Another Sunday without football. But at least you have this mailbag to get your fix.
I answered the first bunch of your questions yesterday but we got a lot so we broke them all up.
Here’s Part 1.
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Here’s Part 2:
These are fun offseason questions. The one obvious one that we should mention is Jordan Mailata. Since the Eagles drafted him in 2018, fans have been clamoring for the Eagles to use him in different ways. Maybe one day, they’ll line him up in the backfield. And we saw Lane Johnson catch a pass this season. I think that’s an area where he could get more snaps. We also saw Darius Slay get some snaps on offense, which was a lot of fun.
So let’s leave off those possibilities.
NFL
Here are a few other guys who would be fun at another position for a snap or two:
Avonte Maddox: Tailback/slot. Maddox has already been in the league for four season but back in 2018, he ran a 4.39 and ran a 6.51 in the 3-cone drill at the combine. So Maddox is fast and agile, tools that have helped him play in the slot as a cornerback. But what if the Eagles found a way to get the ball in his hands on offense? I think he’d be pretty elusive. Of course, you’d worry about him getting hurt on that side of the ball but if we’re playing a fantasy game, he’d be fun to watch out there.
Milton Williams: Fullback. The Eagles drafted Williams in the third round last year in large part because of his insane athletic profile. At the combine, he measured in at 284 pounds and ran a 4.67. He’s already used to moving offensive linemen so what about lining him up as a lead blocker to clear the hole for Miles Sanders. A big guy who moves as well as Williams would likely be able to do it.
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside: Tight end. This one is a little more realistic. He’s been in the NFL for three seasons so far without much to show for it. In fact, JJAW at this point in his career is a special teamer and blocker on offense. Nick Sirianni called JJAW their “enforcer” at the WR position. So why not lean into that and just make him a tight end? Maybe it won’t happen here, but this switch might be able to salvage his very disappointing career.
You feeling OK?
Sure, theoretically, a Kyler Murray trade probably wouldn’t cost the Eagles as much as a trade for Russell Wilson. While Murray is significantly younger than Wilson, he doesn’t have the resume yet either. For the record, I don’t think Murray ends up getting traded by Arizona. I know there’s some turmoil there between player and team but he’s still a 25-year-old Pro Bowl quarterback on his rookie contract. I think it’s more likely that they smooth things over and give him a major extension to remain their quarterback.
But if things do spiral downward, it would be worth looking into. The price would be great. Maybe not as great as it would be for Wilson, but any talks about Murray would likely start with two first-round picks-plus.
The Eagles have three first round picks, so I’ll handle this question like this. Let’s rank the position from most likely to least likely.
1. Defensive lineman
2. Offensive lineman
3. Cornerback
4. Receiver
5. Linebacker
6. Other
I’m always going to put linemen at the top of this list. History shows that’s where the Eagles will go most often. I have cornerback slightly ahead of receiver but I went back and forth on that. Receiver is still an obvious need but I like the corners that will be available in that range and think there’s better value waiting to get a receiver later. With three first-rounders, linebacker ought to be on the table but there are really only two who fit the criteria right now.
The other category really includes quarterback and safety because I don’t see the Eagles drafting a running back or tight end in the first round. QB is a possibility but the Eagles would really have to fall in love. And I’m not sure the value of safety will line up easily enough for the Eagles to draft their first-ever first-round safety.
I would be shocked if the Eagles stay at 15, 16 and 19 and simply pick three players. Shocked. Everything is on the table. If someone they view as a top-10 player begins to slip, I could see the Eagles pouncing to get him. But I could also see them adding some extra value and trading out of one of those picks. Specifically, that No. 19 pick is right before the QB-needy Steelers. So if another team (Bucs, Lions, etc.) wants to jump up, the Eagles have to be ready to opportunistically gain some value for the future.
Luketa is one of the more fascinating players in this draft class. He’s 6-3, 247 and while he mostly played linebacker for the Nittany Lions, Luketa began playing some on the edge in 2021. At the Senior Bowl last month, he was one of the more impressive players in Mobile and something tells me he’s going to test well at the combine too. Teams are going to really like his versatility. Looking at Luketa from the Eagles’ perspective, he’d be a nice fit at the SAM linebacker spot we saw Genard Avery play in 2021. Think about what Anthony Barr was able to do for the Vikings during his impressive run. Luketa will probably end up being a Day 2 pick with some boom-bust potential.
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