Suddenly, Eagles 2018 Draft Class is Contributing and Looking Good so Far

The last two picks from two years ago are now starters on the team's banged-up offensive line, and the three others from that class are all ascending

General manager Howie Roseman has been given a rough ride these past few weeks as the Eagles limped to an 0-2-1 start.

The Eagles GM certainly doesn’t need me to defend him when it comes to his draft picks, not that there is much defense for the man in charge of a 2017 draft that has been mostly a washout, save for first-round pick Derek Barnett, who when healthy like he is right now, can be a terror.

Roseman’s 2018 class, however, is proving useful and may turn out to be more than that in another year or two. Amazing what one win against the defending NFC champions on their home field will do to lend a little perspective on such matters.

Yes, Roseman has his blind spots as a GM (think linebacker), but all five players from his 2018 class are contributing, starting, of course, with tight end Dallas Goedert.

Look at the final two picks of that draft, though. 

Usually hit and mostly miss territory not only for the Eagles but many NFL teams, the sixth and seventh-round picks from two years ago have suddenly been thrust into the spotlight and aren’t shrinking. Not yet, anyway.

Matt Pryor, the sixth-round pick (No. 206 overall) from TCU, is starting at right guard.

Jordan Mailata, the seventh-round pick (No. 233 overall) from the Australian rugby fields, is now starting at left tackle.

It’s still too early to say that one or both of those late-round picks will be long-term Eagles, but right now they are needed with injuries to Brandon Brooks at right guard and Jason Peters at left tackle.

With an aging offensive line and consuming a large chunk of salary cap, the playing time Pryor and Mailata are getting right now should be invaluable in their continued development. The same could be said for Jack Driscoll, who was taken in the fourth round of the 2020 draft.

Driscoll started the opener at right tackle and played 44 percent of the snaps in relief of Lane Johnson, who struggled some with his ankle in San Francisco.

Here is the rest of the 2018 class:

• Goedert, who is out for the foreseeable future with a broken ankle, is a star in the making after being drafted in the second round (No. 49 overall) out of South Dakota State.

• Cornerback Avonte Maddox – out with his own ankle injury – arrived in the fourth round (No. 125 overall) out of Pitt and is now a starting cornerback and has shown position versatility in his short time with the team.

• Defensive end Josh Sweat continues to ascend into a player that must be accounted for by opposing offensive lines. Sweat, who was taken in the fourth round, five picks after Maddox, out of Florid State, had four sacks in limited playing time last year and already has three this season with an increase in his snaps.

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