I'm still upset we traded up.
I'm sure that i just don't know enough about Dillard and that i over rate Mailata, but we had 8 pick at one time and we only have 4 left in the draft now.
I'm hoping we come out of the rest of the draft with a safety, a wr, a RB and a lineman on either side of the ball
Look at it like this:
Dillard was the consensus-ranked best pass protector in the draft, best or second-best OT, and the best actual LT. He’s played a ton of snaps in college, fits well in the Eagles’ scheme, and allowed all of one sack in 2018. Most analysts projected him to go in the Top 10/early-teens. According to Howie Roseman, the Eagles had him valued in the Top 10 and never expected him to fall as far as he did.
The Eagles are in dire need of an LT, probably more than any other position on the team. OT is the second-most important position on the roster, behind only the QB. Jason Peters is 37-years old, injury-prone, and on a 1-year deal. Vaitai is unreliable, and we saw that in the 2018 season. Moreover, he’s an FA in 2020. Mailata is untested and is in the process of learning football for the first time. You don’t want that protecting Wentz’s blindside.
Dillard was the best choice, given that all of the elite 1st Round DTs and Edge rushers (save for Montez Sweat) were gone. And the Eagles had to trade up for him, because the Texans picked at #23 and they wanted an LT. We know this because they drafted one. It’s a possibility that Houston always saw Tytus Howard as the guy they wanted, but you don’t know. And given that Dillard is better than Howard right now, is that really a chance you want to take?
You could sit back, let Houston get Dillard, and pick between Howard, Jawaan Taylor, and Cody Ford. That’s what I thought they’d do. But Taylor is a RT whose specialty is run-blocking, not a great fit for a team needing an LT that also emphasizes the pass, not the run. Ford projects primarily as a Guard, which we do need, but not as much as an LT. Not to mention, he’s still on the board. Tytus has potential, but is considered to be raw. We already have a developmental Tackle with a huge upside in Mailata.
And when you think about it, the Eagles didn’t give up that much. Look at Philadelphia’s 4th and 6th picks from the last several years and tell me how many of those guys turned out to be long-term starters. We still have the two 2nd Round picks, an extra 4th, and Howie could always try to move Vaitai or Agholor for more draft capital. The Eagles have options.
