Eagles Draft Final Thoughts: Any 'Concerns' for Philly at No. 10?

After looking at the 2023 NFL Draft from many different angles the past few months, the big day is finally here for the Philadelphia Eagles and the rest of the league.

Some final thoughts as the hours and minutes countdown to 8 p.m. and the start of the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft…

JALEN CARTER

The Philadelphia Eagles better make darn sure they are comfortable with their evaluations of the stud Georgia defensive tackle. 

To me, he’s a concern and would steer well clear of taking him.

Of course, the Eagles didn’t involve me in the evaluations, so they would know more, but some I have talked to around the league express concern.

The worries are three-fold:

First, his passion for the game. Showing up overweight and being unable to complete drills during his pro day is terrible. It doesn’t matter what’s going on in your life, that should not happen, if you are focused and you love the game.

Second, the well-documented off-the-field issues that now have him serving community service after an arrest warrant in Georgia interrupted his stay at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Finally, how tight exactly are he and Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean?

The Eagles are probably counting on having two former college teammates, plus the veteran defensive line leadership of Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham, keeping Carter on the straight-and-narrow, but, to me, that’s a big stretch.

Maybe another team will do the Eagles a favor and take Carter before general manager Howie Roseman can.

HENDON HOOKER

My biggest surprise prediction in this draft, which is believed to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory, is the Indianapolis Colts will take Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker.

Hooker won’t have to be pressed into starting duty until he is fully ready, so he can continue rehabbing from a torn ACL at his own pace.

Meanwhile, Colts new head coach and former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen has former Jalen Hurts backup and onetime Jacksonville Jaguars starter Gardner Minshew to bridge the gap.

Steichen and Minshew know each other well from their two years together in Philadelphia, so it makes sense to me to let him handle the reigns until Hooker is ready.

2018

This was probably Roseman’s best draft, and it came after the Eagles won a Super Bowl.

The GM had just five picks and traded out of the final pick in the first round.

This year, they have six picks, they’re coming off a Super Bowl loss, and they own the next-to-last pick in the draft, No. 30.

In 2018, Roseman seemed to think he could draft for the future, believing he had a roster that could return to the Super Bowl the following season.

So, he picked:

Tight end Dallas Goedert (Zach Ertz and Brent Celek were both still on the roster)

Cornerback Avonte Maddox (Jalen Mills, Ronald Darby, Rasul Douglas, and Sidney Jones were here)

Defensive end Josh Sweat (Derek Barnett was coming off a strong rookie season, Michael Bennett had just signed as a free agent, and Brandon Graham had just turned 30)

Offensive linemen Matt Pryor and Jordan Mailata came in the sixth and seventh rounds, respectively.

Four of the five have all been signed to second contracts while Pryor was a key contributor before being traded to the Colts.

Roseman was wrong about the 2018 roster being ready to return to the Super Bowl.

Hopefully, he learned from that and can’t assume this team can just take picks for the future and the roster is good enough to get back to another Super Bowl.

DRAFT A DAY 1 STARTER AT 10

Piggy-backing off the previous thought, whoever Roseman takes has to be a starter or a 50-snap per game player at minimum.

Last year, there weren’t many snaps to go around for the rookie draft class. The Eagles’ good health all season long was a big part of that.

“We don't take it for granted the health of our team last year,” said Roseman. “That was a unique situation. I think for us to expect the same results as last year would be naïve at a minimum. 

"So, we've got to prepare to understand that for the amount of games that we want to play, it is a long season, and we need depth. We need guys who can play at a high level, at a lot of positions.”

And it starts with the draft.

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Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.

Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.

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