Who The Eagles Are Checking Out
Posted: April 6th, 2014 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 76 Comments »The Eagles have been meeting with and checking up on a lot of players in the last month. Let’s take a look at who they are and why the team might like them or at least want to check up on them. This will get updated over the course of the next month. And let me know if I’ve missed anyone.
PLAYERS THAT HAVE VISITED PHILLY
* S Deone Bucannon – Washington State – 6-1, 216
The Eagles could use a big, physical presence in the secondary. That’s Bucannon’s specialty. Could be a 2nd round target.
* WR Mike Evans – Texas A&M – 6-5, 231
Most expect Evans to go Top 10 or close to that. My guess is that the Eagles would have interest in trading up for him if he fell in the 15 range and was affordable.
* DE Taylor Hart – Oregon – 6-6, 284
The Eagles need depth at DE. You can’t count on Joe Kruger. Hart is big and athletic. He could be an excellent backup.
* OG Trey Hopkins – Texas – 6-3, 305
An overlooked player that is starting to get some attention. The Browns are bringing him in for a visit. Good run blocker.
* WR Cody Latimer – Indiana – 6-2, 215
Junior WR had a great season (72-1096-9). Played in one of the fastest offenses in the nation, so it makes sense that the Eagles have some interest in him. Excellent size/speed prospect who could be good value in the 3rd round or great value in the 4th.
* CB Jaylen Watkins – Florida – 6-0, 194
The least known of Florida’s 3 DB prospects entering the season is now going to be the first one drafted. Watkins was very good at the Senior Bowl and then stood out at the UF Pro Day.
PRO DAYS / WORKOUTS
* LB Jeremiah Attaochu – Georgia Tech – 6-3, 252
The Eagles saw Attaochu at the Senior Bowl, but he wasn’t able to work out at the Combine due to a torn hamstring. The Eagles are set to work him out in the next couple of weeks. I don’t think Attaochu is in play at pick 22, but if the team moves back, he could be of interest. I’d love to get him in the 2nd round, but I’m just not sure he is going to fall that far. I’m a big fan and would love to see the Eagles land him. Attaochu is a good athlete, but he’s also a physical, violent player.
* TE Asante Cleveland – Miami – 6-4, 260
Who? Cleveland caught all of 14 passes in his Miami career. This is a weak TE class so the Eagles are probably trying to find some UDFA targets. Miami has been a TE factory over the years so that’s a good place to look, even for a lesser talent. Here’s the note.
Tight end Asante Cleveland looked good, according to an NFL official in attendance. Cleveland met with Eagles officials Tuesday and has a visit scheduled with Arizona.
* QB Garrett Gilbert – SMU – 6-4, 221
QB Coach Bill Musgrave went to SMU to watch Gilbert work out. Gilbert is the son of an NFL QB. His dad Gale was a backup for Buffalo during their glory days. Gilbert began his career at Texas before going on to SMU. Gilbert was a 5-star recruit coming out of high school and we know the Eagles like to take chances on those guys if they fall in the draft (see Bryce Brown).
QB would seem to be set with Nick Foles, Mark Sanchez and Matt Barkley, but you never know when a player you really like is going to fall to a spot where he is just too good to pass up. We don’t know if they like Gilbert, but they are at least curious.
* Tennessee OL
The Vols are loaded with OL prospects this year. None are super-talented and guys that will go early, but they do have multiple players that will get drafted. Here’s the note of interest.
Most of the attention during pro day was on Antonio Richardson, Ja’Wuan James, James Stone, Zach Fulton and Alex Bullard who made up the Volunteers’ offensive line last year. All have the possibility of being drafted this year especially Antonio Richardson, who is projected to go in the first or second round while Ja’Wuan James has the possibility of going in the second round. Richardson made a few mental errors in the position drills and he was pushed harder by the scouts than any other player. Richardson said that there are about 16 teams that have contacted him.
Regardless, he did show why he is projected to go so high in this year’s draft in his performance. “I tried to show the scouts that I was healthy and that I have my explosiveness back.” Richardson said. “You don’t really know anything until draft day though, it’s hard to see who’s showing me more interest than others.” Ja’Wuan James agreed with Richardson in that you have no idea what the scouts could be thinking. “It’s weird not getting feedback from coaches right away. I came out to show that I can fit any scheme and that I’m a versatile lineman.”
Offensive line coaches Tom Cable from the Seattle Seahawks and George Yarno from the Jacksonville Jaguars worked the offensive lineman hard, putting them through multiple tough drills and were obviously thinking hard about drafting one of the five. All eyes were on the lineman today, but after almost an hour, only representatives from the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Jets were left watching and talking to the lineman at the end of their workout.
The Eagles need depth on the OL so it makes total sense for them to be checking on the Vols. No word on if they were focused on one particular player.
* OG Trai Turner – LSU – 6-3, 310
The Eagles met with him at the Combine. Here’s what he noted.
“I never had a specific favorite team. It was a blessing to be there. San Francisco was my most intense meeting, the questions they asked. You are only in the room for 15 minutes, it’s rapid-fire. They talked about (former Tiger) Eric Reid and what a high-character guy he was.
“I was in a meeting with the Jets going over my film. One of the coaches said, ‘Dang, you like to hit people, don’t you?’ I said ‘Yeah’, and the coach said, ‘Well, don’t hit me.’
“Some were funny and some were intense. The Eagles asked me a lot about Coach Miles, what kind of guy he was, what did he do at practice, game rituals.
Interesting that the Eagles were picking his brain about Coach Miles. My guess is that they were trying to see what Turner thought of Miles and how he did things. Chip Kelly is a unique and demanding coach. If a prospect didn’t handle tough coaching well at the college level, he’s not likely to fit into Kelly’s program.
* OL Laurent Durvernay-Tardiff – McGill – 6-5, 300
The Eagles were one of a handful of teams at his Pro Day. The Canadian prospect played at the Shrine Game and opened some eyes down there.
* Washington’s Pro Day
The Eagles were there. The players they were most likely focused on were QB Keith Price (UDFA), TE Austin Sefarian-Jenkins (Day 2) and RB Bishop Sankey (Day 2). Safety Sean Parker had a poor workout and measured in smaller than expected.
* Utah State’s Pro Day
The Eagles were there, most likely checking out CB Nevin Lawson and CB Tay Glover-Wright. Both guys ran well. Lawson is the better of the duo and the Eagles have already seen him at all star games.
* Missouri’s Pro Day
Chip Kelly went there himself. I’m sure he was checking out DE/LBs Kony Ealy and Michael Sam. I don’t like either guy for the Eagles. I don’t think they are athletic enough for OLB. While both guys struggled at the Combine, Ealy looked much better at his Pro Day. If Kelly wants a big body for ROLB, maybe Ealy is a legit target.
* Virginia Tech’s Pro Day
Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis all over Kyle Fuller/CB/Virginia Tech at pro-day….
— Tony Pauline (@TonyPauline) March 19, 2014
Fuller would make a ton of sense. Bill Davis introduced Fuller to Chip Kelly. That’s interesting. I’m sure Davis and Kelly were also checking out OLB James Gayle and DB Antone Exum. Kelly might have taken a gander at QB Logan Thomas. He reportedly had a strong workout, which makes total sense. Thomas is physically gifted. He just doesn’t play well in games. Some think Thomas is worth trying to develop. I think I’d only touch him as a TE prospect.
* RB Jerick McKinnon – Georgia Southern – 5-9, 209
Here’s a note from Tony Pauline.
Lavelle Westbrooks and Jerick McKinnon were the focus of pro-day attention at Georgia Southern.
Westbrooks ran the forty in similar times to his combine performance. The players ran on grass, and most had Westbrooks clocked at 4.65s, though some watches did read 4.60s. He did a solid job in drills, but most scouts feel Westbrooks will be a last-day/late-round pick.
McKinnon stood on his combine numbers and looked good in both defensive back and running back drills. He was fluid, smooth and for the most part looked natural in the secondary. Westbrooks played some DB early in his GSU career.
The Dallas Cowboys ran the secondary drills while the Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders headed the running back drills.
Sending Duce Staley to run a prospect through drills shows more than mild interest, especially since the Eagles saw McKinnon at the Senior Bowl.
* DE/LB Will Clarke – West Virginia – 6-7, 270
Another nugget from Tony Pauline.
In a bit of a surprise, Will Clarke was put through an extensive battery of linebacker drills by the Philadelphia Eagles. And though most have Clarke pegged as a defensive end, from all accounts he looked real good working out at the new position.
Clarke is a real interesting guy. He is huge and a good athlete. WV played him at DT and DE. I don’t think he is consistently physical enough to be a 2-gap DE for the Eagles, but I hadn’t considered trying him at OLB. He was very good at the Shrine Game when lining up out wide and rushing off the edge.
* NT Zach Kerr – Delaware – 6-1, 323
Pauline noted that Jerry Azzinaro went down to Delaware to attend Kerr’s Pro Day. That’s not a long trip so we can’t make too much of it, but the Eagles do need depth at NT. And Kerr was at the Combine so he is a legit prospect.
* LB Scott Crichton – Oregon State – 6-3, 273
Pauline again.
Scott Crichton sat on his combine numbers, running only the 60-yd shuttle. He did both linebacker and defensive end drills, and I’m told he did a lot of linebacker drills. The Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts worked Crichton through the battery of linebacker drills and the 270-lb athlete looked exceptional, easily changing direction and effortlessly moving around the field.
Obviously Kelly is going to be familiar with Crichton from his Oregon days. Kelly may have tried to recruit Crichton. He did have to coach against him.
* Florida State’s Pro Day
Chip Kelly was down there to check out the Noles in action. Too many guys to list. I hope he focused on S Lamarcus Joyner and ILB Christian Jones. I’m sure he watched WR Kelvin Benjamin closely as well.
* Ohio State’s Pro Day
Kelly on the prowl again. And too many guys to list them all. The biggest names would be CB Bradley Roby, who could be a target at pick 22, and ILB Ryan Shazier, who also could be in play there.
* Lousiville’s Pro Day
Kelly was on hand to check QB Teddy Bridgewater, LB Marcus Smith and S Calvin Pryor. Many expect Bridgewater to be an early pick, but there is talk in NFL circles that he could slide into the 20s or even the 2nd round. Geno Smith part 2? Would the Eagles have interest in him? I prefer the idea of him sliding and some other team trading up to get pick 22 to take him.
Pryor could be an Eagles target at 22. Smith is either a 2nd or 3rd round target.
_
The Eagles showed some interest in QB Brett Smith.
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2014/3/13/5505328/eagles-wyoming-brett-smith-pro-day
Didn’t they interview/workout Adrian Hubbard (6-6, 257) an OLB from Alabama?
They talked to him. That’s all I know.
Interesting how little interest they’re showing in WRs at this point. Just Evans so far.
Repost re WRs from the end of the last thread:
I think people are underrating ODB at this point. He’s probably the most natural receiver in the draft in terms of route running and hands, just lacks the explosiveness of Watkins and the size of Evans.
He’s refined enough that he’d be on the field Week 1.
If he falls to us at #22 I’d be shocked if we pass. Jets seem like they’re all over him though.
Just watched more Jordan Matthews tape, still don’t get it. Not enough suddenness in and out of cuts, he does everything in sloooowwww motion. Y’all falling in love with these big body types in Matthews, Benjamin and Moncrief thinking you can coach these guys up to be NFL receivers are going to be disappointed I think. For every Terrell Owens there are 100 Stephen Hills, Justin Hunters, Justin McCareins, Mike Williams, etc. That’s why Mike Evans is going go so high, he’s a natural receiver, even with below average route running.
Would take ODB/B.cooks over Evans. We have one of him already…name’s Riley Cooper.
I’m sorry, did you just compare Mike Evans to Riley Cooper??
lmfao.. if you think mike evans is riley cooper.. nevermind im not trying to insult anyone.. at the moment.
Evans is more like Plaxico Burress. IMO, not worth a top 15 pick.
lol.. plax was drafted 8th overrall.. and my god if we could get a young plax id be sooooo stoked!!! Totatlly worth top 15.
Lol.. Plax had 4 good seasons in the league. Evans isn’t that good.
Evans is that good. And evans and plax are 2 different people (lets not forget that, we are talking skill set!)
oh and evans is more athletic then plax…
Different skill sets? Evans is only great at high-pointing the ball.
you are terrible at this whole football thing.. evans is DOMINATE at high pointing. plus he is good after the catch and is a good blocker.
Maybe you should watch tape instead of reading CBS all day.
says the guy giving out links to articles… maybe YOU should watch some tape
Giving out links to facts and then you denying the truth. Yea ok.
the link you had was a bunch of complied percentages, you have to look deeper into that, and figure out the reasons. You can manipulate numbers to tell what ever story you want. Watch some football buddy. Sad that i had to even explain that to you
I don’t get that statement at all. What do you or I or Insomniac have in terms of ability to “watch tape”?
We are all, at best, lay people. Why not read articles by people more informed than we?
in the comment you have replied to, i didnt say “watch tape”.. so im not sure where to begin with you
I did say watch some football, because the more you watch maybe the more you will learn. And i didnt say to NOT read any articles, infact you should do both, watch tape and read up.
Hope that helps big guy!!
Foles and a huge target like evans (even benjamin) would dominate in the red zone. Foles has that soft touch and accuracy, only makes it easier for those big guys. cant believe more people dont see that.
Reports are Latimer is coming in as well, so that’s two. Like Latimer a lot, 3rd round all day for me.
I like Justin Hunter. He still has a bright future.
Jordan has the staright line speed. Always produced no matter what BUM QB throwing to him, top notch work ethic. Only worry i have is that he is a bit of a diva.. or at least thats what some have beeen saying
Mediocre everything.
mediocore short area quickness… and thats it.
Average hands and explosiveness, YAC inflated from screens, drops passes often, shows little interest in blocking. There’s more good reasons why no one considers him in the first right now.
Average hands> You crazy he has good hands.(oh and those hands are HUGE!! chip will like) Isnt everyones YAC inflated do to screens?? isnt that the point of the screen? he is a big WR, natural YAC ability isnt what u expect in the 1st place. Plus we arent talking about 1st round we are talking about 2nd round. Cmon baby step that game up and try and keep up!!!
http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/cfb/46136/349/peshek-wr-metrics-20
nuff said.
that says more about the offense he was in more then anything.. plus he had nothing but BUMS throwing the ball to him….
So who was Brandin Cooks’s QB?
brandin cooks is an overall better WR, and runs a 4.3.
and not to mention completely different guys.
and it was some guy named mannon i believe??
and jordan had a bunch of different QBs.
Try an make an actual point next time
Why bring up excuses when you refuse to accept that Matthews isn’t as good as you think he is?
its not an excuse it was the reality of the situation he was in. Jordan Matthews will be a good pick up for any team in the 2nd round.
Data shows average hands. Author of the article even gives Matthews the benefit of the doubt by not counting bad throws. Matthews still has the worse hands of that group.
and id take all those other WRs that were used for comparisons over jordan, well exccept landry maybe, i have them real close…
and was the timing of the throw good? was it contested because of poor timing?
I would think so. If it was counted then the LSU duo would have higher drop rates since Mettenberger throws ducks every game.
Sean Mannion is actually a pretty decent QB, and will probably be a day 2 pick next year. He got a third round grade this year from the advisory board but chose to return.
Mannion was horrible last year (2012). Cooks still produced.
I mean don’t get me wrong I’m not saying cooks is in any way a byproduct of mannion, if anything it will be interesting to see how he does this year without cooks or wheaton, but despite being banged up and hurt in 2012 he posted a not great but pretty respectable stat line.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/player/_/id/504786/sean-mannion
Take Hunter off your list then it would be fine.
Maybe a little premature
ODB doesn’t have the size but is better than pure WR than Evans by a fair margin and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him have the better career. Sometimes when a little Steve Smith is looking you right in the eyes, you don’t need to over think it and draft Mike Williams because he’s simply taller.
Lamarcus Joyner is my favorite safety in the draft. He just doesn’t have the measurables.if he were 6 ‘ 0” 195lbs he would be a first round talent. Let the down votes and ridicule begin
A lot of people feel similar.
Alas, but he’s not 6 feet and the import Kelly puts on size doesn’t seem to be over-stated in the least.
Tommy, your anti-Montana Grizzly bias has gone to far! The Eagles sent out a scout to check out Jordan Tripp at his pro day a while back: http://www.nj.com/eagles/index.ssf/2014/03/nfl_draft_eagles_very_interested_in_jordan_tripp_olb_from_montana.html.
I’m still bitter over them beating App State in the playoffs a few years back. NEVER FORGET!!!
And now they’re bringing Tripp to Philly for a visit. The Eagles must REALLY hate Appalachian State. Sorry, man.
Actually, they are keeping the ASU visits double-secret.
Thanks for some interesting, somewhat different, and sane information on possible draft choices.
Interesting how important size seems to really be. With Kelly and staff exploring many DEs at LB. I wonder why DeMarcus Lawrence hasn’t been in, or if it happened off radar. Crighton, Ealy, Attaochu and Clarke are all at least 6’3″. Makes me wonder if Marcus Smith and Dee Ford will not even be considered due to height/arm length..
Character concerns.
Smith is over 6’3″ I think and had 34″ arms.
True, but doesn’t play that way according to those who know way better than I do. Dare I say you as well?
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/marcus-smith?id=2543725
I haven’t watched nearly enough film on him to tell you that and what I have watched was a while ago so my memory is failing me at this point. D3FB would know much better than I would since Smith is one of his favorite OLB prospects and he was the one who first showed me film of his.
I’ve watched ZERO film, and if I watched it I wouldn’t know what I was looking for.
So, i can only go on people who get paid by reputable companies to do so.
The guy who gets paid by NFL.com to write that stuff isn’t the best just look at his write up for Kenny Ladlers.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2014/profiles/kenny-ladler?id=2543875
Calls the guy a strong safety only and then a paragraph later calls him a free safety.
think dee ford has long arms as well.
I would have to disagree with you, his arms are only 32 7/8″ which puts him in the 19th percentile for DEs.
http://mockdraftable.com/player/4448/
ok, just has big hands then.. lol… and wow interesting link… gonna check that site out some more.
Remember Dee Ford is getting compared to DEs where he would play OLB for us
Khalil Mack has 33 1/4 arms and his percentile is 76% (This would be lower if all DEs playing OLB would be listed as OLB)
They can have different reasons for bringing various players in and reasons for not bringing players in . Some guys they may have more questions about , some guys they may have gotten the info they needed already. Remember how the media thought they liked Geno Smith?
But they have apparently done due diligence on Dee Ford whether they bring him in or not.
From walterfootball:
3/28: Dee Ford told NFL.com that the Eagles and Saints have expressed the most interest in him.
Any credence to the idea that Chip/Howie will not sign any QB (Foles, or anyone else) to a big money contract and that they will continually draft/sign and rotate a new guy in as needed? I know it sounds crazy, but I have a suspicion that will be their approach long-term.
No.
Cleveland from Miami to Philly would be fun, be what everyone really wants to know: does the Canadian offensive lineman fight fires?
Kelowna 2003. forest fire burned out 30,000 people. Several city fire fighters nearly died.
At least in 2003, Danny Watkins would be like 20 years old.
Just checking the list Tommy made of the visits/contacts last year to see how visits might tip the hand of the Eagles: http://igglesblitz.com/draft-info/
Not a lot of our picks on that list! Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz and Joe Kruger are on it and received extra scrutiny from the Eagles last year, but not Logan, Barkley, Wolff, Poyer or David King. Of course, Logan and Barkley blew Chip away at the Combine in their interviews so it’s not as if there was NO contact with them, just no specific visits.
Azz met w and ran drills for kyri Thornton from s miss and dt from Arkansas. Bicknell went to see wr donte moncrief. Ilb coach went w chip to Louisville and all over Marcus and Preston brown. Olb coach was at ga tech for attaboy. Birds met w lots of kids at senior bowl van noy Christian jones etc. met w Dakota dozier at ew shrine game and combine. Benjamin at combine. Lsu day this week. Big pro day.
Great work tommy.
Can we have them all?
DeSean responds to allegations that he is a locker room cancer and undermines the efforts of the coaches: “Did I do that?”
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya2xifdO_l0
I expected this to be an article about cheerleaders.
Cody Latimer interview. Some of us like you too.
“SDC: What video game are you unstoppable at?
CL: I have to go with Madden.
SDC: Do you have a favorite team you usually play with?
CL: I usually go with the Eagles.
SDC: Chip Kelly is going to read this, you know.
CL: [laughs] That’d be great.”
https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/shutdown-corner/nfl-draft–q-a-with-indiana-wr-cody-latimer-202644222.html
[…] and pieces of information on the Eagles draft plan have come out, however, and Tommy Lawlor of Iggles Blitz did a nice job compiling a list of all the known visits by draftees to Philadelphia. A player going […]