Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Hunting for a Tackle

Posted March 19th, 2025 | Comments Off on Hunting for a Tackle

The Eagles have the best pair of offensive tackles in the league. Lane Johnson will be in Canton once he retires. Jordan Mailata isn’t on that level, but he’s an above average starter.

As good as Johnson and Mailata are, teams need depth. Halapoulivaati Vaitai was the starting LT in Super Bowl LII. Last year Fred Johnson started 6 games, playing both LT and RT.

I thought the Eagles might bring Johnson back. He wasn’t great last year, but was a serviceable option. I’m guessing the Eagles are looking for a cheaper, and hopefully better, option. That means the draft.

This is the time of year where we start to find out which prospects the Eagles are showing interest in. We only know of three players visiting Philly so far.

  • OT Anthony Belton, NC State
  • OT Josh Conerly, Oregon
  • OT Marcus Mbow, Purdue

Let’s talk about the players.

Belton is big at 6-6, 336. He played LT for the Wolfpack, starting for three years. At his best, he looks like a good starting OT. Belton has pretty good feet. He is a physical blocker with a real nasty streak. When he gets a chance to hit DL, he pops them. Belton is an impressive run blocker. He’s powerful and can get movement in the run game. Belton isn’t a top athlete. That’s where you have some questions with him. Can he handle OT in the NFL? Would he be better suited to move inside to OG?

You can think of him as a more talented version of Vaitai. I think Belton will be a Day 2 pick. I can see Jeff Stoutland really liking his physicality and overall potential.

Conerly is 6-5, 311. He is a good athlete and terrific pass blocker. Conerly has quick feet and excellent balance. He started at LT for two years for the Ducks and did an outstanding job of protecting the QBs. Conerly has more of a lean build. He isn’t going to overwhelm defenders in the run game. Don’t panic and think of Andre Dillard. Oregon ran the ball a lot and Conerly is a solid run blocker. He just happens to be better at pass protection, where his feet and athleticism give him a big advantage.

Conerly did a solid job in his battle with Abdul Carter. Conerly could go anywhere in the 25 to 45 range, depending on what teams like in their OTs. Stoutland would be most interest in working with Conerly based on his footwork. That’s his best trait.

Mbow is probably the most interesting of the trio. He started for three years, playing both RG and RT. He doesn’t have ideal size at 6-4, 303. Mbow is a gifted athlete. He is very good in pass pro. He uses his hands really well and mixes in different techniques. This is a smart player. He moves really well and is outstanding in space.

The question with Mbow is strength. Can he anchor against NFL rushers? Can he get movement in the run game? The Eagles must think that he can be good enough in those areas. Stoutland has to love the idea of those movement skills. Mbow could possibly play G or even C in the NFL. The Eagles loved Jason Kelce and Cam Jurgens as inside players. Maybe they think Mbow would also be good inside. He’s worth trying at OT because of his footwork.

*****

The Eagles will look at a lot of OL prospects. They will probably take someone early. They might take a couple of OL and they will sign UDFAs. The Eagles believe in using a lot of resources on the line of scrimmage. They will look high and low to find guys.

There is also the possibility of them signing a free agent. Remember that Mekhi Becton was signed after the draft last year.

*****

Tony Pauline reported the Eagles will be meeting with South Carolina edge rusher Kyle Kennard. They tried to meet with him at his Pro Day so this wasn’t a Top 30 visit.

Kennard is 6-4, 254. He has long arms and good athletic ability.

Kennard would be a nice addition to the pass rush group. Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche are in Philly on one-year deals. Kennard would be more of a long term solution. He will likely be a mid-round pick.

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BG Out, Baby

Posted March 18th, 2025 | 2 Comments »

Brandon Graham announced his retirement on Tuesday, after playing 15 seasons for the Eagles. That statement is impressive by itself, but it incredible when you go back in time and see how things started.

We have Lovie Smith to thank for all of this. If  you go back to March of 2010, DE Julius Peppers was the most coveted free agent on the market. Everyone wanted him, including Howie Roseman. The Eagles were set to make a big offer and strong push for the star pass rusher. But Lovie Smith surprised everyone.

Back then free agency started at midnight. Smith flew to Charlotte and was at Peppers home at 12:01am. He made a big sales pitch and the Bears threw big money at Peppers. Done deal.

That move blew up Roseman’s offseason plans for the Eagles. There wasn’t a second option on the free agent market. The Eagles felt they needed a top pass rusher on the other side from Trent Cole. With no FA options, that just left the draft. There were three key pass rushers that year. Derrick Morgan from Georgia Tech was a star player from a football school. He had good size and athleticism. Brandon Graham had a great senior season and topped that off by being Senior Bowl MVP. He lacked ideal size, but was relentless, tough and highly productive. Jason Pierre-Paul had the best size/athleticism combo, but was coming from South Florida and felt like more of a projection.

The Eagles traded up from 24 to 13 and took BG. They loved him as the LDE and thought he would be a good interior rusher on passing downs, something he did really well in Mobile. Some people questioned trading up that high for BG. Mock drafts had him going in the second half of the first round. The Eagles passed on safety Earl Thomas and JPP.

BG got hurt late in his rookie year. Thomas became a star for Seattle and was a key part of the Legion of Boom. He helped them win the Super Bowl in 2013 and get back in 2014. JPP played for the rival Giants and helped them beat the Patriots in the SB in 2011. JPP had 16.5 sacks that season and looked like a star.

BG was rehabbing and adjusting to new coaches. Juan Castillo was running the defense (still feels insane to type that) and Jim Washburn was running the DL. Washburn and BG didn’t exactly hit it off. He only played in 3 games that year. BG did play a full season in 2012, but was mostly a backup on a highly dysfunctional team that finished the season 4-12. BG was more bust than legend at that point.

The Eagles trading up for him put pressure on BG. The fact Thomas and JPP had such big individual and team success made things even worse. I can’t tell you how often people asked “What if we had drafted Thomas? What if we had drafted JPP?” Eagles fans were not happy.

Chip Kelly came to town in 2013. That meant a fresh start for BG. Unfortunately it also meant adjusting the the 3-4. BG had played 4-3 DE in college and to start his pro career. Now he was a LB and having to learn how to drop into coverage. BG didn’t play a lot in 2013. He played more the next year and was a starter by 2015. He started 10 games and had 6.5 sacks.

Another coaching change brought the 4-3 defense back to town in 2016. Doug Pederson hired Jim Schwartz to run the D and BG felt right at home. He started 79 of the next 80 games. BG was a productive, disruptive pass rusher and run defender. He made the biggest play in Eagles history and helped them win their first ever Super Bowl.

BG got hurt again in 2021 and only played 2 games. He was a backup in the new 3-4 scheme the final three seasons, but was a key player in each of them. BG had his best season in 2022, racking up a career high 11 sacks. He went to 2 SBs in his final three years and walked off the field as a champion.

Legend.

Brandon Graham is a great story of perseverance. Things did not always go smoothly for him. He could have given up or gone elsewhere, but instead he fought through whatever came his way and carved out a spot for himself in Eagles history. In Philly history. BG is now a beloved figure in the city that was so tough on him for a long time.

BG has a great smile and bigger than life personality. He is an easy player to love. One of the things that always stands out to me is how much joy he brings to those around him. He genuinely loves being part of a football team. He genuinely loves playing the game of football. You watch clips of him and can’t help but break out with a big smile.

I would encourage you to watch his press conference. It is 37 minutes long, but there is a lot of wisdom in his comments. BG listens to the people in his life. He’s learned some hard lessons and shares some good insights. These aren’t football lessons, they are life lessons.

Legend.

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