down on a strength rather than a need.
R5.35
· Pick 171
· Dadrion Taylor-Demerson
· S
· rank 163
Nice patience on Dadrion Taylor-Demerson, who had no business lasting to the 171st pick. It fills a real need, too.
R5.39
· Pick 175
· Keith Randolph Jr.
· DL-EDGE
· rank 156
Keith Randolph Jr. at pick No. 175 is daylight robbery; nobody expected him to last. The biggest hole on the depth chart just got a whole lot smaller.
R6.3
· Pick 178
· LaDarius Henderson
· OT
· rank 167
LaDarius Henderson at the Round 6 slot is the sort of value that quietly wins a weekend. It plugs a real leak on the depth chart.
R6.8
· Pick 183
· Jaylan Ford
· LB
· rank 181
By-the-book stuff, Jaylan Ford at the Round 6 slot squarely in line with his ranking. A want more than a need, though you can never have too many.
R6.39
· Pick 214
· Jha'Quan Jackson
· WR
· rank 219
Jha'Quan Jackson at the 214th pick is neither steal nor reach, just the going rate. The one spot they could not leave alone, and did not.
R7.25
· Pick 245
· Phil Jurkovec
· QB
· rank 244
A market-rate quarterback, with the board and the slot shaking hands on Phil Jurkovec. Another box on the needs board, quietly ticked.
