Former first round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles Andre Dillard has signed a free agent deal with the San Francisco 49ers.
Dillard, the former 2019 top pick by the team, has bounced around the league after four seasons with the Eagles in more of a backup role. He struggled with the Tennessee Titans, and Green Bay Packers in the last two years.
The Washington State product has plenty of starting experience, but his struggles have also highlighted just how bizarre and lucky the Eagles have gotten with their left tackle position.
When Dillard was taken with the 22nd overall pick in 2019, the Eagles were hoping he would be the eventual replacement to All-Pro star Jason Peters. Unbeknownst to anyone around the league, though, the seventh-round tackle from the prior draft would end up being the one who earned the spot, though.
The arrival and development of Jordan Mailata is one of the biggest success stories in NFL history. Before being drafted by the Eagles in 2018, Mailata was a rugby star in Australia who had never played a down of the game of football. Philadelphia molded him like a bowl of clay into one of the best tackles in the league.
By the time Mailata was ready to take the reins of the starting left tackle position, the Eagles had thrown away Dillard as a potential starter at all.
So what if he was a failed first round pick? The Eagles got the ultimate player at his position in the seventh round instead.
And that is all that matters now. Especially with Dillard joining a conference rival like San Francisco.