Eagles News: Jalen Hurts among biggest winners from the 2021 NFL Draft

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Levitan: NFL Draft Fantasy Winners - Establish The Run
3. Jalen Hurts, QB, Eagles – Underdog Rank 101st overall. Since last season the Eagles have traded away Carson Wentz, used zero draft picks on QBs and traded up for DeVonta Smith. On the offensive line, studs RT Lane Johnson and RG Brandon Brooks are expected back from season-ending injuries. It’s wheels up for Jalen Hurts, who averaged an eye-popping 29.5 DraftKings points per game in his three full ones last season. The rushing ability is going to keep the weekly floor sky-high and the addition of Smith adds upside to Hurts’ passing stats.

5 winners and 5 losers from the Eagles’ 2021 Draft - BGN
WINNERS: Jalen Hurts. The Eagles could have grabbed Justin Fields at No. 12. They could have stayed put, kept their extra third-rounder and taken the former Ohio State star if they didn’t feel Hurts was going to progress into a solid QB in 2021. Sure, they’ve also spent a good deal of time loading up on draft capital next year to go after a QB either in free agency or in next year’s draft, but for this year, Roseman and the coaching staff all but assured him he would be their starter. The selection of Smith also brings in one of the best wide receiver talents to come into Philadelphia since DeSean Jackson was drafted, and being former teammates with Smith at Alabama can only be a good thing for their rapport. In the second round, the Eagles selected another former teammate of Hurts, oft-injured center/guard Landon Dickerson, a mountain of a man who, if healthy (and that’s a big if) could take over for Jason Kelce as soon as 2022, providing real protection for Hurts. Finally, in Round 5, the backfield received a potential boost with Memphis running back Kenneth Gainwell, a sleeper pick most draft experts believed was a steal for the Birds at No. 150 overall. All in all, the draft really couldn’t have gone any better for Jalen Hurts.

Biggest fantasy football winners and losers of the 2021 NFL Draft - DraftKings Nation
LOSERS: RB Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles. With the 150th overall pick, the Eagles selected Memphis RB Kenny Gainwell. This on its own wouldn’t seem all that damaging, especially considering the fifth-round draft capital, but Gainwell emerges from this class as arguably the second-best receiving back behind Clemson’s Travis Etienne. This comes not long after they signed RB Jordan Howard to a one-year deal. Again, not a huge hit to Sanders’ value on his own, but each of these backs further cloud the running backs room there in Philly, and Gainwell specifically, could bring a hit to Sanders’ upside as a receiver that fantasy managers were hoping for after drafting him as a top-12 dynasty running back over the last year.

Grading the Eagles’ 2021 NFL Draft class - BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski analyze all nine Eagles draft picks and hand out some grades. Plus: The guys talk about Tom Donahoe, Philly’s UDFA signings, Zach Ertz’s future, and much more!

The Eagles’ remaining holes to fill, post-draft, and who can fill them - PhillyVoice
Casey Hayward (turns 32 in September): Hayward is a former Pro Bowl performer whose career is in decline. For the Eagles’ purposes, he’d be a good Band-Aid candidate, because he’s at least durable, as he has missed just two games over the last seven seasons. He also has inside-outside versatility, which would be of some value if the Eagles intend on having Darius Slay follow No. 1 receivers again like he did in 2020.

Roster/Draft Talk - Iggles Blitz
I always leave Rodney McLeod off my depth charts because he got hurt so late and feels unlikely to play anytime soon. That group isn’t compelling in any way, but Wallace, Maddox and McPhearson are young players with talent. They could be key parts of the secondary moving forward. Harris could be re-signed and play a few more years. Epps could develop into a good role player. We’ll have to see what the new coaches can get out of him. There are some free agents who could be targets. Stevie Nelson is the primary guy there. His cost has to drop. There could be some CBs available via trade. We’ll have to wait and see what we hear over the next few months. Next March the Eagles will have a lot of cap room. They can be aggressive in going after secondary help. The draft should be much deeper so they might have better options there as well. Howie and the front office know the secondary isn’t good enough. It is functional for now, but needs long term help.

Eagles’ draft signals further support for Jalen Hurts in 2021 - ESPN
Soon, calmer vibes will give way to the intensity of the NFL season, and reality will set in about what 2021 is: a trial run for Hurts. There have already been reports connecting the Eagles to Seattle’s Russell Wilson and Houston’s Deshaun Watson. After going 1-3 as a starter and completing 52% of his passes his rookie season, questions remain internally as to whether Hurts is the long-term answer at quarterback. Philadelphia has as many as three first-round picks next season — capital reserved for a quarterback should Hurts underperform in 2021.

One-on-One: Landon Dickerson | May 3, 2021 - PE.com
Get to know second-round pick Landon Dickerson in this exclusive interview with Eagles Insider Dave Spadaro.

At 40 years old, ex-Eagles QB Michael Vick proves he’s still got it - NJ.com
During his time in the NFL, former Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was known not only for his strong arm but for his speed, making several highlight-type plays in his 13 seasons in the league. Even at 40, Vick is still fast for his age, and he recently displayed his speed while helping a charitable cause. Vick posted a 4.72 40-yard dash time, surprising a lot of people with the posted time.

Giants willing to “explore” Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson trades - Big Blue View
If the Green Bay Packers really want to trade Aaron Rodgers or the Seattle Seahawks really are willing to part with Russell Wilson, and there really aren’t any real indications those things will happen, GM Dave Gettleman said Monday that the New York Giants will “explore’ those avenues.

Does Washington Now Have the Most Dangerous Offense in the NFC East? - Hogs Haven
The Eagles bring up the rear of the NFC East. It’s not that they don’t have talent, but outside of tight end and running back, that talent has yet to produce. The Eagles will head into 2021 with a new starter under center, two diminutive, yet speedy wide receivers on the outside, and a offensive line that is shaky at best. This will probably be a whole different conversation in a few years, but for now, the danger level is not too high.

Report: The Dallas Cowboys will not be picking up Leighton Vander Esch’s fifth-year option for 2022 - Blogging The Boys
You never want to end up in a situation where you don’t pick up a first-rounder’s fifth-year option in today’s day and age and it is definitely unfamiliar territory for the Cowboys. The only players who didn’t have the switch flipped for them since the 2011 CBA were Morris Claiborne (who re-signed with the team on a one-year deal during the 2016 season which incidentally would have been his option season) and Taco Charlton (who was cut during his third season with the team). Vander Esch played incredibly well during his rookie season and looked like a lock for the path that Cowboys first-rounders before him had followed themselves as far as option years went. Unfortunately his biggest issue has been staying on the field as he has only played in 35 of 48 possible games over his first three seasons.

4 winners and 2 losers from the 2021 NFL Draft - SB Nation
LOSER: Conventional wisdom says a writer should always grade a Cowboys draft high, because that’s how you get those sweet shares — but I really didn’t care for what Dallas did throughout the draft. The team didn’t do enough to help Dak Prescott on the offensive line, waiting until the fourth round to get one of two offensive linemen this class. Yes, the Cowboys needed a lot of help on defense too, but each of their picks after Parsons felt like a reach based on the board. The whole strategy felt a little static. As if the war room had a handful of names they wanted to get, and didn’t really care how the draft fell around it. Also, allowing the Eagles to trade up for extremely fair value so they could take DeVonta Smith was far too generous for a division rival.

Monday Football Monday #35: AFC Draft Winners & Losers - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera (Niners Nation), RJ Ochoa (Blogging the Boys), and Brandon Lee Gowton (Bleeding Green Nation) give you what they liked and didn’t like from draft weekend in the AFC. Andy McNamera from Dawgs by Nature on why the Browns had the best draft in the division. Did the Bengals make the wrong choice by going WR over LT? Stats roasts the Denver Broncos to a crisp. How the Chargers could have secured the AFC West. Why didn’t Indy do Carson Wentz any favors and more!

America’s Covid-19 endgame could be much closer than you think - Vox
As America’s Covid-19 vaccine rollout got underway last December, White House medical adviser Anthony Fauci said the herd immunity threshold for the coronavirus could be 80 to 90 percent. The implication was demoralizing: America would need to get as many as 90 percent of its people vaccinated to truly stop the virus from spreading freely. With roughly 20 percent of the population still resistant to getting a vaccine, near-universal vaccination seems very unlikely — leading a recent New York Times article to suggest that herd immunity may be impossible. But recent data out of Israel paints a more hopeful picture: With around 60 percent of its population vaccinated, Israel has managed to almost fully reopen its economy and crush the number of coronavirus cases and deaths to nearly zero. The country still has some requirements in place — particularly indoor masking and vaccine passport requirements — but it’s much closer to normal than it could afford to be, with any guarantee of safety, just months ago.

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