Eagles Add an OL

Posted: April 30th, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Eagles Add an OL

The Eagles surprised us by passing on DBs and taking an OL at pick 37. They really surprised us by taking an OL with a serious injury history.

Let’s start with the good news. Dickerson is a dominant blocker. He started games at all five spots in his college career. He was best at LG and C. He is big at 6-6, 333. Dickerson gets movement in the run game. He is a stout pass protector. He’s very quick off the ball and able to make athletic blocks.

What makes Dickerson special is his mindset, on and off the field. On the field, he is ruthless. Dickerson doesn’t just want to block guys, he wants to punish them. He loves to put defenders on the ground.

Off the field, Dickerson will remind you a lot of Jason Kelce. He is a natural leader. He’s got an infectious personality. I guarantee you that is a big part of why the Eagles took him. Nick Sirianni saw the impact Quinton Nelson had in Indy, on and off the field. I bet he sees Dickerson as that kind of a guy for the Eagles.

Now for the bad news.

2020 – Started 12 games, then tore his ACL
2019 – Started 13 games
2018 – Started 1 game, then hurt his ankle and redshirted
2017 – Started 4 games, then suffered serious ankle injury
2016 – Started 7 games, then tore his ACL

Yikes.

Dickerson is on the mend, as you can see by his cartwheels in this video.

https://twitter.com/Philly__Nation/status/1388276241518768131

I did not want the Eagles to take Dickerson. I felt his injury history made him too much of a risk at 37. There were other players I preferred.

That said, this isn’t some insane pick as some fans would want you to believe. This isn’t a guy who was going to last to the 6th round. He had 1st round talent. He wasn’t going to last much longer.

There is absolutely risk in this pick. Howie Roseman will get grilled about that and rightfully so.

Dickerson was announced as a guard so the Eagles may focus on him there initially. He tore his ACL late in the season so you would think coming back for the start of 2021 might be tough, but it is important to find out how serious the injury was. There are different grades of torn ACLs. I’ll need to do some research. If his wasn’t as significant, he might be back by September.

The Eagles added a terrific player. They just have to keep him healthy.

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