Did Eagles make the right choice drafting DeVonta Smith in 2021?
The Philadelphia Eagles have signed former Colts linebacker Shaquille Leonard to a one-year deal. Had the team drafted Micah Parsons in 2021, he wouldn’t have been necessary.
In 2020, Travis Fulgham led Philadelphia with 539 receiving yards while Greg Ward led the team with six touchdowns. After finishing the regular season with the league’s fifth-worst passing offense, the team went into the 2021 NFL Draft determined to upgrade the position.
After trading with Miami, Philadelphia had the No. 12 pick. Fearing the Giants would take Alabama wideout DeVonta Smith at No. 11, the Eagles traded with the Cowboys for the No. 10 pick where they took Smith. But was it the right move?
Smith was the team’s leading receiver with 64 catches and 916 yards in 2021 and had 1,196 yards in 2022. He also led the team with seven catches for 100 yards against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII.
But A.J. Brown is the team’s No.1 receiver. Since coming over from the Titans in 2022, Brown leads the team with 2,806 yards and 19 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the Eagles linebacker position has been a mixed bag at best.
After losing both starting linebackers this offseason, Philadelphia hoped Nakobe Dean, their third-round pick in 2022, could fill the void. After playing sparingly as a rookie, he's played in just five games thanks to a foot injury.
With the 12th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Cowboys chose linebacker Micah Parsons from Penn State. He’s earned two All-Pro nominations and an AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
This year, Pro Football Focus ranks Smith 41st among NFL receivers, 39 spots behind Brown. They rank Parsons second among edge defenders behind San Francisco’s Nick Bosa. Dallas lost linebacker Leighton Vander Esch to a neck injury in Week 5, but thanks to Parson’s strong play the team remains a top-five defense for points and yards allowed.
Philadelphia started Christian Ellis and Nick Morrow at linebacker against the 49ers in Week 13. Ellis was an undrafted free agent in 2021 and the Eagles are Morrow’s fourth team in six years. They gave up 457 yards to San Francisco and lost by 23 points.
Simply put, the Eagles need linebackers more than wide receivers. Without an extension, Parsons will be a free agent in 2025. If he can’t reach a deal with Dallas, Philadelphia should do whatever it takes to bring him in.
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