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We ranked all of Howie Roseman’s Eagles draft classes: What’s his best haul?

Like all GMs, Roseman has had some misses in his draft career, but his hits were foundational pieces of three teams that reached the Super Bowl.

Howie Roseman's draft success has helped form his legend in Philadelphia. But what was his best group?
Howie Roseman's draft success has helped form his legend in Philadelphia. But what was his best group?Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer

Howie Roseman has had a lot of success over the years when it comes to drafting players, but Roseman said last week that he thinks about his first-round misses “I don’t know, every day really.”

Luckily for him and the Eagles, hits have happened more frequently than misses since Roseman began drafting Eagles players in 2010.

Roseman has been in charge of all but one of the last 16 Eagles draft classes.

Which of the draft classes are the best, and which are the worst? We ranked all of them — including the 2015 draft that Chip Kelly had control of — and here’s what we found:

(Note: We considered Pro Football Reference’s Approximate Value metric, the draft class’ impact on the Eagles’ success, picks the Eagles missed on, and other factors in reaching a final order.)

16. 2014

Round/Pick
1 (26)
Player
Marcus Smith
Round/Pick
2 (42)
Player
Jordan Matthews
Round/Pick
3 (86)
Player
Josh Huff
Round/Pick
4 (101)
Player
Jaylen Watkins
Round/Pick
5 (141)
Player
Taylor Hart
Round/Pick
5 (162)
Player
Ed Reynolds
Round/Pick
7 (224)
Player
Beau Allen

Imagine if the Eagles drafted DeMarcus Lawrence instead of Marcus Smith.

Then imagine if they selected Davante Adams instead of Jordan Matthews.

It’s hard to recover from that.

15. 2019

Round/Pick
1 (22)
Player
Andre Dillard
Round/Pick
2 (53)
Player
Miles Sanders
Round/Pick
2 (57)
Player
JJ Arcega-Whiteside
Round/Pick
4 (138)
Player
Shareef Miller
Round/Pick
5 (167)
Player
Clayton Thorson

A better tackle, Tytus Howard, was taken one pick after Andre Dillard. DK Metcalf was picked seven spots after JJ Arcega-Whiteside.

Miles Sanders was a solid performer given his draft spot, but this was an otherwise underwhelming class. The Eagles could have had Gardner Minshew instead of Clayton Thorson. Instead, they ended up trading draft capital for him two years later.

14. 2017

Round/Pick
1 (14)
Player
Derek Barnett
Round/Pick
2 (43)
Player
Sidney Jones
Round/Pick
3 (99)
Player
Rasul Douglas
Round/Pick
4 (118)
Player
Mack Hollins
Round/Pick
4 (132)
Player
Donnel Pumphrey
Round/Pick
5 (166)
Player
Shelton Gibson
Round/Pick
5 (184)
Player
Nathan Gerry
Round/Pick
6 (214)
Player
Elijah Qualls

The pass rushers on the board when the Eagles selected Derek Barnett included T.J. Watt and Jonathan Allen.

Barnett did recover the fumble that helped the Eagles win their first Super Bowl, and Rasul Douglas and Mack Hollins have had nice careers — just not with the Eagles.

13. 2025

Round/Pick
1 (31)
Player
Jihaad Campbell
Round/Pick
2 (64)
Player
Drew Mukuba
Round/Pick
4 (111)
Player
Ty Robinson
Round/Pick
5 (145)
Player
Mac McWilliams
Round/Pick
5 (161)
Player
Smael Mondon
Round/Pick
5 (168)
Player
Drew Kendall
Round/Pick
6 (181)
Player
Kyle McCord
Round/Pick
6 (191)
Player
Myles Hinton
Round/Pick
6 (207)
Player
Cameron Williams
Round/Pick
6 (209)
Player
Antwaun Powell-Ryland

We’re sticking this one here because it’s far too early to judge this draft class and there are enough reasons for the other classes to go ahead of it.

Jihaad Campbell and Drew Mukuba likely will have a say in how this class turns out.

12. 2015

Round/Pick
1 (20)
Player
Nelson Agholor
Round/Pick
2 (47)
Player
Eric Rowe
Round/Pick
3 (84)
Player
Jordan Hicks
Round/Pick
6 (191)
Player
JaCorey Shepherd
Round/Pick
6 (196)
Player
Randall Evans
Round/Pick
7 (237)
Player
Brian Mihalik

This is the draft in which Kelly had control. It was worth ranking to show where it would be among Roseman’s classes.

Overall, it wasn’t a terrible draft. Nelson Agholor gets more hate from the memes than he probably deserves. Jordan Hicks dealt with injuries but was a nice player whose best days were not with the Eagles.

11. 2011

Round/Pick
1 (23)
Player
Danny Watkins
Round/Pick
2 (54)
Player
Jaiquawn Jarrett
Round/Pick
3 (90)
Player
Curtis Marsh
Round/Pick
4 (116)
Player
Casey Matthews
Round/Pick
4 (120)
Player
Alex Henery
Round/Pick
5 (149)
Player
Dion Lewis
Round/Pick
5 (161)
Player
Julian Vandervelde
Round/Pick
6 (191)
Player
Jason Kelce
Round/Pick
6 (193)
Player
Brian Rolle
Round/Pick
7 (237)
Player
Greg Lloyd
Round/Pick
7 (240)
Player
Stanley Havili

Roseman struck gold by drafting a future Hall of Fame center in the sixth round. But there aren’t enough Jason Kelce guest bartending spots to make you forget about the fireman, Danny Watkins, and the rest of this class.

If you’re going to draft a kicker in the fourth round, he had better have a longer career than Alex Henery.

10. 2010

Round/Pick
1 (13)
Player
Brandon Graham
Round/Pick
2 (37)
Player
Nate Allen
Round/Pick
3 (86)
Player
Daniel Te’o-Nesheim
Round/Pick
4 (105)
Player
Trevard Lindley
Round/Pick
4 (121)
Player
Keenan Clayton
Round/Pick
4 (122)
Player
Mike Kafka
Round/Pick
4 (125)
Player
Clay Harbor
Round/Pick
5 (134)
Player
Ricky Sapp
Round/Pick
5 (159)
Player
Riley Cooper
Round/Pick
6 (200)
Player
Charles Scott
Round/Pick
7 (220)
Player
Jamar Chaney
Round/Pick
7 (243)
Player
Jeff Owens
Round/Pick
7 (244)
Player
Kurt Coleman

Wow. That’s a lot of picks.

Roseman’s first draft was a busy one, and it didn’t start off being very popular. Brandon Graham was a bust until he wasn’t. Riley Cooper had a couple of solid seasons, but otherwise the middle rounds here make for the answer to expert-level NFL draft trivia.

The bookends are what saved this draft from being lower on the list: Graham and Kurt Coleman. The Eagles got 29 starts out of the 244th pick in the draft.

9. 2020

Round/Pick
1 (21)
Player
Jalen Reagor
Round/Pick
2 (53)
Player
Jalen Hurts
Round/Pick
3 (103)
Player
Davion Taylor
Round/Pick
4 (127)
Player
K’Von Wallace
Round/Pick
4 (145)
Player
Jack Driscoll
Round/Pick
5 (168)
Player
John Hightower
Round/Pick
6 (196)
Player
Shaun Bradley
Round/Pick
6 (200)
Player
Quez Watkins
Round/Pick
6 (210)
Player
Prince Tega Wanogho
Round/Pick
7 (233)
Player
Casey Toohill

It’s a little hard to rank this one here. The Eagles drafted their eventual Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Jalen Hurts, in the second round.

But it’s hard to rank this one even this high because of the other Jalen — Reagor. The Eagles could have had Justin Jefferson.

It’s not just Reagor. The rest of the class is pretty unimpressive. If not for Hurts, this one would have contended for the bottom.

8. 2023

Round/Pick
1 (9)
Player
Jalen Carter
Round/Pick
1 (30)
Player
Nolan Smith
Round/Pick
3 (65)
Player
Tyler Steen
Round/Pick
3 (66)
Player
Sydney Brown
Round/Pick
4 (105)
Player
Kelee Ringo
Round/Pick
6 (188)
Player
Tanner McKee
Round/Pick
7 (249)
Player
Moro Ojomo

This class is still pretty incomplete as far as ranking it goes. Jalen Carter, when healthy, is a dominant force on the Eagles defense, one of the best interior linemen in the game. Nolan Smith was a rotational rusher on a Super Bowl defense.

Moro Ojomo broke out in a big way in 2025 and should take another step forward in 2026. Tanner McKee has been a solid backup quarterback.

Very solid draft, one you could probably flip-flop with the next class easily.

7. 2022

Round/Pick
1 (13)
Player
Jordan Davis
Round/Pick
2 (51)
Player
Cam Jurgens
Round/Pick
3 (83)
Player
Nakobe Dean
Round/Pick
6 (181)
Player
Kyron Johnson
Round/Pick
6 (198)
Player
Grant Calcaterra

A year or two ago, this class may have been ranked in a worse spot, but Jordan Davis has emerged as a player the Eagles are building around in the middle of the defense, never mind the leader he has become.

Cam Jurgens was brought in to eventually succeed Jason Kelce and, when healthy, he has done just that. Nakobe Dean was a productive starter when he wasn’t injured. All three were a big part of the 2024 Super Bowl team, as was backup tight end Grant Calcaterra.

6. 2016

Round/Pick
1 (2)
Player
Carson Wentz
Round/Pick
3 (79)
Player
Isaac Seumalo
Round/Pick
5 (153)
Player
Wendell Smallwood
Round/Pick
5 (164)
Player
Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Round/Pick
6 (196)
Player
Blake Countess
Round/Pick
7 (233)
Player
Jalen Mills
Round/Pick
7 (240)
Player
Alex McCalister
Round/Pick
7 (251)
Player
Joe Walker

Carson Wentz was on his way to winning the MVP when he went down with a knee injury and watched on the sideline as Nick Foles won the Eagles the Super Bowl.

Things eventually didn’t work out with Wentz, but the trade that sent Wentz to Indianapolis netted the Eagles some assets that helped sprout a tree that in some ways resulted in the team acquiring DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, Jalen Carter, and Cooper DeJean. That’s worthy of being ranked this high.

Plus, there’s Jalen Mills in the seventh round, too.

5. 2021

Round/Pick
1 (10)
Player
DeVonta Smith
Round/Pick
2 (37)
Player
Landon Dickerson
Round/Pick
3 (73)
Player
Milton Williams
Round/Pick
4 (123)
Player
Zech McPhearson
Round/Pick
5 (150)
Player
Kenneth Gainwell
Round/Pick
6 (189)
Player
Marlon Tuipulotu
Round/Pick
6 (191)
Player
Tarron Jackson
Round/Pick
6 (224)
Player
JaCoby Stevens
Round/Pick
7 (234)
Player
Patrick Johnson

DeVonta Smith is one of the better receivers in Eagles history and may soon see what life as the No. 1 receiver is like if A.J. Brown is traded. Landon Dickerson, when healthy, has been one of the best guards in the sport. Milton Williams turned a big 2024 season — and Super Bowl win — into life-changing money in free agency.

Roseman also got some really solid running back production out of Kenneth Gainwell in the fifth round.

4. 2024

Round/Pick
1 (22)
Player
Quinyon Mitchell
Round/Pick
2 (40)
Player
Cooper DeJean
Round/Pick
3 (94)
Player
Jalyx Hunt
Round/Pick
4 (127)
Player
Will Shipley
Round/Pick
5 (152)
Player
Ainias Smith
Round/Pick
5 (155)
Player
Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
Round/Pick
5 (172)
Player
Trevor Keegan
Round/Pick
6 (185)
Player
Johnny Wilson
Round/Pick
6 (190)
Player
Dylan McMahon

Too high, too early? You could make the argument that the previous class should be higher. You could also make the argument that this class could be higher than the next class ... and the next one.

Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are already All-Pros and two of the best players in the NFL at their respective positions. Jalyx Hunt, meanwhile, is a third-round edge rusher on his way to earning a pretty solid contract in free agency if he continues to develop on his current track.

3. 2012

Round/Pick
1 (12)
Player
Fletcher Cox
Round/Pick
2 (46)
Player
Mychal Kendricks
Round/Pick
2 (59)
Player
Vinny Curry
Round/Pick
3 (88)
Player
Nick Foles
Round/Pick
4 (123)
Player
Brandon Boykin
Round/Pick
5 (153)
Player
Dennis Kelly
Round/Pick
6 (194)
Player
Marvin McNutt
Round/Pick
6 (200)
Player
Brandon Washington
Round/Pick
7 (229)
Player
Bryce Brown

Fletcher Cox is arguably the best first-round pick in Eagles history. That alone makes this class worthy of this spot. Then there’s Mychal Kendricks, who was a six-year starter at linebacker, and Vinny Curry, a pass rusher who had nine sacks in 2014. All three were defensive starters on a team that won a Super Bowl.

We haven’t even mentioned Foles yet. Sure, the Eagles got rid of him and had to bring him back for him to become a local hero. It still counts.

2. 2013

Round/Pick
1 (4)
Player
Lane Johnson
Round/Pick
2 (35)
Player
Zach Ertz
Round/Pick
3 (67)
Player
Bennie Logan
Round/Pick
4 (98)
Player
Matt Barkley
Round/Pick
5 (136)
Player
Earl Wolff
Round/Pick
7 (212)
Player
Joe Kruger
Round/Pick
7 (218)
Player
Jordan Poyer
Round/Pick
7 (239)
Player
David King

If it’s not Cox, or Donovan McNabb, Lane Johnson has an argument for best first-round pick in team history, too. The Eagles aced this draft, at least at the top. They got a long-term, Hall of Fame right tackle and a tight end who made three Pro Bowls and caught the go-ahead score in the Super Bowl.

There’s a bit of a lull after Bennie Logan, who was a decent player, but can we give Roseman points for at least noticing Jordan Poyer, who went on to become an All-Pro in Buffalo?

1. 2018

Round/Pick
2 (49)
Player
Dallas Goedert
Round/Pick
4 (125)
Player
Avonte Maddox
Round/Pick
4 (130)
Player
Josh Sweat
Round/Pick
6 (206)
Player
Matt Pryor
Round/Pick
7 (233)
Player
Jordan Mailata

Talk about efficiency. The Eagles, fresh off a Super Bowl, traded out of the first round, flipping their pick to the Baltimore Ravens, who selected Lamar Jackson.

Roseman then selected Dallas Goedert at pick No. 49 to open the draft for the Eagles. Eight years later, Goedert is still the starting tight end. Avonte Maddox was a solid player for a fourth-round pick.

Josh Sweat, meanwhile, is second in the 2018 class in career sacks (55). Eleven defensive ends were selected ahead of him. He had 2½ sacks in the Eagles’ Super Bowl win over the Chiefs.

Then there’s Jordan Mailata, a second-team All-Pro left tackle whom Roseman selected 23 picks before the end of the draft. The converted rugby player has turned into one of the best players at his position.

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