February 24, 2016
INDIANAPOLIS -- As most fans are well aware of by now, the Philadelphia Eagles did not select an offensive lineman in either of the last two drafts. In fact, they were the only team not to select an offensive lineman in the last two drafts.
| Team | 2014 | 2015 | TOTAL |
| Rams | 3 | 4 | 7 |
| Patriots | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Redskins | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Seahawks | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Vikings | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Broncos | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 49ers | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Bills | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Buccaneers | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Bengals | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Colts | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Bears | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Chiefs | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Giants | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Titans | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Cowboys | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Lions | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Jaguars | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Dolphins | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Raiders | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Jets | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ravens | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Panthers | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Browns | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Saints | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Falcons | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Cardinals | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Packers | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Texans | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Chargers | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Steelers | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 |
This was particularly vexing, seeing as the Eagles had the oldest offensive line in the NFL. As a result, the Eagles' line predictably struggled for the better part of the season, mostly in the run game.
Ignoring the offensive line also went against the way the Eagles traditionally drafted over the previous decade. In the 10 years prior to 2014, the Eagles drafted 20 offensive linemen, an average of two per draft, which was the most in the NFL over that span.
Will the Eagles overlook the offensive line yet again? Fear not. Doug Pederson pointed out that the offensive line has holes, which may be the first time he's been publicly critical of the Eagles' roster in any way.
“I think everybody in the National Football League has to sure up their offensive line unit," said Pederson. "That goes without saying. But taking a look at our current situation, are there some holes? Yeah, there are some holes. But we’re going to continue to evaluate not only the guys on our roster, but the guys here [at the Combine] this week. Free agency is coming up, so there are opportunities there to help improve that talent level.”
Howie Roseman echoed those sentiments.
“Yeah, we were leading the league in offensive linemen drafted from I think 2000 to 2013 and it’s a priority for us," said Roseman. "You talked to Coach Pederson before and he talked about how important it is and we’re going to build along the lines. A lot of the resources we’ve already spent in the offseason have been along those lines. So as we get in here and look at all of the prospects, it’s an important priority for us.”
