Howie Roseman: 2014 NFL Draft Safety Class Isn't Strong

There's no guesswork involved when it comes to determining Howie Roseman's favorite position in the 2014 NFL draft class. Time and time again, Roseman has indicated the talent and depth at receiver is tremendous. In a radio interview on Wednesday morning, Roseman went as far to say that the Eagles will likely draft "at least" one wide receiver. The Eagles' general manager reiterated that notion once again in a meeting with the media on Thursday morning.

Roseman went as far to say that a total of ten wide receivers will be drafted within the first two rounds alone. Beyond that, he indicated he believes there will still be solid starting receivers available in the middle rounds. If that indication is true, it certainly seems to hint the Eagles will be aggressive in grabbing a receiver. On one hand, it can be argued the Eagles don't need to draft a receiver at No. 22 and they can wait for a talented player to fall to them at No. 54. On the other hand, the Eagles might not want to risk a run on receivers taking place and missing out on their target.

Other positions of strength that Roseman singled out are cornerback and offensive tackle. It would be a little surprising to see the Eagles go offensive tackle in round one with Lane Johnson and Jason Peters in the fold. Peters is aging but is still playing at a high level and is signed through 2018*. The Eagles could find depth later on in the draft.  Cornerback, however, seems like a position where the Eagles could spend a high pick. There are a number of targets available and the Eagles badly need a future answer at that position.

One position that Roseman is not high on is safety. The direct quote was: "In terms of the safety group, I don't think it's a strong class at all." This will come as a disappointment to those who feel like safety is still a big need on the Eagles defense. Roseman's comments hardly means the Eagles won't draft a safety early on or at all. If his words are any indication, however, the chances aren't looking good.

The Eagles really only have one safety that's locked in as a starter and that's top free agent signing Malcolm Jenkins. The other starting job seems to be up for grabs. The team brought back Nate Allen on an inexpensive one-year deal after letting Allen test the free agent waters. Allen started for the Eagles last year and will likely compete with returning second year player Earl Wolff. Roseman noted the Eagles are high on Wolff, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft: "I think Earl Wolff is going to take a huge jump this year. He's got an incredible work ethic."

The last position that the Eagles GM' discussed was the one where the Eagles already seem to be set: quarterback. Nick Foles is clearly the team's starting for now and moving forward, but it was still interesting to hear what Roseman had to say about this class of signal callers. According to Roseman, the answer to how many first round talent quarterbacks exist in this draft depends on who you ask: "There's debate among us if there are 3 or 4." Even if the Eagles aren't seemingly in the market for a QB, it's still important for them to know about the prospects should one fall to them. It's also good for the team to gauge how many teams ahead of them will be looking for quarterbacks, which means more non-QB prospects could fall to the Eagles' pick.

So you know which positions Roseman says are the strongest and weakest. In just one week we'll see if his actions meet his words.