Yesterday we talked about QBs. Today let’s focus on the guys who are supposed to go kill the QB, the pass rushers. When the Panthers overpaid for Jaelan Phillips it left the Eagles with a big hole in their defense. Maybe Jalyx Hunt is ready to step up and fill that spot. Nolan Smith should be healthy this year and his play should improve. Arnold Ebiketie and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka could be good role players. Still, you can never have enough pass rushers. The Eagles will take on in the draft. We just don’t know who and how early.
You would think they want a big guy to replace Phillips (6-5, 265), but those guys can be hard to find so the team is looking at a variety of rushers. Let’s talk about some players they have shown interest in.
TJ Parker could go in the first or early second round. DL coach Clint Hurtt went to his Pro Day. He has good size at 6-4, 263. Clemson used him in a variety of alignments, not all favorable to Parker. He lined up more directly over the OT or even OG than most edge guys. Parker is physical enough to do that, but you aren’t going to be as disruptive there. When they let him align wide, he showed he could fly off the edge and dip by OTs to pressure the QB. He did drop into coverage at times and looked okay. I’m sure the Eagles love his physicality. He has a good speed-to-power move that knocks OTs back. He can set the edge and is a good run defender.
This is the best TJ Parker has played all year. Not enough games left to rebuild his draft stock from the preseason, but good to see signs of life pic.twitter.com/ekWbMx2QlN
If there is an insane run on OTs before 23, Parker is an option. The Eagles could also move back and see if he’s available a few picks later. I’m sure they love his versatility, physicality and athleticism.
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Dani Dennis-Sutton is a tough evaluation. His raw tools tell you he should go in the first round. His game tape is inconsistent and will make him a Day 2 pick. He has terrific size at 6-6, 256 and he’s got long arms. He runs 4.63 and had a vertical of 39.5 inches. His 3-cone time was an insane 6.90. That’s a rare combination of size and athleticism. You see that at times on the tape and can fall in love with the guy. But then he’ll disappear for a while. He gets stuck on blocks more than he should. One of my biggest issues is that I don’t think he consistently plays with a sense of urgency. The best pass rushers normally have that. He will hustle and chase the ball, so he’s not taking plays off. DDS just isn’t relentless. He has good competitive spirit. He worked out at the Combine, went to the Senior Bowl and played in Penn State’s bowl game when plenty of other prospects around the nation opted out. He’s good on STs, leading the nation with 3 blocked kicks. His versatility is a plus. He lined up at DE, DT and was good when dropping into coverage. He had an INT last year. There is a lot to like.
The Eagles brought him in for a visit so we know they have some interest. If they think Hurtt and Jeremiah Washburn can unlock his potential, you take DDS at 54. If you feel less certain, you see if he’s available in the third round. I do think he’s got tremendous upside.
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R Mason Thomas is undersized at 6-2, 241. His arms are just over 31.5 inches, which isn’t ideal. He’s not special athletically. But he’s got a real chance to be a second round pick. Why? He is a relentless pass rusher who plays with a chip on his shoulder. He’s convinced he’s the biggest, badded MF’er on the field. Watch him go against Kadyn Proctor. RMT won that battle. 241 vs 380 should favor the big dude. It didn’t. He is way more physical than you expect. He plays with legit power. I can’t recall a guy his size knocking OTs backward this much. Really impressive. He is a good run defender. He racked up 15.5 sacks and 4 FFs over the past two seasons. He also had 22 TFLs. He is disruptive. RMT might get blocked, but he won’t stay blocked. Chases the ball all over the field. Ran down a RB in the Auburn game 45 yards down the field. That kind of effort is what you want in an edge rusher.
The RT for Auburn is still probably having nightmares about RMT. Will he last to pick 54? If he does, I’d be just fine with the Eagles taking him. The Eagles had a zoom meeting with him. He’s not even 22 so there is still room for him to develop physically and as a player.
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Derrick Moore is a bigger edge at 6-4, 255. He is a tough, physical player. He loves to power rush and drive OTs into the backfield. Moore is athletic enough to get by OTs as well. He had 10.5 TFLs, 10 sacks and 2 FF last year. You love that kind of production. Team captain. Good run defender, disruptive pass rusher. Has a good motor. Moore had a good showing at the Senior Bowl, which is something the Eagles value.
Are you looking for a twitched-up, relentless pass rusher?
The Eagles met with Moore at the Combine. They are bound to love his size, physicality and motor. His pass rush game needs to be refined, but there is definite potential. Would be good value in the third round.
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Romello Height was part of Texas Tech’s highly productive and disruptive DL. They were the best in the country. Height had 10 sacks and 2 FFs last year so he can get to the QB and make plays. He is smaller at just 6-2, 239. He’s got the Nolan Smith build. Height is a really good athlete. He can win with a variety of moves. He can fire off the edge. He’s got a wicked spin move. He’ll used speed to power. If the OT oversets he can shoot inside. Plenty of guys have these moves, but Height can win with them. That’s a big difference. Solid run defender who doesn’t play small.
David Bailey gets most of the attention on Texas Tech’s defense, but Romello Height isn’t far behind him imo.
4th highest pressure rate (23.5%) & 3rd fastest avg time to pressure in the FBS (2.9s) pic.twitter.com/uqj9x2L0nw
He’s another player the Eagles brought to Philly.. He doesn’t have the size they prefer, but Height can get to the QB and that’s ultimately what matters. I have him rated as a third round pick. Height is already 25 and that is part of the reason he’s this low.
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This is just a small sample size of guys the Eagles are looking at. This is a deep class of edge rushers. There will be options on all three days of the draft. The Eagles could still make a deal for Jonathan Greenard. Things have been quiet, but there is some expectation he could be dealt next week (no idea of what team is most likely). You have to give up a pick for him and then redo his contract so this is far from a no-brainer, but it is a legit option for a proven pass rusher.
Howie Roseman caught a lot of grief for referring to the Eagles as a QB factory, but the spirit of his comment is true. You want to have a good starter in place and always be looking for more QB talent. The Eagles have played in three Super Bowls in the last decade. All were started by QBs taken outside the first round. That’s pretty special. You have to put an asterisk by 2017 because second overall pick Carson Wentz started most of the season, but it was Nick Foles who played the game of his life on the biggest stage in the world.
The Eagles have a good starter in Jalen Hurts, a good backup in Tanner McKee and a good number three in Andy Dalton. There doesn’t appear to be room for another QB, but the team is checking out draft prospects and keeping their options open. I think they would be open to trading McKee if the right offer comes along. This could happen during the draft if some teams misses out on a QB they like. I don’t think Howie is actively shopping McKee, but the addition of a veteran like Dalton gives them the freedom to make a trade if they want to.
This is not a good QB class so I don’t anticipate the Eagles spending an early pick on one. Still, you never know who the team is going to feel strongly about. Back in 2012 they really wanted Russell Wilson. They were too patient and Seattle grabbed him. Howie took that lesson to heart in 202o. The team liked Hurts a lot and pounced on him in the second round. That pick caught all of us off guard. That turned out to be a brilliant move. So never say never.
Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson will likely be the first two QBs off the board. The Eagles won’t be getting them. Here is the way I have the other key QBs ranked.
Garrett Nussmeier – 3th round Drew Allar – 3th round Cade Klubnik – 3th round Carson Beck – 3th round Cole Payton -3th round Taylen Green – 5th round Haynes King – 5th round Luke Altmyer – 5th round Jalon Daniels – 6th round Jack Strand – 6th round Sawyer Robertson – 6th round Diego Pavia – 7th round Joe Fagnano – 7th round
I will share some thoughts on a few of the QBs that I think could interest the Eagles or who are noteworthy.
The Eagles might like Nussmeier, the son of former OC Doug Nussmeier, but he could go 2nd or early 3rd. I don’t think they’ll have a chance to get him without spending a high pick. If he does slide, he could be of definite interest. Nussmeier was hurt as a senior and played poorly, even getting benched. His junior tape is good and I think he can be a starting QB.
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I am higher on Klubnik than most people. I watched him in several games and always came away impressed. He’s a good athlete and a good pocket passer. He lacks ideal size. Here are the raw notes I have on him.
3-year starter who put up huge numbers in 2024 and then had a down senior season. Ran well at his Pro Day. Had a 55-yard TD run vs NCSU in 2024 so that athleticism shows up n games. Had a 50-yard TD run to seal a win over Pitt. Had a 35-yard TD run vs Stanford. He can scoot. Too casual with his play fakes. Can throw on the move. Good accuracy on his deep balls. Puts good touch on them as well. Very catchable. Makes some really impressive throws. Offense had him making a lot of quick reads. Got the ball out quicky and on target. Has a compact release. Accurate passer. Receivers get the ball on the move and are able to add YAC. Solid arm. Handles pressure pretty well. Footwork can be sloppy at times. Klubinik has the physical tools, skills and experience to develop into a starting QB in the NFL.
For the sake of comparison, Dane Brugler has him rated as 5th/6th rounder. He had Klubnik going in the 7th round in his recent mock draft. QB is all about the eye of the beholder.
“INSIDE THE 35! HE’S GOING TO GO! CADE KLUBNIK! TOUCHDOWN CLEMSON! 50 YARDS!… They had eight yards rushing for the game before he went 50.” – Sean McDonough pic.twitter.com/yOOjXGIrFQ
I would love for the Eagles to get him on Day 3. Could be a good backup for a few years and then you see what happens.
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Drew Allar feels like the type of QB the Eagles could like because of his physical tools and size. It is hard to know where he will go. It feels like there has been some buzz on Allar recently, but he never played to his full potential at Penn State. I can easily see a pro coach falling in love with that potential. My guess is that he goes in the 3rd round. Brugler had him lasting until the top of the 4th round in his mock. I’m going to assume most of you have seen or heard about Allar since he played at Penn State. He’s got the tools to be a good NFL QB. But there is no guarantee that will happen based on what we saw in college.
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Cole Payton is a one-year starter who threw just 283 passes in college. That is not close to ideal. He has good size at 6-3, 232 and ran 4.56 at the Combine. This is a really good athlete. He’s raw as a QB so it will likely be a year or two before you can count on him. But the talent is there. Payton is an outstanding runner. He’s got a strong arm. He looks like an NFL QB. He doesn’t feel like an Eagles guy to me. The recent draft picks have had a lot of starting experience. The team had an idea what it was getting. Maybe Nick Sirianni or Sean Mannion will find him too good to pass up. There has been talk of him going in the 2nd round or lasting late. Hard player to get a feel for.
Cole Payton has some of the most intriguing physical tools of any QB in the 2026 NFL Draft pic.twitter.com/kz1UMS9EbU
There has been some talk of him being a Taysom Hill type of player.
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Some people love Taylen Green. He is a dynamic talent. His highlights make him look like a star. The problem is that he’s more athlete than polished QB. That worries you when the player is almost 24 and has 46 career starts. Here are my raw notes.
From a size and tools perspective, might be the most talented QB prospect in the class. Makes a wow play every game. Unfortunately he is not a consistently good passer. Great athlete with a strong arm. Dynamic runner. That mobility hurts him at times. Can be quick to bail from the pocket. Uses a spin move too much and that leads to some bad sacks. Doesn’t always show good vision. Threw 35 INTs in college, including 11 as a senior. Forces the ball at times. Not a consistently good decision maker. A true project with great upside, but major issues to fix.
#Arkansas QB Taylen Green is at his best attacking between the numbers with intermediate dig route throws and seam routes. Can extend plays with his legs, running and throwing, but a good portion of his completions came under 10 yards.
I see him as too much of a project for the Eagles, but I’m sure they love his raw talent. If a coach can solve him, Green could be a star QB.
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Mannion coached Haynes King at the Shrine Game so the Eagles have some good insight on him. King is another tough evaluation. He ran for 2,427 yards and 37 TDs in college. GT loved to run the ball. Their head coach is a former OL so that’s what you expect. King is tough as nails. He took a pounding on a weekly basis. Teams knew he was going to run, but still struggled to stop him. It was beyond frustrating if you were pulling for the other team.
He completed more than 70 percent of his passes over the past two seasons. He threw 28 TDs against just 8 INTs. Those are good numbers. But his tape is inconsistent. Doesn’t have great footwork. Doesn’t always handle pressure well. Decision-making is up and down. There are plays when he looks like a good passer, but then he’ll miss a wide open target.
Georgia Tech QB Haynes King is obviously known for his running ability (more on that in a second) but thought he showed some nice pocket poise, stepping into it, and delivering catchable balls when targeting crossers and in breakers over the MOF.
He is more of an athletic playmaker than a polished QB. He is a great leader and intense competitor. There were games where GT was protecting a lead or trying to re-take the lead and he would run a lot in those situations. He would take a big hit and you’d see King hobble to the sideline. He’d have a towel over his head and look rough. The announcers would speculate on if he would return to the game. The next series he would come out and run for a key first down or TD and you would just shake your head. Played like a warrior. I know the Eagles will love his intangibles. I just don’t know if they will like him enough as a passer to take him. Would be an interesting pick on Day 3.
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The Eagles have shown some interest in Luke Altmyer. He started 36 games and got better every year. He’s 6-2, 210 and isn’t special physically. He did play in a pro style offense. He’s taken snaps under center. Altmyer is an effective runner. He went to the Senior Bowl and had a solid showing. One of the things that always stood out to me is that Altmyer seemed clutch. He could have a rough stretch or even a poor half, but would come through when needed.
I think he projects as a backup. Could be a good fit in the new scheme. Altmyer could go undrafted. If so, the Eagles might make him a priority UDFA signing.