The Philadelphia Eagles selected the guy Howie Roseman deemed the “best tackle” in the draft by taking Washington State left tackle Andre Dillard. Roseman called Dillard a top-10 talent, which explains his reasoning for moving up from the No. 25 pick to the Ravens pick at No. 22.
Roseman’s selection assures that Carson Wentz will have a quality left tackle watching his blindside for years to come, but with the investment in a first-round pick, how does Dillard’s selection impact Jordan Mailata’s future with the club?
Just last preseason, Mailata had the likes of Ross Tucker and others singing his praises, all but predicting that Mailata would take the torch from Jason Peters and run with it at left tackle for the next 10 years. Now either Dillard is really that good, or Mailata simply isn’t improving fast enough for Eagles brass. If Dillard is really that good of a prospect, then Mailata’s only real shot at ever being an every-down left tackle will come after Johnson moves on or if the Eagles decide Mailata is athletic enough to play right tackle or move down the line to guard.
Right now Mailata’s future spells out as a backup or reserve player unless a catastrophic injury takes place, or Dillard simply turns out to be a bust.
