With the draft just over a week away, we decided to rank every Eagles first-round pick since 1970 from top to bottom.
Which raised the question: If we’re doing the first round, why not do the second and third rounds, too?
So we’ll spend the next three days ranking a lot of really, really bad football players and a handful of very good ones.
We start with the third round, and we’ll rank the second round on Wednesday and the first round on Thursday.
The third-round ranking has not been kind to the Eagles since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. When Josh Huff, Eric Zomalt and Tom Luken are ranked closer to the top than the bottom, you know the third round has been a disaster.
The Eagles found a handful of stars in the third round — Jeremiah Trotter and Brian Westbrook are the best — but the fact that we could find nine third-round picks since 1970 who are worse than Daniel Te’o-Nesheim — who is one of the worst draft picks in NFL history — is a pretty sad statement on the Eagles’ third-round picks.
One tricky thing was how to rank guys like Allen Rossum and Derrick Burgess, who didn’t do a whole lot for the Eagles but had Pro Bowl careers elsewhere.
NFL
So we decided to weigh their Eagles’ careers the heaviest but also take into account what they did elsewhere.
OK, here we go. Third round, Nos. 1-43.
This is not pretty:
1. RB Brian Westbrook (2002)
I went back and forth between Westbook and Trott in the top spot, but as good as Trott was, Westbrook gets the nod as the Eagles’ best third-round pick since 1970. From 2005 through 2008, Westbrook netted 6,591 yards from scrimmage, the most in the NFC during that four-year period. In the NFL, only LaDainian Tomlinson had more yards from scrimmage. Westbrook was the best running back in the NFC for four years, and Trotter wasn’t quite the best linebacker in the NFC during any four-year span. Westbrook was also a huge playoff performer on some terrific teams. And his 4.6 career rushing average is all-time top-20 among backs with 1,000 or more carries.
2. LB Jeremiah Trotter (1998)
Trott had three stints with the Eagles, and he was only a starter here for 5½ years, but when he was on, he was a true spiritual leader of Jim Johnson’s defense. A four-time Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro in 2000. An all-time great Eagle.
3. SS Randy Logan (1973)
Logan was an 11-year starter for the Eagles, including on the 1980 Super Bowl team. He had 23 interceptions and never played for another team.
4. RB Duce Staley (1997)
Doooooooce overcame serious injuries to rush for 1,000 yards three times for the Eagles. Finished career with Steelers and got a Super Bowl ring. Great receiver and blocker too and now the Eagles’ running backs coach.
5. WR Fred Barnett (1990)
Arkansas Fred spent six years here and had two 1,000-yard seasons and made the Pro Bowl in 1992. And who will ever forget the 95-yarder from Randall in Buffalo his rookie year?
6. QB Nick Foles (2012)
Foles did enough in his 24 starts as an Eagle to warrant a pretty high ranking. If you look at the sum total of his brief career here — 15-9 record, 46 touchdowns, 17 interceptions, 94.2 passer rating — it’s pretty impressive.
7. PK Tony Franklin (1979)
Franklin kicked for the Eagles for five years and the Patriots and Dolphins five more years. He went to one Pro Bowl as a Patriot, kicked in a Super Bowl and once made a 59-yarder, and on this pathetic list, that’s enough to warrant the No. 7 spot. (Sad that we have 36 spots left, and we’re already reaching.)
8. DT Bennie Logan (2013)
He’s been here only two years, but Logan has established himself as a solid run-stuffing defensive tackle. On this list, two solid years is enough to earn a top-10 spot.
9. DE Derrick Burgess (2001)
Burgess’ best years were with the Raiders, but he was an important part of that 2004 Super Bowl defense, and his performance in the postseason was huge — especially in the NFC Championship Game, when he was responsible for containing future teammate Michael Vick.
10. CB Allen Rossum (1998)
Rossum developed into a very good Pro Bowl returner with the Falcons. His five career kickoff returns for TDs are tied for eighth-most in NFL history. The first of those five was in an Eagles uniform. That’s enough to get him in the top 10.
11. LB Reggie Wilkes (1978)
Wilkes was a sub on the 1980 Super Bowl team, but he spent eight years playing linebacker for the Eagles, starting 106 games. Solid guy.
12. RB Robert Drummond (1989)
Drummond had one crazy game as an Eagle — 14 for 77 rushing and 5 for 74 receiving against the Chargers as a rookie — but he didn’t get many other chances to play, and after three years he headed for the CFL, where he had a tremendous nine-year career, winning four Grey Cups, making two CFL All-Star teams and getting named Grey Cup MVP in 2000. Why is he ranked so high? Because at least he was a special player somewhere, and most of these guys weren't very good anywhere.
13. LB Britt Hager (1989)
OK, we have 32 spots left, and we’re out of good players. I put Hager here because he was a very good special teamer from 1989 through 1994 and because he played his high school football at Odessa Permian of Friday Night Lights fame.
14. WR Chris T. Jones (1995)
Jones had a promising second year with 70 catches for 859 yards and five touchdowns. Unfortunately, that’s all he had.
15. LB Stewart Bradley (2007)
Bradley started only 29 games in three years for the Eagles, and his injury-plagued career lasted only five years. On this list, that almost makes you an All-Pro.
16. RB Ryan Moats (2005)
Moats had a two-game stretch as a rookie against the Giants and Rams in which he ran 23 times for 192 yards and three touchdowns. That’s all he had. It was a pretty good two-game stretch, though!
17. OG Doug Brzezinski (1999)
Brzezinski was a starting guard in 1999 and stuck around a few more years and then spent two years with the Panthers, and yeah, that’s enough for the prestigious 17th spot.
18. LB Chris Gocong (2006)
College sack machine had only four in three years as a starter in Philly, but he was a starter on the 2008 team that reached the NFC Championship Game. That’s got to be worth something, right?
19. OL Joe Panos (1994)
Two-year starter at guard in the mid-1990s. Real last name was Panagiatopolous. He’s now an agent.
20. QB Bobby Hoying (1997)
What to do with ol’ Bobby. Won three of 13 career starts and had more career interceptions (15) than touchdowns (11). But for two crazy weeks in 1997, he gave us hope — two TDs in a win over the Steelers and four TDs and 313 yards against the Bengals. Then it was over. But here he is, comfortably in the top 20.
21. DE Greg Jefferson (1995)
Jefferson played here from 1995 through 1999 and piled up a whopping 13½ sacks. That sort of production gets you labeled a bust, and it also gets you in the top half of this pathetic list.
22. TE Vyto Kab (1982)
Backup for three years in the 1980s, catching 31 passes for 332 yards and five TDs. We’re really grasping for straws here.
23. WR Josh Huff (2014)
Huff makes it into the top 25 on potential. I think he’s going to be pretty good this year.
24. OL Tom Luken (1972)
Luken spent six years with the Eagles in the 1970s and started 17 games for some awful teams. That’s enough to place him above many others on this list.
25. WR Billy McMullen (2003)
Twenty-two catches for 294 yards and one TD in three years ranks you ahead of 18 guys on our list. How lame is that?
T26. CB Matt Ware (2004)
He made only one play in his life, but it was a doozy — scooping up the field goal that Quintin Mikell blocked and returning it 65 yards for a TD against the Chargers in 2005. He also is the guy Tom Brady picked on in the Super Bowl after Rod Hood left the game with dehydration at halftime. Tied for No. 26 seems about right.
T26. WR Glen Young (1983)
Young had a 71-yard touchdown against the Cowboys his rookie year. Unfortunately, he had only two other catches in an Eagles uniform. Good enough for a tie for 26th with another guy who made one play in his life.
28. Derrick Frazier (1993)
Frazier averaged an interception every four starts as an Eagle! Whoa! Unfortunately, that’s one INT in four career starts. It was off Trent Dilfer on opening day 1995. Bobby Taylor replaced him a few weeks later, and he was gone by the next year and out of the league by 1997.
29. DB Eric Zomalt (1994)
OK, he’s the answer to the trivia question: Whose job did Dawk take a few weeks into his rookie season? That is Zomalt’s only claim to fame.
30. RB Lee Bouggess (1970)
This guy has the lowest rushing average in NFL history by a non-quarterback at 2.6 yards per carry. And he’s still better than a ton of Eagles third-round picks. That’s insane.
31. TE Greg LaFleur (1981)
Never played a snap for the Eagles but went on to become a serviceable backup tight end for the Cards, catching 64 passes for 729 yards and three TDs in the 1980s. What a stud.
32. OL Ben Tamburello (1987)
Here’s all you need to know about Tamburello: In 1987, the Eagles allowed 72 sacks, fourth-most in NFL history. And Tamburello wasn’t good enough to start on that team. He started 11 games in four years in Philly and never got another job.
33. OL Rob Selby (1991)
One of countless horrifyingly bad Rich Kotite draft picks. Selby started one game at guard as an Eagle before getting axed as soon as Ray Rhodes arrived.
34. CB Mike Reid (1993)
Now we’re really getting into the dregs. Reid played 12 games on special teams in two years and was out of the league by 1995. Kotite, again.
35. DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim (2010)
A complete waste.
36. DE Tommy Jeter (1992)
More of a complete waste.
37. CB Curtis Marsh (2011)
Had a great practice at Franklin Field last summer. That’s all I got.
38. DE Mitch Sutton (1974)
Started seven games as a rookie, and that went so well he never started another game and was out of the league by 1976.
39. OT Rusty Russell (1984)
Russell played one game in the NFL. Which is more than some of these guys!
40. DB Bobby Majors (1972)
Majors didn’t make it out of his rookie training camp and after one year with the Browns his NFL career was over.
41. Tony Hunt (2007)
Another Andy Reid third-round catastrophe. By the time his career mercifully ended in the middle of 2008, Hunt had gained 25 yards on 14 carries, a whopping 1.8 average that’s tied with Mike Bell for lowest in Eagles history by a non-quarterback.
42. Bryan Smith (2008)
Never got on the field for the Eagles. Played in six career games and was out of the league by 2010. But ... we found somebody worse!
43. Matt Patchan (1988)
There were 276 players drafted in the third round in the 1980s, and Patchan was one of 12 that never played an NFL snap. The worst of the worst.