During his three-year tenure, former Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly had the motto of culture over talent. Eagles fans saw that in full effect as Kelly let go players such as wide-receiver DeSean Jackson and running back LeSean McCoy.
Fast forward to Day 3 of the 2016 NFL Draft and the Philadelphia Eagles have changed that motto by selecting players who had checkered backgrounds in the past.
Before this year’s draft, there was a sense that Eagles EVP of personnel Howie Roseman and head coach Doug Pederson could take a chance on a few players, who had character issues.
To start off, the Eagles took West Virginia running back Wendell Smallwood in the fifth round. Smallwood, who is a Wilmington, Delaware native had trouble a few years back, and a questionable social media account. Despite his past, Smallwood had a productive career at West Virginia getting better each season.
This past season, Smallwood had a career-year across the board with 1,519 rushing yards on 238 carries and nine touchdowns. In 2014, the 5-foot-10, 208-pound back had 722 rushing and 326 receiving yards. Smallwood is an intriguing prospect as he is a patient running back, with good vision but does not have game breaking speed.
New #Eagles RB Wendell Smallwood, finding the hole and using his vision for the touchdown. https://t.co/ofvwppcRHY
— Jovan Alford (@Jovan10) May 1, 2016
Smallwood could be an integral part of the Eagles’ offense possibly getting 10-15 touches per game. Roseman was comfortable with making the selection of Smallwood as he said, “We have no doubt or concern about what kind of person Smallwood is.”
After selecting Smallwood in the fifth round, the Eagles took two risky players in the seventh rounds, and one of them could end being the steal of the round.
With the 233rd overall pick, the Eagles selected LSU safety Jalen Mills. Mills, who had off the field issues in 2014 and then suffered a leg injury that sidelined him for the first half of the 2015 season, is a versatile defensive back that can play both cornerback and safety.
This past season, Mills finished with 30 total tackles, a sack and a tackle for loss. According to his NFL.com scouting report, Mark Dulgerian says that Mills’ film shows a Day 2 nickel cornerback.
Being only 6-foot and 190 pounds, his frame suits a cornerback rather than a safety. Currently, both Eagles’ safety positions are locked down for the long haul with Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod.
Finally, with the 240th overall pick, the Eagles took University of Florida defensive end Alex McCalister, who also had some off the field issues that stem from this past season. Outside of his off the field issues, McCalister is a project, but has the athleticism you look for in a pass rusher.
This past season at Florida, McCalister had 24 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He still needs to grow into his 6-foot-6 and 239-pound frame to be an effective defensive end in the NFL.
If the Eagles get any type of production from these three players, then it’s only going to make the team better in the long run.
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