Instant analysis: Eagles trade up for Jordan Davis

It didn’t take long for Howie Roseman to work his magic. The Philadelphia Eagles made an aggressive move in the first round of the NFL Draft, jumping ahead of the Baltimore Ravens to select Georgia’s Jordan Davis.

The trade

The Eagles essentially moved a 4th-round pick and their 2 5ths along with pick 15 to move up and snatch Davis from the clutches of Baltimore. It’s hard to argue with the thesis here, the Eagles package up some late-round picks to sneak up and grab an athletic monster at defensive line.

Why did they select Jordan Davis?

The Eagles not only need a solid four-man rotation, but someone to receive the baton when Cox moves on. Fletch is entering his contract year and Hargrave doesn’t have too much longer on his deal. Davis could partner Williams on that second line for now before moving up to sit alongside Javon Hargrave and eventually Williams.

He fits the new Eagles mold of being an athletic freak, having ran the fastest 40-yard dash of any player over 310 lbs since 2003, and a phenomenal 1.68 10-yard split. This is the perfect compliment to Williams, as Davis is not only big enough to swallow double teams, but athletic enough to somehow beat them and penetrate into the backfield.

The Philly defensive line benefitted from going away from the “wide nine” but they allowed 123.7 rushing yards per game over the last three games. Davis can come in an immediately clog up the running lanes.

In terms of production, Davis didn’t add a lot. But it’s his ability to maul opposing guards, tear through blocks make him a welcome addition to the Eagles’ run defense. A 340 lbs monster, Davis will be able to swallow blocks and allow his freaky-athletic teammates to clean up the chaos he causes.

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