OL Talk

Posted: March 3rd, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 2 Comments »

Sunday was offensive line day at the Scouting Combine and the big boys put on quite a show. This group is big, talented and athletic. The Eagles love good line play and could use a pick or two on the OL. Let’s talk about some of the guys.

Coleman is 6-5, 313. He ran 4.99 in Indy. He could play G or T in the NFL. The Eagles are obviously interested in him if they’re bringing him to Philly for a visit. He’s not first round material, but could be a starting OL in the NFL. And remember…the Eagles have never won a Super Bowl without a TCU OL on the roster (Big V).

I don’t think the Eagles have been linked to Amarius Mims yet, but he’ll definitely be on their radar. Mims was the RT for UGA. He’s 6-8, 340 and very talented. The problem is that he’s only got a handful of college starts. He’s raw. Mims had a short shuttle time of 4.33. That is mind-blowing. Lane Johnson had a time of 4.52 at 303 pounds. LeSean McCoy had a SS of 4.18 at his Pro Day at 198 pounds. Mims is an absolute freak.

The Eagles could draft him and let him sit behind Johnson and learn. Mims has tremendous potential. You now wonder if he’ll make it to pick 22.

Rosengarten ran 4.92, the fastest time of any OL at the Combine. But he’s not just a workout warrior. Rosengarten looked good in the on-field drills. He has impressive game tape and looked good at the Senior Bowl.

We still don’t know if the Eagles will have Jason Kelce. If he does retire, the Eagles could draft a center and leave Cam Jurgens at RG. Tanor Bortolini from Wisconsin looked good at the Senior Bowl and then had a great Combine.

If you have to replace Kelce, why not go get the guy who broke his record?

The Eagles are going to have a lot of options. Having Mailata-Dickerson-Jurgens-Johnson gives them a great foundation. Tyler Steen could be the fifth starter. Or they could spend a high pick on someone to jump right in. Maybe Kelce decides to return for one final ride. This is a terrific OL class so the Eagles will add at least one blocker in the draft. At the very least, they need depth.

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Jeff Stoutland was on the field for some of the OL drills. You could tell he wanted to grab a few of those guys and fly them back to Philly with him.

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Jeremy Fowler of ESPN had a blurb about Fletcher Cox (behind a paywall). Fowler said that heard from a couple of people in Indy that Fletcher Cox would be retiring.

Howie Roseman said last week that he would give Kelce and Cox as much time as possible to make their decisions. Both played well in 2023, despite their age. Howie doesn’t want to rush them into a decision after coming off such a disappointing close to the season.

Part of me wants both players to come back for one more year. It would be weird to watch a game without 62 and 91 out there. They’ve been great players for a long time.

Another part of me wants them to retire so the Eagles can get younger. Kelce and Cox will retire at some point. They will need to be replaced. It might be better to deal with that in 2024 than the future.

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Sad news.

If you’re my age, you can’t imagine the NFL without Chris Mortensen. I read his stuff in The Sporting News. I watched him on NFL Countdown. I listened to him on ESPN Radio. And he was a regular part of ESPN’s draft coverage for 30 years.

Any time Mort had a nugget, you could trust it. He wasn’t one of these guys who got rumors out as quickly as possible. He made sure to get the story right and didn’t totally sell his soul to agents.

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Combine Talk

Posted: March 2nd, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 2 Comments »

The Scouting Combine is half over. Defensive prospects concluded their drills on Friday night. The good news is that there were plenty of impressive DBs, which we know is a position of need for the Eagles.

The top four CBs are:

  • Darrion Arnold – Alabama
  • Nate Wiggins – Clemson
  • Cooper DeJean – Iowa
  • Quinyon Mitchell – Toledo

Arnold had a good workout in Indy. He only ran 4.50, but looked really good. Wiggins ran a blazing 4.28 in the 40. Mitchell wasn’t far behind at 4.33. He looked good in the workouts as well.

https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1763663486985413082

DeJean is injured right now and not working out. He does have a Top 30 visit scheduled with the Eagles.

I don’t think the Eagles have a shot at Arnold or Wiggins. Mitchell and DeJean are good enough they could be gone by 22. Hopefully one of them makes it that far so the Eagles have the option of taking a top CB.

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Here is an interesting nugget from Tony Pauline.

The Philadelphia Eagles will look to bring in a safety in the offseason, via free agency or the draft. People at the combine get the sense that there’s a real chance the Eagles bring back C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who is scheduled to hit the free-agent market. Gardner-Johnson played for the Eagles in 2022 before signing a one-year deal with the Detroit Lions last year.

The Eagles tried to re-sign CJGJ last year. He wanted a huge deal and the Eagles weren’t willing to go there. CJGJ hit free agency and was disappointed with the offers he got. His reputation had teams nervous about giving him big bucks.

If CJGJ has more realistic expectations this time around, reuniting with the Eagles would make some sense. He played his best football in Philly. We certainly know the Eagles need secondary help.

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If the Eagles don’t sign CJGJ or another veteran safety, they could spend a pick to bolster the position. I thought several guys looked good in the workouts.

Evan Williams impressed me at Oregon, at the Senior Bowl and with his workout. He’s an athletic playmaker.

Cole Bishop from Utah ran 4.45. I didn’t anticipate that. He is a good hitter and tackler. I’m always open to taking a DB from Utah. Those guys know good defense.

Josh Proctor, Jaylin Simpson and Sione Vaki also caught my eye.

There aren’t any great safety prospects, but there are good prospects for Day 2 and early Day 3.

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Mahogany is 6-3, 322. He played RG for BC. If Cam Jurgens moves to center, the Eagles will have a hole at RG. Tyler Steen could take that job, but the Eagles would like competition.

Mahogany had a terrific career at BC. He went to the Shrine Bowl and was a standout there. He’s a big, powerful run blocker, but is also nimble and an outstanding pass protector.

He will be a Day 2 pick.

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The Eagles are talking to a lot of OT prospects in Indy. Lane Johnson is nearing the end of his career. The Eagles don’t have to draft his replacement this year, but could do that. The Eagles could go for someone like Tyler Guyton in the first round or take someone later than that and see if the player looks like depth or a future starter.

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WRs will work out today. The Eagles could draft someone in the middle rounds to help with depth. Roman Wilson from Michigan would be an interesting fit. He isn’t a volume guy who needs a ton of catches. He is a natural slot guy and is willing to do the dirty work.

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I’m behind on my Combine stuff from Thursday (DL/LB). Let’s turn to Fran Duffy to get his thoughts.

If Wilson gets good medical evaluations, he could be a 2nd round pick. Cooper is a gifted athlete, but he isn’t the most instinctive player and can be a sloppy tackler. I’m trying to figure out how much I like him.

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