Outside of wide receiver Jordan Matthews and nose tackle Beau Allen, the 2014 NFL Draft class for the Philadelphia Eagles was widely labeled as a failure. First-round pick Marcus Smith II played just 74 total snaps throughout his entire rookie season, racking up a grand total of 0 tackles, 2 quarterback hurries and 1 quarterback hit. But like many of the other Eagles’ draft picks in the 2012 NFL Draft, Smith was labeled as a “project” before he even made the jump.
That led the Eagles to essentially “redshirt” a few of their other rookies, most notably, fourth-round pick defensive back Jaylen Watkins, fifth-round picks defensive end Taylor Hart and safety Ed Reynolds II.