2016 NFL Draft Grades: Eagles picks earn high ratings

1 (No. 2) Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State: 90 percent

No more half measures at the most important position in sports. The Eagles are going all in on Wentz. They believe in him as their franchise quarterback. Whether or not Wentz is actually going to be good or not, I'm not sure. The Eagles obviously think he will be. Now, they could be wrong, but at least they would be going down with their guy. The hope is that the Birds can develop Wentz under the tutelage of Doug Pederson, Frank Reich, and John DeFilippo. Wentz has the potential to be the cornerstone of championship contention for years to come. Still, he has a lot to prove at the NFL level. Wentz might not play much in his rookie year but he's expected to be the starter by 2017 at the latest.

3 (No. 87) Isaac Seumalo, OG, Oregon State: 87 percent

For some reason Chip Kelly was really against drafting offensive lineman ever since taking Lane Johnson in 2013. The Eagles finally made an effort to get younger in the trenches by taking Seumalo. The fact that he was able to play four out of five positions on the offensive line in college shows his versatility. Seumalo fits in as a guard/center type. He'll have an opportunity to win the starting left guard job. If he doesn't win that, he can be the top backup at guard and center.

5 (No. 153) Wendell Smallwood, RB, West Virginia: 75 percent

Smallwood is the least popular of the picks the Eagles made. Some of that might have to with his checkered past and his off color tweets. It also doesn't look great that there was a big run on running backs before the Eagles picked their choice. Did they really get the guy they want? Was this merely a need pick? Smallwood doesn't seem special enough to take over as the lead back. One would imagine the Eagles will use a committee of him, Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, and maybe even Kenjon Barner.

5 (No. 164) Halapoulivaatai Vaitai, OT, TCU: 91 percent

I really wanted the Eagles to draft this guy just because I like his name. Then I realized I'll have to type this name a lot, which could be a problem. Oh well, it's worth it. After not drafting an offensive lineman since 2013, it couldn't hurt to add two this year, so that's just what the Birds did. Big V will ideally be a backup as a rookie. The Eagles probably hope he can take over for Lane Johnson at right tackle in the future.

6 (No. 188) Blake Countess, DB, Auburn: 92 percent

The Countess pick is a little confusing because the Eagles already have nine cornerbacks (plus Malcolm Jenkins) on the roster. They aren't lacking "depth" at that position as much as they're lacking impact players. Countess is another body to add to the mix. He doesn't seem like a high upside guy as much as he is a backup/role player/special teams contributor.

7 (No. 233) Jalen Mills, S, LSU: 98 percent

The Mills pick seems great from a value perspective. Mel Kiper has him rated as a second round talent and CBS Sports had him pegged as a third round prospect. The problem is that Mills has some serious character concerns. If Mills can stay out of trouble he has the potential to earn playing time in the defense.

7 (No. 240) Alex McCalister, DE, Florida: 98 percent

I really like the McCalister pick. It's fun to watch his pass rushing highlights. He's long, tall, and fast. He bends pretty well and seems to really enjoy hitting the quarterback. McAlister has some unspecified character concerns. Howie Roseman would only say that what he did to get dismissed from Florida was "illegal." If McAlister can mature and add some weight he could make for an interesting pass rush specialist in Jim Schwartz's defense.

7 (No. 251) Joe Walker, LB, Oregon: 86 percent

I can't say I know much about Walker on my own but everything I've read is fairly positive relative to expectations. Ideally just a solid backup linebacker to have who can also help out on special teams. That's good enough for a pick that took place a few spots before the draft ended.