On Monday, in the spirit of an NFL.com story that named Jason Kelce as the No. 1 draft value of all time among NFL offensive linemen, we decided to do the same for each position group for the Eagles in the Super Bowl era. We started with the best draft value at each position on offense.
In this story, we continue with defense. First-round picks weren't completely dismissed when trying to determine the best draft value at each position but generally we looked for players who were taken outside the first round and gave first-round production, making them great "value picks."
Remember, these aren't the best players at their respective positions, but best "value picks."
EDGE:Trent Cole (2005, Round 5, 146th overall)
Andy Reid sure had a knack for discovering unsung talent from the University of Cincinnati. Before he found TE Brent Celek in the fifth round in 2007 and Jason Kelce in the sixth round in 2011, Reid had already plucked Cole from the same college and watched Cole immediately make an impact with five sacks and seven starts in his rookie season. Cole hit double-digit sacks in his third season, with 12.5, a mark he reached again in 2009.
Cole finished his Eagles career with 85.5 sacks – second most in team history to Hall of Famer Reggie White – in 155 games, 145 of which he started. His 20 multi-sack games are third most in team history. He made two Pro Bowls and once made second-team All Pro. He also forced 19 fumbles in his Eagles career. Cole wasn’t the greatest athlete but was known for a relentless motor that drove offensive tackles crazy. Cole makes this special “EDGE” category because he played with his hand in the dirt and, for a while, as an outside linebacker/edge rusher during the Chip Kelly era. (The reality is we wanted him AND the next guy to both make this story.)
4-3 DEClyde Simmons (1986, Round 9, 233rdoverall)
One of the truly great finds from the Buddy Ryan era – maybe the best ever given his draft status – Simmons emerged from ninth-rounder out of obscure Western Carolina into an imposing force on Ryan’s infamous “46” defense's front, a tenacious lineman who collected 76 sacks in eight seasons with the club. Simmons led the NFL with 19 sacks in 1992, his second consecutive Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro season.
Only Hall of Fame Reggie White has more sacks in a season for the Eagles (21) than Simmons, who also had a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown and 10 career fumble recoveries. His 76 sacks are fourth-most in club lore and his 4.5-sack game against the Cowboys in 1991 is tied with High Douglas for most by an Eagle in a single game. Simmons was a major piece of a 1991 Eagles defense that’s widely considered the greatest defense in franchise history and one of the best in NFL history.
NT:Charlie Johnson (1977, Round 7, 175thoverall)
Johnson, out of Colorado, is one of the few diamonds in the rough on defense from the Dick Vermeil era. He doesn’t have gaudy stats – most nose tackles don’t – but he did have seven sacks in his rookie season and made three straight Pro Bowls from 1979-1981, helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl in 1980 with the NFL’s top-ranked scoring defense.
He started 73 of his 76 career games with the Eagles in five seasons and also made first-team All Pro twice. He played in seven postseason games for the Eagles, adding 1.5 more sacks. Johnson also somehow managed four career interceptions, which is uncanny for a nose tackle.
4-3 OLB:Seth Joyner (1986, Round 8, 208th overall)
Another diamond mined by Buddy Ryan, Joyner worked his way into a starting role early and by Year 3 had the first of six consecutive 100-tackle seasons. Joyner, out of UTEP, also logged 37 career sacks, 21 forced fumbles and 17 interceptions in 195 games, 172 of which he started.
Only two other players in franchise history – Brian Dawkins and William Thomas – have at least 20 sacks and at least 15 interceptions. Like Simmons, Joyner was a star on the immortal 1991 defense and made three Pro Bowls along with two second team All Pros. Not bad for someone who was the team’s 10th draft pick that season and third linebacker taken. Heck of a draft for the Eagles in ’86, getting Joyner and Clyde Simmons.
MLB:Jeremiah Trotter Sr. (1998, Round 3, 72nd overall)
One of the standouts of the tenacious, attacking Jim Johnson defenses of the early 2000s, Trotter came from Division I-AA Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Texas. After not playing much as a rookie, he recorded his first 100-tackle season in 1999 and strung together two more, making the Pro Bowl in 2000 and 2001, before leaving in free agency for rival Washington.
Trotter returned in 2004 and made the Pro Bowl again that year, helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl, and then made his fourth Pro Bowl in 2005 with his fifth season of 110-plus tackles for the Eagles. Trotter is one of just four linebackers in Eagles history to make four Pro Bowls and his five 100-tackle seasons trail only Seth Joyner's six for most in team history (since teams started to tally tackles).
S:Bill Bradley (1969, Round 3, 69th overall)
Tough choice between Bradley and franchise icon Brian Dawkins, who was the 61st pick in 1996. Dawkins had the better career and more longevity but Bradley was actually more versatile, as he was also the team’s punter, kick returner and emergency quarterback during his six seasons. He made three Pro Bowls and was twice named first-team All Pro. More significantly, Bradley led the NFL in interceptions in 1971 and 1972, with 11 — 11!! – in 1971 followed by nine more the next year, making him the first player in NFL history to lead the league in interceptions in consecutive seasons.
His 34 interceptions – in just 110 games for the Eagles – is tied with Dawkins and cornerback Eric Allen for most in franchise history, but Dawkins played 73 more games for the franchise. Bradley’s 536 interception return yards is also still tops in franchise history, along with his seven career multi-interception games.
CB:Sheldon Brown (2002, Round 2, 59th overall)
Though he never made a Pro Bowl, Sheldon Brown’s production, durability and versatility made him a steal – not only for being picked late in the second round but also being the third DB taken by the Eagles in that draft, behind first-round CB Lito Sheppard and second-round S Michael Lewis, who actually went one spot ahead of Brown. Brown, a physical corner famous for his crushing playoff hit on Saints running back Reggie Bush, played all 16 games as a reserve in his first two seasons and then started every single game over the next six seasons (except one in which he played but for some reason didn't start).
He logged at least one interception each year in his eight seasons with the Eagles, including four in 2005 and five in 2009. He also returned three interceptions for touchdowns in his Eagles career and in 2005 led the NFL with 27 pass breakups. Few corners were as versatile as Brown, who at times in his career moved inside to play the slot. His seven career sacks are the most ever by an Eagles cornerback and his 19 interceptions with the Eagles are third-most for a cornerback behind Eric Allen and Troy Vincent. Upper first-round production from a low second-round pick.
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