This past offseason, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Andre Dillard with their first-round pick in the NFL Draft.  Dillard was the 22nd overall pick, and rightfully so. He was a 4-year starter at Washington State where his dominance on the offensive line allowed QB Gardner Minshew to operate with plenty of time in their pro-style offense.  Many scouts projected Dillard to become an instant starter in the NFL with his unique combination of athleticism and reach. Now the time has finally come for Dillard to make his first NFL start due to an injury to future Hall-of-Fame LT Jason Peters, whose presence on the roster is the only reason why Dillard hasn’t started yet.  Howie Roseman, and most fans, knew that Peters wouldn’t make it through another 16 games, so he made the proactive move to draft a talented replacement for Peters.

Now this isn’t going to be Dillard’s first time on field, as he has rotated with Peters on several occasions during this season due to Peters’ age and injuries.  Dillard has been solid in his limited snaps, but this Sunday is going to have a much different feel for Dillard and the Eagles as the birds travel to Dallas to play in their biggest game of the year thus far.  As mentioned before, this will be Dillard’s first career start, which creates its own amount of pressure for the rookie Left Tackle. And to add even more fuel to the fire, Dillard is going to have to protect the franchise’s injury-prone QB from Pro-Bowl pass rushers like Demarcus Lawrence and Robert Quinn.  This is going to be the key match-up to watch during this game. If Dillard can neutralize Lawrence and Quinn on Sunday Night Football, the baton will officially be passed from Peters to Dillard as the next great Left Tackle for the Eagles franchise.  

Dillard was brought in for his proven pass-blocking ability that he showed at Washington State, but I am very intrigued to see what he can do in the run game against Dallas.  The Eagles need to be able to move the ball on the ground in order to control time-of-possession and keep their miserable defense off the field. Dillard has the tools to be a great run blocker, but he just has to go out and show that he can execute.  He ran a 4.96 in the 40 yard dash at the combine, which was the 4th-fastest among all offensive linemen, and the fastest out of all the tackles. This should allow him to get out in front of the RB’s and connect on those necessary lead blocks downfield.  If he can get to the second level and take out LBs like Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith, the Eagles will have a very good chance of winning the game.  

Personally, I love this first round pick by Howie to build up OL depth and usher in the next staple of this Eagles’ offense.  Dillard also has a great opportunity to learn from guys like Jason Peters, Lane Johnson, and Jason Kelce about what it takes to be successful on the field, and how to handle playing in Philadelphia.  While Dillard did have some behavioral issues fighting with teammates during training camp, this is not anything to worry about. If anything, it shows that he was working his ass off to compete and tempers flared, just typical football stuff.  Off the field, he’s been described as a high-character and intelligent guy, which is exactly what Doug Peterson wants in his culture-driven locker room.

As the Eagles and the Cowboys battle for the top position in the division, Dillard will be playing to prove that he was deserving of a first-round selection by the Eagles.  This is a huge game for Dillard and the birds, and it all comes down to the battle in the trenches.