2017 NFL Draft Grades: How Eagles fans rated the picks

After the Philadelphia Eagles made each of their 2017 NFL Draft picks, we asked you to give your feedback on each selection. Here are the final results.

1 (No. 14) Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee

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Barnett wasn’t the most exciting pick for the Eagles at No. 14. It would have been more fun to get some more offensive weapons for Carson Wentz. But I can’t blame the Eagles for taking a pass rusher here. It’s a premium position and the 20-year-old Barnett has a strong, productive track record. Barnett gets criticized for his lack of athleticism but he still has really good bend, which is important for pass rushers when it comes to getting by offensive tackles. Again, the Barnett pick doesn’t have me jumping for joy, but I think it’s a pretty good pick for the Birds.

2 (No. 43) Sidney Jones, CB, Washington

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The other night I got a lot of angry responses to the following tweet.

Look, I totally get the long-term thinking behind the Jones pick, and I don’t have a problem with that. The Eagles obviously feel he’s worth the risk. They know more about his injury situation than I do. With that said, I don’t think it’s as simple as “oh, we’re going to sit him for a year and then he’ll be 100%.” For the sake of Jones and the Eagles, I hope that’s the case. But I can’t help but be skeptical. Achilles is a serious injury. Yeah, I know Jason Peters came back from that, but his job description also doesn’t entail sprinting down the field on most plays. There’s definitely upside to this pick, but the downside isn’t minimal. High risk, high reward.

3 (No. 99) Rasul Douglas, CB, West Virginia

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Douglas is likely the Eagles rookie with the best chance at the most playing time in 2017. Philadelphia obviously needs help at cornerback and Douglas will challenge for snaps. It’s not hard to see why the Eagles like Douglas. He fits the mold of a Jim Schwartz cornerback in the sense that he’s very aggressive and physical. Schwartz likes guys who can make big plays, even if that means they’re not always going to be perfect in coverage all the time. Douglas had eight interceptions last year so he’s clearly a guy who can make things happen in the secondary.

4 (No. 118) Mack Hollins, WR, North Carolina

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Hollins is a really big target who can run fast and make big plays. He’s also awesome on special teams. So why didn’t he get drafted early? Some believe the collarbone injury he suffered last year caused him to slip, but there’s also no denying that he’s not a polished product at 23 years old. I feel like Hollins might be the Eagles’ new version of Riley Cooper, minus the whole racism thing. Hopefully his career goes better than the way Cooper’s did.

4 (No. 132) Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State

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It’s kind of annoying how this was supposed to be a deep draft at running back — Howie Roseman even called this year’s depth “historic — but the Eagles didn’t end up with a three-down player. I think that might explain some disapproval when it comes to the Pumphrey pick. Pumphrey is an exciting player who will instantly be able to have a role in the Eagles offense. It’s just a matter of how big that role will really be.

5 (No. 166) Shelton Gibson, WR, West Virginia

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Easily the most favorable Eagles pick. What’s not to like? The Eagles aren’t expecting Gibson to be their savior; they just needed someone who can stretch the field and Gibson can do that. He’s really fast and agile. With Gibson, Hollins, Alshon Jeffrey, and Torrey Smith in the fold, the Eagles actually have some players who can get open deep now. Gibson will likely need some time to develop before he’s ever considered a starter.

5 (No. 184) Nathan Gerry, LB, Nebraska

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There’s some intrigue with the Gerry pick. Some believed he was an underrated safety in college and now he’s being moved to linebacker. This year’s linebacker class wasn’t excellent so the Eagles got creative with this pick. There’s a lot of projection here with Gerry moving positions, but maybe he can develop into a nice WILL linebacker at some point. At the least he should contribute on special teams. You could do better for a fifth round pick, but you could also do a lot worse.

6 (No. 214) Elijah Qualls, DT, Washington

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I think Qualls’ ceiling is realistically a guy who can be a rotational defensive tackle and fill in as a starter when necessary. I also think the Eagles might give him some looks at fullback considering he played that position when he first got to Washington after playing running back in high school. Hard to really dislike this sixth round selection, though there is reportedly some concern about Qualls’ weight and motivation issues. Also his last name reminds me of Chad Qualls and I don’t like that.

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OVERALL GRADE