Mel Kiper explains reason for giving Philadelphia Eagles Draft grade of A
The Philadelphia Eagles having a successful NFL Draft has become a common theme, a theme that continued this year after one of the league’s best front offices did it once again with numerous slam dunk selections.
ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. gave the Eagles an A grade following the 2024 NFL Draft, breaking down why he and many others regarded their haul as one of the best across the NFL to Field Yates on ESPN’s First Draft.
“I mean what’s not to like?” Kiper asked. “They got my guy Cooper DeJean in the second round after getting Quinyon Mitchell. So you look at that draft Field for the Philadelphia Eagles and say where did they go wrong? What did they do that was something that you hadn’t really loved?”
Philadelphia had needs on the defensive side of the ball they needed to address, particularly in the secondary following a season where they struggled to defend the pass. And thanks to the first round of the draft being extremely top heavy on the offensive side of the ball, the Eagles where able to secure two of the top defensive back prospects with their first two overall picks.
“I think at the start of that draft when you look at what they were able to do, a guy fell in their lap. There’s no way they could have sat there at 22 and said Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, [Nate] Wiggins, and all these guys are gonna be there. They thought they were gonna have to trade up, the didn’t. So they get Mitchell, they made the deal to get Cooper DeJean which was great,” Kiper explained.
Philadelphia has excelled in the first round lately in the NFL Draft, but Kiper was also a fan of what the Eagles were able to do beyond Day 1 on both sides of the ball as well.
“Jaylyx Hunt can learn from the guys that were there and develop, he’s not ready. He’s coming out of Houston Christian, he didn’t even dominate there, but he flashed and he tested great and it’s a phenomenal story,” Kiper said. “Ainias Smith, a kick returner with a rule change and a punt returner. That’s where his role is gonna be.”
A promising defensive prospect with upside in Hunt and a versatile college veteran like Smith seem like I great pairing philosophically. Especially after Smith became the first 2,000-yard receiver in SEC history to also have up at least 250 rushing, punt return, and kickoff return yards during his time at Texas A&M. But the Eagles legacy pick in the fifth round is what served as the cherry on top in the eyes of Kiper.
“Jeremiah Trotter Jr., I thought when you look at what he could be in the NFL back in the 90s would have been good. Now people say well, I don’t know, he’s only 228 pounds,” Kiper said. “I look at the Notre Dame game where he was all over the field making plays and a lot of other games. He can get it done there, there wasn’t much separating him and Cedric Gray.”
“It worked out beautifully Field. We couldn’t have scripted the dag gone thing.”
The Eagles also added explosive playmakers from the ACC like Will Shipley and Johnny Wilson to their roster in the draft. As it will surely be fascinating to see how their promising picks translate on the field as rookies this upcoming season.