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The 10 smartest draft choices in Eagles history,
all but one taken after the fifth round:
- Tom Brookshier, DB, Colorado. A 10th-round choice in
the 1953 draft,
Brookshier evolved into a two-time all-pro whose career was shortened
by a
two-year stretch in the Air Force. Brookshier had eight interceptions
in his
rookie season (when the schedule was only 12 games) and played
on the
Eagles' 1960 NFL championship team.
-
Clyde Simmons, DE, Western Carolina. Simmons was a
ninth-round pick in
the 1986 draft. His career covered 13 seasons, in which he earned
all-NFL
honors three times and never missed a non-strike game. Simmons
had 19 sacks
in 1992 and finished with 1001/2 in a career that saw him score
six
touchdowns, block six field-goal and extra-point tries, and
force 20
fumbles.
-
Sonny Jurgensen, QB, Duke. Taken in the fourth round
of the 1957 draft,
Jurgensen played seven seasons in Philadelphia before he was
traded to the
Redskins for Norm Snead. A classic drop-back passer who got
rid of the ball
in the final nanosecond, Jurgensen played 11 seasons at Washington
and
finished his career with 255 touchdown passes. He was inducted
into the Hall
of Fame in 1983.
-
Bobby Walston, WR, Georgia. Walston was taken in the
14th round in 1951.
In 11 seasons with the Eagles, he caught 311 passes and scored
46 TDs. He
also kicked 80 field goals and 365 extra points to finish as
the Eagles'
all-time leading scorer, with 881 points.
-
Seth Joyner, LB, Texas-El Paso. An eighth-round pick
in 1986, Joyner was
a punishing tackler whose 11-season career included 24 interceptions
and
five touchdowns. Joyner was a fiery leader for what was, at
the time, the
NFL's most dominating defense. He went to the Pro Bowl three
times.
-
Wilbert Montgomery, RB, Abilene Christian. The second
sixth-round
selection of the 1977 draft, Montgomery was a tireless ballcarrier
who
rushed for 194 yards in the Eagles' victory over Dallas in the
1981 NFC
championship game. He remains the Eagles' all-time career and
single-season
rushing leader.
-
Harold Carmichael, WR, Southern. Selected in the seventh
round of the
1971 draft, Carmichael went on to play 13 seasons with Eagles,
and now
serves the team as director of player relations. Carmichael
also tops the
Eagles' career receiving list with 589 catches for 8,978 yards
and 79 TDs.
He was a four-time Pro Bowl player who played in the 1981 Super
Bowl.
-
Carl Hairston, DE, Maryland Eastern Shore. A seventh-round
pick in the
1976 draft, Hairston was a tough defender who won all-NFL honors
four times.
-
Charlie Johnson, DT, Colorado. A seventh-round choice
in 1977, Johnson
matured into a strong and competent nose tackle. He played five
of his eight
NFL seasons in Philadelphia and went to the Pro Bowl three times
as an
Eagle.
-
Andy Harmon, DT, Kent State. A sixth-round find in
the 1991 draft,
Harmon played six seasons during a career cut short by a knee
injury. He had
40 sacks in 61 starts.
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