John Metchie and Howie Roseman's Love for 2nd Round Receivers
How the Metchie trade speaks to the highs and lows of Roseman's long love affair with wide receivers who were drafted in the 2nd round
Howie Roseman is committed to the bit. Last week, the Eagles acquired John Metchie and a 6th-round pick from the Houston Texans for the low price of Harrison Bryant (mediocre tight end with a great tight end name) and a 5th-round pick.
It’s fair to question the addition of Metchie, a former 2nd-round pick and Alabama teammate of Eagles legend Devonta Smith, to a wide receiver room whose cup overfloweth.
Aside from presumed starters A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, and Jahan Dotson, the rest of the room has been playing well. Darius Cooper is the darling of training camp. Ainias Smith is hitting his stride. Maybe Roseman looked into his crystal ball and saw the Johnny Wilson injury coming. But before the Wilson injury, the Metchie addition was a look into how Roseman evaluates the position.
The pivot point in the Eagles' evaluation of the position is the Jalen Reagor Trade. In August 2022, Howie pulled the plug on the prince who was not promised by trading Reagor to the Minnesota Vikings. Roseman described drafting Reagor over all-universe wide receiver Justin Jefferson (on W.I.P. of all places) by saying, “We'd love to have that moment back.” From that point on Roseman cleaned house, drafted Smith, and traded for Brown to solve the wideout puzzle once and for all.
And it seems like the Eagles found something that works. Out of the 8 wide receivers acquired via trade or free agency after the Jalen Reagor trade, every single player is a former top 60 draft pick in their respective class. But it’s not just former top 60 draft picks. What’s more interesting is that it seems like Howie Roseman has a thing for wide receivers who were drafted in the second round.
Out of the 3 wide receivers traded Howie has trade for since pulling the plug on Jalen Reagor, 2 are former second round picks (A.J. Brown and John Metchie) and 1 first round pick (Jahan Dotson). 2 out of the 5 free agent signings are former second round picks (Terrence Marshall and Parris Campbell) and the other 3 are waaaay past their prime former first round picks (Julio Jones, DeVante Parker, and John Ross). Also you probably forgot, but John Ross was drafted #9 OVERALL in 2017!
You’d think that Howie’s affection for second-round wideouts developed from the trauma of drafting Jalen Reagor. But if you take a wider look, it gets a little more interesting.
Since becoming General Manager of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2010 and before drafting Jalen Reagor in 2020 (not counting 2015 when Chip Kelly staged his coup and banished Howie to a closet in the Novacare Complex), Roseman traded for 6 wide receivers. 4 out of those 6 were, you guessed it, former second-round draft picks:
DeSean Jackson (signed back from the Buccaneers in 2019)
Golden Tate
Dorial Green-Beckham
Arrelious Benn
Roseman also signed 17 free agent wide receivers in that time frame. Out of those 17, 6 were former second-round wide receivers.
Jordan Mathews
Alshon Jeffrey
Torrey Smith
Rueben Randle
Arrelious Benn
Steve Smith
If we look at Howie Roseman’s career as a whole, he has traded for or signed in free agency 31 wide receivers. A majority of those players are former second-round draft picks. Here’s the breakdown:
4 former first-round picks
14 former second-round picks
5 former third-round picks
6 former UDFAs
What does it all mean Basil? I have no idea! I do know that every GM has their catnip. A steadfast principle of their evaluation process they can’t stay away from. But I think Howie has adapted in the aftermath of Jalen Reagor.
As much as he loves second-round wide receivers, his approach pivoted. Prior to 2022, he leaned on bringing in wide receivers who were established and nearing the downside of their careers. After 2022, he started betting on upside. The wide receiver trades and free agent signings since Reagor was flipped to the Vikings in 2022 all involve immensely talented receivers in unfavorable situations. Betting that the Eagles' infrastructure will help them reach or exceed their draft pedigree.
I hope Metchie is the latest success story in the Howie Roseman Second-Round Draft Pick Rehab Program. I guess we’ll see.
Random Things That Only I Find Interesting:
Two of the three starting wide receivers for the Philadelphia Eagles in their first Super Bowl win were former second-round draft picks - Alshon Jeffrey and Torrey Smith. The third, Nelson Agholor, was a first round pick.
Recent Philadelphia Eagles wide receivers Parris Campbell and Terrance Marshall were both drafted in the same draft spot two years apart. Campbell was drafted in Round 2 with Pick #59 in 2019 and Marshall was drafted in Round 2 with Pick #59 in 2021.
In the Eagles two Super Bowl wins, their three starting wide receivers were all top 60 draft picks in their respective class. The starting Eagles wide receiver drafted the lowest in the most recent Super Bowl win against the Chiefs? A.J. Brown drafted in Round 2 with Pick 51 in 2019.