Looking to the Eagles Future
Photo by Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Although the Eagles aren’t eliminated from playoff contention after falling to 2-5 to the Raiders, anyone that has watched this team knows they are going nowhere. Eagles fans should instead focus their attention towards the draft, as the Eagles currently have 3 1st Round picks, one from the Dolphins, Colts and the Eagles own pick. The Eagles have a very high chance of having three top 15 picks with two of them possibly being top 5.
Credit: Tankathon
Thanks to the Dolphins losing to a last-second game-winning field goal against the Falcons the Eagles now own the 2nd overall pick in the draft. After their Week 1 win, the Dolphins have lost 6 straight and their next game is not getting any easier as they face the 4-2 Bills. The Dolphins have been a train wreck this season and it is possible the Eagles could even end up getting the 1st overall selection from them.
The Colts 1st rounder is the hardest to decipher. When the Eagles traded Carson Wentz they received a 2nd Round pick that could turn into a 1st rounder if Wentz played 75% of the Colts snaps. After their win on SNF over the Niners, the Colts pick is now 13th overall and Wentz has only missed 5 snaps all year.
It is likely that the Colts 1st rounder will never reach the Top 5 range for the Eagles. Due to the clause in the trade that specified Wentz had to play 75% of snaps, the Colts have the option to pull Wentz out and save that 1st round pick if the season goes off the rails. The best-case scenario for the Eagles would be that the Colts are a middling team and that the Titans don’t run off with the division so Wentz isn’t pulled from starting QB.
The Eagles themselves have not been a good team this year, with Nick Sirianni’s play-calling being suspect, Jalen Hurts looking bad for most games this year, and a defense that can’t get stops. Their pick is currently 6th overall and it could climb up even higher next week with a loss against the 0-7 Lions which would also have the bonus of helping the Dolphins pick.
Instead of getting frustrated over losses by a bad team, Eagles fans should look to the 2022 Draft where the Eagles are loaded with draft capital. There is a lot of talent in the next draft and with two Top 5 picks the Eagles could possibly land both Oregon Edge Rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and LSU CB Derek Stingley, who would both bring much-needed talent to the Eagles roster and make their future a lot brighter.
