Ranking every Eagles first-round pick under Howie Roseman

Howie Roseman’s first-round draft history tells the story of the modern Philadelphia Eagles.

>There are franchise pillars, Super Bowl champions, Pro Bowl players, draft-day steals, long-term starters, incomplete evaluations, and a few misses that changed the way the organization approached roster building. The Eagles have built their best teams through the trenches, and Roseman's first-round résumé reflects that philosophy, with Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Nolan Smith all arriving as premium investments.

>The list also includes the pick that still follows Roseman in Jalen Reagor, along with recent selections such as Quinyon Mitchell and Jihaad Campbell, who already look like major pieces of Philadelphia’s next defensive core.

>Here is a ranking of every Eagles first-round pick under Roseman, based on value to Philadelphia, production, longevity, honors, postseason impact, and return on investment.

>1. Lane Johnson

>Johnson is the best first-round pick of the Roseman era and one of the best draft picks in franchise history. The Eagles selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2013 NFL draft, and he developed into the best right tackle in football, a future Hall of Famer, and one of the most important players on two Super Bowl-winning teams.

>Johnson has overcome two PED suspensions to build a résumé that includes six Pro Bowl selections, multiple All-Pro nods, several contract extensions, and one of the most dominant runs by an offensive tackle in modern Eagles history. Philadelphia’s record with and without him has long reflected his value, and his ability to erase elite pass rushers on the right side helped define the Eagles’ offensive identity for more than a decade.

>2. Fletcher Cox

>Cox was selected with the No. 12 overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft and became one of the greatest defensive players in Eagles history. He played 12 NFL seasons, made six Pro Bowls, won a Super Bowl, and finished his career with 348 solo tackles, 164 assists, 69.5 sacks, and 14 fumble recoveries.

>Cox remained productive late into his career, producing 33 tackles, five sacks, 17 quarterback hits, and three tackles for loss in 2023. His prime was even better, as he became one of the NFL’s most disruptive interior defensive linemen and a centerpiece of the defense that helped Philadelphia win Super Bowl LII. Among Roseman-era first-rounders, only Johnson’s longevity and positional value keep Cox from the top spot.

>3. Brandon Graham

>Graham was selected with the No. 13 overall pick in 2010, and although some still call him an Andy Reid pick, his career became one of the defining success stories of the Roseman era. Graham developed from an early disappointment into a franchise icon, Super Bowl hero, and one of the most respected players in Eagles history.

>Graham retired third on the Eagles’ all-time sack list with 75.5 and tied Seth Joyner for second in team history with 21 forced fumbles. He also broke Chuck Bednarik’s franchise record for most seasons played with 15. His strip-sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII remains one of the most important plays in Eagles history, and his leadership helped shape multiple locker rooms. Graham’s longevity, production, and postseason legacy make him one of Roseman’s best first-round outcomes.

>4. DeVonta Smith

>Smith was selected with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft and quickly became one of the best receivers in franchise history. The former Heisman Trophy winner gave Jalen Hurts a reliable, polished, and explosive target, setting the Eagles’ rookie receiving record with 916 yards and later establishing a franchise record for single-season receptions by a wide receiver with 95 in 2022.

>Smith had 240 catches for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns over his first three seasons with Philadelphia. Since signing his extension, he has remained a major part of the offense, producing 68 catches for 833 yards and eight touchdowns during the 2024 Super Bowl season and 77 catches for 1,008 yards and four touchdowns in 2025. His total of 145 catches for 1,841 yards and 12 touchdowns over that two-year span reinforces his standing as one of the cleanest first-round hits of the Roseman era.

>5. Jalen Carter

>Carter has the talent to climb even higher on this list. The Eagles selected him with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, and he quickly became the centerpiece of Philadelphia’s defensive front. Over his first three seasons, Carter logged 108 total tackles, 25 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles.

>The 2025 season was uneven because of shoulder injuries and an ugly opener in which he was ejected after spitting on Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, but Carter still played at a Pro Bowl level when available. In 12 games, he had 33 tackles, 41 quarterback pressures, 11 quarterback hits, and three sacks while becoming the Eagles’ lone Pro Bowl starter. Philadelphia can buy more time by allowing Carter to play under his fifth-year option, but the long-term evaluation is already clear: He has the ability to become one of the best defensive players Roseman has drafted.

>6. Quinyon Mitchell

>Mitchell was selected with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, and his arrival helped change the direction of Philadelphia’s defense. The Eagles used their first two picks on cornerbacks, and Mitchell quickly became one of the top young cover men in the NFL.

>Mitchell ranked third among NFL cornerbacks with 16 forced incompletions, trailing only Zyon McCollum and Denzel Ward. He was also third among cornerbacks in yards allowed per coverage snap at 0.8, behind only Pat Surtain and Derek Stingley among players with at least 600 coverage snaps. After earning an All-Pro nod in 2025, Mitchell already looks like a premium-position hit and a foundational piece of the defense.

>7. Carson Wentz

>Wentz is one of the most complicated picks of the Roseman era. The Eagles moved aggressively to land him at No. 2 overall in the 2016 NFL draft, and for a brief stretch, the move looked like it might deliver the franchise its long-term superstar quarterback.

>As a second-year player, Wentz was headed toward an MVP-caliber season before tearing his ACL against the Rams. His play helped put the Eagles in position to win Super Bowl LII, even though Nick Foles finished the championship run. Wentz had a passer rating of 89.2 with 16,811 yards, 113 touchdowns, and 50 interceptions in 68 games with Philadelphia. The ending was messy, but the peak and role in the franchise’s first Super Bowl season keep him in the upper half of this list.

>8. Jordan Davis

>Davis was selected with the No. 13 overall pick in 2022 after Philadelphia traded up with Houston to land the former Georgia All-American. His 4.78-second 40-yard dash at more than 330 pounds made him one of the most unique defensive tackle prospects in recent memory.

>Davis missed time with an ankle injury as a rookie but was impactful enough to make the 2022 PFWA All-Rookie Team after producing 18 tackles, four quarterback pressures, one tackle for loss, and one pass defended. He later became one of the major fifth-year option decisions on the roster, and his value increased as a run-stopping force. In 2024, he played all 17 regular-season games and recorded 27 tackles, 1 sack, and 2 passes defensed before adding 6 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 pass defensed in 4 playoff games. Davis has not been as dominant as Carter, but he has become a solid and valuable interior piece.

>9. Jihaad Campbell

>Campbell was selected No. 31 overall in the 2025 NFL draft, becoming the first off-ball linebacker the Eagles had taken in the first round since Jerry Robinson in 1979. The Erial, New Jersey, native was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2024 after leading Alabama with 117 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, and five sacks.

>A shoulder procedure before the draft forced Campbell to miss much of the offseason, but he hit the ground running at training camp in place of an injured Nakobe Dean. As a rookie, Campbell played in all 17 games and started 10, logging 80 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. His 76.2 PFF grade ranked 13th among 88 qualifying NFL linebackers, and his presence is a major reason Philadelphia could feel comfortable allowing Dean to leave in free agency.

>10. Derek Barnett

>Barnett was selected with the No. 14 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft after a standout career at Tennessee, and he made his most important contribution as a rookie during Philadelphia’s Super Bowl run. His recovery of Graham’s strip-sack of Brady in Super Bowl LII put him forever in Eagles history.

>The full career never matched first-round expectations. Barnett was a tough, physical edge defender who played meaningful snaps, but he did not become the consistent high-end pass rusher Philadelphia hoped to get at No. 14. He was eventually traded to the Texans, but his role in the Eagles’ first Super Bowl season keeps him from falling lower.

>11. Nolan Smith

>Smith was selected No. 30 overall in the 2023 NFL draft and remains one of the more important incomplete evaluations on the roster. The former Georgia standout has the athletic traits, motor, and speed the Eagles value off the edge, but his production has not yet fully matched his first-round profile.

>Smith missed seven games last season and finished with 20 tackles, two sacks, and 33 pressures in 452 snaps. He is eligible for an extension, but should be more focused on the fifth-year option decision, with that number currently projected around $14 million for 2027. Smith can still climb this list quickly if he becomes a consistent pass-rush presence, but for now, he remains behind players who have already provided clearer value.

>12. Andre Dillard

>The Eagles traded up to select Dillard with the No. 22 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft, believing they had found a long-term successor to Jason Peters at left tackle. Instead, Dillard initially sat behind Peters, missed all of 2020 with an injury, and then watched Jordan Mailata develop quickly enough to beat him out for the job.

>Dillard’s failure to become a starter in Philadelphia makes the pick a major disappointment, especially because offensive tackle is a premium position. He later had stints with the Titans and Packers and is now a free agent. The Eagles deserve credit for developing Mailata, but that does not erase the missed first-round investment in Dillard.

>13. Jalen Reagor

>Reagor is the pick that will hang over Roseman’s résumé for years because of what happened next. The Eagles selected him with the No. 21 pick in the 2020 NFL draft, ahead of Justin Jefferson, and the comparison became impossible to escape almost immediately.

>Reagor had 64 catches for 695 yards and three touchdowns in 28 games with Philadelphia, including 24 starts. Overall, he has logged 72 catches for 799 yards, five touchdowns, and 61 punt returns for 488 yards. Jefferson, meanwhile, had 499 catches for 7,476 yards and 41 touchdowns over his first six seasons with Minnesota, earning four All-Pro selections and four Pro Bowl berths. Reagor’s selection changed how Roseman drafted, and it remains the most painful miss of the modern Eagles era.

>14. Danny Watkins

>Watkins was selected No. 23 overall in the 2011 NFL draft and became one of the strangest first-round misses in franchise history. A firefighter with an unusual path to the NFL, Watkins played only two seasons in Philadelphia, appearing in 23 games with 18 starts.

>He played one game for the Dolphins in 2013 and was out of the league after that. Watkins did not carry the same long-term regret as Reagor because there was no Jefferson-level player selected immediately after him at the same position, but the return on investment was extremely poor.

>15. Marcus Smith

>Smith was selected No. 26 overall in the 2014 NFL draft and ranks last because he never became a meaningful contributor in Philadelphia. He lasted just three years with the Eagles, played in 37 games, and never started a game during his tenure.

>Smith finished his Eagles career with four sacks, and his last NFL game came in 2018. He was a first-round pick without a first-round role, first-round production, or long-term value. Among Roseman-era first-round selections, he remains the clearest pure miss.

>Final ranking

Lane Johnson • >Fletcher Cox • >Brandon Graham • >DeVonta Smith • >Jalen Carter • >Quinyon Mitchell • >Carson Wentz • >Jordan Davis • >Jihaad Campbell • >Derek Barnett • >Nolan Smith • >Andre Dillard • >Jalen Reagor • >Danny Watkins • >Marcus SmithRoseman’s first-round history has produced a Hall of Fame-caliber right tackle, one of the best defensive tackles in franchise history, a Super Bowl hero, a franchise wide receiver, a Pro Bowl defensive centerpiece and several young defenders who could define the next era of Eagles football.

>It has also included major misses. Reagor changed the way Philadelphia approached receiver evaluations, Dillard lost his job to one of the best development stories in franchise history, Watkins was gone almost immediately, and Marcus Smith never became a real factor. The overall record, however, is strong at the top, and the recent run of Carter, Mitchell, and Campbell gives the Eagles a young defensive foundation that could make Roseman’s first-round résumé look even better over time.

>This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Ranking Howie Roseman’s Eagles first-round draft picks