Ranking the 25 Best Eagles on the Current Roster Begins with Emerging OL Jack Driscoll
The Eagles are allowed 90 players on their offseason roster.
That, of course, will eventually be paired down as August rolls on, because, well, not every player is created equally.
With that in mind, SI’s Eagles Today has decided to create a list of the team’s 25 best football players.
Site publisher Ed Kracz and staff writer John McMullen put together their top 25 lists independent of each other’s and then assigned 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.
Ties were broken by the highest ranking from either reporter.
Jack Driscoll kicks things off at No. 25 and the countdown will continue until the top player is revealed on July 17, which is nine days before the Eagles report to training camp.
Driscoll received three votes in our polling.
McMullen had him as his 23rd-ranked player; hence, the three points.
Driscoll did not make the top 25 for Kracz.
His three points were more than others who received votes but not enough to make the top 25 – Boston Scott (2 votes), Marcus Epps (2 votes), and Nakobe Dean (1 point).
Kracz had Scott ranked 24th and Dean 25th. McMullen did not have either player in his top 25 but had Epps as his 24th-best player.
While Driscoll didn’t make the top 25 on Kracz’s list, you can make the case he belongs there, as McMullen did.
Driscoll, after all, could be the Eagles’ starting right guard where he will compete with the returning Isaac Seumalo or serve as a valuable backup with guard/tackle versatility on the right side.
Head coach Nick Sirianni is also a big fan of Driscoll’s intelligence and ability.
Drafted in the fourth round out of Auburn in 2020, Driscoll is a former nominee for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes the top football-scholar athlete in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership.
As the team’s veteran leaders such as Jason Kelce and others wind down their playing careers, the Eagles will need leaders to step into the void and Driscoll certainly has the traits.
He must, however, find a way to stay healthy.
Three times in just two seasons, Driscoll has been put on the Injured Reserve list, and that is the biggest reason he was left off Kracz’s top 25 list.
Both of his seasons thus far have ended with him unable to play.
Driscoll has played in 20 of a possible 33 games in his career.
Last season, he played 512 offensive snaps (46.9%), including eight starts at right guard and one at right tackle, and proved to be very effective, grading out as No. 20 of 82 eligible offensive guards by Pro Football Focus.
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.
