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 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos | Player | Note |
QB | Jalen Hurts | 2020 2nd-round pick |
RB | Saquon Barkley | Free agent |
WR | A.J. Brown | Trade |
WR | DeVonta Smith | 2021 1st-round pick |
TE | Dallas Goedert | 2018 2nd-round pick |
TE | Grant Calcaterra | 2022 6th-round pick |
LT | Jordan Mailata | 2018 7th-round pick |
LG | Landon Dickerson | 2021 2nd-round pick |
C | Cam Jurgens | 2022 2nd-round pick |
RG | Mekhi Becton | Free agent |
RT | Lane Johnson | 2013 1st-round pick |
DT | Jalen Carter | 2023 1st-round pick |
DT | Jordan Davis | 2022 1st-round pick |
OLB | Nolan Smith | 2023 1st-round pick |
OLB | Josh Sweat | 2018 4th-round pick |
LB | Zack Baun | Free agent |
LB | Nakobe Dean | 2022 3rd-round pick |
CB | Quinyon Mitchell | 2024 1st-round pick |
CB | Darius Slay | Trade |
DB | Cooper DeJean | 2024 2nd-round pick |
S | C.J. Gardner Johnson | Free agent |
S | Reed Blankenship | Undrafted 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