The Philadelphia Eagles traded up to the 49th overall spot in the second round, jumping one spot ahead of the Dallas Cowboys, and selected South Dakota State tight end Dallas Goedert on Friday.
“We wanted to get one of the guys we had from yesterday’s list,” said Howie Roseman, the Eagles’ executive vice president of football operations.
The Eagles made the trade with the Indianapolis Colts, who received the 52nd and the 169th picks from Philadelphia.
Goedert is the first player selected by the Eagles in the 2018 draft as Philadelphia traded its first-round pick to the Baltimore Ravens, who selected quarterback Lamar Jackson, on Thursday.
The Eagles had a need at tight end after releasing Brent Celek in March and losing Trey Burton in free agency (signed with the Chicago Bears).
Goedert (6-4, 260) posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2016 and 2017 and had 13 touchdown catches in that time span.
“It’s going to add depth and competition to the position,” coach Doug Pederson said. “He’s a tremendous weapon we can utilize. It’s exciting to have a pick like this to add.”
The NFL.com Scouting Summary on Goedert:
“Goedert is a very talented pass catching tight end with the ability to work all three levels of the field. His ball focus and ability to make the spectacular catch will make him the darling of fans and media throughout the draft process, but, he still has work to do. Goedert dominated a lower level of competition and will have to prove he can uncover and block against bigger, more explosive athletes as a pro. The size, speed and talent is there for him to succeed as a very good combo tight end if he works and plays with a little more urgency.”
Tim McManus’ reaction to the pick from ESPN.com:
“My take: The Eagles smartly jumped over the Dallas Cowboys, who announced the retirement of Jason Witten on Friday, and selected Goedert. The 6-foot-4, 260 pound South Dakota State product is arguably the most physically gifted tight end in the draft and has a penchant for spectacular one-handed grabs and explosive plays. He shares an FCS-Dakota connection with QB Carson Wentz, as well as the same agent. Now they’ll be paired on the NFL stage.
“How he fits: The addition of Goedert will present a matchup headache for opposing defenses. Paired with Zach Ertz, the Eagles are going to be able to attack in a variety of ways and hit the opposition with looks that will be hard to deal with. A need was created with the departures of veterans Brent Celek and Trey Burton, and though they’re lacking a true in-line tight end at the moment, they addressed the position in a big way.”
What’s next: The Eagles know the value of what lies ahead. VP of player personnel Joe Douglas points out 18 of the starters in Super Bowl LII were taken in the fourth round or after. The champs will have plenty of opportunities to mine for Day 3 difference-makers with two fourth-round picks (Nos. 125 and 130 overall), as well as selections in the sixth (No. 206 overall) and seventh (No. 250 overall) rounds.
MACH 10 Progress Report: DUTCH RUBB takes the lead going into the final day of the MACH 10 Draft Challenge by correctly predicting Dallas Goedert on his ballot. It’s Dutch 1, the rest of us 0 heading into the final four rounds.
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