Eagles Drafted Just 2 Offensive Players in 4 Years — Now It's Catching Up
Since 2022, the Eagles used just two premium picks on offense: Cam Jurgens and Tyler Steen. Meanwhile, they loaded up on defense with Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Jihaad Campbell. The imbalance is now impossible to ignore.
The JAKIB Staff
contributor
Here's a stat that should stop every Eagles fan in their tracks: over the last four drafts, Philadelphia used exactly two premium picks on offensive players. Two.
Cam Jurgens at 51st overall in 2022. Tyler Steen at 65th overall in 2023. That's it. No first-rounders. No second-rounders on the offensive side of the ball since Jurgens. And people wonder why the offense has been taking on water.
Where All the Capital Went
The defensive haul over that same stretch is staggering. Jalen Carter (first round, 2023). Nolan Smith (first round, 2023). Jordan Davis (first round, 2022). Nakobe Dean (third round, 2022). Sydney Brown (third round, 2023). Quinyon Mitchell (first round, 2024). Cooper DeJean (second round, 2024). Jalyx Hunt (third round, 2024). Jihaad Campbell (first round, 2025). Drew Mikuba (second round, 2025).
That's an absurd concentration of draft capital on one side of the ball. And to be fair — it worked. The Eagles built one of the most talented defenses in football. Quinyon Mitchell is a lockdown corner. Jalen Carter is a wrecking ball. The defensive pipeline is real.
But it came at a cost.
The Offensive Decay
The logic made sense at the time: the offense was loaded with paid veterans. Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce (now retired), Landon Dickerson. Why waste premium picks on positions where you couldn't get a rookie on the field?
But here's what happened: those veterans aged. Some declined. Others got hurt. And there was nobody behind them because the Eagles never invested in offensive development. Lane Johnson is in the twilight of his career with no heir apparent. Landon Dickerson's long-term reliability is increasingly in doubt. The offensive line depth is paper-thin.
The irony is almost painful: the Eagles drafted so well on defense that those players got expensive (Milton Williams walking for big money, Jalen Phillips getting priced out), while the offense slowly eroded from neglect.
The 2026 Correction
Howie Roseman has essentially admitted this needs to change. The word from the NovaCare Complex is clear: repopulate the offense. That means an offensive lineman in round one — likely a tackle to eventually replace Lane Johnson. The name that keeps surfacing is Caden Proctor, though the new coaching staff's emphasis on athleticism and movement could push them toward Blake Miller or the Arizona State tackle Max Inacore.
But it can't stop there. Day two should bring a wide receiver or tight end. The Shanahan-style offense that the new coaching staff is installing demands versatile tight ends — think Sam LaPorta, not just a blocking specialist. And with AJ Brown's future uncertain, receiver depth is a real concern.
Four picks in the top 100 gives the Eagles the ammunition to finally swing the pendulum back toward offense. After four years of defensive stockpiling, they don't have a choice. The bill has come due.
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