Eagles News: Cowboys fans thank Philadelphia for helping Dallas have “one of the best drafts in memory”

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How a couple of assists from a division rival helped the Cowboys score big in the 2020 draft - Blogging The Boys
There is no denying that the 2020 NFL Draft was incredibly successful for the Dallas Cowboys. The haul of talented players, most taken much later than almost all the boards predicted they would go, is remarkable. Especially for a team that went into things with only seven picks while being stuck in the middle of the order each round, plus the very last comp pick of the fifth. They didn’t even have a sixth-rounder after trading it away for Robert Quinn. So the way Yacht Jerry, Stephen Jones, Mike McCarthy, and most of all Will McClay parlayed that into what is widely viewed as one of the best groups in the league is just remarkable. Not only was this extremely satisfying, it was entertaining and even a bit of fun. Adding a special cherry on top of this creamy bowl of football goodness is that one of the most enjoyable aspects of things is that the Cowboys got not just one, but two significant assists from the one team in the NFL that most hates doing anything to benefit Dallas: Our beloved and kind-hearted rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles. This post is a testament to how they selflessly overcame those baser instincts to offer a couple of helping hands. [...] However, we come here not to criticize the Eagles given how the goodness of their hearts is the only real explanation for all this, but to thank them for their assistance in helping the Cowboys have one of the best drafts in memory.

7 winners and 6 losers from Day 3 of the 2020 NFL Draft - SB Nation
Loser: The Eagles (and everyone in the NFC East not named the Cowboys). The Eagles had weird draft. They went with receiver Jalen Reagor in the first round, which addressed a need but was a little higher than he was expected to go. Then they surprised everyone by grabbing quarterback Jalen Hurts in the second. Linebacker Davion Taylor in the third round was a bit of a reach, and they didn’t draft a cornerback. But where they’re really screwed is in the NFC East. The Cowboys had an incredible draft, and as their top competition in the division, the Eagles need to keep pace with them. But the Cowboys lucked into top-talent players like CeeDee Lamb and Trevon Diggs, and are building what looks like one of the elite teams. They even replaced their best offensive lineman with one of the draft’s best offensive linemen in the fourth round. The NFC East has been a division in flux for the better part of a decade, and it’s just been begging for someone to step up and take control. It looked like the Eagles would be that team after they won a Super Bowl two years ago, but since then have only seemed to make lateral moves at best. Bonus: the Cowboys got rid of Jason Garrett, so they should be firmly favored to be the top team in the division next season.

Grading the Eagles’ 2020 NFL Draft class - BGN
I think the Eagles outsmarted themselves here. Howie Roseman’s line about the Eagles viewing themselves as a “quarterback factory” is frustrating. Who has this current regime really even successfully developed at that position? Wentz, sure, but he was also an uber talent to begin with as a No. 2 overall pick. Nick Foles had already shown he was capable of playing at a high level before returning to Philly in 2017. More specifically, are the Eagles really right to put a lot of stock into passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Press Taylor as a great quarterback developer? Wentz was at his best working with John DeFilippo in 2017 and hasn’t been quite as elite since then. The Hurts pick shows Nate Sudfeld hasn’t developed into a sure-fire No. 2. Clayton Thorson couldn’t even make the practice squad as a rookie.

The Kist & Solak Show #182: Eagles 7-Round Draft Recap - BGN Radio
Michael Kist & Benjamin Solak take a 10,000 foot view of the Eagles 2020 NFL Draft with detailed thoughts on how the new batch of WRs fit, UDFAs, individual player analysis and more! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Draft Wrap - Iggles Blitz
1 – WR Jalen Reagor – 5-11, 201 – TCU. Explosive receiver. Isn’t tall, but has a 42-inch vertical and you see that when he plays. Reagor goes up high and attacks the ball. Physical, aggressive player. Ran 4.47 at the Combine, but looks faster than that on tape. Eagles wanted him for his speed and ability to make plays “above the rim”. Most speedy WRs aren’t playing the ball up high. Good RAC ability. Productive returner. Reminds me a bit of Steve Smith.

2020 NFL Draft: Eagles’ draft awards - NBCSP
MOST OVER-RATED MOVE: I know 5th-round pick John Hightower and 6th-round pick Quez Watkins both have tremendous speed, and it’s easy to get excited about a couple blazers. But let’s be honest. Your odds of hitting on a wide receiver in the fifth or sixth round are minimal. The only wide out the Eagles have drafted in the last 30 years after the fourth round who caught more than three passes in an Eagles uniform is Riley Cooper, a 5th-rounder in 2010. The most career receptions ever by an Eagles’ 6th-round WR? Jeff Sydner had three. So maybe one of these guys will hit, but realistically they’re long shots. Very fast long shots.

How the Bengals, Dolphins and Chargers Vetted Their New Quarterbacks - MMQB
I’m not as wild about the Eagles’ Jalen Hurts pick. And that’s nothing against Hurts the player, a guy who showed great determination in making it through all he did—at one point while he was at Bama, some NFL scouts were assessing him as a running-back prospect—to go in the second round. More, there would be two factors gnawing at me here if I’m the Eagles. One, I’m not sure he wouldn’t have slipped a little further, had Philly not taken him at 53, where they could’ve added a corner like LSU’s Kristian Fulton, a linebacker like Wyoming’s Logan Wilson or a pass-rusher like Iowa’s A.J. Epenesa, or traded down. Remember, it was the fourth round before another quarterback came off the board. Second, I’d worry his on-field value over the next four years may be minimal, if Carson Wentz stays healthy. Now, all that said? I like the conviction in the evaluation by Howie Roseman, and if Hurts gives them good depth for three years and gets flipped for a second or something better after that, then this will look better as a Wentz insurance policy.

NFL draft: Live updated fantasy football reaction, projections - ESPN
No. 21: WR Jalen Reagor to Philadelphia Eagles. Initial 2020 projection: 67 targets, 41 receptions, 520 yards, 4 TDs. The TCU product is a bit tricky to decipher as he put together a strong 72-1,061-9 receiving line in 2018 prior to seeing his production and efficiency plummet in 2019. Reagor was held to 6.6 YPT and a 47% catch rate last season, but a prospect-low 60% of his targets were charted as catchable (55 of 92). Quarterback play was obviously an issue, although Reagor did have problems of his own, with nine drops and six fumbles. Reagor (5-foot-11, 206 pounds) has 4.47 speed and can contribute as a receiver, returner and ball carrier. The Eagles obviously believe they’re getting the 2018 version of Reagor and he’ll immediately slide in as, at least, the team’s No. 3 receiver behind Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson. There aren’t many short-term targets to be had in the Eagles’ offense as currently constructed, but if Jeffery is traded or cut, Reagor’s short-term value will get a nice boost. If not, he’ll be worth no more than a late flier.

10 takeaways from a wild Eagles 2020 draft weekend - PE.com
The Eagles wanted speed, and they got it. No. 1 pick Jalen Reagor ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and wanted better, and he timed at 4.22 at his “virtual Pro Day.” He says it “was completely real.” Wide receiver John Hightower, a fifth-round pick, ran a 4.43 40 at the Combine. Sixth-round selection Quez Watkins, another wide receiver, ran a 4.35 40 at the Combine. Goodwin is a former Olympian who ran a 4.27 40 at the Combine in 2013. The Eagles added speed at linebacker with third-round pick Davion Taylor (4.49 40) and sixth-round selection Shaun Bradley (4.51). From an offensive standpoint, after seeing how difficult it was to get “chunk” plays last season after wide receiver DeSean Jackson was injured, adding speed was critical and welcomed. “Adding the speed element to that obviously factors in,” Pederson said. “Look, I mean, we played a ton of teams these past couple of seasons where it was hard to push the ball down the field, whether it was injury or whatever it was. This just allows us to, I think, open some things up.”

Eagles Shadow Draft: How my draft haul compares to the team’s and what I learned - The Athletic
So what did I learn? Drafting players is a good way to get mad at yourself when the clock runs out and you don’t feel good about the pick you’ve made, but anyone who’s done a fantasy draft already knows that. But the exercise reinforced two things for me. First, my belief that entering the draft with major short-term holes is a recipe for disaster is stronger than ever. There will always be “needs” when you enter a draft, but having to balance adding the most talented players possible and addressing short-term roster holes is precarious. You’ll never be able to address everything. In my draft, for instance, I added insufficient help for the secondary.

Audibles at the Line: 2020 NFL Draft Day 2 - Football Outsiders
Aaron Schatz: I don’t get the Jalen Hurts pick at all. This isn’t a “draft Jimmy Garoppolo in case the old quarterback falls off” situation, or even a “draft Jordan Love in case the old quarterback falls off” situation. I don’t see what the value is here in having a second-round backup when your starter is still young and set for the next few years.

Meet Jack Driscoll, Auburn’s battle-tested OT prospect - DraftWire
JM: What’s your favorite way to demoralize your opponent? ... JD: I’m not a rah-rah guy. I’m not a loud guy. I just like to stare someone down. When we start the game, those edge rushers are pretty confident going in. As the game goes on and you’re struggling with me, I’ll just stare you down and I start to see their facial expressions change. When he doesn’t wanna look me in the face anymore, I know he’s about to quit. That’s when I put my foot down and finish you off. That’s how I look at it. When I see someone’s eyes and they start looking down, or maybe they start yelling at their teammates or complaining to the ref about something, I know that’s the moment when I can put the nail in the coffin. I’m gonna get after you.

2020 NFL Draft Day 3 Recap: Three More Tigers Selected - College And Magnolia
Tega’s path to the NFL is an incredible story. Considering he had never played a snap of football until high school, to see him just a few years later off to the NFL is a huge accomplishment. The NFL did an awesome special feature on Tega. As for what the Eagles are getting on the field, Tega might still be raw in some aspects but he unquestionably has a sky high ceiling. That knee injury plagued him all last year. If he can get healthy, don’t be surprised if he finds his way onto the field as an NFL starter in the very near future.

Arizona QB Khalil Tate to sign with Philadelphia Eagles as undrafted free agent - Arizona Desert Swarm
Tate entered the 2018 season as a Heisman Trophy candidate, landing on the cover of Sports Illustrated during the preseason, only to see the combination of an ankle injury and an offensive scheme change neutralize his running ability. He finished the year with only 224 rushing yards and two scores but did throw for 2,530 yards and 26 TDs.

Rise and fall of Arizona Wildcats QB Khalil Tate is a confounding, complex tale - Tucson
Since I became the Arizona Wildcats football beat writer in December 2015, I’ve been asked one question more than any other: What happened to Khalil Tate? My response typically begins with a deep breath. Then this: “It’s complicated.” Is it ever. As we say goodbye to Tate this weekend — the NFL draft is essentially the graduation ceremony for players as they head off to the pros, especially this year, when there are no graduation ceremonies — I’ll attempt to answer that question as thoroughly as I can. Tate hasn’t played a down since Nov. 30, but he remains a compelling figure in UA sports lore whose rise and fall will be dissected for decades. Let’s start by defining what the “what” is. In brief: In the span of two years, Tate went from an electric, buzzworthy Heisman Trophy candidate and Sports Illustrated cover subject to an NFL afterthought who might not hear his name called during the draft — without ever suffering a catastrophic injury or getting in trouble off the field.

2020 Fantasy football rankings: Top 40 rookies - Fake Teams
[BLG Note: Jalen Reagor ranks 7th.]

Winners and losers for the New York Giants after the 2020 NFL Draft - Big Blue View
Loser - The passing attack. Perhaps the most surprising part of the entire draft was that the Giants didn’t draft a single wide receiver in what was the deepest and most thoroughly talented wide receiver class in recent memory — maybe even ever. We consistently noted throughout the draft process that a wide receiver was probably going to be the best player available whenever the Giants were drafting, outside of fourth overall. and yet the Giants consistently bypassed the position. The rest of the NFC East engaged in an arms race, with the Dallas Cowboys lucking into CeeDee Lamb, the Philadelphia Eagles taking a trio of receivers, and the Washington Redskins taking two as well. The Giants’ depth at receiver is a big question mark after Sterling Shepard missed so much time due to concussions, Darius Slayton missed time to a hamstring injury, and Corey Coleman missed the entire season to a torn ACL.

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