Eagles Checking Out a DT and Another LB

Posted: March 16th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

Sheil Kapadia (MTC) has a post up that mentions the Eagles interest in Syracuse LB Doug Hogue and Hampton DT Kendrick Ellis.

Hogue is a former RB that has thrived at LB.  You put on the game tape and see a player that still needs work, but you can’t ignore his potential or production.  Watch the West Va game.  Hogue picked off a pair of passes.  He looked natural playing in space and picking off the balls.  He played OLB for Syracuse and racked up 26.5 TFLs, 3 INTs, and a FF in his 2 years on defense.  He would project to WLB for the Eagles.  I’m not sure he’s got the skill set to fit in at SAM.

Ellis is a really interesting kid.  He is huge at 6’5, 346.  We’re not just talking about a fat dude, though.  Ellis is athletic.  He played in the Texas vs The Nation all star game and looked like a stud at times.  There were plays where he was just physically dominant.  He can get off the ball quickly.  Ellis has tremendous power.  He has good feet.  Think of him as a giant dancing bear.

Here’s the problem.  There are some character issues and he will acknowledge that.  He also has weight issues.  Ellis was 336 at the all star game and 346 at the Combine.  That isn’t good.  He should be losing weight as he gets in better shape.  That’s a bit of a red flag.

Ellis has the potential to be a Grady Jackson type that will come in the league with some questions, but stay in for a decade.  Ellis is big, athletic, and will play hard.  He was productive this year with 15 TFLs and 2 FFs.  He was credited with 60 assisted tackles.  Some teams will boost that number, but that is very impressive for a huge DT.

I’m sure Jim Washburn is interested in Ellis as a poor man’s Albert Haynesworth.  Ellis would be a project and a risk, but you don’t often find guys with his size and movement skills.  I doubt the Eagles would touch him before the late rounds.  A 3-4 team could roll the dice on him earlier than that as a NT.  3-4 teams have a very hard time finding guys with the size, strength, and ability to play the nose.  That’s why guys like Ted Washington, Jamaal Williams, and Casey Hampton seem to last forever.

One Comment on “Eagles Checking Out a DT and Another LB”

  1. 1 Arby said at 4:42 PM on March 17th, 2011:

    I liked reading Ellis’s acknowledgement of his maturity issues which sounded to me like it was something in the past. He was very direct in his comments – no being evasive or dancing around the issue. That sounds honest to me and not just some prospect selling himself. But that’s just based on reading some comments of his online… Tommy, I see him generally listed as a 4th rounder – I could see the Eagles rolling the dice on the guy then, no?