By rule, it’s generally a mistake to label first-year players a bust. The fact of the matter is, regardless of what round or pedigree, not every rookie immediately sets the NFL on fire. In some cases, they don’t even get the opportunity.

All of that aside, it’s difficult to feel good about the Eagles’ 2014 draft class at this stage. Aside from Jordan Matthews, nobody gave a very consistent or good performance.

In many cases, rookies weren’t even getting on the field. No one was held under the microscope more than first-round linebacker Marcus Smith, who despite multiple injuries, was unable to crack the rotation at the end of the season. Fourth-round cornerback Jaylen Watkins barely saw the field, fifth-round defensive end Taylor Hart wasn’t active for a single game and fifth-round safety Ed Reynolds spent the year on the practice squad.

Even Huff and seventh-round nose tackle Beau Allen, while active and in the lineup on game days, didn’t exactly have seasons to write home about.

Kicker Cody Parkey and tight end Trey Burton were solid special-teams contributors, but neither one was drafted, so that doesn’t exactly speak to the quality of the draft, either.

To be fair, in many if not all of these disappointing cases, there wasn’t an expectation these players come in and give the team large sums of snaps. Plus, redshirt years aren’t always a bad thing in the NFL.

That being said, the Eagles certainly can’t count on several of these young professionals to make huge leaps forward in Year 2, possibly ever, based on what we’ve seen so far. Unfortunately, where the class of 2014 goes from here could go a long way toward dictating how soon this franchise reaches contender status again.