Eagles GM Howie Roseman, Coach Nick Sirianni Have Big Plans For AJ Brown

Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman had a busy night on Thursday, the first round of the NFL Draft. He traded up to nab Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Davis with the No. 13 pick, and that was just the start.

The Eagles also landed standout receiver A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans for the No. 18 and 101 picks.

“We have two more days to go here. We have a lot of work to do," Roseman told reporters. "Obviously, we started with 10 picks and we’re at six; I think (director of player personnel Andy Weidl) and his staff are a little mad at me right now for that. Let’s just see what happens here.

"But we have a lot of work to do. We have a lot of areas we want to continue to improve on this football team. That work’s not going to stop. It’s not going to stop Saturday, it’s not going to stop Sunday, and it’s not going to stop really until the trade line. Even then, we are going to look at the waiver wire and keep working, try to get better.”

But the talk of the night was Brown, drafted by the Titans in 2019. Both Roseman and Coach Nick Sirianni raved about what he could bring to the team right away.

"A.J. Brown was somebody that we had studied coming out, spent a lot of time on, and we had a lot of love for A.J. Brown coming out of that draft," Roseman said. "Obviously, things went a different way in that draft, but really excited to get him — just in terms of how Coach can use him and his vision for A.J. in this offense.”

Sirianni said he has always been impressed with how Brown utilizes his size (6-foot-1, 225 lbs). Brown played 13 games with the Titans last season, catching 63 passes for 869 yards and five touchdowns.

"He’s a bigger guy with a lot of play strength," Sirianni said. "Like I said, this is one of the stronger receivers in the NFL. I was on the opposite sideline of him twice a year in the 2019 and 2020 seasons. So, I saw it up close and personal, and then obviously we did our due diligence on tape.

Former Tennessee Titans  A.J. Brown looks for running room vs. the Cincinnati Bengals. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)

"But, yeah, there’s a lot of different things that because of his skill set, because of that play strength, because of that body quickness that he has and just the major – the biggest asset that he has is the one that’s so vital to the position. If you can’t catch the ball, you can’t play. And this guy catches everything.

"And so, we can see him on a lot of different routes that fit our offense that uses that play strength, that uses that quickness, and that’s where he’s so tough. You want guys that can win one-on-one matchups. And this guy has shown in the NFL that he will win one-on-one matchups.”