Could Eagles Do Something They've Never Previously Done In The Draft?

Maybe this will be the year the Eagles finally pluck a safety in the first round of the NFL Draft even though their history says they will not, but, hey, Howie Roseman is evolving.  

The Eagles general manager said so himself before the Eagles beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, and then put his money where his mouth was, signing linebacker Zack Baun to a three-year deal that will pay him $17 million per season and gave Saquon Barkley a contract extension that will make him the first running back in league history to make more than $20 million per year.

So maybe they will take one of the two safeties considered first-round talents in South Carolina’s Nick Emmanwori or Georgia’s Malaki Starks, two players that some mock drafters have linked to Philly in the first round, which begins on April 24 in Green Bay.

The last time a safety was taken in the first round was three years ago when the Baltimore Ravens grabbed Kyle Hamilton with the 14th overall pick. Two more followed – Dax Hill at 31 to the Bengals and Lewis Cine at 32 to the Vikings.

The Eagles could have had Hamilton, trading ahead of the Ravens, but instead chose to fortify their trenches – because that is their age-old philosophy – and grabbed Jordan Davis.

They could have had Brian Branch at pick No. 30 two years ago but went with Nolan Smith. The Lions selected Branch 15 picks later. As far back as 2010, the Eagles could have had Earl Thomas but went with Brandon Graham instead at No. 13, leaving Thomas to go to the Seahawks at 14.

The strategy paid off. Smith is a rising star on the edge, and BG will be in the Eagles’ Hall of Fame. And, of course, Brian Dawkins was a second-round pick, and he had a Hall of Fame career in Philly,

Hamilton over Davis though? Hamilton looks like the better pick, but Davis’s story is still being penned.

It’s easy to drool over Emmanwori and Starks, especially after trading away C.J. Gardner-Johnson, leaving the vacancy to be contested between third-rounder Sydney Brown and undrafted free agent Tristin McCollum.

Emmanwori is 6-3, 220 pounds, and hits like a freight train. He put up eye-popping numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine, running a 4.38 in the 40 with a 43-inch vertical jump, and a broad jump of 11-6.

“I'm a bigger dude and I can run,” he said. “I'm not scared to go make tackles. I'm not scared to go cover any slots or cover any tight end. I just use my size to my advantage.

“I don't think you've ever seen a safety like me. Well, there are a lot of dudes that came through this league, but a safety like me hasn't come through this league for a long time. My size, my speed, my ability.”

Starks played at Georgia, a fertile territory in recent years for Roseman and his staff. He is 6-1, and close to 200 pounds. His Combine numbers weren’t anywhere near Emmanwori’s, but Starks is an instinctive athlete with safety and slot versatility.

“I could just come in and bring that juice,” he said. “Be able to move around and be a chess piece, so to speak. You can move me around and I think I can add value.

“I'm really comfortable in the slot, just having that experience. Just being able to learn the defense. When I'm at the slot, I know what my safeties are doing and what my corners are doing. I'm just able to play with the defense, but also play my leverage as well.”

If the Eagles break from tradtion, they might have to make a trade up to grab one of them.