One of my favorite things is when teams double-up on a position in the draft. And I’m not talking about throwing in another pick late on day 3 – I’m talking about using multiple top picks on the same position.
The Eagles famously did this in the 2002 draft when they not only doubled, but tripled, taking CB Lito Sheppard in the 1st, S Micheal Lewis in the 2nd, and CB Sheldon Brown in the 3rd.
What made this even more memorable is that the Eagles weren’t trying to quickly fix a weak secondary – they still had Pro Bowler Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor. Reuben Frank wrote on the 2002 draft:
I distinctly remember sitting in the NovaCare Complex auditorium thinking Eagles head coach Andy Reid, director of player personnel Tom Heckert and director of college scouting Marc Ross had lost their minds… No NFL team had a better situation at cornerback.
Reuben Frank “Why Eagles Could Repeat 2002 Draft Rarity“, 2021
And it worked brilliantly. Vincent and Taylor both played two more seasons with the Eagles, but Lito and Sheldon quickly took over, taking over fully by the 2004 Super Bowl season when Lito had one of the all-time great CB seasons.
In fact, using PFR’s Approximate Value (AV) which measures player value, Lito and Sheldon is a top-5 most valuable double-up since 2000. Below shows the value (using PFR’s Approximate Value) and value percentile for the two players. It’s incredibly hard to get a single 85th percentile player, these teams doubled up and got two of them in the same draft.
| Rnk | Year | Team | Double-Up Picks | Value and Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2000 | Jets | DL: Shaun Ellis, John Abraham | 161 AV / 96.0% |
| 2 | 2007 | Ravens | OL: Ben Grubbs, Marshal Yanda | 148 AV/ 93.5% |
| 3 | 2002 | Eagles | CB: Lito Sheppard, Sheldon Brown | 103 AV / 88.0% |
| 4 | 2000 | Vikings | DL: Chris Hovan, Fred Robbins | 107 AV / 86.0% |
| 5 | 2015 | Chiefs | CB: Marcus Peters, Steven Nelson | 91 AV / 85.0% |
Some stats on draft double-ups
Doubling-up is more common than you think: On average, teams double-up on a position in the first three rounds 7 times every draft. And every team has doubled-up at least once over the past decade.
Cornerback and defensive line are the most commonly doubled-up positions: Teams have doubled-up on cornerback 56 times since 2000. In only two years (2007 and 2023) has no team doubled-up CBs. Defensive line has been doubled up 47 times. No other position is even half as much as these two.
We love ya Bill Belichick, almost as much as he loves RBs: Only once has a team doubled-up on running backs, the 2011 New England Patriots. Desperate for pass rushers in a good defensive draft, Belichick drafted back-to-back RBs. Only Detroit has spent more draft capital on RBs over the past 5 drafts than New England.
The Eagles aren’t strangers to doubling-up: In addition to the Lito and Sheldon picks, the Eagles doubled up in 2023, 2017, 2014, and 2010.
Five 2024 draft double-ups I would love to see
These aren’t predictions, just some fun “what if” picks I’d love to see for a handful of teams. I’m using PFF’s simulator to make it as realistic as possible and all picks will be in the first three rounds:
Philadelphia Eagles: Turning over the secondary
Picks: R1 Kamari Lassiter UGA, R3 Kamal Hadden Tennessee
How could you not love drafting Kamari and Kamal? Bradberry will be gone, Slay will be here another year, Isaiah Rodgers is exciting but on a one-year deal, and as much as you may like the young guys, none of them have proven anything. While it seems like the Eagles won’t even invest in cornerback high, they have doubled-up on corner twice (including once under Howie).
With Kamari you get a versatile corner with a ton of intangibles. And with Kamal, a guy that is still raw in areas, tackling comes and goes, but he has the traits and upside you look for on late day two – he stays sticky to receivers and has that finger-wagging corner mindset you want.
Pittsburgh Steelers: Making up for lost time on the OL
Picks: R1 Taliese Fuaga Oregon State, R2 Jackson Powers-Johnson Oregon
I lived in Pittsburgh for a while and am married to a Steeler fan, so will also take care of my second team. I’ve written many times about how I hated the Steelers recent draft approach – since 2018 they have used 1st round picks on a RB, LB, two SAFs, and a QB. Prior to this past draft when they finally took OT Broderick Jones, the Steelers had only used two R1-3 picks on offensive linemen in the past decade.
I’m moving Broderick Jones back to LT and looking out to Oregon for a new RT and adding another JPJ to the team, this time a badly needed center.
Click here for a full draft profile on Jackson Powers-Johnson
Los Angeles Chargers: Fixing the defensive front
Picks: R1 Laiatu Latu UCLA, R3 Byron Murphy II Texas
They just fired everybody basically, have underperformed awfully, been unable to stay healthy, and have a terrible cap situation. So, any position is on the table. They could double-up at CB or grab a right tackle and center, but I’m going defensive line. Of all spots, this is where they have been worst and the little talent they have on the line are at risk of being cap casualties.
Laiatu has some injury concerns but if he clears, you are getting one of the most disruptive guys in this class. Byron is a favorite of mine that brings maybe the best blend of run stopping and pass rush in what is looking like a very good DT class.
Click here for a full draft profile on Byron Murphy II
Detroit Lions: Putting them over the top at corner
Picks: R1 Terrion Arnold Alabama, R2 T.J. Tampa Iowa State
The Lions have talent across their roster and are finally competing. Last year, taking a RB and LB in the 1st round was questionable usage of premium picks when they could have used another pass rusher opposite Aidan Hutchinson and secondary help. They did grab Brian Branch who is a versatile piece and talent in the slot, but with four picks in the first three rounds this year, they are in a perfect position to double-up at outside corner.
The Lions need some backend help to get value from their pass rush and are getting two guys that get their hands on the ball a ton. Between the two of them, they have 18 PBUs and 7 interceptions on 121 combined targets this season.
Arizona Cardinals: With this many picks, a double-up is a given… let’s do a triple
Picks: R1 Bralen Trice Washington, R2 T’Vondre Sweat Texas, R3 Adisa Isaac Penn State
What, you say “let’s not be ridiculous, nobody TRIPLES-UP in the draft!”. It’s happened 5 times since 2000 including the Raiders in 2020 at wide receiver (lot of good that did them) and Ravens in 2017 on the defensive line.
With six picks in the top 80, the Cardinals are going to double-up without trying. So let’s raise the stakes here and triple-up.
They are probably more terrible on the defensive line than any other of their terrible units, so let’s give our old friend Jonathan Gannon some dudes. I’ll leave their top pick (projected to be pick #3 right now) for them to grab Marvin Harrison Jr. in case QBs go one-two, but after that, we are getting a massive NT for the middle, a big defensive end, and a smaller athletic EDGE.
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