Eagles Draft Talk

Posted: March 8th, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 2 Comments »

Free agency starts next week and the draft is more than a month away, but let’s talk about some prospects of interest. Draft talk is always fun.

Johnson played RG in 2021 and moved to LT this year. He has outstanding feet. Shows natural ability as a pass protector. OSU had him pull and block on the move. Johnson is athletic and moves really well. His background at OG probably helped that. He has good size at 6-6, 313 with 36-inch arms. There is a lot to like. He’ll be a Top 20 pick.

The one thing I don’t like is how he uses his hands. Or doesn’t use them, I should say. He moves into position very naturally, but will then fail to get his hands on the rusher. That leads to more sloppiness than there should be.

Johnson makes sense for the Eagles because he’s athletic and versatile, two things they love in OL. Could be the RT of the future.

Jones is a really interesting player. He’s more skyscraper than OT. He is 6-8, 374 and has 36 3/8 inch arms. Jones was the biggest player at the Scouting Combine. He was the RT for OSU the past few years. Jones was maddeningly inconsistent in 2021. He would play too high and reach for rushers. That led to missed blocks and too many plays where he was on the ground (the worst thing you can say about an OL).

Jones spent the offseason working hard on his issues and had a great senior year. He got better from 2021 to 2022. I recently watched him in the season opener and the season finale in 2022 and I think he got better during the season. Then he went to the Senior Bowl and had a great practice before suffering a minor injury.

Jones is as big as Jordan Mailata, but not as athletic. He doesn’t have a rugby background. Jones did play a lot of basketball growing up and even in college. That helped him to control his weight and develop good footwork. He works hard to bend his knees and play with good pad level. Jones uses his long arms to engage rushers and control them. If they get through to his body, they’re in trouble. He anchors very well, as you would expect for his size.

As mentioned above, Jeff Stoutland loves athletic and versatile blockers. Jones had a 10-yard split of 1.92 seconds. Ideally that would be 1.74. And Jones is pretty much an RTO…right tackle only. He’s too tall for OG. I dont’ see him at LT. From that perspective, Jones doesn’t seem like an Eagles target. But he is an anomaly. He’s not big…he’s huge. And he does move well for a guy his size.

Stoutland loved Matt Pryor, who the Eagles drafted in the 6th round in 2018. Pryor was 6-7, 328 at his Pro Day. His 10-yard split was 1.98. Jones was 50 pounds heavier while also being faster and quicker. You can see where Stout might be interested in that. Jones could sneak into the end of the 1st round. I don’t think he’ll make it out of the 2nd round.

https://twitter.com/BrandonThornNFL/status/1631031408666738689

Jones intrigues the heck out of me. He is huge, talented and mean. That’s a heck of an OL prospect in my book.

We can’t talk just about the blockers or the ghost of Buddy Ryan will haunt me. Let’s take a look at a DL the Eagles are showing interest in.

Martin is 6-5, 330.

He isn’t a playmaker. He isn’t a special athlete.

This clip tells you all you need to know.

That’s fantasy material for DL coaches. I still prefer Kate Beckinsale in a bikini made of Funyuns, but DL coaches have different tastes.

He would give the Eagles depth on the DL. Martin could be the backup NT. He could also play one of the 4i spots. Sean Desai had big DL when he was in Chicago and might prefer to add bigger guys. Martin had a good showing at the East-West Shrine Game. He’s a Day 3 prospect. Has a chance to be a Top 100 pick.

*****

If you’re an old school fan like me, you love hearing about Dick Butkus, one of the great players ever. This NFL Films clip is fantastic.

https://twitter.com/Ol_TimeFootball/status/1632955550844559360

Football used to be an absolutely brutal game. I’m glad they are more protective of the players now. It is still incredibly fun to watch clips of Butkus and see that era of football. What a different time.

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2 Comments on “Eagles Draft Talk”

  1. 1 EAGLES NEWS: Brown reportedly targeted two top free agents in Philadelphia - seablick said at 10:10 AM on March 9th, 2023:

    […] Eagles Conversation Project – Eagles BlitzJones is as big as Jordan Mailata, but he’s not athletic. He has no rugby background. Jones played a lot of basketball growing up and even in college. This helped him control his weight and develop good footwork. He works hard to bend his knees and play with a good cushion level. Jones uses his long arms to engage and control the rushers. If they get into his body, they’re in trouble. It docks well, as you would expect for its size. As mentioned above, Jeff Stotland loves blockers that are both sporty and versatile. Jones had a 10-yard dash of 1.92 seconds. Ideally that would be 1.74. And Jones is pretty much an RTO…just right tackle. It’s too tall for the OG. I don’t see it in LT. From this perspective, Jones does not look like a target for the Eagles. But it is an anomaly. It’s not big…it’s huge. And he moves well for a man of his size. Stoutland loved Matt Pryor, who was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round in 2018. Pryor was 6-7, 328 on his pro day. His 10-yard split was 1.98. Jones was 50 pounds heavier while also being faster and faster. You can see where Stout might be interested in that. Jones can sneak into the end of the first round. I don’t think he will make it out in the second round. […]

  2. 2 EAGLES NEWS: Brown reportedly targeted two top free agents in Philadelphia – facecapas said at 12:49 PM on March 9th, 2023:

    […] Eagles Conversation Project – Eagles BlitzJones is as big as Jordan Mailata, but he’s not athletic. He has no rugby background. Jones played a lot of basketball growing up and even in college. This helped him control his weight and develop good footwork. He works hard to bend his knees and play with a good cushion level. Jones uses his long arms to engage and control the rushers. If they get into his body, they’re in trouble. It docks well, as you would expect for its size. As mentioned above, Jeff Stotland loves blockers that are both sporty and versatile. Jones had a 10-yard dash of 1.92 seconds. Ideally that would be 1.74. And Jones is pretty much an RTO…just right tackle. It’s too tall for the OG. I don’t see it in LT. From this perspective, Jones does not look like a target for the Eagles. But it is an anomaly. It’s not big…it’s huge. And he moves well for a man of his size. Stoutland loved Matt Pryor, who was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round in 2018. Pryor was 6-7, 328 on his pro day. His 10-yard split was 1.98. Jones was 50 pounds heavier while also being faster and faster. You can see where Stout might be interested in that. Jones can sneak into the end of the first round. I don’t think he will make it out in the second round. […]