With the NFL draft upon us, many eyes are on the defending Super Bowl champions and their superstar general manager, Howie Roseman.
Roseman has been lauded for his recent draft day successes, including blockbuster trades and expert draft selections. There has been an abundance of both across Roseman’s 15-year stint with the Birds, but what are his biggest hits and worst whiffs?
Biggest Whiffs
Early in his general manager tenure, Roseman was prone to overanalyzing picks in the first few rounds. He took a lot of receivers with early picks in the 2010s, along with trench guys on the offensive and defensive lines. Roseman’s worst draft class was easily 2017.
2017 Draft
Tennessee’s Derek Barnett was promised to be the next Brandon Graham, but only registered more than five sacks in a season twice during his time in Philadelphia and never was close to double digits. Barnett’s currently seeing more playing time as a backup in Houston.
In the second round, Roseman took cornerback Sidney Jones out of Washington. Jones tore his Achilles before the draft, and his stock plummeted. Roseman thought he was finding value, but Jones was never the same post-injury. Two more of Roseman’s selections are doing alright in the league now: cornerback Rasul Douglas and wide receiver Mack Hollins. Neither were very good for the Eagles, and just like Sidney Jones, they were both out of Philadelphia by 2020.
Both, however, have put together solid NFL careers and have lasted longer than the league average, which is all most players can really ask for.
Worst Whiffs
Danny Watkins
The guard out of Baylor was drafted back in 2011, and the impact of his pick felt anything but positive.
Superstar talents like Cameron Jordan (taken one pick later) and Cameron Heyward (taken eight picks later) would’ve been fantastic additions next to Trent Cole and rising sophomore Brandon Graham. Instead, Watkins struggled with ankle problems on and off for three years before getting released.
Marcus Smith
After a rebound season, going from 4-12 to 10-6 over the past two years, fans (myself included) were so excited to see who Philadelphia would take in the upcoming 2014 NFL Draft.
With the 26th pick, Roseman took Marcus Smith, a coveted edge rusher out of Louisville. Smith was far from impressive, even notably worse than Barnett. Smith never sacked the opposing quarterback more than three times in a season during his short tenure as an Eagle and was out of the league by year five.
Nelson Agholor
Agholor is synonymous with ‘butterfingers’ in Philadelphia.
Even after rescuing a family from a burning building and catching a baby out of a second-story window, the man on the news looked dead into the camera and said, “We were catching them, unlike Agholor.” He even saw decent production in midnight green with multiple years over 700 yards. However, fans were unhappy with the price they had to pay for him at the 20th overall pick. Agholor spent five mediocre years in Philadelphia before moving to the Las Vegas Raiders and is now in Baltimore.
"We was catching 'em ... unlike [Nelson] Agholor."
— ESPN (@espn) September 23, 2019
After catching children thrown from a window during a fire, a Philly man was feeling extra petty 😅
(via @SteveLindsayCBS)pic.twitter.com/b5qlaVlQz6
Jalen Reagor
This Washington Husky is Howie Roseman’s worst draft pick of all time.
Reagor was drafted 21st overall in 2020, taken one spot over LSU’s Justin Jefferson, who is an undisputed top-two receiver in the NFL right now. While watching this draft live, everyone thought Roseman was going to pick Jefferson, which made this selection all the more confusing. The Eagles were looking for a true speedster on the outside, but missed on Reagor trying to fill that role. They’d find DeVonta Smith at 10th overall the following year.
Reagor only spent two seasons in Philadelphia before getting driven out as one of the franchise’s roughest stains.
Biggest Hits
Hilariously, a lot of Roseman’s best picks came after taking Reagor, with a lot of fans and analysts pointing to the fact that sometimes the obvious pick is the right one. There have been plenty of hidden gems that Roseman has unearthed over the years.
2018 Draft
Despite not even having a first-round pick this year, 2018 is easily Roseman’s most consistently productive draft.
The Eagles’ selected their current starting tight end, Dallas Goedert, in the second round, much to the dismay of many Cowboys fans, who picked immediately after.
In the fourth round, Roseman grabbed Avonte Maddox and Josh Sweat, who were both serviceable starters for several years. Sweat was the better of the two, tallying 11 sacks in his best year with the Birds. They also grabbed Jordan Mailata in the seventh round; more on him later.
Roseman hit on every pick in 2018, even tackle Matt Pryor, who started nearly every game last year for the Bears.
Jason Kelce
It’s tough to say anything that hasn’t already been said when it comes to Jason Kelce.
As an undersized center, he was practically forgotten about until Roseman scooped up the Cincinnati Bearcat in the sixth round. His fit was perfect from the jump.
Kelce started every single game his rookie year and earned six First Team All-Pro honors during 13 seasons in the league. He’s currently regarded as one of the best centers to ever play the game, and he will get enshrined in Canton on his first ballot.
Somehow, there’s another offensive lineman with the potential to break through Kelce’s ceiling.
Jordan Mailata
If you think Kelce’s story is wild, Mailata’s trumps that by miles.
Mailata grew up in Australia as a rugby player. He had never played American football until he was drafted in 2018. His stature doesn’t even look real, standing at 6-foot-8 and weighing 365 pounds. Despite his mammoth build, Mailata is quick on his feet, a skill forged on the rugby pitch across the sea.
2024 was his best season yet, earning Second Team All-Pro honors and finishing in the top 20 of AP Offensive Player of the Year voting. The sky’s the limit for Mailata, and barring major injuries, he’s the perfect Jason Peters/Lane Johnson replacement.
Jordan Mailata - 7th Round (233 overall)
— Barstool Philly (@BarstoolPhilly) April 24, 2025
One of the greatest draft picks in NFL history#FlyEaglesFly
pic.twitter.com/cWcHBFNgLw
Quinyon Mitchell & Cooper DeJean
Both of the Eagles’ newest corners deserve to go under one heading. Roseman took them with his two highest picks of last year’s draft. Despite only being rookies, both were crucial to the 2024 Super Bowl win.
Mitchell, the first-round pick from Toledo, has quickly proven himself as one of the best cover corners in the NFC. DeJean, the second-round pick from Iowa, filled in at slot corner almost immediately and has drastically raised the level of tackling on the Eagles’ defense. Expect both of these guys to remain franchise cornerstones for years to come.
Jalen Hurts
When I saw Jalen Hurts’ name crawl across my screen during the 2020 draft, I thought the world was ending.
Between him and Reagor, I thought, ‘Why on Earth would Roseman draft a quarterback in the second round when you still have Carson Wentz?‘
Clearly myself, my family and friends, and the rest of Philadelphia were wrong. Roseman saw a winner in Hurts who would never stop until he achieved his ultimate goal. Despite the roadblocks and critics, Jalen Hurts has continued to perform.
One week, someone will say that they’d rather have Trevor Lawrence; other weeks, people call him a top-five player in the league. While he’s likely somewhere in the middle, Hurts’ leadership and work ethic don’t go unappreciated.
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