Legends, playmakers and busts: We ranked all 53 first-round picks in the Eagles’ modern draft history

In three weeks, the Eagles will — unless they make a trade — make a first-round draft pick. First-round picks are highly scrutinized. The good and the bad. The NFL has made the draft’s first round a pseudo-holiday, but the first round stands on its own for a reason.

Teams can change their direction with just one pick.

The Eagles have made 53 first-round picks in the Super Bowl era (since 1966). Some players have changed the direction of the franchise in a positive way. Others, not so much.

Here’s a ranking of the 53 players the Eagles have selected in the first round since 1966.

(Note: Players were ranked using an unscientific formula that took into account Pro Football Reference’s weighted approximate value; the players selected after them in the draft; their contributions to the success of the Eagles; what they netted in a trade, if applicable; and so on.)

Allen fizzled out almost right away. He saw his role decrease during his rookie season, then, during camp in 1986, Allen tested positive for cocaine. After being officially cut a few months later, Allen was charged in a Jersey Shore rape that he served prison time for. Jerry Rice was still on the board when the Eagles picked Allen.

There are players on this list who produced even less with the Eagles than Reagor did, but it’s hard to not rank him here simply because of the Justin Jefferson factor. The Eagles needed a receiver and picked the wrong one. Maybe drafting Jefferson means the Eagles never get DeVonta Smith or A.J. Brown, and maybe they never win the Super Bowl, but this pick probably was Howie Roseman’s worst. Reagor played just two seasons with the team.

Jones was an All-American out of Arkansas, but that talent did not translate to the NFL. In 29 games across four seasons, Jones had just 85 yards on 44 rushing attempts (1.9 yards per carry) and did not score a touchdown.

The second of two first-round picks in ’93, Renfro lasted just two seasons in the NFL. What’s worse, defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield was on the board and was selected two picks later. Stubblefield won NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year honors and was named to three Pro Bowls in addition to one first-team All-Pro selection. Michael Strahan was still available, too.

The Eagles reached for Smith late in the first round in an effort to bolster their pass rushing unit. In the process, they left DeMarcus Lawrence on the board. Smith had four sacks in 37 games with the Eagles and finished his short NFL career with 6½ sacks in 57 career games. Lawrence had six sacks this past season — at age 33 — and has 67½ for his career.

The pick after Franco Harris was a pretty big dud. Reaves went 0-7 as a starter in his rookie season, with more interceptions (12) than touchdowns (7). He lasted three seasons with the Eagles and was a journeyman backup before popping back up in 1987 as a 37-year-old replacement player for Tampa Bay during the strike.

The Eagles made Harris the fourth defensive end selected in the first round in ’97, but he did not pan out, unlike the ends selected ahead of him. Harris made eight starts in 24 games across two seasons with the Eagles while recording just two sacks. If the Eagles wanted defensive line help, they could have opted for defensive tackle Trevor Pryce, who went three picks later and had 91 sacks in 14 NFL seasons.

Dillard filled in as a reserve during his rookie season and was on track to start in 2020 before suffering a season-ending injury at the end of camp. Jordan Mailata beat him out for a spot the following season, and the rest is (recent) history. Tackle Tytus Howard, a seven-year starter for Houston, was the pick after Dillard.

Williams, a first-team All-American out of Georgia, started all 16 games and earned all-rookie honors in his first NFL season. But he tested positive for marijuana and was suspended for six games in 1995 before a second violation of the league’s substance abuse policy ruled him out for the rest of the season. He never played another NFL game.

Yes, we’ve arrived at the 26-year-old firefighter. Maybe it took longer to get here than you expected. Watkins was more interested in being a firefighter than fighting off opposing rushers. He started 18 of 24 games with the Eagles in his first two NFL seasons before the team cut him. Watkins had a brief stint with the Dolphins in 2013 before ending up in the career he really wanted.

The Eagles traded up to select McDougle, which made this pick even more hard to swallow when he didn’t pan out, but McDougle’s struggles were out of his control. Injuries forced him to miss part of his rookie season. He was diagnosed the following year with an irregular heartbeat. Then, after the 2004 season, McDougle was shot during an armed robbery and missed the entire 2005 season. The next pick in the draft was Troy Polamalu.

He had one of the most important plays in team history: fourth-and-26. But Mitchell had just 90 catches, 1,263 yards, and five touchdowns during his four seasons with the Eagles. Instead of Mitchell, the Eagles could have picked Reggie Wayne, Chad Johnson, or Steve Smith. Yikes.

Sure, Haddix could block and wasn’t a bad receiver out of the backfield, but he didn’t offer that much as a runner and three future Hall of Famers were on the board when the Eagles selected him. They were: Bruce Matthews, Dan Marino, and Darrell Green.

Mitchell became a starter in his fourth season with the Eagles, but not on defense. He was a right tackle for the next three seasons on a really bad offensive line. Hall of Fame linebacker Mike Singletary was picked 11 slots later, and if the Eagles really wanted a defensive lineman, Villanova’s Howie Long, another Hall of Famer, was still on the board.

The team’s first selection in the modern era had a decent NFL career, just not with the Eagles. Beisler played three seasons with the Eagles before they traded him for a backup quarterback. Six-time Pro Bowl lineman John Niland was the next pick.

Keyes played running back and then safety, and while he wasn’t a bad player, you probably want a little more out of the third overall pick, especially when he’s the running back you take after missing out on a chance to draft O.J. Simpson. Hall of Fame defensive tackle Joe Greene was the next pick in the draft, and the next defensive back selected, Roger Wehrli, went 16 picks later and also made the Hall of Fame.

Harris racked up 7½ sacks during his rookie season and played with the Eagles for two more after that, finishing his three-season Eagles career with 12 sacks in 39 games. But Harris was the first defensive end taken in the draft, and Hall of Fame running back John Riggins went with the sixth pick. The next defensive end went 15 picks later. It was Jack Youngblood, who is sixth all-time with 151½ career sacks.

Jackson wasn’t a real bust. He had 122 catches for 2,139 yards and 11 touchdowns across two stints with the Eagles. But he was the fourth overall pick in the draft and while it was a relatively weak draft class, Jackson’s career numbers don’t stack up with other receivers drafted that high.

Holmes started 38 of his 46 career games with the Eagles and wasn’t a bad player. There were just better long-term options on the board, including eventual Hall of Fame guard Will Shields, whom most teams missed on, considering that he was selected 74th overall.

Zabel played some tight end as a rookie and during his second season, but he was mostly just a solid linebacker. He had an average NFL career — in general and compared to the rest of the draft class — during a time when tackles were not tracked as a stat.

Sort of like Zabel, Rossovich had a solid stint with the Eagles as a linebacker and end. He racked up 7½ sacks and two fumble recoveries in 14 games and made the Pro Bowl in 1969. He played four seasons with the Eagles before joining the Chargers.

If Barnett went at pick No. 34 and not 14, he would be looked at a little differently. Instead, Barnett never made the impact a top-15 edge rusher should make. Future Hall of Famer T.J. Watt was picked 16 slots later, which makes Barnett’s selection even tougher to swallow. He’ll always have that Super Bowl fumble recovery, though.

They could have had the local guy, but got Davis instead. Erik Williams — who went to Bartram High and made four Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls with Dallas — was taken in the third round, proving the Eagles didn’t need to take a tackle eighth overall. Davis started for five seasons with the Eagles, but even in a weaker class, they probably would have been better served picking someone else.

Mayberry deserves a better fate than this slot. He was a nine-year Eagle who started 96 games for the team and made a Pro Bowl in 2002. But the Eagles missed out on taking Ray Lewis, who was selected one pick later, to get what amounted to a pretty boring but steady guard. That’s not Mayberry’s fault, but it impacts his standing among all-time Eagles picks.

Bunkley started 52 of his 76 games in five seasons with the Eagles. He was a solid player more known for being a run stuffer than a tackle who caused havoc as a pass rusher. Bunkley missed a team flight to Indianapolis during his rookie season because he said he was getting fried chicken for the veterans.

Mamula gets more flak than his selection deserved. He did have 31½ sacks in 77 games with the team. But the Eagles traded up to take him and swapped picks with the Bucs, who used the No. 12 pick to take Warren Sapp. Mamula probably should not have been an every-down player and would have been better served as a pass rushing specialist. Injuries cut his career short.

Sure, there were better players selected after Agholor. And his stats in five seasons with the Eagles are probably a little shy of what you’d want out of a wide receiver picked that high, but Agholor’s best season with the Eagles, 2017, helped bring the team its first Super Bowl. He had 62 catches for 768 yards and eight scores during the regular season and then had nine catches for 84 yards in the Super Bowl. He eventually received a fate of being more known for a meme, but he had a big hand in fitting the team for a ring.

It’s way too early to rank Campbell fairly, so putting him in the middle of the pack seems about right.

Smith was a promising young defensive back and even broke Bernie Kosar’s record-setting streak of consecutive passes without an interception. But a torn ACL suffered in the 10th game of his second season forced him to miss the entire 1992 season and he was never quite the same player again.

Smith has been solid through his first three seasons with the Eagles and played a big role on a team that won a Super Bowl. There are some edge rushers who were selected after him who have more sack production than Smith’s 10½, namely Byron Young of the Rams (77th overall, 27½ sacks) and Tuli Tuipulotu of the Chargers (54th, 26). Smith’s 2026 season could have him climbing or falling on this list.

Andrews probably was unfairly labeled a first-round bust early in his career. The Eagles traded up to draft him, traded away John Welbourn, then were left hanging after Andrews broke his leg in the first game of the season. But Andrews turned into a pretty solid and reliable guard. He was named to the Pro Bowl in 2006 and 2007 and was also a first-team All-Pro in 2006. In 2008, his fifth season with the Eagles, Andrews reported to camp late while dealing with depression. He played in two games that year before suffering a back injury that ruined his next two seasons.

The Eagles had two picks in the top six of the ’73 draft and selected Young with the second of the two. The tight end started every game with the Eagles over his four-year run with the team and had 197 catches for 2,583 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was the NFL Rookie of the Year in 1973.

Maclin made up a very solid 1-2 punch with DeSean Jackson as his running mate. His best season with the team came in 2014. After tearing his ACL in camp and missing the whole 2013 season, Maclin came back and had 85 catches, 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns. In five seasons with the Eagles, Maclin nearly reached 5,000 total receiving yards. He also passes the test when looking at those picked after him. Three more receivers were taken in the first round, and Maclin had a more productive career than all of them.

Jackson was an instant hit and helped the Eagles go from fourth to first in the division with a rookie season that resulted in a first-team All-Pro selection, the first of three straight. The only issue with Jackson is that he didn’t re-sign with the team when he hit free agency. Jackson had nearly 2,800 yards and 20 touchdown catches in four seasons with the Eagles. There were 19 tight ends taken in 1988, and none of them were close to Jackson’s NFL production.

Where would Davis be ranked if this exercise was conducted a year ago? It’s fair to wonder if he’d have cracked the top 30. But Davis’ breakout 2025 season was a big deal for him and the Eagles. His weight loss and conditioning journey has been well documented, and 2025 saw Davis show a more complete game that included some pass rushing chops. More important, he emerged as a key leader and was rewarded with a big contract.

You could gripe that a sixth overall pick should make more than one Pro Bowl, and that would be fair, but Simon — Florida State Sen. Simon to some — was a steady presence in the middle of the defensive line for five seasons. Brian Urlacher was on the board and went three picks later, but the Eagles had a young Jeremiah Trotter at middle linebacker and weren’t looking for a linebacker.

Byars, who finished runner-up to Doug Flutie for the Heisman Trophy in 1984, was versatile. He played out of the backfield and also tight end. He twice led the Eagles in receiving yards, in 1989 and 1990. In seven seasons with the team, Byars tallied 2,672 rushing yards and 3,532 receiving yards while scoring 30 touchdowns.

Going to the Super Bowl in 2004 meant picking 31st, and the Eagles nailed the pick with Patterson, who became a consistent presence in the middle of the defensive line for seven-plus seasons. Sixteen defensive tackles were taken during the 2005 draft, and Patterson was the best of the bunch, even outperforming 16th overall pick Travis Johnson throughout his career.

Young was a ball hawk. He had four interceptions in each of his first three seasons with the Eagles. The third time around, he did it while playing in just nine games in 1982. Young played all nine of his NFL seasons with the Eagles. Sure, a few defensive backs selected after him ended up outperforming him, but Young was consistent enough and contributed for a long time (117 games).

Sheppard was a Cowboy Killer, which made him popular enough. He twice returned interceptions for more than 100 yards vs. Dallas. On top of that, in seven seasons with the Eagles Sheppard made two Pro Bowls and, in 2004, when the Eagles went all the way to the Super Bowl, Sheppard was a first-team All-Pro. There were 37 defensive backs selected after Sheppard in 2002, and only one of them had a more productive NFL career than him: Sheldon Brown, whom the Eagles drafted 59th overall.

Too high? Too low? That is the enigma of Carter, who, talentwise, is one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL. But injuries slowed him in 2025 after a dominant 2024 season. He’s a two-time Pro Bowler through three seasons and tends to occupy a lot of attention up front. His presence inside helped Eagles edge rushers dominate in the Super Bowl vs. Kansas City. Compared to his class, Carter ranks 12th so far in Pro Football Reference’s approximate value metric. Only two defensive players — Byron Young and Jack Campbell — rate higher.

Robinson played his first six NFL seasons with the Eagles. He finished runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1979 and then was a second-team All-Pro selection in each of the next two seasons. He played before tackles were counted, but Robinson, who had 10 forced fumbles and 11 fumble recoveries with the Eagles, was highly productive and even had three interceptions in 1982. Fifty-four linebackers were selected in the draft, three of them before Robinson. He was the best of them all.

Rod Woodson was the next pick, which normally would knock Brown’s selection down a few pegs. But the story of Brown’s career is the feeling of what he left behind and all he had left to accomplish. Brown, who died in a car accident after a second-consecutive All-Pro season in 1991, was a dominant interior lineman who was just 27 when he died. Brown arrived at the same time Randall Cunningham did. Cunningham changed the offense, and Brown and Reggie White were part of a defensive front that got the Eagles back on a winning path.

The Eagles made a trade with the rival Cowboys to move up and grab Smith on draft night. Smith has outperformed all of the receivers not named Ja’Marr Chase or Amon-Ra St. Brown from the ’21 class and is already 10th all-time in receiving yards (5,019) in franchise history. Smith may only be 170 pounds soaking wet, but he has managed to stay on the field and is a consistent performer. He has gone over 1,000 yards in three of his first five NFL seasons.

Sisemore played in an era when there weren’t any Pro Football Focus grades or overanalyzed game film to rate offensive linemen, but he played 12 seasons with the Eagles and made two Pro Bowls. His 156 games with the team rank 14th in franchise history. He may have been a spot or two higher if Hall of Fame guard John Hannah wasn’t the next pick in the draft.

Quick, an Eagles Hall of Famer, played all nine of his NFL seasons with the team and is fourth all-time in receiving yards in franchise history (6,464). Quick made five Pro Bowl teams and twice, in 1983 and 1985, was a first-team All-Pro selection. Plus, Quick gets extra points for being a radio voice for as long as he has.

A traditionalist might say this is too high, too early. Mitchell ahead of Quick? Already? Considering the pick slot and the production, it’s hard to argue against it. Mitchell is already one of the best corners in the NFL and was a first-team All-Pro last season. He has the sixth-highest approximate value in the 2024 class so far, and four of the six are quarterbacks.

Thomas was a model of consistency during his 11-year run with the Eagles. His 166 games played rank 10th all-time in franchise history. He made three Pro Bowls, was once a second-team All-Pro, and eventually landed in the team’s Hall of Fame. Thomas was the second tackle taken in 1998. He had a better and longer career than Kyle Turley, who was taken seventh overall by New Orleans.

Too high? Maybe. Nick Foles gets the shine, deservedly so, but Wentz was on an MVP type of run before his season-ending knee injury in Week 14. Foles stepped in and led the Eagles to the Super Bowl victory, but it may have never happened without Wentz. We know what happened later, but Wentz’s value to the Eagles was immense. The trade that sent him to the Colts netted the Eagles draft capital that eventually helped them land Jalen Carter, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, and Cooper DeJean. In some ways, Wentz won two Super Bowls with the Eagles.

It’s hard to imagine that Graham just played in 16th season with the Eagles considering how it started. Once labeled a draft bust, Graham turned into a Super Bowl hero. More important, he became a leader in the locker room and in the community. There were better players selected in the draft after him, even at his position (Jason Pierre-Paul went two picks later and has 15 more career sacks). But it’s the totality of it all that makes Graham special.

Johnson has arguably been the best player at his position for quite a long time. He has six Pro Bowls and five All-Pro selections and is second in approximate value for the 2013 class, behind only Travis Kelce. Two tackles, Eric Fisher and Luke Joeckel, were selected with the first two picks. Johnson’s AV is better than their combined AV. His 168 games with the Eagles rank ninth in team history.

He went from boos on draft night to the best quarterback in franchise history, but McNabb’s time with the Eagles wasn’t always smooth. Still, it’s hard to argue against the career he put together with the team. He’s the franchise leader in passing yards and touchdown passes. He made six Pro Bowls. Five quarterbacks were taken in the first 12 picks in 1999, and McNabb was far and away the best of them all.

Should McNabb be No. 1? Maybe. His weighted approximate value is higher than Cox’s, but Cox played 12 seasons with the Eagles, made the Pro Bowl six times, was selected to four All-Pro teams, is third all-time in games played in franchise history (188), and was a dominant presence up front on a team that won the Super Bowl and another that nearly did. He ended up having the best career — by weighted AV — of any defensive player taken in the 2012 draft, and five defenders were selected ahead of him.