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TABLE TALK: Eagles Post-Draft Analysis · The Philadelphia Sports Table | Philly Sports News & Views

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Hey there, everybody, it's Jeff. I wanted to let you know we've
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recorded this podcast episode on Monday, April twenty ninth, twenty twenty four.
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By the time you hear this, some things may have changed here or there,
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but we hope you enjoy the show. All right, folks, welcome
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to Table Talk here at the Philadelphia Sports Table podcast show, the longest running
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weekly Philly sports podcast show in the world. That's right, eleven year strong,
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and we've got a great discussion coming your way as we begin to dissect
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the Eagles draft, the picks that they made this past week to help bolster
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their team, to help make this team younger. What type of productivity are
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we going to see from this talent in the future. It was a very
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interesting draft in a lot of different ways. And we have got a fantastic
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guest that's going to be in your ears and just a bit to really dive
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into this Eagles draft. So, without any further ado, why don't we
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just get to that. Gentleman right now, let's do it. Joining us
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this week from the Philadelphia Tribune. He is an award winning columnist and writer,
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and it is an honor to have him on always love talking to him,
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whether it's about the Philadelphia Eagles, Philadelphia seventy six ers. We've got
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the one and only OJ Spivey, OJ buddy, how you doing man,
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I'm doing great, Jeff. Glad to be on with you. I appreciate
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you taking the time, my friend, because I'm still at this point digesting
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what we saw this past week with regard to the Eagles draft, just all
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the new talent that is going to be on this team. But well,
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we're also very excited about this. I think there needs to be realistic expectations
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too, of what this talent is going to bring this Philadelphia team, this
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Eagles team, and franchise over these next few years. And I guess we'll
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start off, Oja with the fact that I came away from this Eagles draft
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and this offseason from an overall perspective really seeing that the front office needed and
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wanted the secondary to get younger. And I think that's a real theme of
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this twenty twenty four Eagles offseason. They drafted quinnin Mitchell, we know Cooper
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de Gene, They signed CJ. Gardner Johnson during free agency, and waiting
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in the wings is kiey Ringo, Isaiah Rodgers as well. It seems like
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they're going to be throwing a lot of talent at the wall in terms of
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the secondary in the future to really see what sticks. Yet, you know,
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playing cornerback is arguably one of the toughest positions to play in the NFL
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right out of the gate, as we all know, what should fans expectations
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be as we begin to look at, you know, shifting from Darius Slay,
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James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, you know, those solid cornerbacks that we've
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known now for some time, to a new group of secondary players. What
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are your thoughts here? Well, like you mentioned, Jeff, the cornerback
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room is very, very crowded now, especially after this weekend after they drafted
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both Mitchell and Dejean. But my thought is, if you look at you
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just start with those two guys, I think they're just going to be the
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heir of parents. You take Mitchell for one, obviously highly touted. Eagle
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scouted him heavily through the Senior Bowl, through the Combine with his stock you
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know, went up and everything, so I expect him to kind of be
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and I think it's going to be expedited. Everybody is kind of linking this
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to what happened twenty over twenty years ago with Leedo Shepherd and Sheldon Brown and
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Michael Lewis all those guys. But I do project Mitchell to kind of become
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the starter sooner and later. And you know, we don't know. We
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assume that Brings Bradberry is not going to be on the team. Maybe he's
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going to be a first cut or something like that. They have to figure
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out the money and the cap hit and everything. But if everything goes well
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with Mitchell, I mean, hey, he is the number one pick,
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so you have to expect him to get in there at some point this season.
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So I don't expect him to sit any as far as the gene is
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concerned, I do think that they will groom him more as a safety where
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I would say more of my term that I kind of made up as a
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friend safety and like that. You know, some people are looking back at
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how they use Malcolm Jenkins in the past. He seems to have similar ability
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where I say, not so much ability because it's hard to replace. Like
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Malcolm Jenkins, they probably still haven't replaced though, but he is a little
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versatile where you know, we know he can cover in the league. The
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NFL is different. I mean, you know, he can cover in college,
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but the NFL is different. But he looks like a guy that you
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can plug in to maybe even play some nickelback in some plays. But I
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think they've in the room as a safety because he can do a lot of
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things. And this day and age in the NFL, you need all four
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of your secondary guys. You're starting secondary guys to cover because you know,
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to go against your CD Lambs of the world, justin Jefferson's and then I
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mentioned Mitchell earlier. It's a whole lot of speed in the NFL. Now
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both ends on the AFC and in the NFC, so you need as many
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guys. We talked about the cornerback room being crowded, but you need as
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many guys as possible that can that you can plug in. He needs some
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depth. But I do expect the Gene that gets some time to get a
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lot of time too, being where they picked them, and Eagles kind of
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got the best of both worlds because you know, a lot of people talked
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about the draft that nauseum and all the my drafts and everything. Some had
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Degene pick first. Some even had Arnold from Alabama. But you see,
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they ended up with Mitchell, and I do think Mitchell will fit very well
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in Victim angio scheme. So, but as far as the other guys is
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concerned, I still think they are high on They're still high on Ringo.
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I We'll see what happens with Bricks and the other guys, but I have
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to think that these first two draft picks they're just going to try to plug
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right in as soon as they can. Yeah, And I think I think
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a theme that you are echoing as well with what vic Fangio wants to do
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and what the Eagles you know, front office brass want to do, is
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is so focuses around that word versatility. Versatility is so incredibly key in today's
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NFL. And that's what you're essentially talking about here. Oj. You know,
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you know, whether it's CJ. Gardner Johnson being able to play safety
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or whether they bring him up within the slot every now and again, you
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know where they're going to put Cooper to Gene, you know, can he
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play the slot? Probably? Is he going to be that strong safety at
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some point? Perhaps as well? The versatility amongst these guys is really truly
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I think going to be a tremendous thing for us to watch. Yeah,
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I have to see what they do with Maddocks to bring them back on a
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one year deal. So there you go. Absolutely. Ah. I got
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to tell you though, after this draft, you know, it seemed pretty
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apparent that Tyler Stein, as we're moving over to the offensive line here,
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Tyler Steen would be the starter at right guard this year and basically his position
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to lose. I came away from this draft saying, yeah, it's gonna
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be Tyler Steen this year right guard. I think we were all kind of
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surprised by the Eagles not taking an offensive lineman in the first four rounds OJ
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here, But like, you know, while they while they did sign free
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agent Makai Beckton to a one year deal as a depth piece, you know,
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I think we know that the Eagles. I think we know what the
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Eagles O line is going to look like this season at this point. So
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I'm wondering, like, what are your thoughts on how the Eagles front office
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handled the offensive lines future during this draft and in subsequent days after. Yeah,
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I think he knailed at Jeff. I was a little surprised too that
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they didn't pick that high and I always thought that you know, went in
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doubt, you know, on the trenches, pick an offensive lineman. But
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that lets that leads me to believe how much they believe in one you mentioned
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Tyler Stein, who they're very high on. He had some time last year,
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so obviously they're very high on him penciling in penciling him in at right
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guard, and I think one of the b writers has said, you can
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kind of tell because his locker is now uh next to you know, within
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all the other started starting alignments, so that gives you a sign that you
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know, he's projected to be a starter this year. But also along with
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Stein, I let you know how much they believe. And Cam Jurgen's taken
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over center for Jason Kelsey, who seems to be irreplaceable. But you know,
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Cam Jurgens has a couple of years on this built, so he should
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he should be ready, and eb I mean, we don't, we don't,
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we don't know how good he's going to be. But as long as
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he's stable, that's why you can all you can ask for, because again
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you can't replace adjacent Kelcey. But that just lets you know how they feel
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about those guys and I think getting becked into was kind of big. It
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was a bit of a surprise. Some people don't think he can play it
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as much. But again, he's coming to Statland University, and exactly if
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there's anybody that can get alignment up the speed, whether he's coming out of
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college, whether he's a project or whether he's a you know, uh,
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perhaps a journeyman lineman or has been around a couple of times. You know
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he can bring them in. Staallin has been here forever. And even looking
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at looking back in the Super Bowl, look at the guys that he had
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on the line. He had, you know, you remember by tie.
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You also remember Steve Wisnewski, Yes, who they plugged in that year and
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he even went on the Kansas City and won another ring. So if you
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can, if you have any questions about a guy like Beckton being a backup
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or possibly having a plug in because of the injury or so, you know,
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this is the place to be. Absolutely. I was a little,
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uh, I was a little taken aback that the that the Eagles, you
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know, they waited so long, I mean the fifth round to take their
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first offensive. Lineman Trevor Keegan from from Michigan. I'm not sure what's gonna
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Nobody knows because we don't have a crystal ball. We don't know what's gonna
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happen with Kelsey's a sixth round pick, right, That's true. L a
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seventh round pick. So you know, again, you're you're in Stotland University.
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So I mean it really doesn't matter what, uh you know, where
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you're picked as an offensive line And then we look at Landon Dickerson who's made
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his first made a Pro Bowl, and I think did he get the second
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team off per I'm not sure? I mean yeah, right, So,
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I mean you're talking about the second round pick. I mean, you know,
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I know your question was, Okay, not in the first four rounds,
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but you don't necessarily in this day and age, unless you have like
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a Jonathan Ogden or Tony Boselli or something like that, you don't have to
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get an offensive lineman in your top five picks. Those guys don't come around
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every year, right right. Well, as we're moving along with the draft
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talk here, OJ, it seems like every every single year for me,
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I kind of have a head scratcher in terms of one of Howie's picks and
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I do have to say there is that one draft pick again kind of left
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me scratching my head, which was Jylex Hunt. And don't get me wrong
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here, I love his upside and the fact that he is an incredible overall
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athlete from everything that I have read and the little bit of actually seen of
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him playing. But he was first a safety if I'm not mistaken, at
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Clemson and then kind of transitioned to you know, outside linebacker pass rusher at
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Houston Christian. So he kind of seems to me to be that Davian Taylor
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type of pick from a few years ago, where you know, you know
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the guy is going to be a project and where perhaps Vic Fangio can mold
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him into what he needs for his defense. I don't know, the Eagles
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haven't really had the best results in the past with you know, quote player,
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project type of talent. That's my reservation here with regard to Jlyx Hunt.
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Again, love the upside, love his potential ceiling and what he could
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become in this league from a defensive talent perspective. I don't know. I
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wanted to get your thoughts on the pick and if you had any of the
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same reservations. Well, it's a great question, and I think you make
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a fair point, Jeffin as far as your reservation. But I'm gonna give
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you two things. My theory had kind of ease your reservation a little bit.
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All right. So first thing is, I think they did try to
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kind of take a gamble here Howwie Roseman did. And I think the first
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thing is they picked Mitchell, they picked the Jean. You're you're already in
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good graces with the fan base, right, So maybe they did overdraft Uh,
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maybe they did overdraft Hunt. I maybe agree with you there, but
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I think he had enough leeway to kind of take a flyer on him.
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And the way the Eagle scouted, the way they run their board and everything,
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perhaps they thought that he wouldn't be there later on. Yeah, that's
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that's probably the logic. But I do get your reservations about, you know,
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playing where he did, being a converted uh you know, linebacker slash
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passbrusher. Those are those are all good questions to have. But I also
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think too, this is also a Vic Fangio pick. So you gotta you
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gotta get the new guy. You have to get him a player that he
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can work with. So I think it's it's it's a matter of two things
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again, having the mull again to kind of take a gamble. Uh you
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know. Again, it is tough on the first the third round to take
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a guy like this. But then I also think, even more so,
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this is a Vic Fangio pick and maybe say, Okay, this is a
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guy that they scouted since they bought Fangio in and say, look at this
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guy. I can work with them. I can make him into an NFL
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player. So hopefully that's the case and that'll be the end result. But
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that's the mindset that I'm thinking that. That's my theory. I think it's
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a good pat really, I think it's a good point. And and we
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have to remember too, I mentioned Davian Taylor. I mean that was back
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when Jim Schwartz, I believe, was the defensive coordinator, and Jim Schwartz
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is a very different defensive coordinator than Vic Fangio. We know that, so
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so I definitely have to keep that in mind. I appreciate your putting your
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pushback on that one, for sure, but I'm gonna keep that optimism at
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the forefront here when it comes. Yes, absolutely, well, let's get
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on to what we saw from the wide receiver perspective here Johnny Wilson and Ayah
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Smith. You know they're gonna be fighting to make the roster this year as
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two new wide receivers on this team. Again, I have looked into them
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a bit here, both very very different types of talent, Smith being just
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small and fast and Wilson with that huge wingspan that he has probably a situational
14:50
type of receiver, perhaps in the red zone. Maybe that's what the Eagles
14:54
are looking at with these two guys. Just two different skill sets that can
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really bring a lot to the offense if need be in certain situations. I
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mean, both are going to try to carve out a role for themselves as
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they compete again, you know against you know AJ Brown, Deavonte Smith,
15:07
Paris Campbell, and even Devonte Parker. So I wanted to get your thoughts
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on these two draft picks here and what they could potentially mean and might they
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even make the team. Well, I really like a nice Smith. This
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is really my favorite pick of the of the Eagles draft. Nice because again,
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as we talked about as much versatility as you need on defense, they
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need that on offense too. And just from watching Smith, even from like
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a special team standpoint, they could probably use some there. He could probably
15:37
make the roster as a kick returner. Yes, you know alone, but
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if you're talking about offense and everything, Eagles probably you know, they still
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you're still searching for that third receiver, that slot receiver. I don't necessarily
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think that Smith fits that mold, but I'm looking as far as uh,
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you know what Andy Reid does with his receivers. You know, Eagles haven't
16:00
really had those type of guys. You haven't really had like a like a
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Rice or a Tyreek Hill who you can just kind of, you know,
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move them around as a chess piece and have that extra speed downsfield. I
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mean, he may not be, you know, that third down wide receiver.
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We always think back of someone like a oh gosh, I'm trying to
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think of the Juju Smith Schuster from from Portsburgh. Yeah. Yeah, and
16:25
I'm thinking back to the Eagles Jason Levant, do you know what I mean?
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He was always our third down guy. So you know, we're all
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searching for that next thing Jason Levant, so to speak. He may not
16:33
fit that mold, but I think this is just going to be an extra
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piece in Nick Sirianni's offense, Kellen Morris offense where you can just move around
16:41
and just maybe say you're having one of those bad days where they just say,
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hey, we're going to take away a J. Brown, We're going
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to take away de Vante smiths Si Dallas Goddard. You have that fourth option,
16:52
and I do think Smith has the ability and a versatility to potentially be
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that fourth option. Yeah, I think that's really Oh, go ahead,
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I'm sorry to interrupt. Yeah, And as far as Johnny Wilson's concerned,
17:04
I have questions about him, but my thought with him is with his size,
17:10
with his wingspan, and there's also been some questions about you know,
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them not taking a really going after a tight end, a backup tight end
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who I think they desperately need if they could possibly try to convert him to
17:22
maybe like a Reason's word, fringe again, I call it like a French
17:26
tight end, just simply because of size and what you mentioned, Jeff,
17:29
possibly some goal line packages and you know he has that size where you know,
17:34
you can maybe just throw it up there and he and he can catch
17:37
a touchdown, you know, within ten yards of the end zone. So
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that's what I'm hoping if he can make the team at least as a backup
17:45
tight end because they really don't have one right now on the roster. Who
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who you can count on. I don't know if there was a more perfect
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segue into the next topic that we're going to be getting into. Yes,
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I tell you O's good. I got to set you up that way.
18:00
He is good, folks, He is really good. Here. Look,
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I'm a little surprised at how the Eagles are kind of just indicated over time
18:10
here that they're going to continue to move away from playing a lot of twelve
18:12
personnel. And it goes to what you were just saying with regard to the
18:15
tight end position, because I didn't address the tight end position in this draft
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at all, unless are we going to see Johnny Wilson as possibly being molded
18:26
into that at some point in the future. I mean, yes, they
18:27
did acquire cj Ouzama, and I think we're still going to see a lot
18:33
of eleven personnel being run the majority of the time this coming season. Ohjay
18:38
Is, I'm wondering if that's what you're thinking as well, And if so,
18:41
I'm wondering, why do you think we've seen this shift after the Eagles
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prioritize twelve personnel for so many years, they saw a lot of success with
18:49
it and with those packages over the years, I'm wondering, why have we
18:52
kind of seen a diversion from that. Yeah, this is another excellent question,
18:59
Jeff. I think it's a number of things. You know, Nick
19:03
Sirianni mentioned when he uh got rid of Brian Johnson. You know, you
19:08
can question whether he was a scapegoat or not, or whether he was a
19:11
good or bad offensive coordinator. He did admit, and I think this is
19:15
universal that the offense got kind of stale, and some of that is Sirianne's
19:18
fault as well, because you know that's your baby. So but I think
19:22
they're trying to get away from that, and I think they're trying to be
19:25
more versatile. And secondly, you're bringing Kellen Moore in here, and Kellen
19:29
Moore loves motion, which a lot of Eagles fans have been been, you
19:33
know, been crying for feeding for and I think rightfully so. And again
19:38
this this is important to where if you can get a guy like in a
19:42
nice smith, if he's up to it, and he can you know grasp
19:47
an NFL playbook. You know, more, the more guys, the more
19:49
weapons you have on offense, the better. And I think that's probably why
19:52
they want to get rid of, you know, you know, get away
19:56
from that twelve personnel because you just need you just need more and more weapon
20:00
fins. Yeah, And I think also too, scoring was down overall in
20:06
the NFL, and I think they're going to try to emphasize more scoring and
20:11
the Eagles have Eagles have to score more too, because they're essentially their scoring
20:15
was down, So the NFL scoring was down. Essentially, you're going to
20:18
see you know, individual teams down. But I think because that, uh,
20:23
they don't want to still they want to get away from that still offense.
20:27
And two what Kellen Moore is going to bring his offensive philosophy and all
20:33
of his ideas, and I think they pretty much have to get to a
20:37
eleven personnel as opposed to a twelve just because he's here in the building.
20:41
I think that totally makes sense. And again, folks, we're talking.
20:45
OJ Spivey from the Philadelphia Tribune. Follow him on Twitter, slash x at
20:49
oj Philly and he's also over on threads at oj Philly as well Instagram.
20:56
I believe o J Philly too, right, Yes, sir, Fantastic follows,
20:59
fantast stick follows everywhere, and again, great great journalism that you're getting
21:03
from OJ over at the Philly Tribune. And final topic for you here,
21:07
buddy, before I let you go, just for fun, Basically, over
21:12
the past decade, I'm wondering if there is a player the Eagles drafted who
21:17
you really wanted to succeed and become a crucial part of the roster, but
21:22
the player just never panned out. And I have to say there was one
21:26
player for me, that boy on this podcast and just in the ecosphere of
21:30
the interwebs, I not only defended, but I said, Yo, he's
21:33
gonna break out. It's gonna happen, it's going to it's gonna come for
21:37
him. And that player was running back Don L. Pumphrey back in twenty
21:41
seventeen coming into the league into the Eagles from San Diego State. I mean,
21:45
look, he broke a lot NCAA records, but he just wasn't able
21:49
to make it in the NFL and with this Eagles team, it was a
21:52
disappointment for me. I hope he's doing well with whatever he's doing now.
21:56
In life. But I'm wondering, who was that one player for you that
22:00
you really wanted to see make it but they just couldn't and it just never
22:04
did. Who is that one one player for you? Well, the first
22:10
person that kind of cause of mind, he's still on the roster and that's
22:11
kind of Kenny gang Will. But but if I want to go back,
22:18
and I can't think of his name, it was the safety that they took
22:22
out a temple several years ago. Oh yeah, and he was the backup
22:26
and oh man, I want to get that, yes, and I'm meant
22:30
to get that for you. But the temple safety that they that they picked
22:33
up a few years ago, I really wanted him to pan out. And
22:37
you always want a local guy to pan out everything. But you know,
22:41
but we could go for oh man, we could go two decades and think
22:47
of guys who we wanted to wanted to succeed and and everything was it was
22:52
it Jakobe Stevens or I think he was from LSU. Yeah, he was
22:56
from l s U. That's that's another guy actually. But but if I
23:00
had to stay currently any gain, well, and then I go back to
23:04
the former safety at Temples, Okay, all right, sounds good again,
23:08
folks. OJ Spivey from the Philadelphia Tribune he is a great great follow on
23:14
Twitter, Instagram and over on threads, OJ Philly Buddy, it was great
23:19
talking to you. Always appreciate your insights and your knowledge and just what you
23:25
bring to the show. So thanks so much for joining me here and hope
23:27
to have you on back down the road. Thank you, Jeff. It's
23:30
always a pleasure and I appreciate you having me on your show. That's going
23:34
to do it for us here on Table Talk this week. Please share our
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