Full disclosure, it’s been pretty slow over the last two weeks. The Phillies are playing average baseball and the Sixers and Flyers both missed the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Luckily for us, the NFL Draft is nigh. Seven rounds over three days, beginning this Thursday night.

The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles hold the 32nd pick, which has produced the following players going back 15 years:

  • 2024: WR Xavier Legette (Panthers)
  • 2023: CB Joey Porter Jr. (Steelers)
  • 2022: S Lewis Cine (Vikings, now with the Eagles)
  • 2021: DE Joe Tryon-Shoyinka (Bucs)
  • 2020: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Chiefs)
  • 2019: WR N’Keal Harry (Patriots)
  • 2018: QB Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
  • 2017: OT Ryan Ramczyk (Saints)
  • 2016: DE Emmanuel Ogbah (Browns)
  • 2015: DT Malcom Brown (Patriots)
  • 2014: QB Teddy Bridgewater (Vikings)
  • 2013: S Matt Elam (Ravens)
  • 2012: RB David Wilson (Giants)
  • 2011: OT Derek Sherrod (Packers)
  • 2010: CB Patrick Robinson (Saints)

Some hits, some misses on that list. Only two Pro Bowlers, if you can believe it, in Lamar Jackson and Teddy Bridgewater.

There were a handful of trades at this position, notable among them the 2014 move that saw the Seahawks slide back out of 32 to allow the Vikings to draft Bridgewater. They returned a 2nd and 4th round pick that were used in a follow-up trade and the selection of DE Cassius Marsh.


Another caveat is that the Patriots forfeited their 2016 draft pick as a result of Deflategate, which saw pick #31 make up the end of the first round instead. One year later, the Pats traded out of pick 32 to add Brandin Cooks and a pick from the Saints. New Orleans then took tackle Ryan Ramczyk, who became a multi-year starter and 2019 First-Team All Pro.

In 2018, the year after the Birds won their first Super Bowl, they did what the Seahawks did four years earlier, giving the Ravens #32 and a fourth round pick in exchange for a 2nd, 4th, and future 2nd rounder. Howie Roseman did a bit more wheeling in dealing to turn that deal into the selection of Dallas Goedert, Avonte Maddox, and Miles Sanders.

As such, the Eagles have not picked at #32 overall since 1963. They’ve made the following selections between 30 and 40, on the first/second round threshold, going back to the year 2000:

  • 2024: Cooper DeJean (40th overall)
  • 2023: Nolan Smith (30th overall)
  • 2021: Landon Dickerson (37th overall)
  • 2013: Zach Ertz (35th overall)
  • 2010: Nate Allen (37th overall)
  • 2007: Kevin Kolb (36th overall)
  • 2006: Winston Justice (39th overall)
  • 2005: Mike Patterson (31st overall)
  • 2005: Reggie Brown (35th overall)
  • 2000: Todd Pinkston (36th overall)

You see Roseman hasn’t missed on any 1st, 2nd, or 3rd round picks at all over the last three seasons. DeJean, Smith, and Dickerson were all key contributors on the Super Bowl team. Ertz, who was drafted during Chip Kelly’s tenure, became the best tight end in franchise history. Along the fringes, extending the exercise to picks 20 through 45, there’s also Quinyon Mitchell, Jalen Reagor, Andre Dillard, Sidney Jones, Nelson Agholor, Marcus Smith, Danny Watkins, Lito Sheppard, and Freddie Mitchell, so a couple of contributors, but a lot of busts as well. They seem to historically not do very well in the 20-25 range, but successfully mine the early 2nd round.

What’s your gut telling you? I think Howie trades up or trades out. I don’t think he sits there at 32 and uses the pick. He’ll start getting itchy once pick #20 rolls around on Thursday night.