Philadelphia Eagles 2018 Draft Class Review

With the 2018 NFL Draft behind us, it’s time to begin the review process on how each team stacks up with the selections they’ve made. Having a roster that was able to win the Super Bowl usually shouldn’t require much tinkering other than adding more depth to continue the push for another title. Trading out of the first round allowed the Eagles horde picks for future seasons to remain competitive for the long term. Selecting only five players in this year’s draft does indicate how much talent the Eagles have on their roster while selecting a few key depth pieces, let’s review… 

Philadelphia Eagles 2018 Draft Class Review:

Round 2 – Pick 17 (49)

Dallas Goedert (TE)

With the departure of Trey Burton to the Chicago Bears and always looking for depth in case of injury, the Eagles selected one of the top tight end prospects to come out of the 2018 NFL Draft. Dallas Goedert was simply a beast in college especially when reviewing his last two seasons at South Dakota State. Becoming a key cog in the offense, Dallas proved he was up to the task generating 164 receptions, 2404 yards, and 18 touchdowns in those final two years, extremely impressive. An injury held Goedert out from the testing process at the combine outside of the bench press (23 reps), but Dallas has shown good speed in the past being clocked with a career best time of 4.56 in the 40 yard dash. For a man of his size and ability, a great 40 time only adds to the gleaming evaluation of Dallas Goedert.

While Goedert is a top notch prospect that has shown great ability, he will make his money primarily in the pass game until he can improve his blocking ability. Coach Pederson will undoubtedly provide the correct tutelage to round out Dallas’ overall game to create those mismatches on the field. ADF doesn’t question the talent in terms of his hands, and finding areas on the field to get open, as he excels in that department quite well. We do have question marks when it comes to his blocking and route running ability which are all coachable traits that should be improved upon very early in his career. Having a tandem of Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert on the field at the same time should allow the Eagles to get very creative. We love the upside with this selection.   

ADF Prediction: Great potential, future NFL starter.

Round 4 – Pick 25 (125)

Avonte Maddox (DB)

If there is a weakness on this defense, it could be seen in the defensive backfield from time to time. With Sidney Jones returning this season from a lost rookie campaign, more depth and playmaking defensive backs is just what the Eagles were targeting with this pick in Avonte Maddox. While Maddox is on the smaller side of things coming in at 5’9” tall, he makes up for that in every aspect with speed and athleticism. Running a sub 4.4 40 time and destroying the cone drills at the combine does in fact prove Maddox is as advertised as seen from his film. Every scout we’ve seen has also mentioned and praised how good Avonte is in the locker room as a team captain and leader. Having great character players never goes out of style and Maddox should fit in well with the Eagles.

When reviewing the statistics and game film it was easy to see what the Eagles brain trust sees in this talented player. Maddox was a menace on the field generating plays consistently not allowing his size to be any hindrance whatsoever. Avonte in his four year career at Pitt produced a whopping 183 tackles, 13.5 of those for loss, 7 sacks, 8 interceptions – two of which were returned for touchdowns, and added 3 forced fumbles, like we said extremely impressive. With recent news that the Eagles could be interested in trading away Ronald Darby, the door opens that much more for Maddox to take on a bigger role. Avonte should challenge for the nickel spot early in camp, with finding time in sub packages most of the season.         

ADF Prediction: Great potential.

Round 4 – Pick 30 (130)

Josh Sweat (DE)

Adding to a defensive front that already boasts some of the top pass rushing talent in the NFL, the Eagles selected Josh Sweat formally of Florida State. Having prototypical size and intangibles that make pro scouts take notice, Sweat should fit in very well in Philadelphia learning the trade behind all pro players already on the roster. ADF has echoed the mantra throughout our evaluations that versatility goes a long way and Sweat employs a great deal of that in his game. Even though Josh is listed as a defensive end on the OTA depth chart, ADF has no doubt that he can man an outside line backer position if the team requires. Sweat has shown ability in backing off into coverage but would be best suited to being a full time rusher off the edge.

Josh Sweat did see good but not outstanding production in his college career with a plethora of injuries which made some scouts hit the concern button. This could be the perfect fit for Sweat as he won’t be relied upon to take a large role early but rather be a complimentary piece to a fantastic group of defenders.       

ADF Prediction: Moderate potential, injury concerns.

Round 6 – Pick 32 (206)

Matt Pryor (OL)

With all the injuries the Eagles had last season and still winning the Super Bowl, it’s quite clear that Coach Pederson understands and greatly values having solid depth to step in if something goes sideways. Drafting offensive tackle Matt Pryor should act as a perfect depth piece for this offense as he is a beast of a man with very good skills. Again the Eagles are finding versatile players that can man multiple positions which Pryor is no stranger to. Matt has experience playing the guard spot while having time at both bookends with some decent success at right and left tackle positions. Pryor is a project player that will benefit from time on the bench as the coaching staff will have to see how he responds to the rigors of the NFL. The competition will be vast in camp and Pryor will have to show something to carve out a role on the squad.  

Round 7 – Pick 15 (233)

Jordan Mailata (OL)

With their last pick in the draft, the Eagles took a complete dart throw on a former Rugby player in Jordan Mailata. This experiment will take some time to develop as Mailata has no real football experience, but has unbelievable size and athletic ability. We’ve seen far too often that these trials rarely work out in the National Football League as football intelligence normally outweighs the physical traits that look so favorable. Trying to place Jordan as an offensive tackle in itself is quite the task to train without any previous playing time. We give the Eagles credit for steeping outside the box and taking a chance, but this shouldn’t materialize into anything other than an interesting camp storyline.     

2018 Undrafted Free Agent Signings

Jordan Thomas, CB, Oklahoma

Josh Adams, RB, Notre Dame

Toby Weathersby, OL, LSU

Chandon Sullivan, CB, Georgia State

Jeremy Reaves, DB, South Alabama

Joe Ostman, DE, Central Michigan

Danny Ezechukwu, DE/LB Purdue

Ian Park, OL, Slippery Rock

Stephen Roberts, DB, Auburn

Bruce Hector, DT, South Florida

Ryan Neal, DB, Southern Illinois