NFL Draft: Ranking Eagles’ Best Picks Over Last 5 Years
The Philadelphia Eagles are currently slated to have two first-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft -- the No. 10 overall selection (acquired from the New Orleans Saints) and the 30th pick.
Entering the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, general manager Howie Roseman and company also had two first rounders at their disposal. At No. 13 overall, they select defensive tackle Jordan Davis from Georgia. But Roseman -- never shy to make trades -- sent the 18th and 101st overall selections to the Tennessee Titans to acquire wide receiver A.J. Brown. On the way in the door, Brown inked a four-year/$100 million pact, which guaranteed him $57.2 million.
All Brown did in his first season with the Eagles was catch 88 passes for 1,496 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning him second-team All-Pro honors.
The story is still being written on Davis, who wound up being the only first-round pick by the Eagles in 2022. But if either of their 2023 first-round picks turn into a player like Brown, it will have been a successful cycle for the Eagles.
For now, let's take a look at the nine best draft picks that Roseman and the Eagles have made over the last five years.
9. RB Kenneth Gainwell - Fifth Round, No. 150 Overall (2021)
With the departure of another name on this list, Gainwell will likely see an increased role in 2023. Gainwell ran for 112 yards on just 12 carries in the NFC Divisional Round, when the Eagles throttled the New York Giants. He could be an interesting fantasy option in 2023 if the Eagles don't draft Bijan Robinson.
8. CB Avonte Maddox - Fourth Round, No. 125 Overall (2018)
Maddox's was limited to just nine games in 2022, but the Eagles have generally gotten a strong return on their investment of a fourth-round pick on the former Pitt Panther. Maddox agreed to a three-year/$22.5 million extension in November of 2021, a pact that guaranteed him $13.3 million.
7. LG Landon Dickerson - Second Round, No. 37 Overall (2021)
While there were health concerns about Dickerson when the Eagles used a second-round pick on him in 2021, he was the starting left tackle this past season on what will likely go down as the best offensive line in franchise history.
6. RB Miles Sanders - Second Round, No. 53 Overall (2019)
Sanders moved on this offseason to the Carolina Panthers, who gave him a four-year/$25.4 million deal that guaranteed him $13 million. But perhaps a running back doesn't need to a get a second contract from his team to be considered a successful pick. Sanders ran for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns in a season where the Eagles reached the Super Bowl -- he was a valuable member of the team, even if his stint was relatively short.
5. DE Josh Sweat - Fourth Round, No. 130 (2018)
A fourth-round pick out of Florida State, Sweat took some time to hit his stride. But after a Pro Bowl season in 2021, Sweat had the best season of his career in 2022, racking up 11 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, a forced fumble and an interception for a touchdown.
4. TE Dallas Goedert - Second Round, No. 49 Overall (2018)
If the Eagles take a tight end in the second round, said prospect will likely have an excellent career. Zach Ertz -- a second-round pick in 2013 -- is the greatest tight end in Eagles history. And Goedert has emerged as one of the league's best at his position, catching 111 passes for 1,532 yards in 27 games over the past two seasons.
3. WR DeVonta Smith - First Round, No. 10 Overall (2021)
When you're picking in the top half of the first round, you need to hit. And that's exactly what the Eagles have done with Smith. The former Heisman Trophy winner has 159 catches for 2,112 yards in two NFL seasons. Still only 24, Smith has a chance to go down as one of the greatest wide receivers in franchise history.
2. LT Jordan Mailata - Seventh Round, No. 233 Overall (2018)
The Eagles took a flier on the Australian rugby player in the final round of the 2018 NFL Draft, and after some time at "Jeff Stoutland University," he's developed into an above-average left tackle. Mailata was rewarded with a four-year/$64 million deal in September of 2021, quite the transformation for a former seventh rounder.
1. QB Jalen Hurts - Second Round, No. 53 Overall (2020)
The selection of Hurts by the Eagles in the second round was one of the most shocking picks in recent years across the NFL, but it's also been one of the best. Hurts was the NFL MVP runner-up in 2022, tossing 22 touchdowns and rushing for 13 more. Hurts has made less than $5 million in his first three seasons, but has done enough to earn one of the largest contracts in NFL history before his fourth campaign.
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