Howie Roseman has had an impeccable record so far when it comes to scouting players. Some of his top draft picks over the years have included Jalen Carter, Landon Dickerson, Devonta Smith, and Cooper DeJean. The Philadelphia Eagles GM has also made influential free agent signings when you look at the cases of Saquon Barkley, Nick Foles, and Zach Baun. Some of these players propelled the Eagles to a Super Bowl title.
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However, being a GM is hard, and Roseman has also experienced his fair share of misses while being Philadelphia’s top decision maker. Recently, he revealed that his biggest miss came in the 2020 NFL Draft. Howie wasn’t allowed to reveal exactly who he didn’t pick. But he did beat around the bush enough for us fans to deduce.
“I think there’s one who is pretty obvious, one guy we didn’t draft that’s going to the HOF.. The mistakes kill me.. It made me think, ‘Why are we picking certain guys?’” Roseman shared on Bussin’ With the Boys.
The player in question is none other than star wide receiver Justin Jefferson. That’s right, the Eagles had an opportunity to select him when they picked at number 21 overall that year. But instead, they selected the services of Jalen Reagor, a guy who is now on his fourth team in five seasons.
Howie Roseman on his mistakes: “I think there’s one who is pretty obvious, one guy we didn’t draft that’s going to the HOF.. The mistakes kill me.. It made me think ‘Why are we picking certain guys?’.. But if we don’t make mistakes like that, we probably don’t play in 2 Super… pic.twitter.com/O3acFp65lw
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) August 14, 2025
Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings rejoiced when the Eagles passed on Jefferson. He’s turned into a perennial Pro Bowler and perhaps the best wideout in the NFL since then. If Philadelphia had acquired him when they had the chance, they might have had one of the most dominant offenses in the league.
Nevertheless, Roseman said that missing out on Jefferson made him realize that making mistakes is a part of the job.
“But if we don’t make mistakes like that, we probably don’t play in 2 Super Bowls in the last 3 years.. Don’t overthink things.. When you are staring at good players, just take them.”
Despite missing out on Jefferson in 2020, Roseman did very well by picking Jalen Hurts later in the same draft. The QB has mastered the art of making the best of the strong assets around him. So much so that the Eagles dominated their way to a Super Bowl victory this past season.
Interestingly enough, bad draft choices aren’t the only way that Roseman has felt regret as a GM over the years. After losing 6 of their last 7 games in 2023, Roseman wished he could’ve given Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox a better send-off into retirement.
“I’m feeling like, ‘Man, I let them down a little bit personally that their last season ended like that. And then going, ‘Alright, two of the greatest players in the history of this franchise, they’re off the roster, and you gotta replace those guys,’ which you can’t really do,” Roseman had previously stated.
Both Kelce and Cox have continued to show their passion and pride for the Eagles since retiring. And Roseman made sure to make them proud by reconstructing the roster into a powerhouse going into last year. Surely, the Super Bowl win must have made up for that sense of regret he had in ‘23.
All in all, it’s a great reminder that not even the best of GMs always make the right decisions. And they also make their fair share of bad ones. But it comes with the nature of the job, and Roseman has thoroughly proven that he will not be remembered for picking Reagor instead of Jefferson in 2020.
