April 28, 2024
The Philadelphia Eagles entered the 2024 NFL Draft with eight picks, including a pair of picks in the second round. They ended up making nine picks, and they added three selections to their slate of picks in 2025. Let's grade each move that the Birds made this weekend, in chronological order.
In the first round, it was widely expected that Howie Roseman would trade up and select either an offensive lineman who would eventually take over at RT for Lane Johnson, or a cornerback.
The trade up never happened. Instead, the first 14 picks of the 2024 draft were on the offensive side of the ball, including six quarterbacks, which helped push players with first-round grades down to the Eagles at pick 22. Rather than move up, Roseman uncharacteristically sat tight.
"I think once we got towards the middle of the round, we saw that we were going to be okay and get a first-round player at our pick," Roseman said after the first round concluded. "I think it was unusual to not have action in that room. There were some really good players still left. We contemplated going up, but we kept going back to the fact that we felt like we had a really good chance to get a first-round player at a position of need where we were picking."
Several local and national reporters projected Mitchell to the Eagles, but they also concluded that the Eagles would have to move up to get him:
Field Yates of ESPN and Jeff McLane of the Inquirer had the Eagles trading up to 16 with Seattle to land him, for example. John McMullen had the Eagles trading up to 12 to land him.
A significant trade up would have very likely included one of the Eagles' second round picks, at 50th or 53rd overall. The Eagles were instead able to land a good prospect at a clear position of need while also keeping both second-round picks. Roseman and the Eagles correctly read the flow of the draft and their patience paid off.
As for Mitchell the player, his calling card is ball skills, as he finished second in the nation both in 2022 and 2023 with 19 pass breakups each season. He also has decent size at 6'0, 195, and outstanding 4.33 speed.
If there was one big concern about Mitchell it was that he did not face top tier wide receivers in college. However, he put some of those concerns to bed during Senior Bowl practices, where he was clearly one of the best players on the field.
"He had a chance to transfer out of Toledo last year", Roseman explained. "He stayed there. He came back. He got better. He went to the Senior Bowl. He really checked the whole offseason process boxes one by one off, which is important. And obviously he's got a lot to prove, as a small school player. The MAC is not the National Football League. We understand that. We've had tremendous success with big schools, so to take a player like this from the MAC, he has to be special, and we think he's a special person."
The other concern was that Mitchell didn't play a lot of press man coverage at Toledo.
"He played a tremendous amount the off coverage at Toledo," Roseman said. "When we talk about finishing the process you got to see him play press coverage at the Senior Bowl. That was an opportunity to see him kind of finish that and be well-rounded. So I think that really helped us see that he had a diverse array of skillsets there. That was one of the concerns when you see him play, that he's only playing a certain way and he is allowing his eyes to lead him to the ball.
"So when he got in people's faces at the Senior Bowl, we thought he was one of the best players at the Senior Bowl against really good competition, against a really good receiving class. We saw a bunch of them come off today and we will see a bunch of those guys come off tomorrow. That was important for us."
In college, Mitchell played both inside and outside, and excelled in both spots. It appears that the Eagles won't put a lot on his plate early on, and will allow him to just play outside initially.
"For us, the most important thing he focuses on one thing as a rookie," Roseman said. "That's [Vic Fangio's] and his staff's choice, but when we talk about him, we talk about him as an outside corner and kind of working from there. You do watch him and see him play some inside, so he's got that versatility. We'll get him in here and see what he's comfortable doing with our coaches and work from there."
Interestingly, it wasn't just Mitchell who unexpectedly fell to pick 22. So did Alabama CB Terrion Arnold. The Eagles had their pick of the two players and opted for the small school guy over the one who played a college football powerhouse. Personally, while I liked both players quite a bit, I probably would have leaned toward Arnold. It will be interesting to see how their respective careers play out.
Grade: A-
Heading into Day 2 of the draft after selecting CB Quinyon Mitchell in the first round, it felt a lot like the Philadelphia Eagles would address their offensive line, wide receiver, or maybe even linebacker with their two second-round picks at 50 and 53. However, just eight picks into Round 2, the Birds were suddenly on the clock at pick 40 after trading up with Washington. They then double dipped at defensive back, selecting DeJean.
We'll get to DeJean in a moment, but first let's look at the trade, and the value of each pick according to the trade value chart:
| Eagles got | Commanders got |
| Pick 40 (500 points) | Pick 50 (400 points) |
| Pick 78 (200 points) | Pick 53 (370 points) |
| Pick 152 (31 points) | Pick 161 (27 points) |
| 731 points | 797 points |
The Eagles gave up 66 points of value to move up, or roughly the equivalent of a fourth-round pick. In other words, you could say that the Eagles paid a premium of a fourth-round pick to make that deal. They did it because they felt they were getting a first-round player at pick 40.
"He was a first-round player for us," Howie Roseman said. "You know, Jeffrey [Lurie] said this tonight, you know, it's rare for us to be picking in the 20s and to get two first-round players. You know, both those guys were first-round players for us. We didn't have 32 first round guys, so when you get that opportunity to get two first-round guys, especially picking where we were, we felt like it was an opportunity and it was obviously an area we wanted to address. We felt like we addressed a lot of the areas of our football team through free agency, but that was one area we could address [in the draft]."
DeJean was thought of as a first-round prospect by a lot of draft analysts, not just the Eagles. He was Mel Kiper's 14th ranked player overall, Daniel Jeremiah's 24th ranked player, and Dane Brugler's 27th ranked player.
It's also probably noteworthy that the selection of DeJean kicked off a run on cornerbacks.
• Pick 40: Cooper DeJean, Eagles
• Pick 41: Kool-Aid McKinstry, Saints
• Pick 42: Kamari Lassiter, Texans
• Pick 43: Max Melton, Cardinals
If the Eagles had just sat tight, they might not have had another cornerback worth of a mid-second-round pick reach them. And personally speaking, while I liked McKinstry, Lassiter, and Melton, I found DeJean to be a much more intriguing prospect than any of them.
DeJean is an extremely versatile player who can play outside corner, slot corner, safety, or even some linebacker. He was also one of the best punt returners in college football, and he's an outstanding gunner. He is simply a ridiculous athlete and was a great college football player.
In 2022, DeJean had 75 tackles, 5 INTs (3 pick-sixes), and 8 pass breakups. Here are all five of those picks:
In 10 games in 2023, he had 41 tackles, 2 INTs, and 2 punt return TDs (one didn't count).
DeJean's 2023 season was cut short when he fractured his right fibula in practice. He missed most of the pre-draft process, and he likely slid in the draft as a result. It will be interesting to see what kind of plan the Eagles have for DeJean, who Vic Fangio can plug in wherever he sees fit.
Roseman wasn't very revealing about their specific plans for DeJean.
"He's such a good player," Roseman said. "You know, I think whatever he does he's going to do at a high level. Obviously we'll get him in here, and like everything else on this team, see how the pieces fit when [Fangio] and his staff get their hands on these guys."
The Eagles' secondary depth chart now looks something like this:
| Defense | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| CB | Darius Slay | Cooper DeJean | Josh Jobe | James Bradberry (likely cap casualty) | |
| S | Reed Blankenship | Sydney Brown | Mekhi Garner | ||
| S | Chauncey Gardner-Johnson | Tristin McCollum | |||
| CB | Quinyon Mitchell | Kelee Ringo | Isaiah Rodgers | Eli Ricks | |
| SCB | Avonte Maddox | Zech McPhearson | Tyler Hall | Mario Goodrich | Tiawan Mullen |
The Eagles' pass defense in 2023 was atrocious, and the Eagles have put significant resources toward fixing that, beginning with the addition of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson in free agency, and then the selection of a pair of highly-rated defensive backs in Mitchell and DeJean in the first two rounds of the draft. They also still employ Darius Slay, and they have other young players in the pipeline like Kelee Ringo, Isaiah Rodgers, Sydney Brown, and Reed Blankenship. This is a group that can grow and mature together.
Grade: A-
In chart form:
| Eagles got | Texans got |
| Pick 86 (160 points) | Pick 78 (200 points) |
| Pick 123 (49 points) | |
| 209 points | 200 points |
The players who were selected in that range:
• Pick 78: Calen Bullock, S, Texans
• Pick 79: Matt Goncalves, OT, Pittsburgh
• Pick 80: Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama
• Pick 81: Christian Haynes, OG, UConn
• Pick 82: Tip Reiman, TE, Illinois
• Pick 83: Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
• Pick 84: Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan
• Pick 85: Zak Zinter, OG, Michigan
I thought Wilson and Zinter would have made some sense for the the Eagles, but otherwise... meh. So I think that trade back worked out fine.
In chart form:
| Eagles got | 49ers got |
| Pick 94 (124 points) | Pick 86 (160 points) |
| Pick 132 (40 points) | |
| 164 points | 160 points |
The players who were selected in that range:
• Pick 86: Dominick Puni, OG, Kansas
• Pick 87: Marist Liufau, LB, Cowboys
• Pick 88: MarShawn Lloyd, RB, Packers
• Pick 89: Tykee Smith, S, Georgia
• Pick 90: Elijah Jones, CB, Boston College
• Pick 91: Ty'Ron Hopper, LB, Missouri
• Pick 92: Jalen McMillan, WR, Washington
• Pick 93: Adisa Isaac, EDGE, Ravens
Among that group of players, I thought that Puni, Lloyd, and Isaac would have all made sense for the Eagles at that juncture. Smith and Jones would too, if the Eagles hadn't already drafted two defensive backs.
Side note: The Eagles traded what became "Pick 86" to the Texans last year for a fourth-round pick that was used to select Kelee Ringo. They then re-acquired it, and traded it away again.
Hunt was a safety at Cornell who transferred to Houston Christian and became an edge rusher. The Eagles announced him as a linebacker. He'll likely play the SAM position.
The last two seasons (21 games) at Houston Christian, Hunt had 13.5 sacks and 5 forced fumbles. He had an impressive Combine performance.
I won't pretend to have watched Houston Christian games, so we'll let Lance Zierlein of NFL Network do the heavy lifting on the scouting report here:
Hunt is a small-school edge defender possessing notable athletic traits and the potential to get bigger and stronger. He currently lacks the lower-body anchor and general play strength to go up against NFL opponents, but the team drafting him is likely to view him as a developmental prospect in need of time to build his frame and his game. Hunt's speed is obvious as a pass rusher and in run pursuit, but proving he can survive against a downhill running attack could be the difference between challenging for a rotational role or hoping to become a designated pass rusher.
The Eagles have plenty of short-term depth on the edges in Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, Brandon Graham, and Zack Baun. Hunt is developmental prospect and likely won't get much playing time as a rookie. The Eagles will hope that they can get the most out of his raw athletic ability long-term.
"He's got freaky tools in his body," Roseman said. "He's an explosive guy. If you watch his best plays, he's doing things that are unique. He can bend. He can close. He can finish. He's long. He's an extremely smart kid obviously coming from Cornell.
"You know, we feel like we got a good edge rush group. He doesn't have to come in here – we're going to develop him like we talk about. This is a perfect developmental guy for us because of the tools in his body and his character and work ethic, and we think we can really find something with him. That's on us. That's on how he's going to work.
"You know, you can say, well, that's the third round and you're a good team, why are you doing that? Because these guys are hard to find. We believe in edge rushers and we just felt like there was a tremendous buy-in from our staff about this player. Obviously from the coaching staff, from the front office we thought this guy had tremendous tools. When you get guys like that it's exciting to see what they can become. Again, we feel like we like our edge group. We didn't have to add there, but it's exciting to get a guy like this."
Because Houston Christian games aren't exactly easy to find, I can really only have so much of an opinion on this player.
The pessimistic view is that the Eagles have had their share of third-round developmental types who have busted in the past, like Davion Taylor, Curtis Marsh, Bryan Smith, etc.
The optimistic view is that two of the three draft analysts we mentioned above in the DeJean section had Hunt rated at least 24 spots higher than where he was drafted.
| Kiper | Jeremiah | Brugler |
| 70 | 64 | 139 |
Grade: C+
The Eagles entered Day 3 with 7 picks after having already made 3 picks On Days 1 and 2. With only 6 picks in 2025, it made sense to try to add more draft capital in the future and the Eagles found a team in the Dolphins who were willing to give up a future Day 2 pick.
They moved back just four spots to gain another future pick.
Shipley was an immediate contributor in Clemson's offense as a freshman, and he had a big sophomore season when he rushed for 1182 yards and 15 TDs. His junior season was somewhat disappointing on a Clemson team that was no longer the powerhouse it once was. His career numbers as a runner:
| Will Shipley | Rush | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2021 | 149 | 739 | 5.0 | 11 |
| 2022 | 210 | 1182 | 5.6 | 15 |
| 2023 | 167 | 827 | 5.0 | 5 |
And as a receiver:
| Will Shipley | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2021 | 16 | 116 | 7.3 | 0 |
| 2022 | 38 | 242 | 6.4 | 0 |
| 2023 | 31 | 244 | 7.9 | 2 |
He also returned 34 kicks for 904 yards (26.6 avg) and 0 TDs during his college career.
Shipley has some versatility as a runner, receiver, and returner, and he ran a 4.39 40 at his pro day.
"I think he's very versatile in the things that he can do," Nick Sirianni said. "Not only you can hand him the football. You can throw him the football. He can line up all over the field. It will be fun working with a player like him. Obviously I talked a lot about the things on the field because that's what got him in the door, but what's made him a special player is the person that he is, the leader that he is, the worker that he is, and we're really excited to add that type of person to our locker room. He’s an All-American person, and we're really looking forward to that, and obviously the talent sticks out as well."
"All-American person," lol.
Shipley makes sense as an eventual RB2, especially with Kenny Gainwell in the final year of his contract in 2024. A highlight reel:
The Eagles' depth at running back now looks something like this:
| RB1 | RB2 | RB3 | RB4 | RB5 |
| Saquon Barkley | Kenny Gainwell | Will Shipley | Tyrion Davis-Price | Lew Nichols |
If Shipley shows promise as a rookie, it feels likely that Gainwell will walk in free agency next offseason. Drafting a RB2 with some RB1 upside on Day 3 every three years is a good plan.
Grade: B
This was the third 2025 pick that the Eagles added on Day 3. Their 2025 slate of picks now looks like this (added picks bolded):
| Round | How acquired |
| 1 | Eagles' own pick |
| 2 | Eagles' own pick |
| 3 | Eagles' own pick |
| 3 | From Dolphins |
| 4 | From Lions |
| 5 | Eagles' own pick |
| 5 | From Texans |
| 7 | PHI, ATL, NO, or DEN |
| 7 | PHI, ATL, NO, or DEN |
It's worth noting that the 2025 draft is likely to be very deep, as there will be a lot of extra players who were awarded a COVID redshirt year who will flood the draft pool.
"It will be a little bit different draft class next year because of the amount of guys that are coming out next year," Roseman said. "That was kind of in the back of our mind."
The Eagles entered the day with 6 picks in 2025, and the ended it with 9, picking up extra picks in the third, fourth, and fifth rounds. Also, it's always fun to have some sort of outside rooting interest, and it will be fun for some of the more hardcore fans to root against the Dolphins for a better pick in the third round.
Smith is a versatile weapon who played some running back in addition to receiver at Texas A&M, and he averaged 15.0 yards per catch in 2023. If Kellen Moore is going to bring some creativity to the Eagles, Smith is a guy who can be effective on jet sweeps and other gadget'y plays. Some highlights:
Smith's career stats aren't eye-popping. His best season was in 2023, when he had 53 catches for 795 yards (15.0 YPC) and 2 TDs, but he was a standout during Senior Bowl practices.
Smith also has added value as a returner. He had 82 career punt returns for 836 yards (10.2 YPR) and he took two to the house.
Asked what he liked about Smith's game, Sirianni said, "His ability to run after the catch. His ability to get in and out of breaks. I think he is extremely tough. I love that about him. That's really what sticks out. Catches the ball really well. Those are the things that really stick out. It's going to be fun to see how we can get him the football and different ways that he can contribute both on special teams and on offense."
Side note: The Eagles added three players with return ability in Smith, DeJean, and Shipley. That comes at an interesting time with the NFL's new kickoff rules.
Grade: B-
To begin, the Eagles traded up to get Trotter:
| Eagles got | Colts got |
| Pick 155 (Trotter) | Pick 164 |
| Pick 201 |
Trotter had good productivity both in 2022 and 2023. His career stats at Clemson:
| Jeremiah Trotter, Jr. | Tackles | Sacks | INT | FF |
| 2021 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 89 | 6.5 | 2 | 1 |
| 2023 | 88 | 5.5 | 2 | 2 |
Trotter is an instinctive, smart, hard-nosed linebacker with obviously good bloodlines. A highlight reel:
So why did he fall to the fifth round? Much like Nakobe Dean, Trotter is small (6'0, 228), and he doesn't have ideal athletic testing measurables.
Still, in the fifth round, Trotter comes at a pretty good bargain, even if his profile is similar in many ways to Dean's.
The Eagles didn't just like Trotter because his dad was a great Eagle once upon a time.
"I think, one, you have to stick to your board," Roseman said. "We can't make up a grade on any player just because we like them. I make a joke a lot of times. You know, the best person I know in the world is my wife, and I don't want her playing linebacker for us either. I think for us, at the end of the day, you have to have a certain skill set to play at any position in the National Football League, and so we're looking for a skill set, and we're drafting players based on a skill set.
"As much as you like those stories, and it's a great story without the ending, you know. We just started that story, but it's got to be skill set, and he has a skill set, and that's why we drafted him. He has a mentality. That's why we drafted him. We're looking forward to him being his own person and not having to walk in anyone's footsteps, but creating his own legacy."
Grade: B+
The Jets didn't want Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis to get away, so Joe Douglas moved up. The Eagles got a pair of picks in return.
Keegan was part of a stellar offensive line that carried Michigan to a National Championship. He is a rugged, physical guard whose calling card is as a mauler in the run game. Here are some highlights, where you can see his power and mean streak:
Keegan also tested reasonably well at the NFL Combine for a guy known as a road grader. He's not Jason Kelce, but he's also not some unathletic slug.
Keegan could legitimately push Tyler Steen and company for a starting job at RG.
"We drafted a guy in the third round last year that we're excited about," Roseman said. "We've brought in some guys here that have started before in the league, and competition will bring out the best."
The Eagles surprisingly did not draft an offensive lineman until the fifth round, and with their seventh pick in the draft.
"It's just how the board fell," Roseman said. "I think there was a run on offensive linemen in some areas where we didn't pick. When we came back and picked in some of those rounds, it didn't really fit. We felt like it was more important to stay true to our board than to just kind of reach."
Still, in Keegan they found a player with a path to starting as a rookie, a rarity for the Eagles.
Grade: A
At 6'6, 231, Wilson is a huge freak of nature playing receiver. Wilson's career began at Arizona State, but he transferred to FSU for the 2022 season. In 2022, he had 43 catches for 897 yards and (20.9 YPC) and 5 TDs. Here are most of those receptions:
In 2023, Wilson had a somewhat disappointing 41 catches for 617 yards (15.0 YPC) and 2 TDs. There was some thought that Wilson could move to tight end because of his size, but the Eagles announced him as a wide receiver, so that's where he'll begin his pro career.
Wilson can play outside, but FSU also used him at times as a big slot. He can make plays down the field with his size (again, 20.9 YPC in 2022), but he's also a red zone target. He is a low-volume, big play receiver who would allow A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert to dominate targets, but would also be a unique player opposing defenses cannot ignore and would have to account for.
Grade: B+
McMahon played at C, LG, and RG during his college career, but at 6'3, 299, with sub-32" arms, his most ideal fit is at center. He was a four-year starter at NC State and he has some explosiveness in his lower half.
Roseman called him an "elite athlete."
McMahon has good agility, but the Eagles will likely look to get him to bulk up a bit in the weight room so he isn't overwhelmed by hulking NFL defensive tackles. A little taste of his game:
The Eagles signed Matt Hennessy this offseason for added interior offensive line depth, and McMahon is a similar player in that he is undersized and has center-guard versatility.
Grade: B
The Eagles entered this draft with 8 picks. They added 9 players, 2 of whom were arguably top 20 prospects, and they also added third-, fourth-, and fifth-round picks in 2025. We'll see in time which players pan out and which ones don't, but from a process standpoint it's hard to view this draft as anything other than a success. A.
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | @thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader
