Philadelphia Eagles Draft Grade:

Round 1, #4 – OT Lane Johnson, Oklahoma – Grade: A-

-Johnson fills a major need for the Eagles and is a really nice building block for Philly going forward. He had a strong year followed up by a big Senior Bowl/Combine, that rose his draft stock to that of a top 15 pick. He is a slight reach and may take a year or two until he reaches top 5 pick level of production, given that he is a raw player.

Round 2, #35 – TE Zach Ertz, Stanford – Grade: B-

-This is a solid value for Zach Ertz, it is just a bit of a surprising pick given that the Eagles already have Brent Celek at TE and signed James Casey to be a FB/H-back. It just seems that Ertz may have trouble getting significant playing time/targets which limits the value of this pick. The Eagles also passd up some quality prospects at other positions of need with this selection.

Round 3, #67 – DT Bennie Logan, LSU – Grade: B

-Logan is a nice pick-up for the Eagles new 3-4 defense. He’s a tough defensive lineman who is always pushing the pocket and displays good awareness. This might be a slight reach for him, but he should be able to contribute early as a rotational player. 

Round 4, #98 – QB Matt Barkley, USC – Grade: B-

-This is solid value for Matt Barkley, and the Eagles definitely needed a quarterback, but how he fits their system is another question. Barkley can’t be incorporated in any sort of read/option type of offense. In a West Coast Offense he could have some potential, but with a skill set different then the other quarterbacks on the roster it is an odd fit.

Round 5, #136 – S Earl Wolff, NC State – Grade: C+

-Wolff is a solid safety, but there were other options on the board, and this is probably a round too high. He does fill a need though.

Round 7, #212 – DE Joe Kruger, Utah – Grade: C

-Kruger could be a developmental player, but he’s kind of a tweener overall. It’s unclear if he can stand-up in a 3-4 and that could limit is overall value.

Round 7, #218 – CB Jordan Poyer, Oregon State – Grade: A+

-Poyer represents one of the biggest steals of the draft. He’s got a great work ethic and leadership skills to go along with his very good coverage and ball skills. He may lack deep speed, but he makes up for it with great anticipation and technique. He also should be a valuable special teamer as well.

Round 7, #239 – DE David King, Oklahoma – Grade: C

-Probably nothing more than a developmental guy, King offers intriguing size, but is likely to be destined for the practice squad.

Overall: B

-The Eagles had an odd draft as they addressed most of their needs, but typically did it with some odd selections. Lane Johnson was a really nice pick for them, but the Eagles should probably expect a year or two of growing pains as he takes the next step to the NFL. They had a solid selections, but their only other real homerun pick was stealing Jordan Poyer in the 7th round. He compares somewhat to Casey Hayward whom the Packers took in the 2nd round last year and went on to lead all rookies with 7 interceptions.