Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Building a WR Corps

Posted April 10th, 2026 | 2 Comments »

The Eagles have a dynamic receiving duo in AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. The team has put role players around them, but guys who had very limited ceilings. It wasn’t a true WR corps. You’d have to go back to like 2017 to see a real WR corps in Philly. That was Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Nelson Agholor and Mack Hollins. Each of those guys brought something to the table and could contribute.

Howie Roseman is finally putting together a real group of WRs this offseason.

Let’s look at what the team has in place now.

AJ Brown
DeVonta Smith
Dontayvion Wicks
Marquise Brown
Elijah Moore
Darius Cooper
Johnny Wilson
Britain Covey
Quez Watkins

That looks worlds different that recent seasons. There is actual depth. There are players beyond the first two who can be counted on to be productive. Green Bay has gone with this kind of approach in recent years so it is no surprise the Eagles are doing that now that Sean Mannion is taking over as offensive coordinator. He wants a true group of receivers to build the offense around and to work with.

The obvious question here is what does this mean for AJ Brown’s future. It certainly points in the direction of him being dealt. I know some people still don’t understand why the team would do that. Some people are just sure this is all a media fabrication. All you have to do is look at Howie’s moves and the pre-draft meetings to see the Eagles are focused on the WR position. I don’t think that is the case if AJ is staying. It pains me to say that, but there is just too much evidence otherwise.

Let’s talk about Wicks. He is 6-1, 206. He isn’t speedy, running only a 4.6. But he’s tough and a good inside receiver. He will work the middle of the field. If AJ is on his way out, the Eagles need someone to work the middle.

Wicks is a young, ascending receiver who knows the new offense. He has had some issues with drops and will need to work on that. Wicks will block and isn’t a guy who is going to demand a ton of catches. Wicks has averaged 36 catches and 4 TDs in his three seasons. He’s not been a volume receiver so far. But remember that he’s been part of an offense that spreads the ball around by design. He can be more productive if given the chance.

We have heard the Eagles talk about how DeVonta Smith can be a clear #1, high volume receiver like Jaxson Smith-Njigba. Look at Seattle’s receiver group.

JSN
Cooper Kupp
Rashid Shaheed
Tory Horton
Jake Bobo

That’s the group that just won the Super Bowl. Howie might have studied that and figured it made sense from a schematic perspective and a financial perspective to move away from having two elite receivers.

The Eagles can still draft a receiver. They have been checking them out thoroughly in the pre-draft process. I think the Wicks move gives them more flexibility to not have to force things. The Eagles can use their draft picks on positions you can’t fix via free agency (OL especially). They can also trade up if they want to and not have to worry about not being able to add a receiver. Howie will have a lot of freedom in the upcoming draft.

There is a deep group of WRs available. There is a great chance the Eagles will have a chance to add a talented receiver if that is the way they want to go.

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Jimmy Bama wrote a piece today on the six most likely targets in the first round. He had WR Jordyn Tyson as one possibility.

I must respectfully disagree with Monsieur Le Bama.

Tyson is very talented. He’s one of the best receivers in this class when you study his tape. He caught 158 passes and 22 TDs in his career.

That might remind you of CeeDee Lamb. Tyson is really gifted. He can be a star in the NFL. The raw talent and athletic ability is there. So what’s the issue? He only played in 33 games in his four seasons in college. He missed most of 2023 while dealing with a knee injury. He skipped out on his team’s bowl game this year. He then wasn’t able to work out at the Combine or his Pro Day due to a lingering hamstring issue. Teams are openly questioning his toughness.

Daniel Jeremiah isn’t one to throw guys under the bus. His comments and hesitations there speak volumes to me. Nick Sirianni preaches toughness and competition. He wants players that love to compete. I just don’t think Tyson fits that description based on what we are hearing.

Maybe I’m dead wrong and the Eagles will fall in love with his talent. With no concerns Tyson wouldn’t last to pick 23. Would he be too tempting for Howie to pass on? I just don’t know that you risk a first round pick on a player there could be doubts on. We’ll see.

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General Draft Talk

Posted April 8th, 2026 | 1 Comment »

As we get closer to the draft we will start to hear more and more inside info. Some of this will be BS. Teams like to float some stuff out there hoping that other teams will pick it up and buy it. But there will also be some good info that is worth keeping in mind.

You might wonder how info gets out there. Scouts love to talk football. Sometimes that is with each other, sometimes it is with members of the media that they’ve built good relationships with. They know this will get out, but don’t give away anything that they think will hurt their team. People love the draft. We’re all looking for good rumors or storylines. That includes scouts and even GMs. So let’s go over some of the stuff that is out there.

Daniel Jeremiah and Pete Schrager both say that OT Kaydn Proctor won’t get past the Lions at pick at pick 17. Proctor is a massive LT with good experience. The Lions could plug him in at LT or move Penei Sewell over there and put Proctor at RT. He is the kind of physical player they live. Detroit has also done well with guys from Alabama. The Eagles have real interest in Proctor. I doubt it is strong enough to move up that far for him. Proctor going there means that some other OT will slide down. The Eagles should have good options for an OT at 23.

Jeremiah has said that the GMs he’s talked to with picks in the teens are open to moving back. If Howie Roseman wants to go up, he should be able to at a fair price. I don’t think this is the draft to do that, but Howie is very aggressive and could find a player he covets at an affordable price.

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Jordyn Tyson is one of the best WR prospects in the draft. He had a good senior season, but hasn’t helped himself in the offseason. He didn’t work out at the Combine or his Pro Day. He is now saying he’ll work out for teams on April 17. All of this delay from a hamstring issue has teams questioning him.

Schrager did a mock with Tyson going to KC ninth overall. Jeremiah seems to think Tyson will fall, maybe into the 20’s. Tyson has NFL talent, but durability, toughness and desire are critical traits for NFL success. If teams have real doubts, he will fall.

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Faulk is big, athletic and disruptive. He had 7 sacks in 2024, but only 2 last year. Most of the sacks came with him rushing inside. So is he a DT or an edge rusher? And what is his value? He is Top 15 to some or could slide into the 20’s according to others. I like him and think somewhere in the middle of the first round makes sense. Big, versatile, athletic DL are valuable an dnot always easy to find.

Mesidor is already 25. That hurts his value. He was getting the best of guys who were several years younger. He’s closer to his ceiling and is physically developed.

I’m curious about the safeties. Caleb Downs, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren and Dillon Thieneman are the three top guys. Downs absolutely goes in the first. I like McNeil-Warren more than Thieneman because I prefer his physicality. He did play lower level competition, coming from Toledo. Thieneman is highly athletic and excels in coverage. I don’t love him as a tackler. He is what I call a drag-down tackler. He’ll wrap-up, but then can struggle to get the guy on the ground.

Vega Ioane is the one guard we know will go in the first. The next two guys are considered to be Chase Bisontis and Emmanuel Pregnon. Seattle added a guard late in last year’s first round and that guy helped them win the Super Bowl. There is something to be said for making sure your OL is set.

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The next item isn’t a rumor, but rather something to keep in mind.

Vic Fangio values physical edge players. He has his guys take on blockers aggressively. You better to be able to set the edge if you want to play for him. You rush the passer after you stop the run.

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CB Avieon Terrell injured his hamstring and missed his Pro Day. He did work out for scouts about a week ago. He wasn’t 100 percent and that showed in his 40 time of 4.64. Teams know he’s faster than that. They just don’t know how fast. Is he 4.55? Is he 4.50? Faster? That matters at CB. He was projected to be a first round pick, but will almost certainly fall to the second. His tape is still really impressive.

Terrell can play in the slot or outside. He’s tough and will tackle. He can cover. He does have small hands. Terrell is a playmaker. Over the past three years he had 25 PDs, 4 sacks, 8 FFs and 3 INTs.

If he falls far enough you wonder if Howie would see him as a good value pick. The Eagles tend to prefer bigger, faster corners, but Terrell’s toughness and versatility could interest them. It will be interesting to see how far he falls. His speed certainly doesn’t seem to be an issue on tape.

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QB Ty Simpson could sneak into the first round. The Steelers could (and probably should) consider him at pick 21. The next possibility would be Cleveland at 24. If the Cardinals or Jets really like Simpson, they could be interested in pick 23 to make sure they can secure him. I don’t know if Howie would want to move back to pick 33 or 34, but he’ll certainly listen to any offers that come his way.

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