For sports fans, spring usually means a couple of things: March Madness, the start of the MLB season and the NBA and NHL playoffs. Along with all of this excitement, the NFL inserts itself into the mix with the draft. After a wild NFL offseason with huge names like Russell Wilson, Khalil Mack, Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams switching teams, the draft is just another place for teams to change their future, and their current chances for winning a Super Bowl. 

For the second year in a row, the Jacksonville Jaguars finished with the worst record in football, giving them the first overall pick. Last year, they selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence out of Clemson, who was the obvious No.1 overall prospect. This year, there was no clear first pick, and the mock drafts were changing weekly. However, the Jags went with the player who seemed to have the most potential in this year’s class, national champion defensive end Travon Walker.

This pick definitely was on the riskier side, but Walker’s size and strength, along with his athleticism made him nearly impossible to pass up. One the flip side, with the second overall pick, the Detroit Lions took defensive end Aiden Hutchinson out of Michigan, who many believe is the best and most NFL ready prospect in the draft. 

There were no huge surprises in the first few picks of the draft, with no major moves up or down in the draft order. This was until the 11th pick, when the Saints moved up to select wide receiver Chris Olave out of Ohio State. The Lions continued this trend by moving up to the 12th pick and selected wide receiver Jameson Williams out of Alabama.

With the Eagles selecting 15th, many fans were worried, as they wanted a receiver or cornerback, and all of the best options at both of those positions were off the board. To the surprise of every Eagles fan, they decided to move up two spots to acquire the 13th pick. The Eagles went with defensive lineman Jordan Davis from Georgia, one of the best players in college football last season. Davis is 6′6″, 341 lbs, and runs a 4.78 40-yard dash. His physical attributes are off the charts, and he fits the future of the team perfectly with Fletcher Cox coming up on his final seasons. While many fans really wanted a player to fill a big need in the secondary, Davis seemed like the best available player and should be a great fit in Philly.

If any Eagles fans were upset with their first pick, they definitely forgot about that with the move they made with their second first round pick in the draft. The Eagles moved the 18th pick, along with 101st pick, to acquire superstar wide receiver A. J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans. At just 24 years old, Brown has already had two seasons with over 1000 yards, and has emerged as a top receiver in the league. Brown will join Devonta Smith, Jalen Hurts, Dallas Goedert and Miles Sanders to create an elite young offense for Philly fans to be excited about. After the trade, the Eagles quickly agreed on a 4-year, 100 million dollar contract with Brown, keeping him in Philly for the long haul. With the Sixers winning their playoff series and the Phillies completing a sweep on draft night, it was a good day to be a Philly sports fan.  

If that wasn’t enough, the Eagles were able to get maybe the steal of the draft in the third round– linebacker Nakobe Dean from Georgia. Projected to go in the first round, Dean was a superstar for the National champs, winning the Butkus award for the best linebacker in college football. While there were some rumors of injury, your guess is as good as mine for why he slipped so late, but Eagles GM Howie Roseman made the pick and brought home an elite young linebacker, a position the Eagles desperately needed to fill. 

While the Eagles had an incredible draft, and are certainly in the running for the best moves made, there were some other teams that bolstered their rosters as well. Unfortunately for Eagles fans, the New York Giants were one of the biggest winners of the draft, coming away with two of the top prospects, offensive tackle Evan Neal and defensive lineman Kayvon Thibodeaux. The New York Jets also came away with one of the best classes, selecting cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson.

While this year’s class was full of talent and potential, one position that did not see as much shine was the quarterbacks. However, Pittsburgh football fans were in heaven when the Steelers selected quarterback Kenny Pickett from Pitt. Pickett was the only quarterback to go in the first round, and he should be in line for the starting job in an already strong, young offense. 

While the crop was different from other years, this draft was full of talent and potential and it will be very exciting to see how these top picks perform for their new teams. While it may seem obvious now who the winners and losers of the draft were, no one really knows for sure until the prospects actually suit up. However, fans of every team have something new to look forward to, especially if you are an Eagles fan.