Eagles' Kentavius Street Offers Advice to 2023 Draft Picks: 'Enjoy That Moment'
Newly-signed Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Kentavius Street was a potential Day 2 pick in the eyes of many NFL decision-makers during the lead-up to the 2018 NFL Draft until a torn ACL at North Carolina State’s pro day basically locked in Day 3 for the Douglas, Ga. native.
The end game for Street was No. 128 overall in the fourth round to the San Francisco 49ers, a nice result under the circumstances and one that cements what the league thought of the somewhat undersized defensive tackle’s upside was as an interior pass rusher.
While it’s taken some time, Street, 26, has flashed some of that interior pass-rushing acumen over the past two seasons, his final one in San Francisco and a one-year stint in New Orleans, by piling up 6.5 sacks.
The sample size was enough for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman to bring in Street on a one-year, $1.3 million prove-it deal as part of a Moneyball-like approach to try to replace the double-digit sack production of Javon Hargrave, who was lost to the 49ers in free agency.
Whether Roseman’s efforts work or not will unfold off the field but Street has already shown the IQ and character that the Philadelphia organization values during a wide-ranging first impression with area reporters.
One of the issues Street spoke eloquently on was the advice he would give to the young men going through the draft process right now.
“I would say be confident,” Street said. “Don’t listen to outside sources.”
And the best way to do that?
“Stay off of social media. I think all of us could probably benefit from staying off social media,” Street said.
For athletes, there is a lot of good that can come from social media and they can use it to get messages across directly to fans but there is far more that can be toxic whether it’s unfair criticism that gets under a player’s skin or ad hominem attacks designed to generate reactions.
There is a strong case to be made that C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s use of social media during the free-agency period is the reason he’s no longer in Philadelphia.
The most notable hiccups for CJGJ were publicly criticizing now-Arizona head coach Jonathan Gannon for his performance during the Super Bowl LVII loss to Kansas City, and then tweeting about disrespect during the negotiating period, something a team source confirmed was taken as a shot at the organization.
Gardner-Johnson, who tied for the NFL lead in interceptions last season despite missing five games, ended up in Detroit on a one-year $6.5M deal, a far cry from most of the valuations of his potential contract coming in.
Street wants the younger players going through a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity right now to enjoy themselves and maybe the best way to do that is to put the phone down and live in the moment.
“Just enjoy it,” Street said. “It’s the last time, probably besides free agency, where you can really experience a plethora of the organizations and what they have to offer.
“It’s a very special and unique moment that you’ve been grinding for your whole career, and to have it there, yeah, things may not be going how you want it to go, but you’re there. Enjoy that moment.”
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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
