Even with Wentz, QB position could impact Eagles' draft

PHILADELPHIA - It was probably the worst-kept secret of the Eagles’ draft plans when Howie Roseman said last week: “We’re not going to take a quarterback in the first round.”

That was obvious after the Eagles had traded away five draft picks to move up from No. 8 to No. 2 last year in order to select Carson Wentz, and then anointed him the franchise quarterback in September when they traded Sam Bradford.

Wentz then became the first Eagles quarterback to start all 16 games since Donovan McNabb in 2008. Wentz is just 24 years old, and the Eagles believe that he will be their starting quarterback for the next decade at least.

Still, the quarterback position will weigh quite heavily on the Eagles’ draft this week for a variety of reasons.

For one, there are other teams out there who pick before the Eagles at No. 14 who do need a quarterback. And while the quarterbacks in this year’s draft aren’t rated as highly as last year’s duo of Jared Goff and Wentz, who were picked first and second, respectively, there’s a good chance that at least one will be taken before the Eagles pick.

That, in turn, could push down a player that the Eagles might really want to draft at one of their positions of need - cornerback, defensive end, running back and wide receiver.

“It’s a premium position,” said Roseman, the Eagles’ executive vice president for football operations about quarterback. “It will be interesting to see how many come off before we go. It’s hard to get a sense of what that is right now. And it’s hard for us to go into the draft saying, ‘This many will definitely come off.’

“I think when you look at this year and you’re a team picking in the top 10 or top 15 of the second round, you have to make that judgment if you will be able to get your guy by either moving up [into the first round] or waiting.”

That is the wildcard heading into the draft.

Last year, it was clear that both Goff and Wentz were going in the first five picks or so. That is not the case this year. The top two quarterbacks in this draft are North Carolina’s Mitchell Trubisky and Clemson’s Deshaun Watson.

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Among NFL draft analysts, there is neither a consensus of whether Watson or Trubisky is better, or where in the first round they will be taken. It’s believed that Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes might get picked late in the first round, or the second round. The rest, including Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, are not considered potential first round picks.

“As far as the quarterbacks in this year’s class, I’m not banging the table for any of them,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “I think there’s talent in the class, but I think it’s going to take a year for most of these guys… I think most of this quarterback class should be later down the line, whether it’s first round or second round.”

Mayock then added that he expects the Jets to pick a QB at No. 6, mainly because they’re desperate for one. That doesn’t mean a quarterback deserves to get picked that high.

“The Jets at six, I think, is a huge reach for any quarterback,” Mayock said. “But if they fall in love with somebody, they’ve got to keep swinging because they’ve done the same thing Cleveland has. They have drafted a bunch of quarterbacks and none of [them] have panned out.”

But others could take a quarterback before the Eagles pick. The Cleveland Browns, with the No. 1 and No. 12 picks, need a quarterback. So do the San Francisco 49ers at No. 2. Also, it wouldn’t be out of the question for the New Orleans Saints (No. 11) and Arizona Cardinals (No. 13) to draft a QB and let him develop behind veterans Drew Brees and Carson Palmer, respectively.

And even if just one quarterback gets picked before the Eagles’ turn, it could impact them.

The Eagles, meanwhile, are also focusing on the quarterback in this draft - their own. Both Roseman and team owner Jeffrey Lurie said their goal in the offseason is to add better players around Wentz.

They did this in free agency by adding wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith. But both of those players are essentially on one-year contracts. That means they could look to both wide receiver and running back in the draft, perhaps as soon as the first round.

That’s why Mayock, for one, said the Eagles should consider one of the top offensive players at No. 14, even if a top cornerback, such as Ohio State’s Gareon Conley, is available.

At wide receiver, the possibilities could be Clemson’s Mike Williams, Washington’s John Ross or Western Michigan’s Corey Davis. At running back, it could be a choice of Florida State’s Dalvin Cook or Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey. And there’s even a possibility that Alabama tight end O.J. Howard could slip to the Eagles’ range if one or two quarterbacks go in the top 10.

“My perspective is you drafted Carson Wentz, you better support him,” Mayock said. He went on to mention the short-term deals for Jeffery and Smith, the fact that Jordan Matthews - the Eagles’ leading receiver the previous two seasons - is entering the final year of his contract, and tight end Brent Celek is 32 years old.

“From my perspective, I sit there and say, ‘OK, this year looks OK [for the Eagles],’” Mayock added. “But get a running back. Get a McCaffrey or Dalvin Cook. Get a tight end, O.J. Howard. Get whomever of those wideouts that you like.

“I think you've got to continue to support Carson Wentz.”

And how well the Eagles are able to do that could depend on the quarterbacks in the draft - the ones the Eagles won’t be picking.

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.