NFL Philadelphia Eagles

2014 NFL Draft Update: Philadelphia Eagles Rookie Class Quiet

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By @rickstavig

Philadelphia Eagles, 2014 NFL Draft

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The Philadelphia Eagles have gotten off to an electric start to the 2014 NFL season, counting five wins in their first six games, good for a share of the NFC East lead with the hated Dallas Cowboys. Now that we’re nearing the midway point of the season, it’s a good time to check out how the young bucks from the Bird’s 2014 NFL Draft class are doing.

In the first round the Eagles took Marcus Smith (OLB, Louisville). At the time, I thought it was the worst pick in the first round because of the horrid value. He was projected by just about every scout and analyst alive as being a mid round pick at best, and yet Chip Kelly and Howie Roseman were compelled to take him 26th overall. Through six games, it’s looking like Kelly and Roseman may been a little high on their own ego’s with this pick, because he’s looking like a colossal bust.

Starting QB Nick Foles has more tackles than Smith this year. Seriously. He has zero stats. No tackles, no TFL’s, no sacks, no INT’s, no FF’s, no FR’s. He’s supposed to be an edge rusher off the bench providing depth both inside and outside in the Eagles multidimensional scheme, and that just hasn’t happened. So far he hasn’t seen much time at all, and the very few snaps he’s seen, he looks like his head is spinning. He’s even been deactivated, which obviously isn’t what you intend for a player you select 26th overall. The jury is still out on Smith, and he could still turn things around and become a productive member of the defense, but as of now, yikes.

In round two was Jordan Matthews (WR, Vanderbilt), my favorite pick of their class. Awesome prospect, great value and an even better man. He’s a pro’s pro already in how he handles himself. So far he’s third on the team in both receptions (23), receiving yards (226) and second in receiving TD’s (2), and has looked good in the slot. And when looking at those numbers, remember he only had 3 receptions for 8 yards in the first two games. His YPC (9.8) is a little low but he also hasn’t been running nearly as many deep routes as someone like Jeremy Maclin. Matthews looks like a future stud and is already making an impact.

The middle rounds were made up of Josh Huff (WR, Oregon) in the 3rd, Jaylen Watkins (CB/S, Florida) in the 4th and Taylor Hart (DE, Oregon) in the 5th. Huff battled a sprained shoulder through much of the season but has seen a couple snaps since then on both offense and special teams. At the time most thought he was taken a little too high, and that remains true so far. Watkins and Hart haven’t seen any time. Hart hasn’t even been active for a game yet while Watkins has merely dressed for two. I’m a little surprised that neither have been able to get on the field, as I thought Hart would at least be in the DE rotation and Watkins would bounce back and forth between S and CB while contributing on special teams.

In the latter rounds the Birds took Ed Reynolds (S, Stanford) in the 6th and Beau Allen (NT, Wisconsin) in the 7th. I loved the Allen pick from the start (here’s my take from last May) and haven’t been surprised to see him getting snaps rotating with Bennie Logan up front. Reynolds was actually cut then signed to the practice squad.

Obviously it’s still very early in the careers of these guys. Not even halfway through their rookie season isn’t when you know whether or not a guy is a bust or if he’ll ever reach his potential. Some hit early and hard, others take a year (or two, or even three) to finally develop. Some bust from the start, others start fast and fade early. We won’t be able to definitively judge this class for another couple years, but as of now, there’s still an awful lot unknown.

Rick Stavig is an NFL Draft Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on Google+.

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