NFL Draft 2019: Biggest steal for each team
By Randy Gurzi
Another team that deserves a lot of praise for their draft class is the Philadelphia Eagles. They found value at every single point in the draft, which is hard to do considering they had just five total picks for the whole weekend. If we were just talking best player chosen, that would be Andre Dillard hands down.
The Washington State offensive tackle will replace Jason Peters, who turned 37 this offseason. They could still use the veteran Peters this season, but Dillard will be there if needed and will be the starter for possibly the next 10-to-15 seasons.
He’s the pure pass protector the team needs, as they hope to keep Carson Wentz upright and healthy following back-to-back seasons with serious injuries.
From there, they landed running back Miles Sanders out of Penn State and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, the wideout from Stanford. Both have starting potential and could be highly productive as rookies. They then returned to Penn State for their fourth-round pick, which ended up being their biggest steal.
Shareef Miller continually improved on the edge for the Nittany Lions, going from 1.5 sacks in 2016 to 5.5 the following year and finally 7.5 as a redshirt junior. He has good size at 6-foot-4 and 254-pounds and ran a 4.69 in the 40-yard dash. Miller has to work on his technique, but the athleticism to make plays is there. He also lands in a perfect scenario for himself with the Eagles.
Philadelphia has been great over the past few seasons with rotating their pass rushers to keep them all fresh and maximize their talent. This season, they hope to have Derek Barnett at full strength following a season-ending shoulder injury. Starting opposite him will be Brandon Graham, but Miller will give them a player capable of spelling each of them.