The Worst NFL Drafts From All 32 Teams Since the Year 2000
By Erik Lambert
Philadelphia Eagles – 2003
There is no question that the 2003 draft was a true anomaly for the Eagles during that period. Both before and after it they enjoyed some solid work in the draft. The year before they added three future Pro Bowlers and the year after they added another. So how did things go so wrong? Well much of it was a combination of over-aggressiveness and bad luck. It begins and ends with their first pick that year in defensive end Jerome McDougle.
Philadelphia traded up 15 spots in the 1st round that year to grab him. It was felt he could be the final missing piece to their defensive puzzle. A physically imposing pass rusher who often lived in the opposing backfield. Unfortunately the injury bug stung him hard. As a rookie he suffered ankle, hip and knee problems, missing eight games. A year later it was an irregular heartbeat. Then in 2005 he was shot during an armed robbery. Just brutal bad timing that set the tone for the rest of the class doing little.