You always hear NFL scouts talk about athleticism, versatility, speed, explosion, intelligence, strength and a bunch of other traits they’re searching for in draft picks.
For the Eagles, add genetics to the list.
The Eagles have now selected three players in the last two drafts whose fathers played at least 11 years in the NFL.
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SIGN UP HERE Jeremiah Trotter Jr.’s dad of course was Jeremiah Trotter, the Eagles’ 3rd-round pick in 1998 and a four-time Pro Bowler in his eight seasons with the Eagles. The Eagles picked Trotter Jr. in the sixth round last year.
This year’s 5th-round pick, Boston College center Drew Kendall, is the son of 1996 Seahawks 1st-round pick Pete Kendall, who played from 1996 through 2008 with the Seahawks, Cards, Jets and Washington.
And 6th-round pick Myles Hinton, an offensive tackle from Michigan, is the son of Chris Hinton, the fourth pick overall in 1983 and a seven-time Pro Bowl right tackle with the Colts and Falcons who also played 13 years.
It's not a coincidence.
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Howie Roseman said there are real benefits to drafting players with NFL bloodlines, like Trotter, Hinton and Kendall.
“It's certainly part of the player profile. Coach (Nick Sirianni) and I joke a lot of times about that. Certainly, genetics are part of who we all are and having pro athletes as your parents usually helps. It's hard to play in the National Football League.
"(It takes a) special kind of talent to play in the National Football League and we see that every day and how talented our players are. So when they come from that, it usually means that the game's not going to be too big for them. They've been around it since they were really little.
“We see that with our family. They get the opportunity to be around locker rooms and players, and so when they come to this big stage, they've been around it. And so, certainly, that's not why we're drafting players. We’re drafting them on their ability. But it's helpful.”
Other Eagles draft picks whose father played in the NFL? There have been at least eight Eagles draft picks whose father played in the NFL.
In 1992, the Eagles drafted linebacker Chuck Bullough in the eighth round out of Michigan State. His father, Hank Bullough, played for the Packers in the 1950s and coached 25 years in the NFL.
Raheem Brock Jr., who the Eagles drafted in the seventh round in 2002 but never played here, was the son of Zachary Dixon, who spent six years in the NFL with five teams, including the Eagles briefly in 1980.
Casey Matthews, their 4th-round pick in 2011, was the son of Clay Matthews, who played 19 years in the NFL.
Another 2011 pick, 7th-round linebacker Greg Lloyd, had a very accomplished dad by the same name – a five-time Steelers Pro Bowl linebacker.
The Eagles’ 2020 1st-round pick Jalen Reagor’s dad, Montae, played nine years in the NFL, including 2007 with the Eagles.
Several other former Eagles had NFL dads but weren’t drafted by the Eagles – Tony Brooks, Jeff Kemp, Keith Adams, Chris Long, Christian Ellis, Jabar Gaffney, Najee Goode, Dan Klecko.
And then a bunch of Eagles had kids who played for other teams – Britt Hager, Tim Watson, Tee Martin, Jon Runyan, Asante Samuel.
Kendall spoke on Saturday about how much his father’s NFL experience has meant to him along the way.
“From a developmental standpoint with my dad, he’s been there all the way through,” Kendall said. “He started coaching me in the fourth grade I believe and coached me all the way through high school, so that’s been special. Just making sure I’m building great habits and never being sloppy with it, and he’ll get after me if I’m not looking too good.”
Hinton has the luxury of growing up not only with a father who played 13 years in the NFL but a brother, Christopher, who’s been with the Chargers since 2022.
“My brother is more like an advice kind of guy – ‘OK, calm down, you’ve got this,” Hinton said in an interview with the web site from his old high school, Greater Atlanta Christian School. “My dad will give me more X’s and O’s. They’ve both been very supportive. They’ve been amazing.”