While the Philadelphia Eagles made a perfect move in the NFL Draft, it's thanks to general manager Howie Roseman. The latter is a savant with the draft.
He's landed a variety of top players who fit what the Eagles run schematically. Either way, part of the process is a result of what the team currently has.
Roseman explained via Tim McManus of ESPN how their draft strategy came to fruition.
“Offensively, we have a bunch of starters under long-term contracts, starters who are in the prime of their career, so it allows you to really, on the fly, get young on that side of the ball,” Roseman said.
“And we needed it a couple of years ago. I'd say this year's draft, we were open to whatever the board told us at where we were picking. We really felt like we were taking the best guys.”
With guys like Brandon Graham retiring, it makes for more of an emphasis on that side. Still, it's not only the draft that Roseman seems to excel in.
He's an incredible talent evaluator. For instance, they landed Zack Baun from the New Orleans Saints last season. The latter turned out to be an All-Pro and a Pro Bowl linebacker.
Rounding out the roster is a great time for Roseman, considering guys like Baun are in their prime.
Why is Howie Roseman drafting the ‘best' players for Eagles
They have their main positional needs in check, especially offensively. Guys like Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley and AJ Brown round out the star power on that side.
Even defensively, they have stars. Guys like Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Reed Blankenship have made that side impactful. However, CJ Gardner-Johnson left the team and signed a lucrative contract.
Although Philadelphia didn't lose major pieces, they had the chance to go for talent. Roseman doesn't need that talent to step up right away.
However, he's likely thinking that developing those players will be essential. Once guys like Baun get out of his prime, these new guys can step up and take over.
Even for someone like Carter, he can have a major impact next season with Graham retiring. The Eagles didn't need to draft him in 2024. Still, they did and capitalized on the opportunity to acquire the best player.
At the end of the day, Roseman will continue his general manager tactics that have propelled Philadelphia into football stardom. His futuristic yet present approach has allowed moves like these to transpire, without it damaging the current state of the team.
