The Eagles practiced in front of the media for the first time this offseason today at the NovaCare Complex.

I was fortunate enough to catch the first half or so of the 50-minute practice and came away impressed. Keep in mind that the Eagles aren’t holding 11-on-11 drills, so these observations are made from 7-on-7’s.

Here are my five takeaways:

DeVonta Smith could very well be WR1

No disrespect to AJ Brown, but DeVonta Smith looked like the best receiver on the field today. He caught everything thrown in his direction, including two 40+ yard receptions beating both James Bradberry and Darius Slay.

Everything from his footwork to his burst off the line of scrimmage remains elite. If you’re a fantasy football player, keep Year 2 Smitty on your radar.

AJ Brown said with him likely taking on top corners in the NFL, he expects DeVonta Smith to “dominate” No. 2 corners.

— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) June 3, 2022

Jalen Hurts looked accurate

You can only take so much away from 7-on-7 drills, but Hurts looked sharp today. He completed his first six passes, three of which were deep completions — two to DeVonta Smith and one to Deon Cain for a 50-yard TD.

Hurts continuously found the soft spot in coverage and gave his receivers a chance to make a play on the ball. He did overthrow AJ Brown once and mistimed another pass which Slay broke up, but Hurts was precise overall.

He finished practice 9/11 passing and two touchdowns.

Back-to-back 40+ yard completions for Jalen Hurts in practice. First to DeVonta Smith, second one to Deon Cain for a TD.

Perfect ball placement each time.

— Victor Williams (@ThePhillyPod) June 3, 2022

AJ Brown is a physical specimen

If you were to build a prototypical counterpart to DeVonta Smith from the ground up, you’d get AJ Brown. His 226-pound frame is even more imposing in person.

It’s been said ad nauseam to this point, but Brown may be the most physically gifted receiver the Eagles have had since Terrell Owens.

AJ Brown leading group in receiver drills. pic.twitter.com/TuqNNNlMs6

— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) June 3, 2022

First-team linebackers

Kyzir White and TJ Edwards got the nod at LB in 7-on-7’s while Nakobe Dean continues to learn the defense. I’d imagine Dean will be in a starting role the minute he’s acclimated with the system.

Isaac Seumalo starting at right guard

Despite recent rumors that Isaac Seumalo could be a June 1st release, the veteran guard started with the first-team today over Jack Driscoll. Seumalo suffered a Lisfranc sprain three weeks into the 2021 season, causing him to miss the remainder of the year.

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Mandatory Credit: Getty Images