Updated RB Thoughts

Posted: April 19th, 2019 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Updated RB Thoughts

I can say with one million percent certainty that the Eagles are probably likely to maybe draft a RB next week. But Tommy, how can you be so sure? You’ll just have to trust me on this.

The Eagles have wanted to spend an early pick on a RB for the past few drafts, but things just didn’t work out for one reason or another. The RB position has been a mixture of one-year veterans, late round picks and UDFAs. It just might be time to change that.

While you can bet Doug Pederson and Howie Roseman would love a RB, they aren’t going to force things. The value still has to work.

So who will the Eagles take?

I think we’ll all be surprised if they go for Josh Jacobs in the first round. It would be fun to see them add a major talent like that, but it doesn’t feel like a likely move. The Eagles addition of Jordan Howard give them a workhorse player. They can certainly still add Jacobs, but he’s not a necessity.

My number two RB is Miles Sanders from Penn State. I thought he might be an option for the Eagles in the second round. Unfortunately, that doesn’t sound like it will be happening.

Good for Sanders. Bad for the Eagles.

He is the only RB I have rated with a second round grade. There are some RBs that others like more than me. Darrell Henderson of Memphis is one of those guys.

He is expected to go in the second or early third round. There was speculation about him sneaking into the first round, but that seems a bit much.

Henderson was incredibly productive for the Tigers. He ran for 1,909 yards and 22 TDs last year. He averaged 15.5 yards per catch. Big time playmaker. He’s got explosive ability and a lot of speed. But that is part of what makes me nervous. Speedy RBs don’t always translate well to the NFL. You can dominate in college, especially against mediocre competition. Everyone in the NFL is fast, relatively speaking. You need footwork, vision and instincts.

Bryce Brown was faster than either Brian Westbrook or LeSean McCoy, but those guys were gifted runners and they had great careers.

I’m not saying Henderson will flame out like Brown, but his game makes me a bit nervous. I wouldn’t be upset with the Eagles taking him in the late second round because he does have serious potential and I do think the Eagles offense would be a good fit for him. The Eagles coaches know how to scheme for the run. The Eagles OL can block. Henderson might turn out to be a real good fit.

Here are some quick thoughts on some other RBs.

  • David Montgomery – I love watching him at Iowa State. I don’t love him as an NFL prospect. Should go somewhere between the second and fourth rounds. Great effort. Tough as nails. Not a gifted athlete, though.
  • Trayveon Williams – I used to be high on him, but his Alabama tape bothered me. That was a tough defense to battle and it didn’t bring out the best in Williams. He delivered a lot of big plays for Texas A&M and would be good value for the Eagles in the fourth round.
  • Damien Harris – Solid RB, but not compelling in any way. Put on some Bama tape and you can see how Jacobs is special and Harris is just a solid player. He can be a good role player in the NFL, but I don’t ever see him starting.
  • Justice Hill – The Eagles have shown interest in undersized RBs in recent years. I’m not a huge fan of that, but Hill would be different. He’s explosive. He ran 4.4 at the Combine and that speed shows up on his tape. I see him as a mid-round target.
  • Rodney Anderson – If healthy, I’d be pushing his name all day long. The problem is that he can’t stay healthy. Anderson played in 17 games during his three years at Oklahoma. He is a great runner/receiver and would be ideal for the Eagles. Lots of risk with him, but could be a huge reward if he can stay healthy.
  • Travis Homer – Duce Staley went to Miami to work him out. Put on the tape and you can see why. Homer can run, catch and block. He’s NFL ready. Homer isn’t huge at 5-10, 201, but he is a smart, physical player. He ran 4.48 at the Combine and produced plenty of big plays. I see him as a role player in the NFL, but he could be a very good fit for the Eagles. Homer feels like someone that is being overlooked by a lot of people. The more I watch him, the more I like him.

There are a lot of other RBs the Eagles have done research on. We don’t know for sure who they like and who they don’t. We’ll have to wait another week to find out.

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