Some Rookie Talk

Posted: May 13th, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Some Rookie Talk

The Eagles held a rookie camp this weekend. This is real basic practice. Some teams aren’t even practicing for rookie camp, rather just doing classroom work. The Eagles did practice, but there were no pads, no contact and it was basically an introduction to the NFL.

The Eagles posted a video, but it isn’t overly compelling material.

There were a bunch of tryout players at practice. I doubt the Eagles will sign any of them because the roster is pretty full. Still, you never know.

 

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I wrote about the Eagles UDFAs for PE.com.

I have some notes in there on a couple of players I haven’t covered here.

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One player I haven’t written about is DB Jordan Thomas from Oklahoma. He played really well in 2015, was more up and down in 2016 and mainly down as a senior. Thomas got a Combine invite and had a great workout. He had a vertical jump of 38 inches. He posted a great SS time of 3.94.

There was only one downside. He ran 4.64 in the 40, and at only 187 pounds. That’s not ideal.

Thomas is a press corner who loves to jam receivers and then run with them. That helps to make up for his lack of speed. While his workout numbers would show great quickness and agility, I didn’t see that on game tape. He struggled to change directions.

At his best, he might remind you of Jalen Mills.

I actually think Safety might be the best spot for Thomas. He has good hands and excellent ball skills. He is really good when reading the QB and attacking the ball. Thomas is a physical player and good tackler. The Eagles have him listed at CB. We’ll see if he stays there or gets a look in the deep patrol.

Thomas also had some character issues at Oklahoma and I’m sure that factored into his going undrafted. He does have NFL potential.

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One player I’m curious about is Adam Zaruba, the Canadian rugby player who is trying to make it at TE.

This is his first full offseason as a football player. He has some experience under his belt from last summer. Zaruba last year was learning on the fly and relying purely on physical ability. He has a good combination of size and athleticism.

Zaruba now has a much better feel for what he’s doing. He has an understanding of route-running. He knows the playbook. He’s been taught blocking techniques. I don’t know that Zaruba can make a real run at a roster spot, but I think he can take a big step forward. I’m interested to see what he can do now that he actually has an idea of what’s he’s doing.

TE is a position where you don’t need tons of experience to succeed. We’ve seen guys with basketball backgrounds thrive in the NFL. Zaruba doesn’t have that kind of talent, but I do think he’s got NFL ability.

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