Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni

Howie Roseman: We decided last year to make this an annual tradition to get everyone who’s involved in the draft process in the draft weekend up here to take kind of a class picture because it truly takes everyone to do this for our team, for our organization. Obviously, the two of us get the opportunity to come and talk about all these players and why we selected them and how our process works out. But everyone in that picture is a huge part of what we do and we just feel very fortunate to have the group of people that we work with on a daily basis here, and we say a lot of times our best responsibility is that we have a hand in selecting not only the players, but the people we get to work with. That’s something we don’t take for granted. So that’s something that I think that as long as we’re here, we’ll continue to do. With that, long weekend. It’ll be good to take a minute and figure out everything that went on because it is fast and furious as you guys know, but I’m happy to answer any questions.

Q. First five picks were defense. Over the last four years, 10 of your 13 picks in the first three rounds have been defense, turned the whole defense over since ’22. Why that kind of emphasis on it and how do you like where you are defensively now with young talent? (Reuben Frank)

Howie Roseman: Well offensively, we have a bunch of starters under long-term contracts, starters who are in the prime of their career, so it allows you to really, on the fly, get young on that side of the ball. And we needed it a couple of years ago. I’d say this year’s draft, we were open to whatever the board told us at where we were picking. We really felt like we were taking the best guys. We were really sticking to the board in terms of where we are. I’ll go home, like I’ve talked about, on Saturday night and I’ll have a big glass of Fosforo Mezcal and I’ll kind of figure out everything that we did. It’s hard when you’re going through it and trying to make each decision the best you can to really get a big picture perspective.

Q. Were you surprised you didn’t end up with a tight end, and what kind of factored into how that laid out? (Jeff McLane)

Howie Roseman: Just trying to be as true as we could to the board. Every time that we had the opportunity to pick, we were looking at the board and really trying to reflect what that worked to put those grades in really should be reflected in the outcome, so we didn’t want to kind of drop down at some points. There were some points where it was close, but it was never at the time we were selecting the best player.

Q. Does this change anything with TE Dallas Goedert in his future? (Jeff McLane)

Howie Roseman: Dallas is part of the team as we speak. Obviously, as we go forward, we’re going to continue to address things on this team and right now nothing further.

Q. You talked about the board sort of handling things, but you did add a quarterback, which is a little bit of a surprise to some people. What did you like about QB Kyle McCord? (John McMullen)

Nick Sirianni: What you see with Kyle is just his mind works very fast out there on the football field. He makes good quick decisions with the football. Accurate passer, led the country in passing yards this past season, but what really stands out again is just how quickly he moves through progressions and how quickly his mind works. So, just really excited to work with him.

Q. You traded down twice I think today. What was the reasoning behind those moves backwards that point? (Ed Kracz)

Howie Roseman: Just again, looking at the board and seeing the opportunity that it presented to get more than one player in the range that we had. We kind of met, as we do. We had a great meeting on Saturday of the draft. We come in at 10 o’clock with all the scouts and coaches and we talk about passion guys. It doesn’t change the board, but just guys we really want to target. Left that meeting with [Head] Coach [Nick Sirianni] and [Chairman/CEO] Jeffrey [Lurie] and just said, ‘Hey, let’s get a lot of these guys.’ You increase your odds on hitting on guys by having more shots at guys.

So, we felt like on the third day, that was the right strategy for us. At this time, we want to increase competition on this team. We felt like if we took multiple darts at positions that we liked players at, it increased our chance on hitting one of those players. So, it was based on the board. That was a big reason why we traded back last night, was because we felt like there was a sweet spot here that we can get a bunch of guys that we had similarly graded, and we feel fortunate that that’s how today worked out.

Q. You only took two guys yesterday, and you had a lot of picks today. At that meeting, who I guess were the scouts particularly passionate about that resonated with you? (Zach Berman)

Howie Roseman: Well, when you go to sleep on Friday night late, I’m sure like all of you guys, these are late nights and long days, and you only have two players at that time. Today is such an important day, we woke up, talked about these guys and they reflected in our picks, and we had a lot of passion guys. We had a lot of guys that we felt like we wanted to take a chance on. Obviously, we didn’t get all of them. You are not going to do that in a draft with 31 other teams, but everyone we picked today was part of that passion group and we felt really fortunate.

It’s like anything when you’re doing this process and you’re going through it and you think guys are going to go higher and obviously beauty’s in the eye of the beholder, but for us we were really excited with the picks that we had and when we took them. Obviously, some of the positions too were areas that the board fell that way and some of the other positions that maybe we would’ve thought we would’ve addressed, it just didn’t work out.

Q. What do you like about LB Smael Mondon? (Brooks Kubena)

Yeah, he’s explosive. He is really a fast mover and space is his friend. We’ve talked a lot this weekend about this game, it’s a speed game and he’s another guy who plays really well in space, obviously been coached exceptionally well and it was a very easy pick for us at that time. He just stood out on the board, and it wasn’t a position that we felt like it was an area of need, it was just the best player at that time.

Q. With LB Jihaad Campbell, you didn’t want to put him in a box with off-ball. Do you see LB Smael Mondon that same way or where do you kind of see him as a linebacker? (Brooks Kubena)

Howie Roseman: Yeah, I think he’s going to start out in the inside linebacker room, and he’s got the versatility to play both spots in there. The guy’s just got a feel for space and the passing game and Coach again, this guy, he’s sitting there, we’re going through the draft and he’s paying attention and he’s looking at their fundamentals and areas he can coach ’em up on this weekend and I’d say to all our rookies, ‘Coach is coming for you, he’s going to get you better.’ I feel fortunate to work with him. So, I think you see that this guy’s got all these tools in his body, and he’s got the right mindset and he’s going to get better and better and better, and so really excited to get him.

Q. What stands out most about DT Ty Robinson and his play style? His demeanor? (Dave Zangaro)

Howie Roseman: I mean it doesn’t take long to put on the tape to like Ty Robinson. He’s got quickness, he can work edges, he’s strong with his hands, he’s got great elite character. He’s a Philly kind of player, so again, he was a guy that we really were targeting yesterday at 96, woke up and was really hoping that he was there at our pick and that was one we weren’t considering trading back from.

Q. Of the four offensive players, three of them obviously were offensive linemen. Were you looking in particular to kind replenish the O-line or is that just kind of how those picks fell? (Martin Frank)

Howie Roseman: We’re always looking to replenish the offensive line. We go into every draft and look for opportunities to pick offensive linemen. It didn’t work in the first couple of rounds when we were picking on Thursday night and Friday and anytime that an offensive lineman was the top player on our board, we took them. We doubled up because it worked out that way and we weren’t going to hesitate to do that. It’s so important to get those guys. It’s so hard to find tackles with traits in their body.

Both the tackles that we took, they have critical factors that we can really work with and develop and obviously they have things to work on, that’s why they were drafted where they were. But when you get guys with critical factors with the coaching staff we have, I’ll take our chances with that. Then [C] Drew [Kendall], you talk about somebody who’s just made to play in the NFL, obviously his dad was the first-round pick.

It’s hard to find. It is a center deficient league. There are not a lot of centers on draft boards. It is not a natural trait to snap the ball and so not every offense lineman can do that. A lot of times you’ll sit there in the fall, and you’ll go, we’ll move this guy to center and then you’ll see them in the all-star games at the combine and snap the ball and go (laughing.), that’s not going to work, that can’t happen. It’s not a natural trait and so we felt very fortunate that he was there. Again, it wasn’t a need. We thought this was the best player on the board and a guy who fits what we’re trying to do.

Q. You did replenish a lot of places where you had losses and Jeff mentioned tight end, but do you see a path where TE Dallas Goedert can come back at this point and is that the one place maybe you’re still a little bit uncomfortable? (Bob Brookover)

HOWIE ROSEMAN: Dallas is a heck of a player – a heck of a player, a heck of a person. Certainly don’t want to do anything publicly where we’re discussing anyone’s business, but I have so much respect for him. Been to two Super Bowls together and obviously would love him on this team. You always love having Dallas on this team, but we’re not there right now on any of that. But, love Dallas Goedert.

Q. Would you have been surprised to come out still with all of your picks for next year? (Bo Wulf)

HOWIE ROSEMAN: Yes.

Q. Was that a market thing? Were teams less willing to take on future picks? (Bo Wulf)

HOWIE ROSEMAN: Did we trade up once out of the five trades? Yeah. Yeah, so we traded up once. So usually, those things happen when you’re trading up. There were probably other opportunities that maybe we were looking to trade up and that we would’ve included stuff, but we’re going to have a lot of picks next year.

Q. Hey Nick, this is your fifth draft since you got here. How has your sense of what a Nick Sirianni player looks like and plays, like how has that evolved and developed over these five years? (Reuben Frank)

NICK SIRIANNI: Right from the beginning of really my time of watching players, and the common denominator for good players I’ve been around, we talk about this all the time, is that first and foremost they got to love football. They have to be tough, they have to be selfless, they have to have good character, and they have to have good football IQ. With my experience, those are the guys.

Again, obviously talent gets them in the door. All those other things are the things that take them to another level and take our team to another level. And in my experience, all the best players I’ve been around have those things and God willing, those types of players can reach their ceiling. I think those have kind of been the traits we’ve always talked about and that’s something that Howie values as well.

And I’m very fortunate that Howie and Mr. Lurie [Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Lurie] value those same principles because those are the truths of football. Those types of guys that have a tendency of reaching their ceilings because they’re going to give everything they have to it and those are guys who are going to contribute to the team. I think that that’s really been, if you could go back a couple years and see, I probably said the same thing about those types of players of what I’m looking for and what we’re looking for.

And again, just so fortunate that Howie and I see it the same way and you kind of see that in the reflection of the guys that we have of the types of guys we have. We have a really tough football team. Why do we have a really tough football team? Because we got tough guys most physically, mentally, and with the pursuit that they have to the football and on the football field.

Q. Out of the 10 players, how many were red star players? (Zach Berman)

HOWIE ROSEMAN: I’ll get you – a lot. A lot. That meeting is an important meeting, and that mentality is important for our football team, and we get one chance really, especially where we are right now, to add those kind of players and to make them homegrown. And you see the effect it has on your football team when you have home-grown players that you can keep and that you can re-sign and what it means to your culture when you can do that.

It’s incredibly powerful when you can draft players and you can bring them in this weekend and you say, ‘Hey, if you’re a good player and you do the right things, you’ve got a chance to spend a long time in Philadelphia.’ And when we’re able to do that, it gives us a great chance to win.

Q. You were asked the other night about whether you found it harder to trade maybe because of your success, and there has since been a couple other reports that has been a bit of the case here. Have you felt that? Did you have something in place with the Chargers in the first round to the point where you actually reached out to LB Jihaad Campbell? (Jeff McLane)

HOWIE ROSEMAN: Yeah, I would say I don’t find it hard to trade during the draft with teams. I think our phone’s ringing all the time. We’re talking to a lot of teams. I don’t find that at all. I think that this draft wasn’t different than any of the other drafts I’ve been around. Teams are looking to move around. If the trade works for both teams, you make the trade, it’s pretty quick, it’s pretty easy.

I mean Nick’s in there, he sees all the calls. So yeah, I would imagine there weren’t many teams over the course of the last three days that I didn’t talk to. And I don’t know this for a fact, but I would say we’re probably in the top three trades made this weekend probably. We didn’t set any records or anything, but there’s always next year for that.

Q. You mentioned C Drew Kendall before, his father. You also drafted T Myles Hinton, his father. How much do you pay attention to bloodline stuff like that or is that sort of overrated? (John McMullen)

Howie Roseman: Well, it’s certainly part of the player profile. Coach [Sirianni] and I joke a lot of times about that. Certainly, genetics are part of who we all are and having pro athletes as your parents usually helps. It’s hard to play in the National Football League. [It takes a] special kind of talent to play in the National Football League and we see that every day and how talented our players are. So, when they come from that, it usually means that the game’s not going to be too big for them. They’ve been around it since they were really little. We see that with our family. They get the opportunity to be around locker rooms and players and so when they come to this big stage, they’ve been around it. And so, certainly, that’s not why we’re drafting players. We’re drafting them on their ability, but it’s helpful.

Q. We talked a lot about top 30 visits. There’s been a lot of talk about that. I think the last couple of years, you took some players who you had in here for visits. This year, of the reported guys, I don’t think you took any of them. Is that just a board thing or a smokescreen? What was it? (Ed Kracz)

Howie Roseman: No, everyone we bring in for top 30 [visits] is for a reason. Sometimes we’re trying to get more information on guys. Sometimes we’re trying in that vein to try to get to know them better. Sometimes we want them to meet someone in particular, but I’m not sure that, I don’t know the answer to that. If all the top 30s are out there, I’d probably have to get with [Eagles senior vice president of communications] Bob [Lange] on that. I don’t really know. I certainly wouldn’t want to start opening the door to who all our top 30 visits are and getting in the process of doing that and then all of a sudden everyone’s trying to figure out the reasons we’re bringing in top 30 guys. But I don’t know that I know the answer to that just off the top of my head, but again, we did a lot of stuff over the last couple of days. I’m going to take some time and look at it and figure out where our roster is, where we can continue to improve. Talen acquisition season is not over for the Philadelphia Eagles. I will hand the offseason to Coach Sirianni when we go upstairs and tell him, ‘You have the keys. You drive.’ But I think for us, we’re going to be looking tomorrow, next week, the week after for a long time to try and improve this football team.

Q. Are you going to exercise the fifth-year option on Eagles DT Jordan Davis? (Jeff McLane)

Howie Roseman: For us, every contract situation we’ll talk with the players first. We have tremendous confidence and faith in Jordan Davis.

Q. I’m not sure if you would answer this at all, but when Cleveland traded – (Martin Frank)

Howie Roseman: [Jokingly] When you preface it with, ‘You’re not going to answer it.’ I’m not going to answer it. You’re giving me the out already.

Q. I am giving you the out, but did you think when Cleveland traded ahead of you that you guys were looking at Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders? And if you can talk in general, were you surprised he was still there in the fifth round? (Martin Frank)

Howie Roseman: Yeah, I feel like the best thing for us to do is focus on the players that we brought in here. It’d be a disservice to the players that we drafted to talk about other teams’ players. Obviously’ we got enough on our own plate to worry about with the Philadelphia Eagles, so we’ll stick to that.

Q. You said in the past that if you hit on every one of your needs, it probably wasn’t a good draft because it means you forced picks – (Zach Berman)

Howie Roseman: Apparently, we didn’t hit all our needs here.

Q. What’s your big takeaway from this class when you look at it and going into it? What were you hoping to accomplish from this class? (Zach Berman)

Howie Roseman: Yeah, it depends on what part of the draft you’re talking about. When you’re talking about the beginning of the draft, you want impact. You want to find an impact player. Certainly, in the first round, our grading scale speaks to us to what we want to find in the first round. It’s your chance to get a Pro Bowl player, to get a blue player. So, we’re looking for them in the first round. In the second round, we’re trying to get someone who’s a good starter, he’s a good starter who can make a difference. In the third round, you’re trying to get a minimum of solid starters and same really for the fourth round and in the middle rounds. And I think for us, when we look at the later stages of the draft, we’re shooting for starters. We have this meeting this morning and I tell our scouts all the time, we can find backups.

We could find backups in August, we can find backups on our team. We want to find starters. And so, if that means that we take six guys – I don’t know, how many guys did we take today? I mean, you take eight guys, and you hit on three starters, I mean, you are smoking. You are doing a really good job. So, we’re going to take shots on guys who have traits and we’re looking for guys that can make a difference. And so, we’re not worried about the guys that may not – we’re not looking for the numbers. We’re not saying, ‘Hey, 90 percent of the guys made our roster.’ We’re looking for guys who can make an impact for the Philadelphia Eagles. And the draft is our opportunity to do that. So, a lot of these guys are traits guys that we think that have a love for the game that we can develop with this great coaching staff and this player development staff and the sports staff to turn into starters. And that’s what we’re looking for.