Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Brandon Graham on Fringe of Top 10
Somebody had to be just on the fringe of the top 10.
In this case, it’s Brandon Graham.
The veteran defensive end comes in at No. 11 in our countdown of the top 25 current best Eagles.
Had he not missed last year after tearing his Achilles’ in Week 2, he may not be on the outside looking in at the top 10. He was coming off his first Pro Bowl season in 2020, a season in which he posted 8 sacks.
Here’s how the countdown works: the list started with Eagles Today site publisher Ed Kracz and staff writer John McMullen putting together their top 25 lists independent of each other’s and then assigning point values, with 25 points awarded to the player ranked first on each list, 24 to the player ranked second, and so on, with one point going to the player that was put 25th.
The highest ranking from either reporter broke any ties in the balloting.
Here are the players ranked from No. 11 through No. 15:
No. 15 - OL Landon Dickerson
No. 14 - CB Avonte Maddox
Ed Kracz/SI.com Eagle Maven
No. 13 - QB Jalen Hurts
Ed Kracz/SI Fan Nation Eagles Today
No. 12 - DT Javon Hargrave
No. 11 - DE Brandon Graham
John McMullen/SI Fan Nation Eagles Today
Our top 10 will be revealed over the next 10 days.
In it are four players over the age of 30, like Graham.
There are also a pair of newcomers to the Eagles, arriving in the offseason.
There’s a good chance you know the players, but in which order they will be ranked will require checking back over the next 10 days.
The countdown is a little exercise to help Eagles fans and fans of the NFL, in general, get through the dead period until July 26, when the Eagles begin reporting to training camp.
As for Graham, he has had a most interesting career, working his way into becoming one of the fan base’s most endearing players after a sluggish start that had many believing he was a first-round bust.
He has yet to have a double-digit sack season, but his sack of Tom Brady in the final two-plus minutes of Super Bowl LII helped deliver the city’s first Lombardi Trophy.
Despite not posting at least 10 sacks in a season, Graham has collected 59 of them, putting him behind only Reggie White (124), Trent Cole (88.5), and Clyde Simmons (76) in the history of the franchise.
He will be entering his 13th season with the hope that he can play 15 NFL seasons, even if it means going to another organization. His 161-career regular-season games are the most in team history for a defensive lineman.
If he has a solid bounce-back season, Graham could very well be back in the top 10 next offseason.
THE COUNTDOWN SO FAR
No. 25 – Jack Driscoll
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles on the Current Roster Begins at ...
No. 24 – Derek Barnett
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Derek Barnett Sneaks in at No. 24
No. 23 – Kyzir White
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: A Recent Free-Agent Signing ...
No. 22 - Quez Watkins
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Speedy Quez Watkins Crosses ...
No. 21 – Jake Elliott
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Kicker Jake Elliott Gets Some Love
No. 20 – Isaac Seumalo
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Isaac Seumalo's back to claim ...
No. 19 – James Bradberry
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: James Bradberry, a Gift from the Giants
No. 18 - Jordan Davis
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Jordan Davis Checks in at No. 18
No. 17 - T.J. Edwards
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Don't Overlook TJ Edwards
No. 16 - Miles Sanders
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Miles Sanders Runs His Way to ...
No. 15 - Landon Dickerson
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Healthy Season Lands Landon Dickerson at No. 15
No. 14 - Avonte Maddox
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Avonte Maddox has No. 14 ...
No. 13 - Jalen Hurts
Ranking the 25 Best Eagles: Jalen Hurts too High, too Low?
No. 12 - Javon Hargrave
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
