The Eagles draft board went for two of the best bargains out there in the 2nd and 3rd rounds on Friday night.
With the 51st pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Eagles selected Nebraska center Cam Jurgens.
“You know I’m so excited being able to play in the NFL at the highest level. Just being an Eagle is insane. This was my favorite team all along and being able to end up there is just a dream come true,” Jurgens said. “Getting to learn from (Jason) Kelce and Lane Johnson and all those guys along the line. I don’t know if there’s a better spot for a lineman to land than in Philly learning from Coach (Jeff) Stoutland.
“I felt like it’s a really great system that fits what I do and getting to learn from Kelce. That’s a dude I watched and a guy I want to emulate and be like.”
Drafting Jurgens gives the Eagles a potential successor to Jason Kelce and allows Landon Dickerson to stay at guard. That in itself has high value. The extra value is Jurgens has the talent to become special. He has some more development to do with his hand usage and blitz awareness but based on his history, that should come in time. While Jurgens could play in multiple schemes he projects to fit best in a zone blocking scheme that can use his athleticism and minimize some of his size and strength concerns. Most pro scouts looked for Jurgens to go somewhere on Day 2 and if he continues to develop he has the potential to be a Pro Bowl center.
A former tight end who has been praised for his grittiness, Jurgens transitioned to center in his first year at Nebraska. Though he’d never snapped the ball prior to his freshman season, the 6-foot-2, 303-pound lineman developed into a three-year starter for the Cornhuskers, earning Third-Team All-Big Ten honors in 2021.
Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean, one of the best players in college football last season, slid to the third round of the 2022 NFL draft before being selected with the 83rd overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Multiple sources told ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler that teams were concerned about Dean’s health issues, including a pectoral muscle injury. The sources said teams don’t believe Dean needs surgery, but there were already concerns about his size and medical concerns.
One source told Graziano that the medical concerns are not considered long-term issues for Dean. Independent doctors had cleared Dean, with letters sent to teams classifying the injury as a pectoral strain, a source told Fowler.
If Dean can remain healthy, the Eagles might have gotten one of the biggest steals in the draft. Dean was a driving force for the national champion Bulldogs, racking up 72 tackles (10.5 for loss), six sacks and two interceptions last season.
A 2021 Butkus Award winner and AP first-team All-American selection, Dean generated 19 pressures when lined up as an inside linebacker last season, according to ESPN Stats & Information research, the fourth most in the FBS. He primarily played inside linebacker (74% of snaps) but showed versatility playing outside and even at cornerback at times.
In five games against Associated Press top-10 opponents, Dean had 4.5 sacks and 29% pressure percentage (9.0 tackles at or behind line of scrimmage in those games).
This is the second significant linebacker addition this offseason for the Eagles, who signed former Los Angeles Charger Kyzir White to a one-year deal in free agency.
Dean will have at least one familiar face in Philadelphia, with the Eagles moving up to select fellow Bulldog Jordan Davis in the first round Thursday.
Remaining Eagles draft picks (barring further trades):
3 (83) – LB Nakobe Dean
5 (154)
7 (237)
The MACH 10 race tightened as a mere handful of entrants had either Jurgens or Dean on their ballots. This one’s gonna be close.
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Round 2 results
| Round | Pick | Overall | Team | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 1 | 33 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Jaguars) | Logan Hall, EDGE, Houston |
| 2 | 2 | 34 | Green Bay Packers (from Vikings via Lions) | Christian Watson, WR, North Dakota State |
| 2 | 3 | 35 | Tennessee Titans (from Jets) | Roger McCreary, CB, Auburn |
| 2 | 4 | 36 | New York Jets (from Giants) | Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State |
| 2 | 5 | 37 | Houston Texans | Jalen Pitre, S, Baylor |
| 2 | 6 | 38 | Atlanta Falcons (from Giants via Jets via Panthers) | Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State |
| 2 | 7 | 39 | Chicago Bears | Kyler Gordon, CB, Washington |
| 2 | 8 | 40 | Seattle Seahawks (from Broncos) | Boye Mafe, LB, Minnesota |
| 2 | 9 | 41 | Seattle Seahawks | Kenneth Walker, RB, Michigan State |
| 2 | 10 | 42 | Minnesota Vikings (from Colts via Commanders) | Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson |
| 2 | 11 | 43 | New York Giants (from Falcons) | Wan’Dale Robinson, WR, Kentucky |
| 2 | 12 | 44 | Houston Texans (from Browns) | John Metchie, WR, Alabama |
| 2 | 13 | 45 | Baltimore Ravens | David Ojabo, EDGE, Michigan |
| 2 | 14 | 46 | Detroit Lions (from Vikings) | Josh Pascal, EDGE, Kentucky |
| 2 | 15 | 47 | Washington Commanders (from Colts) | Phidarian Mathis, DT, Alabama |
| 2 | 16 | 48 | Chicago Bears (from Chargers) | Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State |
| 2 | 17 | 49 | New Orleans Saints | Alontae Taylor, CB, Tennessee |
| 2 | 18 | 50 | New England Patriots (from Chiefs via Dolphins) | Tyquan Thornton, WR, Baylor |
| 2 | 19 | 51 | Philadelphia Eagles | Cam Jurgens, C, Nebraska |
| 2 | 20 | 52 | Pittsburgh Steelers | George Pickens, WR, Georgia |
| 2 | 21 | 53 | Indianapolis Colts (from Vikings via Packers via. Raiders) | Alec Pierce, WR, Cincinnati |
| 2 | 22 | 54 | Kansas City Chiefs (from Patriots) | Skyy Moore, WR, Western Michigan |
| 2 | 23 | 55 | Arizona Cardinals | Trey McBride, TE, Colorado State |
| 2 | 24 | 56 | Dallas Cowboys | Sam Williams, EDGE, Ole Miss |
| 2 | 25 | 57 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (from Bills) | Luke Goedeke, OT, Central Michigan |
| 2 | 26 | 58 | Atlanta Falcons (from Titans) | Troy Andersen, LB, Montana State |
| 2 | 27 | 59 | Minnesota Vikings (from Packers) | Ed Ingram, G, LSU |
| 2 | 28 | 60 | Cincinnati Bengals (from Bills via Buccaneers) | Cam Taylor-Britt, CB, Nebraska |
| 2 | 29 | 61 | San Francisco 49ers | Drake Jackson, LB, USC |
| 2 | 30 | 62 | Kansas City Chiefs | Bryan Cook, S, Cincinnati |
| 2 | 31 | 63 | Buffalo Bills (from Bengals) | James Cook, RB, Georgia |
| 2 | 32 | 64 | Denver Broncos (from Rams) | Nik Bonitto, EDGE, Oklahoma |
MORE: The 8 safest NFL Draft picks in 2022, from Kyle Hamilton to Jordan Davis
| Round | Pick | Overall | Team | Pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 65 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Luke Fortner, C, Kentucky |
| 3 | 2 | 66 | Minnesota Vikings (from Lions) | Brian Asamoah, LB, Oklahoma |
| 3 | 3 | 67 | New York Giants | Joshua Ezeudu, G, North Carolina |
| 3 | 4 | 68 | Cleveland Browns (from Texans) | Martin Emerson, CB, Mississippi State |
| 3 | 5 | 69 | Tennessee Titans (from Jets) | Nicholas Petit-Frere, OT, Ohio State |
| 3 | 6 | 70 | Jacksonville Jaguars (from Panthers) | Chad Muma, LB, Wyoming |
| 3 | 7 | 71 | Chicago Bears | Velus Jones Jr., WR, Tennessee |
| 3 | 8 | 72 | Seattle Seahawks | Abe Lucas, OT, Washington State |
| 3 | 9 | 73 | Indianapolis Colts (from Commanders) | Jelani Woods, TE, Virginia |
| 3 | 10 | 74 | Atlanta Falcons | Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati |
| 3 | 11 | 75 | Houston Texans (from Broncos) | Christian Harris, LB, Alabama |
| 3 | 12 | 76 | Baltimore Ravens | Travis Jones, DT, Connecticut |
| 3 | 13 | 77 | Indianapolis Colts (from Vikings) | Bernhard Raimann, OT, Central Michigan |
| 3 | 14 | 78 | Cleveland Browns | Alex Wright, EDGE, UAB |
| 3 | 15 | 79 | Los Angeles Chargers | JT Woods, S, Baylor |
| 3 | 16 | 80 | Denver Broncos (from Texans via Saints) | Greg Dulcich, TE, UCLA |
| 3 | 17 | 81 | New York Giants (from Dolphins) | Cordale Flott, CB, LSU |
| 3 | 18 | 82 | Atlanta Falcons (from Colts) | DeAngelo Malone, LB, Western Kentucky |
| 3 | 19 | 83 | Philadelphia Eagles | Nakobe Dean, LB, Georgia |
| 3 | 20 | 84 | Pittsburgh Steelers | DeMarvin Leal, DT, Texas A&M |
| 3 | 21 | 85 | New England Patriots | Marcus Jones, CB, Houston |
| 3 | 22 | 86 | Tennessee Titans (from Raiders) | Malik Willis, QB, Liberty |
| 3 | 23 | 87 | Arizona Cardinals | Cameron Thomas, EDGE, San Diego State |
| 3 | 24 | 88 | Dallas Cowboys | Jalen Tolbert, WR, South Alabama |
| 3 | 25 | 89 | Buffalo Bills | Terrel Bernard, LB, Baylor |
| 3 | 26 | 90 | Las Vegas Raiders (from Titans) | Dylan Parham, G, Memphis |
| 3 | 27 | 91 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Rachaad White, RB, Arizona State |
| 3 | 28 | 92 | Green Bay Packers | Sean Rhyan, G, UCLA |
| 3 | 29 | 93 | San Francisco 49ers | Ty Davis-Price, RB, LSU |
| 3 | 30 | 94 | Carolina Panthers (from Patriots via Chiefs) | Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss |
| 3 | 31 | 95 | Cincinnati Bengals | Zach Carter, DT, Florida |
| 3 | 32 | 96 | Indianapolis Colts (from Broncos via Rams) | Nick Cross, S, Maryland |
| 3 | 33 | 97 | Detroit Lions (Compensatory) | Kirby Joseph, S, Illinois |
| 3 | 34 | 98 | Washington Commanders (from Saints) (Compensatory) | Brian Robinson, RB, Alabama |
| 3 | 35 | 99 | Cleveland Browns (Compensatory) | David Bell, WR, Purdue |
| 3 | 36 | 100 | Arizona Cardinals (from Ravens) (Compensatory) | Myjai Sanders, EDGE, Cincinnati |
| 3 | 37 | 101 | New York Jets (from Titans via Eagles via Saints) (Compensatory) | Jeremy Ruckert, TE, Ohio State |
| 3 | 38 | 102 | Miami Dolphins (from 49ers) (Compensatory) | Channing Tindall, LB, Georgia |
| 3 | 39 | 103 | Kansas City Chiefs (Compensatory) | Leo Chenal, LB, Wisconsin |
| 3 | 40 | 104 | Los Angeles Rams (Compensatory) | Logan Bruss, G, Wisconsin |
| 3 | 41 | 105 | San Francisco 49ers (Compensatory) | Danny Gray, WR, SMU |
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