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Jun 26, 2026

Eagles Howie Roeman Got It Right Two Years Ago

Eagles Howie Roseman Got It Right Two Years Ago

It's easy to remember the mistakes, but here's a success to be celebrated, especially given an off-the-field legal issue development.Ed Kracz|
Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell goes through a drill during a Week 5 practice.
Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell goes through a drill during a Week 5 practice. | Ed Kracz/Eagles on SI

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Philadelphia Eagles

Make one mistake, and it’s hung around your neck to wear for eternity. Howie Roseman knows that. The Eagles general manager continues to wear the mistake he made in the 2020 NFL Draft, selecting Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson.

Never mind that Roseman has made up for it many times over, taking DeVonta Smith a year later in the 2021 draft and trading for A.J. Brown two years after that. And never mind that he built two rosters in three years that went to Super Bowls, winning one of them.

The furor over taking Reagor over Jefferson may not be as vociferous as it was, but it’s still there. Every spring, the mistake is revisited, and like the ring Frodo carried throughout Mordor in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, it probably gets heavy.

Roseman will probably never live down that he took Reagor, with the 21 st overall pick and who will be on his fourth team in four straight seasons, over Jefferson, who the Vikings nabbed with the 22nd pick and is a receiver building a Hall of Fame resume.

That’s OK, because Roseman has gotten plenty right, and not just at the receiver position since passing on Jefferson.

Legal Issues For Player Eagles Chose Not To Take In 2024

Terrion Arnold
Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold breaks a pass intended for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Romeo Doubs during the first half at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Look no further than 2024, when he had a choice between Quinyon Mitchell and Terrion Arnold. Many thought Arnold made sense, including me. Arnold was from Alabama, a school Roseman had developed a crush on.

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