NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The Philadelphia Eagles and Howie Roseman have done it again. In a Draft where teams were looking to build, Roseman and the Eagles were looking to stock. To put it into perspective, think of a shelf at Walmart that looks bare only because the night crew hasn’t gone to the stockroom yet.
Defense wins championships. No matter what was said about Jalen Hurts and the offense during their magical run last season, the Eagles’ defense paved the way. While they lost some prominent players to free agency this offseason, the 2025 NFL Draft saw Howie Roseman restock.
Most NFL analysts have said regarding the Eagles’ selections, “the rich got richer.” Maybe that’s the truth, but it’s more than that. Roseman does his homework. His offense is under contract. They have a leader in Jalen Hurts, 2 great receivers in AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, the best offensive line in the league, and the best running back in the NFL. The foundation is set.
What Howie wanted to do with his draft picks this year was add to the defense. With young cornerstones in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, the secondary already has a direction. However, with the departures of Darius Slay and CJ Gardner-Johnson, the Eagles needed replacements.
Roseman drafted S Andrew Mukuba in the second round following his first round selection of LB Jihaad Campbell, then topped it off with a 3rd round selection of DL Ty Robinson. Hell, he did it just because he could. And then to add more salt to the rest of the league, he added QB Kyle McCord in the 6th round. That’s when you know you have too much talent with picks to spare.
Roseman understands that the Philadelphia Eagles are the hunted. They are the team on the field and the front office that everyone is striving to beat. What they accomplished during the playoffs, coupled with how they handled the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, has caught the league’s attention.
The pass-happy NFL will now look to run more. Any defense that relies on the DL for pressure will look to solidify its secondary. However, some are labeling the Philadelphia Eagles as winners of this draft is because they stocked instead of reached. They drafted players they wanted to fill in the gaps they needed.
No player is expected to be an All-Pro; if they pan out, they pan out. This is not an Abdul Carter or Travis Hunter draft for Philly. With the 32nd pick, they were not looking to add the next Lawrence Taylor. They’re looking for the next Zack Baun or DeJean.
Most GMs enter the Draft with hopes of landing a franchise-saving player or one who could turn their current playoff roster into a Super Bowl-winning one. The Eagles already have that. Yes, they lost some of those players who helped them win, but over the last few years, Roseman was anticipating that. For every starter, he already had their replacement.
Howie Roseman did what he does best: he kept the Eagles in contention while the rest of the league continues to give him praise and chase his team.
