Did Philadelphia 76ers Joel Embiid Help Eagles Draft Sidney Jones IV?

The Philadelphia 76ers demonstrated patience with elite talent can be wise path. Did the 76ers experience with center Joel Embiid help to persuade the Philadelphia Eagles to draft cornerback Sidney Jones IV?

The Philadelphia 76ers selected University of Kansas center Joel Embiid with the third pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. At that moment, the Philadelphia 76ers changed the timeline for the team, and perhaps fatally wounded the candidacy of President and general manager Sam Hinkie’s future.

But if you ask any fan of the Philadelphia 76ers, it was and is all worth it. Center Joel Embiid, in just 31 games in the NBA, has demonstrated just what an elite talent he can be.  The future of the NBA is far brighter with him on the roster.

Sidney Jones IV Is a Sam Hinkie Disciple?

It’s curious then that the days leading up to the NFL Draft, University of Washington Huskies cornerback almost cited the Sam Hinkie Philosophy in an interview cited in an article at the Husky Haul:

"“And he has the right perspective on the matter as well, as told to NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread:“Don’t look at the possibility of me not playing this first year. Me being injured for this short amount of time? it’s not going to compare to the rest of the contract, because any player can get hurt throughout their contract. This just happened to happen right now, and I can play basically right when the season starts,” Jones said.Over the course of his NFL career, this may turn out just as he suggests. The injury may actually persuade lesser teams to pass him over, and keep him on the draft board for the better teams. He could spend his first months of the NFL on the bench, learning and absorbing. But that is time well spent.”In the grand scheme of things, it’s a wise choice. Filling a roster with elite talent is not just a wise thing to do in basketball. It’s also a wise path in any professional sport, particularly when that talent injury happened in an optimal location.More from The Sixer Sense3 Sixers players who could help Team USA Basketball76ers 2k24 ratings: 3 most underrated players on Philadelphia roster76ers head coach Nick Nurse bares lofty plans for Paul Reed this seasonGrade the Trade: 76ers swap Tobias Harris for superstar PG in mock dealSixers Podcast: Danny Green returns + James Harden bombshellHowie Roseman Studied Under Sam HinkieWhen a team has the opportunity to play the odds on an elite talent, the team must take the chance.  That is almost directly out of the Sam Hinkie Manifesto.Now, that same “roll the dice” strategy is clearly appearing in the strategy of the Philadelphia Eagles. And I am not the only one to believe this to be so.During the dark days of the Chip Kelly / Howie Roseman feud, Kelly was empowered with personnel decisions and Roseman was relegated to check cutting and contract negotiation duties. During that time, he discussed the philosphies of team building strategy. At the time, Sam Hinkie chose the “longest view in the room”. Now, Howie Roseman appears to have that same future perspective.Philadelphia ApprovesNot surprisingly, Philadelphia fans approve the future looking strategy almost unanimously. Sidney Jones IV was an elite talent, perhaps even a top five talent, heading into the NFL Draft.  While  there is always uncertainty associated with a player injury, the Eagles have had experience with elite NFL players and an Achilles Tendon Rupture.Just ask All Pro left tackle Jason Peters.That elite status does not go away. It’s merely delayed by the rehabilitation timeline.  Need further proof? Joel Embiid, with shallow basketball background, played 31 games of light’s out basketball after two years of rehabilitation.YOU MAY ALSO WANT TO READ: 2017 NBA Mock Draft 1.0: Volume 2It may be that the Philadelphia Eagles would have chosen Jones regardless of Joel Embiid’s performance as a Philadelphia 76ers center this year. But I doubt it.Joel Embiid proved that some players are worth the wait.Published on 05/01/2017 at 4:50 AM EDTLast updated on 05/01/2017 at 4:51 AM EDT “Don’t look at the possibility of me not playing this first year. Me being injured for this short amount of time? it’s not going to compare to the rest of the contract, because any player can get hurt throughout their contract. This just happened to happen right now, and I can play basically right when the season starts,” Jones said."