Playing Position of Philadelphia Eagle's First Drafted Player - Odds and Predictions

With the 2019 NFL Draft taking place in less than ten days – it runs from Thursday, April 25 through Saturday, April 27 – the futures bets are flying and we found another fun one that just came out.

The bet is whether you can guess, out of all the players the Philadelphia Eagles could select with their first pick, what position they play.

The answer lies somewhere between what the 2019 Eagles need most and which ‘best player’ happens to still be left on the board when Philadelphia’s turn finally comes, and we go over all the possibilities as well as list the odds and predictions of which position they will be selecting first.

How did the Eagles do in 2018?

The Philadelphia Eagles followed up their Super Bowl Championship 2017 season by posting a 10-6 record and slipping into the postseason as a Wild Card team.

For the second season in a row, backup quarterback Nick Foles had to take over for an injured Carson Wentz, but this time he couldn’t quite go the distance.

Foles and his Eagles beat the Chicago Bears 16-15 in the Wild Card Playoffs, but they came up short against the New Orleans Saints 14-20 in the Divisional Playoffs, ending the possibility of another miracle run to the Lombardi Trophy without their franchise starter under center.

When does Philadelphia get to make its first draft selection?

The Eagles have 7 picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, and they are:

• Round 1: No. 25 overall
• Round 2: Nos. 53 (from Ravens), 57
• Round 4: Nos. 127, 138 
• Round 5: No. 163
• Round 6: No. 197

Selecting just before the Eagles in the first round will be the Houston Texan with Pick 23 and then the Oakland Raiders with Pick 24, which they received from the Chicago Bears.

Who did Philadelphia select with their first pick last season?

Last year when they were on the draft clock at pick 32 in the first round, the Eagles’ general manager Howie Roseman decided to trade out of the round in a multi-pick swap with the Baltimore Ravens and instead dropped that selection to the second round, 52^nd overall.

So as a result, the Eagles first pick of the draft last season was their other second-round pick, 49^th overall, which they used to select South Dakota State tight end Dallas Goedert.

During his rookie season, Goedert played in all 16 games and started half of those, catching 33 balls for 334 yards and four touchdowns, an impressive contribution, given that he played behind one of the league’s premier tight ends, Zach Ertz.

What players have the Eagles picked up through free agency this offseason?

Veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson, who received a three-year, $27.9 million deal with $15 million of that guaranteed.

Defensive tackle Malik Jackson, who received a three-year, $30 million deal with $17 million of that guaranteed.

Defensive end Vinny Curry, who signed a one-year, $2.25 million contract with $2 million of that guaranteed.

Who have the Eagles lost this offseason?

Linebacker Jordan Hicks, who signed a four-year, $36 million contract with the Arizona Cardinals with $20 million of that guaranteed and with a $12 million signing bonus.

Quarterback Nick Foles, who finally found his own team as a starter, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who gave him a four-year deal worth $88 million, with $50.125 of that guaranteed.

What are currently the Eagles biggest needs?

Offense: Tackle – preferably a left tackle to begin the slow replacement of Jason Peters, now entering his sixteenth season.

Defense: Linebacker – the Eagles need someone on base downs to align alongside with Nigel Braham.

Who will most likely be the best player available by the time the Eagles pick?

If University of Michigan linebacker Devin Bush slides to pick twenty-five, he’d be the best player available and fill an Eagles’ primary need since the departure of Jordan Hicks.

Various CBS Sportswriters’ mock drafts had the Philadelphia Eagles in round one selecting:

• Delaware safety Nasir Adderley
• Clemson defensive tackle Christian Wilkins
• Ole Miss offensive tackle Greg Little
• Alabama free safety Deionte Thompson
• North Carolina State wide receiver Kelvin Harmon
• West Virginia offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste

Obviously, there are many options and opinions as to who will be available at pick 25, so Roseman, like every NFL general manager, has to do his research and be prepared to select the best player available given the team’s overall needs.

Odds and Predictions of the playing position of the Eagles’ first selected player in the 2019 NFL Draft

So the question remains, which position will the Eagles select first in the 2019 NFL draft?

Will the best player available also fill a position of need for Philadelphia, or will Roseman have to call the audible and go off the board for his best pick?

The current odds on favorite position is defensive back, which would include cornerbacks and safeties, and running a close second is defensive lineman, which includes defensive tackles, ends and edge rushers.

Here are the full odds and predictions of which of position the Eagles will draft first.

If you live in New Jersey and want to bet on futures in NFL you can do so here with 888sport.

Check out the latest odds here – good luck!

Playing Position of Team’s First Drafted Player

Defensive Back

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Defensive backs, meaning cornerbacks and safeties, are the favorites to win, assuming the Eagles decide to boost their squad that ranked thirtieth in the league in pass protection.

With just 10 total interceptions last season, Philadelphia was only ranked 25^th in that category, so they could use someone in their secondary who can snag a few more opposing passes.

Defensive Lineman

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Any player declared by www.nfl.com as DT, DE or EDGE will count as a Defensive Lineman, and anyone who can help add to the Eagles 8^th ranked sack total of 44 last season will be considered.

Philadelphia ranked 7^th against the run in 2018, but they could always use some more help tackling and filling the gaps, so if a defensive lineman is the best player available at pick 25, look for Roseman to make a move.

Offensive Lineman

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Given that the Eagles rushing attack was ranked 28^th last season, you would think that offensive lineman would be ranked higher up on the odds board, especially given the additional need they have to keep their oft-injured starting quarterback Carson Wentz a little safer (sacked 31 times in 2018).

Philadelphia only averaged 98.1 yards per game on the ground last season, but with free agent pickup Jordan Howard their run game is immediately improved, if the line can do their job and create holes for him to run through.

Running Back

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Now that the Eagles have Howard, the need for a running back decreases, though given the injury rate of that position it wouldn’t hurt to add depth to that part of the roster.

The rest of Philadelphia’s running back room is young, so using the first pick to add a rookie runner to the mix seems highly unlikely.

Wide Receiver

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The Eagles have added four new wide receivers using free agency, including Desean Jackson, who will become an immediate starter.

Last season, Philadelphia’s air attack was seventh best in the NFL, and with a healthy Wentz and all those new targets it could be even better, but adding a rookie receiver to the mix doesn’t seem like the best way to use that first pick.

Linebacker

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With linebacker being one of the Eagles primary needs, these odds are surprising.

It could be because Roseman has already addressed the linebacker shortage in free agency by signing outside linebacker Alex Singleton and middle linebacker L.J. Fort this offseason.

Any Other Position

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Feel lucky?

Think the Eagles will blow their first pick on a punter or a field goal kicker or a long snapper?

You never know.

Except on this one, you know it’s not happening.

Quarterback

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With Carson Wentz being the designated starter until much further notice, it makes absolutely zero sense to blow the first pick on a quarterback.

However, that’s not to say that the Eagles won’t use one of their other picks to grab a young backup for Wentz, especially given that currently there is no backup QB listed on the Philadelphia roster.

Tight End

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Right up there with quarterback is tight end as the one position in Philadelphia that is absolutely solid right now.

Not only does the team have Zach Ertz, who last season caught 116 balls for 1,163 yards and 8 touchdowns, they also have second-year player Dallas Goedert (see above), so there is no way Roseman would use his first pick to add more depth to this position.