It’s no secret that Howie Roseman loves to construct his roster from the inside out. It always, always starts with the line of scrimmage. Both sides. Offensive line. Defensive line.
“Never feel like we have enough o-linemen or d-linemen,” the Eagles' general manager said during Tuesday’s media availability session at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
“Always on the lookout for those positions at every level, whether it’s in free agency, whether it’s in the draft, whether it’s after the draft, whether it’s on the street, it’s really, like, an unhealthy obsession.”
It will pain him to see two defensive linemen probably walk out the door in free agency – Josh Sweat and Milton Williams. It will hurt to bid farewell to guard Mekhi Becton if they cannot agree on a deal to return for a second season under Jeff Stoutland.
It will also be his job to find a replacements at whatever avenues he sees fit this offseason.
“I never feel good enough because I can convince myself, I can go back and watch a game from this year and see we’re down three offensive linemen, then I’m going well, now we need eight starters,” said Roseman. “It’s the same with the d line. I think those are incredibly important positions and you can never have enough of them.”
Roseman has backed up his words with action.
In last year’s draft, he took two offensive linemen (Trevor Keegan and Dylan McMahon, who is no longer on the team) on Day 3 and, in the third, on Day 2, he plucked Jalyx Hunt.
In 2023, four of his seven picks were linemen. Nolan Smith is listed as an outside linebacker, but he often times lines up on the edge. Jalen Carter was the first pick, followed by Smith and then Tyler Steen in the third round. Defensive lineman Moro Ojomo arrived in the seventh.
Three of his five picks in 2022 were linemen – defensive tackle Jordan Davis in the first round, Cam Jurgens in the second, and Kyron Johnson (no longer on the team) in the sixth.
In 2021, five of his nine picks were linemen, including back-to-back picks of OL Landon Dickerson in the second round and Williams in the third. Also arriving were d-linemen Marlon Tuipulotu and Tarron Jackson in the sixth round and Patrick Johnson (listed as a defensive end) in the seventh.
When compiling mock drafts - and everyone does one or a hundred of them - it might be wise to consider Roseman’s unhealthy obsession.
