National Football League

Marcus Smith: Another Eagles first-round mistake in drafting

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 12:17 a.m. ET

Fansided, Geoffrey Knox/FanSided via Inside the Iggles

Unfortunately, it appears that Marcus Smith will never do enough to warrant the first-round selection the Eagles used on him.

There’s a certain pressure that comes along with being taken so high in the NFL Draft. Most of us will never know what that’s like. We do the easy part, kick our feet up and watch the professionals trying to deal with it. For Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Marcus Smith, it’s a burden he’s had to carry for the last three seasons.

The talent was obviously there. Smith is an athlete in every sense of the word. His high school days were spent playing quarterback for Hardaway High School in Columbus, Georgia. As a member of the Louisville Cardinals, he made the transition to the other side of the ball. He closed his collegiate career following the 2013 season, one in which he posted 14.5 sacks. The Eagles made him the 26th overall pick of 2014’s NFL Draft.

Things just haven’t been the same since.

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Smith’s failed to live up to the high hopes that were placed on him. Maybe wearing the same number of former Eagles defensive tackle Corey Simon didn’t help matters, but over the course of 37 games, Smith’s posted a total of 24 tackles and four sacks. 2016 is the final year of the contract he signed when he entered the league.

The Eagles are expected to make major moves in the coming days, and it’s believed that there’s a possibility fan favorite Connor Barwin will no longer be a part of the Eagles’ plans for the immediate future. That would, seemingly, open the door for Smith, but these questions have been asked about him before. He didn’t answer the call then. What would lead us to believe he’d answer the call now?

It appears Smith may be destined to join the likes of former defensive end Jerome McDougle, former defensive tackle Trevor Laws and former offensive guard Danny Watkins as first-round draft mistakes that the Eagles have made. Naturally, we all hope that’s a statement made in error, but it isn’t unrealistic to expect that the Eagles will look to address their need to find a pass rusher in April’s draft. Doing so would ultimately put the final nail in the coffin and bring a once-promising career to an end.

It’s unfortunate, but that’s the way things go in the NFL.