32 for 32: NFL Draft Predictions for the Eagles

The Eagles lucked into the playoffs in 2019 by winning the worst division in football, the NFC East. But from a fantasy perspective, this team needs a lot of work. With injuries all around him, Carson Wentz struggled. It's clear that this offense is in need of a few more playmakers to maximize its fantasy scoring value. Will the NFL Draft also welcome in talent to further this team's potential?  Let's find out in our latest edition of the NFL Draft 32 for 32 series.

The focus of this series is to dive into each NFL team's needs to project their draft picks in this year's draft, which will go on as planned in late April. I will predict the first three selections and give fantasy football owners perspective on how this affects fantasy value. Whether it be a positional player or players on the defensive side of the ball, all selections made can help in some way when it comes to fantasy scoring.

As we have seen in recent memory, some rookies can enter this league and make an immediate impact. Based on the appropriate landing spot, this year's crop of prospects has the potential to create some very fantasy-friendly situations. When you're done here, look back on our previous installments by checking the links at the bottom of this page.

2019 Review

It was thanks to the utter failure by the Dallas Cowboys that the Philadelphia Eagles were able to win the worst division in the NFL in 2019. Despite having a very talented roster to begin the season, they came out of the gates, losing games to some of the worst teams in the league (Falcons, Lions). They hung in most of these games on the strong play early on by Carson Wentz. Grading out as a top-10 QB in six of the team's first eight games, Wentz was able to utilize a strong supporting cast in the passing game while the run game was slow to get things going over the first month.

But as Wentz's targets began to succumb to injury (Alshon Jeffrey, DeSean Jackson, and Nelson Agholor), his value as a fantasy QB1 took a nose-dive. Throughout the second half of the season, Wentz was one of the worst in the league in QB grade. Through gutsy performances, big-time plays, and a low turnover rate, Wentz was able to finish as QB9 on the year. He essentially matched his preseason ADP with his finish, but the case could be made for what could have been had he had a full assortment of weapons for 16 games.

As for Wentz's pass catchers, it was truly a mixed bag due to all the injuries. The constant has and will continue to be, the tight ends. Both Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert turned in top-10 seasons as the position as Ertz once again proved to be one of the elite players in fantasy. The duo combined for 11 of Wentz's 27 TDs on the season and both figures to stay solid options in fantasy again in 2020. Coming back will be Alshon Jeffrey, who was having a solid season before the injury (490 yards and four TD). The same could be said for Desean Jackson who had a big game in Week 1 (8-154-2), and then was lost for the season. The lack of continuity with the receivers hurt the production from Wentz from a fantasy standpoint and should be corrected heading into 2020.

The running game for the Eagles started very slow as they tried to split the workload between plodder Jordan Howard and electric rookie Miles Sanders. This continued through the team's bye in Week 10, and coming out of the off week Howard was lost for the season and the job was left to Sanders. Sanders then became a reliable RB2 in fantasy as he showed promise both as a runner (818 yards) and as a pass-catcher (50 receptions). The hype will likely get out of control over the summer for Sanders across all formats. He has the upside to become an RB1 with his pass-catching skills but must show more as a runner in being a player that can shoulder a heavy workload. Don't count out Boston Scott, who had a couple of big games during fantasy playoff time and should be viewed as a necessary handcuff to Sanders.

Heading into the draft, the needs for the Eagles seems to be fairly clear. Adding another capable receiver to replace Nelson Agholor on the depth chart and potentially become this team's WR1 is a must. Last year showed that Wentz needs playmakers to rely on to be a factor in fantasy and the front office should address this. On the other side of the ball, the Eagles secondary drew a lot of scrutiny in 2019 for not being able to slow opposing offenses down. The trade for Darius Slay helps, but other additions will be needed to add quality depth. Also, look for the team to focus in on the linebacking group to add bodies into this rotation as well.

Philadelphia Eagles - 2020 Outlook

TEAM GRADES
Offense: 79.0 (8th)
Defense: 71.8 (18th)
Overall: 85.6 (10th)

TEAM NEEDS
WR, CB, LB

First Selection (1.21)

Tee Higgins, WR Clemson

The Eagles could finally hit a gold mine with the selection of Tee Higgins. His long, angular frame to got along with an amazing amount of body control makes Higgins a nightmare for cornerbacks to cover down the field. He has some of the best ball skills in the class as he can attack the ball at its highest point. He can create separation extremely well, even after sluggish starts at the line due to his leggy strides. Higgins will be a player that you can move in and out of formations to create mismatches against the defense.

His transition to the pro level and press corners may be a bit of a challenge in the beginning, but with added muscle and seasoning, Higgins will become one of the better receivers in the league. In this landing spot, competition for touches will be tough early on, limiting the upside in 2020 and making him a bench player in fantasy. But as he takes hold in the offense, his upside is that of a WR1 in dynasty formats.

Second Selection (2.21)

Troy Dye, LB Oregon

Dye makes his ascension to the NFL with the backing of a highly-productive tackler at the collegiate level. He has a high football IQ and an above-average sideline-to-sideline speed. With his skill set, Dye projects to be a better fit as an inside linebacker, but lacking in size he may be better suited to line up as an outside linebacker.

He shows an aptitude to be a three-down player on this Eagles Defense as he can back out in coverage or come in on a blitz package. He will likely begin his career as a rotational player on defense, but with some work, he may develop into a sound starter in this league.

Third Selection (3.39)

Jeff Gladney, CB Temple

Gladney is a player that continues to rise up draft boards as scouting gets done. He is an extremely competitive press corner that will give opposing receivers fits from snap to whistle. His skill set also allows him to be used in man or zone coverage schemes as well. His ball skills can give him the advantage on a good percentage of throws as well as contested catches. He has the smarts to bait QBs into bad throws, leading to plenty of turnover opportunities.

His slender frame will allow defenses to play him either inside or outside. Landing with the Eagles, Gladney will have to opportunity to compete for the CB2 job alongside Darius Slay early on. His ball-hawking skills could eventually make him someone with value in IDP formats.

More NFL Draft Analysis