From Boys to Men: How the Eagles' 2017 Rookie Class Fared in 2017-18.

The crowd roared once again as they trotted onto the sidelines. This time, though, it was different. A new city, a new uniform, a new team and a new life. The last time that they went through these circumstances was at college. Now, it’s their job. The rookie year of an NFL player should make a man out of a boy, but that’s not always the case. Nelson Agholor, for example, did not become the

NFL player that he was destined to be until two years after he was drafted. Some boys become men overnight, while others take time; some don’t become men at all. Being a man in the NFL is to overcome all adversity, distractions and obstacles to find one’s identity and place on an NFL roster. Some of the Eagles’ 2017-18 draft class stood out, while others faded into nothing. The Eagles don’t give up on their own easily, as was evident with Nelson Agholor, but some players are destined to play elsewhere, like Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter, while others will drop from the league all together, like offensive tackle and former first round pick Danny Watkins. We will not know right away who will be future stars with the Eagles, future stars elsewhere in the NFL or who will flunk out, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t analyze their seasons regardless! So, how did the Eagles’ 2017-2018 draft class fare this season?

Offense:

Running Back

Corey Clement, Wisconsin- Undrafted Free Agent

19 games played. 80 carries, 354 yds, 4 TD; 20 receptions, 262 yds, 3 TD

Corey Clement, a Philadelphia native who has just seen his former Glassboro School District declare a day in his honor, had himself one heck of a season. From barely making the final cuts at the end of the preseason, to regular third-down back and Super Bowl hero, Corey became everything that nobody outside of Philly thought that he would. Once Darren Sproles went down due to injury, Clement snatched up the third-down back position, previously having to make a name for himself on special teams, and he never looked back. Corey gives a passionate Philly sports base a significant reason to be excited for the future.

Donnel Pumphrey, San Diego St., 4th Rd.

No games played: IR

Drafted to become, logically thinking at least, Darren Sproles’s heir-apparent, Donnel Pumphrey never even found his feet once the preseason rolled around. Donnel soon suffered a torn hamstring and was placed on injured reserve. Everyone expected more, but Pumphrey will have a full year of familiarity of the playbook and the NFL (from the sidelines, of course) to hit the ground running next season.

Wide Receiver

Mack Hollins, North Carolina, 4th Rd.

19 games played. 17 receptions. 235 yds, 1 TD

He was drafted to become a special teams demon, but Mack Hollins ended up as much more than that. Realistically, any receptions from playtime was a positive for Mack. In retrospect, Hollins had himself a solid rookie season and he can relax with a feeling that he can only get better next season. Mack had plenty of playing time in the offense, along with his expected time on special teams, and he made the most of the opportunities presented to him, posting 17 receptions from 24 targets. Not bad for a mid-round special teams rookie.

Shelton Gibson, West Virginia, 5th Rd.

8 games played. 2 receptions, 11 yds, 0 TD

There’s not a whole lot to be said about Shelton’s rookie season. He lost out time in the first half of the season to Marcus Johnson, but he eventually found a place on the field on special teams. Like Donnel Pumphrey, he struggled mightily in the preseason, but there was hope for Gibson. He finally got his chance against ‘Da Bears in November, and he played on special teams every game through the Super Bowl. He should only get better.

Defense:

Defensive End

Derek Barnett, Tennesse, 1st Rd.

18 games played. 23 combined tackles, 2 forced fumbles, 6 sacks.

Oh man, how Eagles’ fans love Derek Barnett after the Super Bowl; having recovered Tom Brady’s fumble resulting from Brandon Graham’s strip sack, Barnett surely sealed the victory for the Super Bowl-starved Eagles. With six sacks this season, Derek had himself an impressive rookie year, especially considering that he played behind Vinny Curry on the second team as part of the rotation of the defensive line. He came into the league very rough, but quick and full of potential and work ethic, and he has since developed into what may be a quarterback-sacking beast for the birds for years to come.

Defensive Tackle

Elijah Qualls, Washington, 5th Rd.

6 games played. 3 combined tackles.

To be fair to Elijah, nobody really expected anything from his rookie year with the Eagles. He found the field a little bit at the end of the season and into the post season, but he really didn’t get much time apart from the final game of the season against the Cowboys. If Beau Allen moves on in free agency, Qualls may have an opportunity to work himself into a more prominent role with the Eagles.

Linebacker

Nate Gerry, Nebraska, 5th Rd.

13 games played. 5 combined tackles.

Another player who played very little this season, Gerry was moved from safety, his college position, to linebacker. Nate looked the part of a player who didn’t know exactly what to do, who to be and how to close down players. It’s certainly worth noting that linebacker is vastly different from safety in every aspect, especially how one approaches closing down a ball carrier. Nate closed down like a safety as a linebacker. I expect that he’ll be a very different player come the 2018 preseason with the birds. After all, Gerry’s college film shows how much potential he really has.

Cornerback

Sidney Jones, Washington, 2nd Rd.

1 game played. 2 combined tackles.

Although he was likely frustrated with not getting to play for more time than he did, it’s almost a miracle that he made it on the field at all during this season; it was truly a treat for an Eagles fan to see what may be in Sidney Jones. Once a projected first round pick, a pre-draft injury pushed him into the second round and put him out of action until the final game of the season versus the Cowboys. Jones made a few mistakes, but he had not played football for over a year. He’s going to be good. Very good. Anybody that can wait until the 2018-19 is either still intoxicated from the Super Bowl victory or a Giants fan.

Rasul Douglas, West Virginia, 3rd Rd.

17 games played. 25 combined tackles. 2 interceptions.

The drafting of Rasul Douglas felt like more of a bandaid to an unsettled cornerback position than a long-term solution, especially after the birds drafted Sidney Jones, who was anticipated to miss the entire season, just a round before Douglas. Nevertheless, Rasul played with tenacity and swagger, being especially difficult for any receivers that weren’t quick enough to outpace him. Bagging a pair of interceptions this season shows his potential, but he lost time after Ronald Darby came back from injury. The Eagles see potential here, but I just don’t see how he fits at cornerback. I see him as a prototype safety, being willing to hit, a ball hawk and also being solid in both zone coverage and man coverage. It’ll be interesting to see how the Eagles handle his situation come next preseason.

Special Teams

Kicker

Jake Elliott, Memphis, 5th Rd.

18 games played. 33 of 38 field goals, 61 long. 46 of 51 PAT.

Perhaps Philadelphia Eagles fan hero for life, Jake Elliott’s 61 yard game winning field goal against the Giants wasn’t even his greatest moment in an Eagles uniform so far- I’d give it to his final 42-yard field goal in the Super Bowl which eventually helped give the Eagles a nearly unreachable eight-point lead. Sure, Elliott had his ups and downs, but he had a solid year for a starting rookie kicker. The Eagles didn’t even draft Elliott! Drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016, the Eagles were lucky enough that he narrowly ended up on the practice squad for the Bengals after losing the starting gig. The Eagles may just have found their franchise kicker (if there’s even such thing) on another team’s practice squad.

What a season the birds had this year. Just. Wow. Not to mention that the Eagles had many, many contributors from their rookie class of 2017. When you have such a solid year of bringing in rookies, that can only spell future success for

your team, and this team just won the Super Bowl! It's room for error, for sure, if any players like Donnel Pumphrey don’t pan out, but it sure does feel good after you bring in players that you didn’t draft like Corey Clement and Jake Elliott who then play key parts in your season. We still have a draft between our Super Bowl hangovers and the 2018 training camp and preseason, but I feel that I’m almost more excited to see how Corey, Sidney Jones, Mack Hollins et al use this offseason with a full season under their belts. Many became men this year, that’s for sure. Who’s next, though? Well, we’ll soon find out.

Photos: From Philadelphia Eagles

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