The Linc – “How does Howie Roseman just keep getting away with this?!”

April 27, 2024 12:51 pm

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Winners and Losers of the Second and Third Rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft – The Ringer
Winner: Howie Roseman. How does Howie Roseman just keep getting away with this?! Drafting cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, two top-25 players on the media consensus board, at pick no. 22 and no. 40 (respectively) almost feels too good to be true—and downright disrespectful to the rest of the league. The trade up for DeJean on Friday evening diminishes some of the value of the selection, but both Mitchell and DeJean have all of the tools necessary to be long-term starters at outside cornerback on a team that desperately needs to get younger in the secondary. Plus, DeJean has inside-outside versatility and could make the switch to safety if necessary. Cornerbacks age like milk in the sun; the drop-off in production is often quick, ruthless, and steep. Eagles’ Darius Slay and James Bradberry are entering their age-33 and age-31 seasons, respectively. Marrying fit and value is becoming Roseman’s calling card, and Philly fans can’t get enough of it.

2024 NFL Draft: Biggest steals of Day 2, including Cooper DeJean and Jer’Zhan Newton – PFF
CB Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles. DeJean fell out of the first round presumably because of the questions over his true position at the next level. However, his playmaking ability and coverage instincts give him a chance to succeed in any role in the secondary. Over the last two seasons, the Iowa standout allowed just a 45.0 passer rating on throws into his coverage despite playing over 800 coverage snaps. DeJean also racked up seven interceptions and 12 forced incompletions while providing value as a punt returner. The Eagles have now snagged both of PFF’s top-ranked cornerback prospects. Quinyon Mitchell and DeJean will form a solid young core in the secondary, while Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis take care of business up front.

Cooper DeJean isn’t limited by season-ending fibula fracture: “Physically, I’m good” – BGN
The Eagles traded up in the second round to get Cooper DeJean out of Iowa, making him the second cornerback for the team in as many days. DeJean hopped on a call with reporters following the pick, and talked about his versatility and skillset, as well as gave an update on the leg injury he suffered back in November.

The First Read: Winners and losers from Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft – NFL.com
2) Cooper DeJean, CB, Philadelphia Eagles: DeJean landed in a great spot as the second-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles (No. 40 overall) — but he surely had to be disappointed by how long it took to find a home. This is a player who has first-round ability, even after his final season at Iowa ended with a broken fibula. The problem is, the first round of this draft wasn’t especially kind to defensive players, and certainly not to defensive backs. There wasn’t a single defensive player taken in the first 14 selections, and no cornerbacks came off the board until the Eagles selected Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell with the 22nd overall pick. Two more cornerbacks went in the first round — Arnold to Detroit and Nate Wiggins to Baltimore at No. 30 — and that left DeJean as the odd man out. The upside is that he’s going to an Eagles team that is committed to improving a weak defense, and new coordinator Vic Fangio will have a great plan for him. DeJean has the versatility to play corner, safety and in the slot. He may prove to be one of the best steals of this draft.

Iowa Football: Where Will Cooper DeJean Land on NFL Draft Day? – Black Heart Gold Pants
It’s that athleticism and his remarkable production as a Hawkeye (both as a corner and as a punt returner) that have DeJean poised to be drafted in the first round. At the next level, CDJ has a range of potential outcomes depending on landing spot. As noted, he has the speed and athleticism to be a corner in the league. While his production came in the Big Ten West which was notably devoid of offense, he was a lockdown for the Hawkeyes. After securing 5 INTs, including 3 pick-6s, and 8 Pass Breakups his junior season, DeJean didn’t allow a single touchdown in 388 coverage snaps his junior season while securing two more INTs with 4 Pass Breakups.

2024 NFL draft: Mel Kiper’s winners, losers from second and third rounds – ESPN+
Biggest winners and my favorite picks from Rounds 2 and 3. The picks: CB Cooper DeJean (No. 40) and OLB Jalyx Hunt (No. 94). Credit GM Howie Roseman for identifying his roster’s biggest need and doubling down. Roseman landed Quinyon Mitchell in Round 1, then DeJean after a trade up on Day 2. They are my top two corners in this class. I had DeJean at No. 14 overall, and Roseman landed him at No. 40. That’s an incredible haul for Philadelphia, which has two aging starters on the outside in Darius Slay and James Bradberry. DeJean could play in the slot or as a center fielder too. The knock here is Roseman gave up a lot in the trade with Washington to move 10 spots up the board. The Commanders landed Nos. 50, 53 and 161, while Philly got Nos. 40, 78 and 152. If DeJean develops into a Pro Bowler, Eagles fans won’t remember that their team once had two second-rounders in this draft. There’s at least a little bit of risk here, though. Roseman & Co. traded down again twice in Round 3, acquiring Nos. 86 and 123 from the Texans for No. 78 and then flipping No. 86 with the 49ers for Nos. 94 and 132. He came away with my favorite outside linebacker in the entire class in Hunt, who is raw and will need some time to develop but has all the tools to be a double-digit-sack player — in time. That’s his ceiling, of course, and Philly will have to coach him up to get him there.

New Eagles DB Cooper DeJean leaning into unique versatility – NBCSP
The Eagles aren’t calling Cooper DeJean a corner. They’re not calling him a nickel. They’re not calling him a safety. They’re calling him a defensive back. And that’s pretty telling. From the moment the Eagles traded up to pick No. 40 in the second round to snag DeJean out of Iowa, they were already leaning into his versatility. And DeJean isn’t shying away from it either. “They talked to me about all three positions,” DeJean said in a Zoom call with Eagles reporters on Friday evening. “I don’t have a preference. I’m a football player. So you put me on the field, I’m going to go play football. Whether it’s inside, outside, at safety, wherever it is. This is a game I love to play. As long as I’m on the field, out there, I’ll be happy and I’m going to give it my all every time I step on the field.”

Valuing the 2nd Round Trades of the 2024 NFL Draft – Over The Cap
COOPER DEJEAN. Quite frankly I am not sure if we will see a fairer deal than this when discussing a jump of more than a few draft slots. Philadelphia jumps 10 spots to get their targeted corner and basically swap 53 for 78 and 161 to jump to 152. A super fair trade that fits what both sides are looking for in a draft and even the values here work out perfectly even. The one thing that I was seeing online in heavy praise of the trade was the fact that DeJean had a first round grade and therefore this is a steal. There is a reason players fall so using pre-draft grades is really not a reason for giving “bonus points” to a trade.

Day 2 – Moving Day – Iggles Blitz
I did not want the Eagles to spend an early pick on an edge rusher. I’m fine with Hunt for a few reasons. First, he was pick 94. I didn’t want a Top 60 pick going for a rusher because the Eagles have depth and talent right now. Hunt is a developmental project so he’s not going to play a lot this year. Don’t be scared by the phrase “developmental project”. A few people compared him to Davion Taylor. They are completely different. Taylor wasn’t allowed to play football due to religious reasons. He got in a year in high school and then played at Colorado. Hunt has played sports since he was a kid. He played a lot of football. His issue is that he was physically a late bloomer. Hunt was a WR/DB. He went to Cornell and kept growing. He finished his career as an edge rusher…at 6-4, 252. Hunt is a gifted athlete.

2024 NFL Draft Profile: Jalyx Hunt – Underdog Dynasty
Final Analysis: Hunt will prove to be an asset for his speed and athleticism alone and, although he likely will not be an immediate starter, the potential is there to work into a regular role on a pro D line with enough conditioning and coaching. He, like several small-school rookies, will have some work to do to become a complete pro player but all signs point to him being able to do just that within a year or two. Projected Selection: 6th Round (Day 3).

15 players who make sense for the Eagles in Round 4 of the 2024 NFL Draft – PhillyVoice
Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State: At 6’6, 231, Wilson is a huge freak of nature playing receiver. Wilson’s career began at Arizona State, but he transferred to FSU for the 2022 season. In 2022, he had 43 catches for 897 yards and (20.9 YPC) and 5 TDs. In 2023, Wilson had a somewhat disappointing 41 catches for 617 yards (15.0 YPC) and 2 TDs. Wilson can play outside, but FSU also used him at times as a big slot. He can make plays down the field with his size (again, 20.9 YPC in 2022), but he’s also a red zone target. He is a low-volume, big play receiver who would allow A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert to dominate targets, but would also be a unique player opposing defenses cannot ignore and would have to account for.

Massive, bizarre Eagles-Saints trade from 2022 NFL Draft finalized with 2024 pick – SB Nation
A massive NFL Draft trade from two years ago is finally complete. The Philadelphia Eagles’ road to the 2022 Super Bowl arguably began in 2021, when they gained an extra first-round pick courtesy of a trade with the Miami Dolphins. Philadelphia moved down from No. 6 (where Miami chose Jaylen Waddle) to No. 12, then moved up to No. 10 in a separate deal with the Dallas Cowboys to take DeVonta Smith. With a pair of 2022 first-round picks in his pocket, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman pulled off a major swap that eventually led to the Eagles landing one of the game’s best receivers in a separate trade.

Inside the latest A.J. Brown deal – PFT
That’s a practical guarantee of $80 million, since the Eagles undoubtedly won’t be cutting him after one year. He becomes the highest paid receiver in new-money average, with $32 million per year. He also is locked into career minimum earnings of $124 million. Brown was due to earn $21 million this year (fully guaranteed), along with $16 million in 2025 and $31 million in 2026. (The prior deal had $510,000 per year for the next year threes in per-game roster bonuses; the new deal removes all per-game roster bonuses.) In all, it’s a six-year, $164 million deal. It has a value at signing of $27.33 million per year — which is the highest total value from signing for any receiver.

Cowboys netted Tyler Guyton AND Cooper Beebe as a result of their first-round trade down – Blogging The Boys
It would have been nice if the Dallas Cowboys had taken him. Graham Barton was there. But the Cowboys felt like they had options and decided to move down from 24 overall in the first round, their original selection. They found a taker in the Detroit Lions who went up for cornerback Terrion Arnold and wanted him so badly that they coughed up pick number 73 in order to do it (Dallas also sent the Lions a 2025 seventh). Even after the Cowboys took Tyler Guyton at 29 overall (their new spot) the trade appeared to be a home run just based off of the fact that they picked up another third-round pick. Well the pick in question has come and gone and it now has a name and that name is Kansas State’s own Cooper Beebe.

Instant analysis: Giants select CB Andru Phillips in Round 3 of NFL Draft – Big Blue View
Phillips was announced as a cornerback, but much like Cooper DeJean, he might not have a defined role in the secondary. He lacks the traits to be a man coverage corner — which isn’t a concern in Shane Bowen’s defense — but has upside in zone coverage. He has good instincts to go with awareness, discipline, and communication skills in zone, which are more important than raw athleticism. Phillips has the versatility to play inside or outside, which could allow the Giants to try multiple combinations of Phillips, Cor’Dale Flott, Tre Hawkins, and Darnay Holmes to best fill out their secondary.

Washington Commanders Select Johnny Newton, DT, Illinois in the Second Round of 2024 NFL Draft – Hogs Haven
Draft day is finally here and Washington has picked Illinois DT Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton. Washington was expected to go CB or OT here, but they saw value in selecting a defensive tackle with their first pick on Day 2. Newton was considered a 1st round prospect, but offseason foot surgery(Jones fracture) likely dropped him down some team’s boards. The Washington Commanders have had a very good defensive line after pumping first round picks into it for years. Starting edge rushers Montez Sweat and Chase Young were traded last year, but they still have Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen under contract. They also have John Ridgeway, a solid rotational piece, and Phidarian Mathis who hasn’t been able to stay on the field since being drafted in the second round two years ago. Allen was unhappy last year, but the team said they weren’t trading him. Washington could move on from him next season, but they would need to see some solid play from the rest of the group this season, or make another move this year.