Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Eagles Combine Talk – Defense

Posted March 1st, 2026 | No Comments »

The Scouting Combine wrapped up on Sunday. There were a lot of impressive prospects working out, with many of them being good targets for the Eagles. One of the benefits of recovering from chemo treatments is that you have plenty of free time to watch TV. I was able to watch the Combine in its entirety. So here are some thoughts on the Combine and how things might affect the Eagles.

We’ll start with edge rushers. If the Eagles can re-sign Jaelan Phillips, this isn’t a priority position. That would give them Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt and Phillips as the key guys. Brandon Graham could return to add depth. There would be a need to add someone to the mix so the team isn’t loading up on 1-year vets as they did a year ago.

One player who stood out is Malachi Lawrence. He measured in at 6-4, 253. He ran well, jumped well and looked good in the workouts. Most saw Lawrence as a player to go late in the third round. He might end up going sooner than that after a strong workout.

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The Eagles are pretty on the DL. If they end up with a late round pick, they could look to add someone they like. If the team is interested in a tweener like Milton Williams or BG, they could take a look at LT Overton from Alabama. He is 6-3, 274 and plays all over the line.

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He’s projected to be a third round pick. His versatility is his strength. He played in 3 and 4-man fronts. He played inside and outside. He played left and right. I think that would appeal to Vic Fangio. He’s also very physical, something else Fangio really wants.

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Even with Nakobe Dean likely to leave in free agency (please don’t go to Dallas!), the Eagles have a good set of LBs. Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell are the starters. Jeremiah Trotter Jr is the #3 guy. Smael Mondon is there for depth and STs. The Eagles could add a Day 3 player. This scheme requires good LB play. They met with Harold Perkins from LSU in Indy. He will be a Day 3 pick.

Perkins was a star pass rusher as a freshman. He was moved to LB due to his size. He mesured in at 6-1, 223 in Indy. That’s about the same size as Eagles star William Thomas. Like Thomas, Perkins is a playmaker. You can never have too many of those. He surprisingly didn’t work out. We’ll have to wait for his Pro Day to get numbers on him.

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There is a need for a starter at CB. Would the Eagles spend another first round on a corner? If so, Colton Hood from Tennessee would be of definite interest. He can cover and is an aggressive tackler. He had aa good workout in Indy.

If the Eagles want a Day 3 guy to develop for the future, Georgia’s Daylen Everette could be of interest. He is 6-1, 196 and ran 4.38 at the Combine.

He looked good in the gauntlet drill. Showed good hands and looked smooth while catching the ball. that just might appeal to a team that obsesses on takeaways.

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The safety group looked good in their workouts. That made me wonder if teams will prefer to go with draft pick rather than mid-tier free agents. If that happens, it could weaken the market for Reed Blankenship. He’s been a solid starter for the Eagles. They probably want him back at the right price, but know there has to be a walkaway number. He’s not a difference maker.

Would the Eagles draft a safety in the first round? If so Dillon Thieneman should be of interest. He’s 6-0, 201. As a freshman at Purdue he played deep a lot and had 6 INTs. He transfeered to Oregon and they played him closer to the line of scrimmage. Thieneman excelled in that role as well.

Thieneman ran 4.35. He had a vertical of 41 inches. His field workout was great. The big question now is whether he will last to pick 23. I don’t if the Eagles would go for a safety that early, but Thieneman looks like he could be a great player.

He and Drew Mukuba would make a nice duo on the back end of the defense.

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I’ll cover offense in the next post.

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