Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Sunday Notebook

Posted April 16th, 2023 | 5 Comments »

With less than two weeks to go, I’ll be focusing on the draft today. Apologies to those who wanted to hear more about Trey Sermon and Brett Toth. Before going all drafty on you, we will talk about one pro player.

Should the Eagles be interested?

That’s not as easy of an answer as you might expect. Baker is a terrific player at a position of need. That’s the obvious part. One of the reasons he’s asking for a trade is that he wants a new deal. He already makes big money, but he’d like more. He also has to be frustrated with the way things have fallen apart in Arizona. Baker wants to win, not be part of a struggling franchise that feels a bit hopeless right now.

The other issue is fit. Baker is at his best attacking downhill and playing near the LOS. Sean Desai needs safeties who can play deep and cover ground. Baker can do that, but he’s special when he’s attacking.

I’m guessing the Eagles don’t make a move here, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t as least fun to think about. Baker is the kind of player Sirianni would love to have. Talk about Dawg mentality, that is Baker in a nutshell. He’s a fiery leader and relentless player. I watched the Amazon Prime show on the Cardinals last year. There was one week where Baker sprained his ankle was supposed to be out multiple weeks. He spent his time trying to get his backup ready to play. Then Baker somehow took the field on Sunday.

It was also great to see assistant coaches showing tape of him to other players and saying “That’s what we want.” Baker plays as hard as anyone in the league.

It would be fun to see a player like that in midnight green. I just don’t know if they’d be willing to part with assets in the trade and then paying Baker huge money. He’s only 27 so he’s in the prime of his career. Interesting situation.

*****

Julius Brents is one of the CBs the Eagles have brought to Philly for a visit. I like him quite a bit. Brents is 6-3, 198. Unlike most big corners, he mostly plays off coverage. He does a good job of reading routes and breaking on the ball. He picked off 4 passes as a senior and has good ball skills. The player he reminds me of is…James Bradberry. There is one big difference. Brents is a physical hitter and tackler.

I have Brents projected to go in the 3rd round. Bradberry went at the end of the 2nd. The only real question with Brents is speed. He ran 4.53 at the Combine. Bradberry ran 4.5, but was 211 pounds. Ideally you would like CBs to be in the 4.45 range or lower. 4.53 is acceptable, but not preferred.

Brents would fit scheme wise. He can press or play off. He’s got size and length. Brents has good ball skills, which we know is important to the Eagles.

*****

Daniels makes a ton of sense as a mid-round target for the Eagles. Here are some of my raw notes on him:

Has 43 career starts (18 at LG, 14 at LT, 11 at RT). Versatile, experienced blocker. Comes off the ball really well. Aggressive, physical player. Good run blocker. Has the footwork and athleticism to be good in pass pro. Does need some work. Might be better suited to play OG at the next level. Pulls well and is good at blocking on the move. Tough player. Feisty, competitive.

He is 6-4, 294. Daniels has 33-inch arms. Good athlete. Had a good showing at the Combine.

Daniels could develop into a starter. The Eagles would love him as a backup player at both G and T spots. He played all over in college and has the size/skills to fit all those spots as a backup. He could also become the starting RG in the future.

*****

https://twitter.com/JustinM_NFL/status/1647255985138941953

Pace had an amazing senior year. Those are some crazy numbers. Also had 4 PDs and 3 FFs. It would be hard not to be interested in a player like that.

Pace is 5-11, 231. That’s not ideal size. He didn’t post great Pro Day numbers so he’s not special athletically. He is special when he’s attacking up the field. Pace does a great job of shooting gaps and getting into the backfield. He’s also good at eluding blocks. Not many MLBs have 10 sacks in a season. Pace went to the Senior Bowl and looked great in the pass rushing drills down there. RBs struggled to get a hand on him.

His highlights are fun to watch.

Pace will be a mid-round pick. I don’t think he’s an ideal fit for the Eagles, but this is a weak LB class and they are right to check him out. Nakobe Dean was an undersized playmaker last year and they took him. I don’t know if you’d want Pace and Dean as your LBs of the future. You might want one of them to be more of a pure run-stuffer. Pace could be good depth and a good STer.

*****

This is pretty funny.

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Season vs the Offseason

Posted April 14th, 2023 | Comments Off on Season vs the Offseason

Adetomiwa Adebawore is one of the more fascinating players in this draft class. He was Honorable Mention All Big Ten in 2021. He was Third Team All Big Ten in 2022. Then he had a great offseason (Senior Bowl and Combine) went from mid-round prospect to some first round talk.

Let’s compare a couple of prospects.

6-2, 282
33 7/8 inch arms
10 1/2 inch hands
40 – 4.49
10 – 1.61
VJ – 37.5 inches
BJ  – 10’5″
Bench  – 27 reps
41 games – 24.5 TFLs – 12.5 sacks – 6 PD – 4 FF

6-1, 281
30 5/8 inch arms
9 1/8 inch hands
40 – 4.67
10 – 1.64
VJ – 34.5 inches
BJ  – 9’4″
37 games – 34.5 TFLs – 16 sacks – 3 PD – 1 FF

The first guy is Adeboware. The second guy is Calijah Kancey.

Most people have Kancey in the 20 to 40 range, in terms of Top 100 prospects. Adeboware is generally looked at in the 50 to 70 range.

There is no question that Kancey was the better college player. He was regularly disruptive. He was a finalist for national awards. He was voted to multiple All-American teams.

It will be interesting to see which guy becomes the better NFL player. Adeboware is bigger, faster, stronger and more explosive. But football is more than numbers. Kancey is a skilled pass rusher. He has a relentless motor. You can’t quantify those traits.

Why is this of interest to Eagles fans?

https://twitter.com/DiBirdsBlog/status/1646939839105736712

I can absolutely believe Howie loves Adeboware. One of the players he reminds me of is…Milton Williams. His info coming out of college:

6-3, 284
31 1/2 inch arms
9 3/4 inch hands
40 – 4.63
VJ – 38.5 inches
BJ  – 10’1″
Bench  – 34 reps
30 games – 19 TFLs – 10 sacks – 1 PD – 0 FF

You could wonder if Adeboware is redundant with Williams already in place. Fair question. They are similar in a lot of ways. Adeboware was a better player against better competition so I think he’s got a higher ceiling in the NFL.

Adeboware is best suited to play 3-tech in the NFL. He could also play 5-tech, 4i or on the edge. That’s the beauty of him. His combination of versatility and athleticism is perfect for today’s NFL and multiple fronts. Northwestern had him play all over and he made plays in a variety of ways.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEeHDbdj2_E

You can see his talent.

He looked great at the Senior Bowl.

Adeboware showed the ability to win with speed, burst, strength, effort, etc. He was disruptive every day and in every way. It is hard to watch that and not smile at the thought of him lighting it up in midnight green with a slew of good pass rushers around him.

One of the reasons to like him is that he’s not just a pass rusher. He’s not just going to fly off the edge. He can play the run. He’s got some 2-gap potential.

If the Eagles are interested, they could take him at 30 or move back a few spots and hope to get him. The NFL covets interior pass rushers. Think about the big deals that Javon Hargrave, Dremont Jones and Jeffrey Simmons just got. Finding players who can get to the QB up the middle is invaluable. That makes it tricky to get a good feel for just what Adeboware’s draft value is.

It would be really interesting to see what happened if Kancey fell to 30 and the Eagles had a choice of him and Adeboware.

*****

Speaking of pick 30, it could become coveted if QB Hendon Hooker is on the board.

Let’s hope Hooker falls to that spot and there is a small bidding war for the pick.

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