The Class of 2023

Posted: May 6th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | No Comments »

We have talked a lot about this year’s rookie class. There were some exciting picks and the group got high grades from almost every draft analyst. Let’s turn our focus to the class of 2023 and talk about those players.

The biggest jump for most players is from the first year to the second year. Having a season of experience makes a big difference, even if the player didn’t get on the field all that much. They went through Training Camp. There was a year of practice. There was weight training and classroom time. And all of this at the NFL level. As advanced as college football is these days, the NFL is still on another level.

1 – Jalen Carter 

Carter played at a high level as a rookie and was dominant at times. He finished with 6 sacks and 8 TFLs. Carter won’t have Fletcher Cox this year and will get a lot of attention. It will be interesting to see how he handles that.

1 – Nolan Smith  

Howie Roseman talked this offseason about the need to get young guys on the field more. Nolan Smith played in all 17 games, but only finished with 18 tackles and one sack. He didn’t get nearly enough time on defense. I think Howie and Nick Sirianni realize they should have played him more. That isn’t to say Smith was going to fix the defense and lead the team to the Super Bowl, but feeding extra reps to older pass rushers and having Smith watch wasn’t ideal.

Smith will have a chance to play more this year and show what he can do. Josh Sweat and Bryce Huff will start. Smith and BG will be situational rushers and should get mixed in a lot. If he shows enough, he could earn a starting role in the future. If he doesn’t, Smith could be stuck as a role player.

3 – Tyler Steen  

Steen played in 11 games last year, with one start. He is the front runner to be the RG this season with Cam Jurgens is sliding inside to center. Steen will have to earn the RG job since he didn’t play a lot last year. Steen has good size at 6-6, 321. He is a solid athlete. Steen was drafted to be the RG of the future.

This is a small sample size, but you can see good pass protection ability. Micah Parsons beat him cleanly on one play. Parsons beats just about everybody at some point. Steen didn’t get down on himself and kept battling. I think he can take a big leap forward this season. He will have competition from Matt Hennessy and Trevor Keegan.

3 – Sydney Brown

Brown showed good promise as a rookie. He played in 14 games, with 6 starts. He had 45 tackles and an INT, which he ran back 99 yards for a TD. He played fast and aggressive. Unfortunately Brown tore his ACL late in the season. He seems to be ahead of schedule with his rehab and might not miss as much time as expected. Brown can be a key role player in the secondary this year and could start in the future.

4 – Kelee Ringo 

Ringo could go from an Octopus’s Garden to being a starting CB this year. He played in all 17 games last year, with most of his time on STs. He did start 4 games and showed good potential. The Eagles spent their first two picks on corners so that tells you they view Ringo as still a bit of a mystery. He has good size at 6-2, 207, but isn’t a great athlete. He will battle Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean for the ability to start opposite of Darius Slay. Ringo won’t have the pressure to win a starting role this year. He does need to show that he’s taken a step forward from last year and could be a starter in the future.

6 – Tanner McKee 

McKee played well in the 2023 preseason and we didn’t hear anything after that. Now he’s stuck behind Kenny Pickett as well as Jalen Hurts. McKee is a player the Eagles were excited to get last year and he showed why in his preseason play. It will be interesting to see if he can push Pickett for the #2 job this summer. McKee is a long term player. He could be the backup of the future so the team just wants to see progress this season.

7 – Moro Ojomo 

The Eagles deep DL last year meant Ojomo didn’t play much. He was limited to 8 games. Ojomo played well in the preseason and then flashed at times when he did get on the field in the regular season. The Eagles need him to become a key contributor this season. Milton Williams will be starting and Ojomo and Marlon Tuipulotu will become the top backups. Ojomo is a good run defender and also shows potential as a pass rusher. I’m excited to see what he can do.

UDFA – Ben VanSumeren

Nakobe Dean and Devin White are the projected starters for this season. The team looked hard at LB draft prospects, but didn’t end up taking anyone until they picked Jeremiah Trotter Jr in the fifth round. The fact the team was so patient at LB makes me wonder if they are higher on VanSumeren than we know.

That stop came on 3rd and 3. It prevented a first down. VanSumeren is a gifted athlete. He was raw due to the fact he moved from FB to LB in the middle of his college career. If he continues to develop positional ability and improved instincts, he could be a really interesting player in the future.

UDFA – Mekhi Garner

Garner bounced between CB and S last year. I hope the team now leaves him at safety, a position where I think he can carve out a role. He played in 3 games last year, but didn’t record any stats. He has good size at 6-2, 212. Garner lacks ideal speed (4.55) and his skill set fits in nicely at safety. With Brown on the mend, the #3 safety spot is wide open right now. This is a huge opportunity for him.

UDFA – Eli Ricks

Not everyone was cheering the addition of Mitchell and DeJean. Ricks played in 16 games last year. He had 19 tackles and broke up 3 passes. There were times when he looked really promising.

There were other times when Ricks really struggled. The biggest thing for him is being less grabby. College CBs get away with a lot of grabbing and holding. That is called tighter in the NFL. The Eagles now have a lot of bodies at CB. Ricks will not have an easy time winning a roster spot. He could develop into a good role player if he has a good spring and summer and is able to win a job. The key for Ricks will be to embrace competition and not get frustated that he now has to fight for a job.

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Sunday Notebook – Draft Trends

Posted: May 5th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | No Comments »

We’ve discussed the Eagles draft picks quite a bit, but mostly at the individual player level. I thought it might be good to take more of an overall look and see what stands out.

RED STAR

The Eagles took 5 “Red Star” players. These are guys that have a combination of football talent and also the kind of character the team is looking for. Character doesn’t necessarily mean someone who didn’t get in trouble. The Eagles are more focused on guys that are leaders and ultra-competitive. Football character.

If you watch the great behind the scenese video the Eagles did for the draft, they have clips from the Red Star meeting. This happens before the draft and gives the scouts a chance to stand up and advocate for certain players. Trevor Keegan, Jeremiah Trotter Jr and Will Shipley were all mentioned. We don’t know the other two, but I’m guessing Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are those guys.

All five are talented players. All five are leaders and guys that have a chip on their shoulder, in a good way. They are driven.

Check out this quote on Will Shipley from Dane Brugler’s draft preview called The Beast.

described as an “alpha” and “natural leader” by h is coaches (NFL scout: “He’ll light a fire under the ass of his guys. … He leaves it all out there and expects the same from his teammates.”).

That sounds like the kind of guy you want on your team.

Watch these clips of Trevor Keegan.

If you wanted to put it simply, he is the opposite of former Eagle Andre Dillard. While Dillard was a gifted athlete with good length, he was soft. He didn’t play with any edge and struggled to adapt to the brutal nature of trench life in the NFL. You are going to get beat, no matter who you are. You have to move on to the next play and keep battling. Keegan is an average athlete with average length, but he is a grinder. He will battle from snap to whistle, sometimes a bit more. He plays with an edge, which is what  you want from your linemen.

Trotter Jr had to deal with a nagging hamstring injury in 2023, but still played in all 12 regular season games. He led the team in tackles and was the leader of the defense. The Clemson coaches praised Trotter for his professionalism. You have to think he got great advice from his dad on how to work out and how to prepare in the film room. Trotter Jr won the 2023 Tim Bourret Award, which is presented annually to the player who best represents himself, his teammates and Clemson University in the media. He understood the PR side of things as well.

Mitchell and DeJean are both very talented guys, but they also had a chip on their shoulder. Mitchell could have left Toledo after 2022, when he was getting NIL offers. He stayed loyal to the school that gave him a chance. DeJean had mainly small school offers until Iowa came into the picture. He went with them and did whatever they asked of him. DeJean played CB, S and NB. He was a punt returner. He played on kick coverage teams.

The 2023 Eagles had some character and culture issues. Howie Roseman and the scouts found some player who not only have talent, but also the right character to help the team get back to chasing a championship.

PLAYMAKING DEFENDERS

Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean and Jeremiah Trotter Jr all had multiple pick-sixes in their careers. They combined for 17 INTs. Mitchell and DeJean are both instinctive players with excellent ball skills. Trotter’s picks were impressive as well.

The trio also combined for 41 TFLs. The Eagles want negative plays and takeaways on defense. All three of those guys can deliver.

If you think back to last year, there were a lot of missed opportunities. Dropped INTs. Missed tackles. Blown TFL/sacks. These can be game changing plays.

VERSATILITY

Will Shipley can run, block, catch and return kicks. He will cover on STs. Ainias Smith, can run, catch and return punts. He will cover on STs. Kellen Moore might want to be creative with getting the ball to guys other than AJ, DeVonta and Goedert. Shipley and Smith have positional flexibility. Kenny Gainwell has a bit of that as well.

Mitchell can play in the slot or outside. DeJean can play corner, safety or in the slot.

Jalyx Hunt played a lot of DB in the past. He now has the body and athleticism of a pass rusher. Vic Fangio can rush him or drop him into coverage. Some guys look lost when they have to drop back. Hunt will be comfortable playing in space because of his background.

Dylan McMahon played RG, LG and C in college. He has short arms so will likely focus on center in the NFL. Trevor Keegan started one game at LT, but spent the rest of his time at LG. He told the media that he can play any of the interior positions.

ATHLETES

RAS stands for Relative Athletic Score. This is a formula a guy put together so you could compare prospects based on size and athleticism. It isn’t a perfect metric, but is interesting and worth checking out.

Based on RAS, the Eagles had the #2 draft class. All teams want good athletes. The Eagles seemed to make it a priority this year.

Smith was recovering from a broken leg and might not have been 100 percent at his workout. Trotter Jr was dealing with a hamstring injury and didn’t get a chance to work out for teams.

Overall, this group is really fast, quick and explosive.

DeJean was a terrific high school basketball player.

UNUSUAL

At the end of Day 2 and Day 3, the Eagles took “unusual” players.

Jalyx Hunt played at Cornell and Houston Christian. He grew from WR/DB to LB/DE. He had a great workout at the Combine after a solid showing at the Senior Bowl. Hunt is a project, but he’s got great upside and he’s a player that Vic Fangio really wanted.

Johnny Wilson is a 6-6, 231 WR. That’s unusual on its own. The fact he’s also an above average athlete makes him intriguing. He has some issues, but could be a interesting role player.

McMahon isn’t just a good athlete.

That drill puts him in rare territory. It does not mean he’s going to become a good starter in the NFL. But it does show you that he’s got unique ability. That’s a guy you take a chance on.

RETURNERS

The NFL has new kickoff rules for 2024. Boston Scott was the leading KOR last year, but only had 8 returns. He is gone. Shipley had 34 KORs at Clemson and averaged 26.6 yards per return. He could be the primary KOR for the Eagles.

Ainias Smith had 20 KORs in college and averaged 18 yards per return. He will get some looks in that role.

Gainwell has 9 career KORs and will also be in the mix.

Britain Covey has done an outstanding job as the team’s PR the past two years. The Eagles now have depth there with Smith. They also have roster flexibility. Covey hasn’t played much WR. If the Eagles are in a numbers crunch, they could have Covey inactive and let Smith play WR and PR.

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