WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Since Jeffrey Lurie became the Eagles’ owner in 1994, his team has drafted nearly 250 players, signed and re-signed more than a thousand, made manifold evaluations and roster decisions, and only three times, he recalled Tuesday, has he ever pushed for a particular outcome.
Lurie cited the Eagles’ drafting of Lane Johnson with the fourth overall pick in 2013, the missing out of selecting Russell Wilson in 2012, and the seventh-round swing for Australian rugby player Jordan Mailata in 2018.
By coincidence — or not — the 70-year-old owner’s three moments of draft room cheerleading involved one of the best offensive linemen in Eagles history, a future Hall of Fame quarterback, and a Cinderella shot in the dark that has proved to be one of greatest gambles in NFL history.
