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The Super Bowl Champion Eagles

A remarkable bit of roster-building

As we fully close the book on the 2024 NFL season, a nod must be given to what the Eagles, and longtime GM/Executive VP Howie Roseman, accomplished this year. It's one of the more impressive team-building jobs we'll see.

Especially through the NFL Draft. You'll hear a lot about how they secured two of their biggest offensive stars, Saquon Barkley (free agency) and A.J. Brown (trade). For sure, those moves were huge in bringing the Eagles a Super Bowl title.

But rarely has a team hit on so many big, important draft picks in recent years. It's pretty remarkable.

Table below shows the Eagles' 22 offensive and defensive starters this season. Sixteen of them were their own draft picks (plus one undrafted player they signed as a rookie). Nine were first- or second-round picks from the last five years.

All eight of the players they drafted in the first or second round the last four years started for them in the Super Bowl.

In the table, the players the Eagles didn't draft or sign out of college are in italics.

EAGLES STARTERS, 2024
PosPlayerNote
QBJalen Hurts2020 2nd-round pick
RBSaquon BarkleyFree agent
WRA.J. BrownTrade
WRDeVonta Smith2021 1st-round pick
TEDallas Goedert2018 2nd-round pick
TEGrant Calcaterra2022 6th-round pick
LTJordan Mailata2018 7th-round pick
LGLandon Dickerson2021 2nd-round pick
CCam Jurgens2022 2nd-round pick
RGMekhi BectonFree agent
RTLane Johnson2013 1st-round pick
DTJalen Carter2023 1st-round pick
DTJordan Davis2022 1st-round pick
OLBNolan Smith2023 1st-round pick
OLBJosh Sweat2018 4th-round pick
LBZack BaunFree agent
LBNakobe Dean2022 3rd-round pick
CBQuinyon Mitchell2024 1st-round pick
CBDarius SlayTrade
DBCooper DeJean2024 2nd-round pick
SC.J. Gardner JohnsonFree agent
SReed BlankenshipUndrafted free agent

Couple of notes. Mekhi Becton is considered a Jets draft bust. He started all year for the Eagles. And two of the Eagles three defensive starters that weren't their own picks, Zack Baun and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, were mid-round selections by the Saints. The ones that got away.

--Andy Richardson

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