The Philadelphia Eagles 5-Year Draft in Review

With 48 picks in the last five years, the Philadelphia Eagles are tied with the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers for the most in the NFL. How does that song go? One of these things is not like the other.

In the past five seasons, the Seahawks have two Super Bowl appearances with a Super Bowl victory; the 49ers have appeared in three NFC Championship Games, winning one. Meanwhile, over the same stretch, the Eagles have not won a playoff game and also had a four-win season. The biggest reason for the difference in the success of the three teams is the difference in production from their draft picks over this five-year stretch. While the Eagles have drafted a few solid players, their production from the draft has not been nearly enough.

Let's take it year by year to break down where the Eagles may have gone wrong. 

The Philadelphia Eagles obtained a total of 13 draft picks in the 2010 draft. What was more amazing than the amount of draft picks accumulated was the amount of productivity from the 13 players selected. The issue here is how short the players' careers were at Philly. Six of the 13 picks spent a year or less with the team. A team could have a total of six picks in an entire draft; its amazing to see six picks wasted. 

While none made a huge impact, the Eagles did get production at the safety position. Nate Allen and Kurt Coleman played okay to say the least. However, neither are still with the team in 2016. The only pick who remains with Philadelphia is the 1st rounder Brandon Graham. Graham, up into this past season, has been a huge flop. Philly fans do not want to remember who went after Graham in the draft.

The 2011 draft is more of the same story but even worse, as it was another huge draft class (11 players) that has failed to produce. Only Julian Vandervelde and Jason Kelce are still with the team for 2015 with only Kelce being a contributor. Kelce has been very good for the Eagles, starting at center for four out of five years, missing 2012 with injury. Kelce was rewarded for his play with a contract extension before the 2014 season and followed it up with his first Pro Bowl selection. The rest of the draft was a huge failure with the first three draft picks gone after only two seasons or less with the Eagles. The class as a whole goes down as one of the worst in the last five years.

The 2012 draft was much more productive than the last two. Hindsight will tell you that the Eagles drafted some talented players on the defensive side of the ball. Take Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks. Both have had great careers in Philly and are now starters at their respected positions.In 2015, Cox solidified himself as one of the leagues top defensive lineman. He also managed to go to Hawaii after being selected to his first Pro-Bowl. Vinny Curry was also drafted in this class. Curry recently signed a 5-year deal worth $47.25M. He is a great situational pass rusher who the Eagles had to lock up. Brandon Boykin, who was traded last offseason, also was drafted in 2012. He was solid for Philly, playing well as the Nickel corner. The final notable selection from this draft is Nick Foles. Foles looked like a potential franchise quarterback after a Pro Bowl season in 2013 which included an incredible 27 to 2 touchdown to interception ratio. However following an injury ridden average 2014 season, Foles was traded to St. Louis for Sam Bradford.

The Eagles followed up a good draft class with another. In 2013, Philadelphia found two solid starters in Bennie Logan and Lane Johnson, who was the 4th overall pick. On the offensive side of the ball, the team drafted Tight End Zach Ertz. Zach Ertz has emerged as one of the top young tight ends the league has to offer. He also recently inked a new 5-year deal worth $42M. He has taken the starting spot from Celek, who at times is a better blocker than Ertz. 

The streak of successful draft classes ends at the 2014 draft. The only key contributor drafted in 2014 was Vanderbilt wideout Jordan Matthews. Josh Huff and Jaylen Watkins get playing time but are liabilities on the field. Jordan Matthews had a great rookie year but was plagued by drops his sophomore season in the league. He took on the number one option role at the receiver position in 2015 and it may have taken a toll. He is still promising. For the sake of Philadelphia fans reading this, lets not get into the Marcus Smith pick. Thanks.

It is still to early to grade last year's class. The jury is still out, especially with a new system and coaching coming in. Nelson Agholor was the team's first round pick. He had less than a productive rookie season, but with Doug Pederson coming to Philly, the implementation of the West-Coast offense may help Agholor be more effective as an underneath pass catcher. Eric Rowe had a rough go early on in the season, but sured up his game as the season went along. He may be a viable option for the Eagles moving forward. The best pick may be the third round pick of Jordan Hicks. Hicks was flying around the field, making plays and displaying leadreship before a season-ending injury reared its ugly head. He is also a promising young talent.

For a team with so many draft picks within the last five seasons, it's hard to imagine how Philly can still be playing so poorly. There have been questionable offseason decisions made by former Head Coach Chip Kelly, along with poor coaching strategies that may not fit the player's strengths. We will see what Philadelphia can do moving forward to leave their mark on the NFL.