Draft History: Eagles top picks have had mixed results
The Eagles have had the top overall pick in the NFL three times. The first of those picks was Jay Berwanger, a University of Chicago running back who won the 1935 Heisman Trophy and was drafted by the Eagles with the first selection in the first Draft in 1936. He never signed with Philadelphia, who traded him to the Bears, though he never played for them either, and opted to work at a Chicago rubber company instead. Philadelphia also had the top pick the following year, and selected Nebraska running back Sam Francis. The Eagles also traded him to the Bears, where he spent the first two seasons of a four-year career. In 1949, the club selected its final top overall pick, a player that ranks pretty high on its best pick list. Philadelphia will have the 21st selection in 2020.
BEST
10. (tie) Brandon Graham, DE (Round 1, Pick 13 in 2010) and Fletcher Cox, DT (Round 1, Pick 12 in 2012) – These two were key members of the Eagles defensive line in the 2017 championship season. Graham was an All-American and the Big Ten Most Valuable Player in 2009 at Michigan, but he ended his NFL rookie season on injured reserve and missed most of 2011 after suffering a torn ACL. Graham had his best season in 2017, when he posted a career-high 9½ sacks. He had two tackles and his sack-forced fumble combination with 2:21 left sealed the Eagles’ first NFL title in 58 years, a 41-33 victory over the Patriots in Super Bowl LII. Graham is fifth in franchise history with 51 sacks and 17 forced fumbles.
Cox was a 2011 All-American defensive tackle at Mississippi State, and earned All-Rookie Team honors after posting 5½ sacks Philadelphia. He has been selected to five Pro Bowls in eight NFL seasons and was an All-Pro in 2018 when he registered a career-high 10½ sacks. Cox had 11 tackles and a sack during the 2017 playoffs and started in Super Bowl LII. His 48 sacks rank seventh on the Eagles’ all-time list.
9. Randall Cunningham, QB (Round 2, Pick 37 in 1985) - Cunningham was a dual-threat who also earned two All-America selections as a punter at UNLV. He needed that speed in Philadelphia, because he played behind a porous offensive line. In 11 seasons with the Eagles, Cunningham led the NFL in times sacked five times, including a franchise-record 72 in 1986. He went to three straight Pro Bowls (1988-90), and led the Eagles to five playoff appearances. “The Ultimate Weapon” ranks third in team history with 22,877 passing yards and 150 touchdowns, and sits sixth on the franchise rushing list with 4,482 yards. In 1990, he ran for 942 yards, the second-highest single-season total at the time (now fourth-highest). After retiring in 1995 to focus on his granite company, Cunningham signed with the Vikings following a one-year hiatus. He led Minnesota to a 15-1 record and a spot in the 1998 NFC Championship Game, an overtime loss to the Falcons. Cunningham spent one year each with the Cowboys and Ravens before retiring in 2001. After his playing career, he was a school coach, and now is the pastor of Remnant Ministries in Las Vegas.
8. Tommy McDonald, WR (Round 3, Pick 31 in 1957) - McDonald was a star on an Oklahoma team that won back-to-back National Championships in 1955 and ’56. Both seasons, he led the Sooners in rushing yards and touchdowns and was named Sporting News Player of the Year and Maxwell Award winner (best all-around player) in 1956. After selecting him in the third round, the Eagles moved him to wide receiver, where he made the first of five straight Pro Bowls after leading the NFL with nine touchdowns in 1958. McDonald caught a touchdown pass in the 1960 NFL Championship Game (Philadelphia’s last title before Super Bowl LII) and led the league with 1,144 yards and 13 scores the following season. He ranks second in team history with 66 touchdowns and seventh with 5,499 yards. McDonald was traded to the Cowboys in 1964, and played for three other teams before retiring in 1968. After his NFL career, the 1998 Pro Football Hall of Famer owned an art studio. McDonald died in 2018 at age 84.
7. Pete Pihos, TE (Round 5, Pick 41 in 1945) - Pihos was a three-time All-American at Purdue. His college career was interrupted when he was drafted to the Army, where he served in the Mediterranean and was awarded a Bronze Star and a Silver Star for bravery. Pihos was drafted by the Eagles in 1945, but played two more years to finish out his eligibility with the Boilermakers. Philadelphia reached the NFL Championship game in each of his first three seasons, and won back-to-back titles in 1948 and ’49. In the latter contest, he caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Tommy Thompson as part of a 14-0 win over the Rams. In nine NFL seasons, Pihos went to Pro Bowls in his final six seasons (1950-55) and was a five-time All-Pro. He notched the “receiver triple crown” after leading the league with 63 receptions, 1,049 yards and 10 touchdowns in 1953. After playing, Pihos was a college and semi-pro coach, and worked for home improvement and life insurance companies. He was later diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and passed away in 2011.
6. (tie) Eric Allen, CB (Round 2, Pick 30 in 1988) and Brian Dawkins, S (Round 2, Pick 61 in 1996) - Allen and Dawkins, along with 1970s safety Bill Bradley, are tied atop Philadelphia’s interception list with 34. Allen was an Arizona State product who made five Pro Bowls in seven years with the Eagles. He made his only All-Pro team in 1989, when he had a career-high eight picks. Allen’s five interception returns for touchdowns are the most in team history, and he had a league-high four in 1993. He played three years with the Saints and four with the Raiders before he retired in 2001 with 54 picks. Allen was an NFL studio analyst and was a defensive backs coach for the San Diego Fleet of the Alliance of American Football in 2019.
Dawkins earned All-ACC honors with Clemson in 1995 and spent his first 13 NFL seasons with Philadelphia. One of the NFL’s premier free safeties, Dawkins was selected to seven Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams with the Eagles. He holds team records with 132 passes defensed, 32 forced fumbles and 914 tackles (edging out Andre Waters by four), and also had 21 sacks. “Weapon X” signed with Denver in 2009 and made the Pro Bowl twice in three seasons before retiring. He became an analyst for ESPN and won a championship ring in Super Bowl LII as Philadelphia’s Executive of Football Operations, a role he held from 2016 to 2017. He was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2018.
5. LeSean McCoy, RB (Round 2, Pick 53 in 2009) - McCoy was a second-team All-American and the Big East Offensive Player of the Year at Pittsburgh in 2008. He had mood swings as a child, leading his mother giving him the nickname “Shady.” In six years with the Eagles, McCoy had four 1,000-yard seasons, and was selected to three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams. He led the NFL with 17 touchdowns in 2011 and 1,607 yards in 2013. McCoy is Philadelphia’s all-time leading rusher with 6,792 yards, and ranks third with 44 touchdowns. After clashing with former Eagles coach Chip Kelly, McCoy was traded to the Bills in 2015, where he made three Pro Bowls in four seasons. He signed with the Chiefs in 2019, but played just one snap in their Super Bowl LIV victory over the 49ers. McCoy was the top rusher in the decade with 10,434 yards, and his 69 scores from 2010-19 rank second.
4. Harold Carmichael, WR (Round 7, Pick 161 in 1971) – He walked on and became a three-sport star at Southern University, playing center in basketball, wide receiver in football and throwing discus and javelin in track and field. In the NFL, Carmichael earned four Pro Bowl selections, the first coming in 1973 when he led the league with 67 catches and 1,116 yards to go along with nine touchdowns. Overall, Carmichael had three 1,000-yard seasons, and is the all-time Eagles leader with 589 receptions, 8,978 yards and 79 touchdowns in 13 years. He signed with the Cowboys in 1984, but retired after playing in only two games. Carmichael served as Philadelphia’s Director of Player and Community Relations from 1998 to 2015, and he is now a team ambassador.
3. Clyde Simmons, DE (Round 9, Pick 233 in 1986) – Simmons played in the NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game in 1983 with Western Carolina, then turned his ninth-round draft selection into a successful NFL career. He ranks third in Eagles history with 76 sacks, including three seasons in double-digits and a league-high 19 in 1992. Simmons’ 720 tackles is sixth on the all-time franchise list, and he had 100 or more stops three times in eight seasons. He received Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections in 1992 and 1993. Simmons signed with the Cardinals in 1994 and also played for the Jaguars, Bengals, and Bears before retiring in 2000. He is currently the defensive ends coach with his alma mater.
2. Donovan McNabb, QB (Round 1, Pick 2 in 1999) - Eagles fans booed this pick mercilessly at the Draft in New York City, but they had a different reaction when he led the team to four straight NFC Championship Games from 2001 to 2004, including a run to the Super Bowl in 2004. The three-time Big East Offensive Player of the Year at Syracuse was selected to six Pro Bowls in 11 seasons with Philadelphia. McNabb had seven 3,000-yard campaigns, led his team to a 10-win season five times and had a five-year stretch (2000-04) where he went 54-19 as a starter. McNabb threw for 357 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in a loss to the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXIX. He was traded to the Redskins in 2010 and the Vikings the following year before retiring. McNabb was an analyst for the NFL Network and ESPN, but was fired in 2018 for sexual harassment.
1. Chuck Bednarik, LB (Round 1, Pick 1 in 1949) - The franchise’s most successful top draft pick, Bednarik joined the Army Air Force after high school. He rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant and flew in more than 30 combat missions over Germany during World War II. He was a two-time All-American at Pennsylvania. With Philadelphia, he was known as the “60-Minute Man,” starting at both center and middle linebacker. Bednarik anchored championship teams in 1949 and 1960. On the last play of the 1960 title game, he tackled Green Bay’s Jim Taylor and stayed on top of him as the final seconds ticked away, giving the Eagles a 17-13 win over the Packers. “Concrete Charlie” was an eight-time Pro Bowler and a six-time All-Pro who had 20 career interceptions. Although he was known as one of the toughest players to ever play the game, his hands, with several fingers bent the wrong way, show what football can do to a player. He retired in 1962 and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame five years later. Bednarik passed away in 2015.
WORST
10. (tie) Leonard Renfro, DT (Round 1, Pick 24 in 1993) and Jon Harris, DE (Round 1, Pick 25 in 1997) - The Eagles were looking to replace defensive tackle Jerome Brown, their 1992 first round pick who died in an automobile accident two months after he was drafted. Philadelphia took Renfro, a Colorado product who made 19 tackles and played 23 games in two seasons before he left the NFL. Two picks later, the 49ers selected Dana Stubblefield, who would become the Defensive Rookie of the Year, earn one All-Pro and three Pro Bowl selections and was also named the Defensive Player of the Year in 1997.
Most experts, including ESPN’s Tom Jackson, thought the Eagles reached by drafting Harris, a defensive end from Virginia, in the first round in 1997. Head coach Ray Rhodes defended the pick at the time, but after Harris registered just 59 tackles and two sacks in 24 games with Philadelphia, the team had to admit its mistake. Harris was traded to the Packers in 1999, but he was cut in training camp and never played in the NFL again.
9. John Reaves, QB (Round 1, Pick 14 in 1972) - Philadelphia jumped at the chance to draft Reaves, who earned All-American honors in 1971 and set the NCAA career mark with 7,581 passing yards with Florida. Unfortunately, his professional career was a letdown. He only made seven starts in three seasons with the Eagles, all as a rookie, and he lost them all. Reaves had a 4-13 mark in nine seasons overall, which included time with the Bengals and Oilers. After playing three seasons in the United States Football league, he returned to the NFL and started two games with the Buccaneers before retiring in 1987. After his playing career, Reaves was an assistant coach with Florida and South Carolina, but he faced legal issues, including an arrest for gun and drug possession in 2008.
8. Jerome McDougle, DE (Round 1, Pick 15 in 2003) - The Eagles made a Draft day trade with the Chargers, moving up to grab McDougle, who was an All-American at Miami. However, the defensive end faced several injuries, including to his knee, ankle and hip in the final preseason game that cost him eight games in his rookie season. The following year, he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, and he missed the entire 2005 season after he was shot during an armed robbery attempt at his home. McDougle played 14 contests in 2006, but missed the next season with a torn triceps. He totaled 36 tackles and three sacks with Philadelphia, but he did not make a single start in 33 games. McDougle was cut in 2008 and signed with the Giants, where he spent one season before retiring. The Eagles again missed out on a superstar with this pick: One pick after McDougle, the Steelers selected safety Troy Polamalu, a future Hall of Famer, eight-time Pro Bowler, four-time All-Pro and 2010 Defensive Player of the Year.
7. Johnny Bright, RB (Round 1, Pick 5 in 1952) - While at Drake University in Iowa, Bright lettered in football, basketball and track and set an NCAA record with 2,400 all-purpose yards (1,232 rushing and 1,168 passing) as a junior in 1950. The following year, Bright was a Heisman Trophy hopeful, but faced a constant racial struggle since he was college football’s most prominent black quarterback in a time when Jim Crow laws were still in effect. In a game against Oklahoma A&M (now Oklahoma State), defensive tackle Wilbanks Smith repeatedly elbowed Bright, with the final hit breaking his jaw. Both Drake and Bradley left the Mountain Valley Conference over the incident, but Bright still earned All-American honors. He was a high selection in the 1952 Draft, but didn’t want the pressure of being the Eagles’ first African-American player, so he went to Canada instead. Bright starred with Calgary and Edmonton, leading the Eskimos to three Grey Cup titles and setting the all-time franchise record with 9,966 rushing yards. After he retired in 1964, Bright became a school principal and eventually had a school named after him in Edmonton. He died of a heart attack in 1983.
6. Leroy Keyes, DB (Round 1, Pick 3 in 1969) - In 1968, the Eagles started the season 0-11 and were in prime position to draft USC running back O. J. Simpson, the Heisman Trophy winner, and consensus top pick. However, Philadelphia won its next two games, dropping them to the third selection. Simpson went to the Bills, future Pro Bowl tackle George Kunz was selected by the Falcons and the Eagles took Keyes, a two-time All-American at running back with Purdue. Keyes faltered as a rusher, so Philadelphia converted him to safety, where he had six interceptions in 1971. After four seasons with the Eagles, he signed with the Chiefs, playing three games in 1973 before retiring. In a similar example to McDougle, the Steelers followed their interstate rivals by choosing a Hall of Famer. Pittsburgh took defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene one pick after Keyes.
5. (tie) Nelson Agholor, WR (Round 1, Pick 20 in 2015) and Freddie Mitchell, WR (Round 1, Pick 25 in 2001) - A high school All-American in Florida, Agholor earned All-Pac-12 honors with USC in 2014. He failed to live up to expectations in the NFL, with his best season coming in 2017, when the Eagles won Super Bowl LII. Agholor amassed 62 receptions, 768 yards and eight touchdowns. He added nine catches for 84 yards in the title game against the Patriots. However, his career totals are a disappointing 2,515 yards and 18 scores in five seasons. Agholor signed a one-year deal with the Raiders in March.
Mitchell was an All-American at UCLA in 2000, but was usually the third or fourth receiver in Philadelphia during his first two seasons. In 2003, his role increased and he started six games. Although the Eagles reached the NFC Championship Game in Mitchell’s first four seasons, his most famous NFL moment came in the 2003 Division Round game against the Packers, when he caught a 28-yard pass on 4th-and-26 late in the contest. The Eagles tied the game with a field goal on that drive and won it in overtime. The following year, he caught just one pass for 11 years in a Super Bowl XXXIX loss to the Patriots after calling out New England’s secondary before the game. The Eagles released Mitchell in 2005 and he signed with the Chiefs, but he suffered a knee injury and never played in Kansas City. Several tryouts did not pan out, and Mitchell ended his playing career in 2006. He has not had much luck off the field, either. Mitchell lost a restaurant he purchased in Philadelphia after failure to make payments on the business, and he also served time in prison for tax fraud.
4. Michael Haddix, RB (Round 1, Pick 8 in 1983) - Although he was a Hall of Famer at his alma mater, Mississippi State, Haddix failed to produce in the NFL. In eight professional seasons, including six with the Eagles, he totaled 1,635 rushing yards, three touchdowns and 16 fumbles. Hall of Famers Bruce Matthews (ninth), Jim Kelly (14th), Dan Marino (27th) and Darrell Green (28th) were available at this spot.
3. (tie) Antone Davis, T (Round 1, Pick 8 in 1991) and Danny Watkins, G (Round 1, Pick 23 in 2011) - Davis was an All-American at Tennessee in 1990 and started 74 of 78 games in five seasons with the Eagles. His tenure in Philadelphia was marked by poor play, whether he was playing right tackle or left guard. Davis then signed with the Falcons in 1996 and played two seasons before retiring. He was a restaurant owner and manager, and he also appeared on The Biggest Loser television show, where he lost more than 200 pounds.
Watkins was an All-Big 12 honoree in 2010 who chose the Eagles over the BC Lions, who chose the guard fourth in the CFL Draft. He was known as a rugged player with Baylor, but he did not show the same level of toughness in the NFL. Watkins played 23 games in two seasons with Philadelphia and one more after signing with Miami in 2013 before retiring. He is now a firefighter in Frisco, Texas.
2. Mike Mamula, DE (Round 1, Pick 7 in 1995) - Mamula earned All-Big East honors after posting 17 sacks as a senior with Boston College in 1994. Rather than focusing on football drills, he trained specifically for the NFL combine and put up near-record numbers in each drill. The Eagles traded the 12th overall pick and two second-round selections to move up and draft Mamula, who totaled 31½ sacks and 209 tackles in five pro seasons. He missed the 1998 season with a right knee injury that required two surgeries. Mamula retired in 2000 and is now the co-owner of Comprehensive Screening Solutions, an employment screening company in New Jersey. His spot on this list has less to do with Mamula’s play and more to do with what they gave up to get him. Tampa Bay used the 12th pick on Miami defensive tackle Warren Sapp. The Buccaneers also used one of the second-rounders acquired from the Eagles to trade back into the first round and draft Florida State linebacker Derrick Brooks, giving Tampa Bay two Hall of Famers in their first two selections in 1995.
1. Kevin Allen, T (Round 1, Pick 9 in 1985) - The Indiana product was highly rated, but was simply a bad blocker in the NFL. He played in all 16 games as a rookie, but was cut after testing positive for cocaine in 1986. Allen and his roommate were also convicted of sexual assault, and he spent 33 months in prison while also facing a ban from the NFL. The suspension was lifted in 1991, and Allen played with the Orlando Thunder of the World League of American Football (later known as NFL Europe) the following year. He spent three years with the Arena Football league before retiring in 1994. Jerry Rice, the NFL’s all-time leading receiver, was taken seven picks later by the 49ers.
All NFL statistics and awards courtesy of https://www.pro-football-reference.com/ and college football statistics and awards courtesy of https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/
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