Latest / Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast / Football at Four: DiCecco's Final Eagles Pre-Draft Eagles Notebook
Transcript
- 0:00Speaker 1: The Inside the Birds podcast and Inside the Birds dot
- 0:03Speaker 1: com has all your Eagles draft news and we're about
- 0:07Speaker 1: to get into it right now.
- 0:08Speaker 2: Andrew to check.
- 0:09Speaker 1: Oh, it's Christmas Day for Andrew to check. O, it
- 0:13Speaker 1: is Draft Day twenty twenty six. Andrew, what's going on on?
- 0:17Speaker 2: Man?
- 0:18Speaker 3: Hey Mike, great to be with you. Yeah, that's right.
- 0:20Speaker 3: No more mock drafts, no more projecting, and this prospects rising,
- 0:24Speaker 3: this one's following. It's all about the here and now
- 0:28Speaker 3: and seeing how everything starts to play out.
- 0:30Speaker 2: We are there.
- 0:30Speaker 1: Yes, it takes a long time, but finally it is
- 0:33Speaker 1: draft day and as you said, we'll finally get some
- 0:36Speaker 1: answers here. Let's start right off with the big question,
- 0:39Speaker 1: Howie Roseman, in your mind, with all the AJ Brown
- 0:42Speaker 1: and an edge rusher, it sounds like, you know, they're
- 0:44Speaker 1: looking for an established edge rusher and all this AJ
- 0:47Speaker 1: Brown stuff. Does that set up for an active night tonight?
- 0:50Speaker 2: For Howie?
- 0:52Speaker 3: It could, but I look at it more through the
- 0:55Speaker 3: lens of day two, especially when it pertains to the
- 0:58Speaker 3: edge rusher such as a I think Grenard perhaps, or
- 1:02Speaker 3: maybe one of the Steelers edge rushers. Alex Heigsmith's a
- 1:04Speaker 3: player who I've been very high on I covered him
- 1:07Speaker 3: extensively in the pre draft process a number of years ago.
- 1:12Speaker 3: Nick Herbig's a name that's floated around, But I would
- 1:15Speaker 3: expect the Eagles regardless, to be active. Tonight feels to
- 1:19Speaker 3: me like it could be a trade up situation for
- 1:23Speaker 3: the Eagles. You look at the offensive tackles, for example,
- 1:27Speaker 3: and there's a world and you don't have to squint
- 1:29Speaker 3: to see it, Mike, that you could see a run
- 1:31Speaker 3: on offensive tackles. And I look at Monroe Freelink from Georgia,
- 1:35Speaker 3: I look at Caden Proctor from Alabama, and all of
- 1:38Speaker 3: a sudden, where the Eagles sit at twenty three. It's
- 1:41Speaker 3: not a slam dunk that either player would be available.
- 1:43Speaker 3: And they profile as Eagles type of picks in the
- 1:47Speaker 3: way that they have rooms to develop and grow athleticism
- 1:51Speaker 3: and what you look for, and I would think that
- 1:54Speaker 3: they would be enticing prospects that would warrant a trade
- 1:57Speaker 3: up if the board falls a certain way.
- 2:00Speaker 2: All right, twenty three.
- 2:02Speaker 1: You know we've been talking about this a lot, but
- 2:03Speaker 1: now let's draft a Do you like that spot to
- 2:06Speaker 1: find a player who can play Day one?
- 2:11Speaker 3: Yes, but it shouldn't be a determining factor, meaning if
- 2:15Speaker 3: you have an opportunity to get a Caden Proctor, I
- 2:17Speaker 3: think he can slide inside and play guard for a year,
- 2:20Speaker 3: and he's a little bit more of a polished product
- 2:21Speaker 3: than let's say a' monroe freeling or a Maxi Hunter Chore.
- 2:25Speaker 3: But I don't think that that should be, you know,
- 2:27Speaker 3: the be all end all if you are confident in
- 2:31Speaker 3: the player development aspect of the organization, which the Eagles
- 2:36Speaker 3: have an extensive track record when it comes to that,
- 2:38Speaker 3: and you believe in Chris Cooper the offensive line coach,
- 2:41Speaker 3: that he can mold and develop a young offensive lineman
- 2:45Speaker 3: that may not be quite ready just yet, but has
- 2:47Speaker 3: the tools to become, you know, a prominent player and
- 2:53Speaker 3: a high ceiling type of guy. I think you go
- 2:55Speaker 3: that route as well. So it shouldn't always be viewed
- 2:59Speaker 3: as you gotta find the starter. The draft is about
- 3:01Speaker 3: the future, and the Eagles look at it through the
- 3:05Speaker 3: lens of what is this player going to be in
- 3:07Speaker 3: year two and year three and how does that project?
- 3:10Speaker 2: All? Right?
- 3:11Speaker 1: There's so many different positions here, so I want to
- 3:13Speaker 1: get your take on the guy that you like the
- 3:17Speaker 1: best in the positions they need. Let's start at trade
- 3:19Speaker 1: in and if ken Young Sadik is there number one,
- 3:22Speaker 1: you think he'll be there at twenty three?
- 3:24Speaker 2: No, I don't, So you don't.
- 3:25Speaker 1: Think he'll be there, Well, he'd be in in spot
- 3:27Speaker 1: that you could trade up to get him, and would
- 3:29Speaker 1: you do that?
- 3:31Speaker 3: So I look at the Ravens at fourteen, and they
- 3:34Speaker 3: lost Isaiah likely they lost Charlie Kohler in free agency.
- 3:38Speaker 3: Mark Andrews is a little bit of an older player
- 3:41Speaker 3: at this stage. He gets banged up from time to time.
- 3:44Speaker 3: They might be a spot that would make some sense
- 3:46Speaker 3: for ken Yanzadek, which would be higher than he's been
- 3:49Speaker 3: widely projected to go. Then you look at the mid
- 3:53Speaker 3: round or the middle of the first round. You have
- 3:55Speaker 3: the Buccaneers at fifteen, the Lions have Sam Laporter, they're
- 3:59Speaker 3: good there. But then the Carolina Panthers at nineteen could
- 4:02Speaker 3: be in play to give Bryce Young another weapon. So
- 4:06Speaker 3: if that scenario unfolds Mike and he's available when picked
- 4:11Speaker 3: nineteen rolls around, that would be a case where I
- 4:14Speaker 3: could see the Eagles being aggressive and trying to get
- 4:17Speaker 3: their guy who can be an impact player, someone who's
- 4:21Speaker 3: an offensive weapon and gives Jalen Hurts another option in
- 4:25Speaker 3: the passing game. And we know that Sean Mannion is
- 4:28Speaker 3: coming from a background that really utilizes the tight ends,
- 4:32Speaker 3: and so that would give them their tight end of
- 4:35Speaker 3: the future. But if he's off the board as early
- 4:39Speaker 3: as fourteen, let's say, or maybe even earlier with the
- 4:42Speaker 3: Kansas City Chiefs, depending on how you know, how they've
- 4:46Speaker 3: prioritized that in light of Travis Kelcey and how long
- 4:50Speaker 3: he's going to be playing for, I mean, he could
- 4:53Speaker 3: be off the board well before that even becomes a
- 4:55Speaker 3: realistic probability.
- 4:57Speaker 2: Is there another tight end at twenty three or is
- 4:59Speaker 2: he the only one?
- 5:01Speaker 3: No, he would be the only one. He's the only
- 5:03Speaker 3: player that I have a first round grade on.
- 5:06Speaker 1: Okay, going off of Adam Kaplan's list from our Tuesday
- 5:10Speaker 1: Football for of a successful draft, So let's go. He says,
- 5:14Speaker 1: finding a right tackle of the future. Is that player
- 5:17Speaker 1: there at twenty three?
- 5:19Speaker 3: Yes? And to highlight a couple of players if they
- 5:23Speaker 3: stand padd at twenty three, Blake Miller from Clemson is
- 5:26Speaker 3: a really polished product. He's solid. You know that he's
- 5:30Speaker 3: going to be a steady and consistent pro. Maybe doesn't
- 5:32Speaker 3: have the upside of some of those other guys. But
- 5:35Speaker 3: then I look at Maxi Hunterchor from Arizona State, a
- 5:38Speaker 3: little bit more of a project, hasn't been playing football
- 5:41Speaker 3: all that long. But when you look at the traits,
- 5:45Speaker 3: the athleticism, the power, the movement ability, and you project
- 5:49Speaker 3: that over a career. Knowing that the Eagles don't necessarily
- 5:52Speaker 3: look for a double or trying to get a triple,
- 5:55Speaker 3: they look for that home run. That would be a
- 5:58Speaker 3: player that would make a lot of sense and really
- 6:01Speaker 3: reflect how the team views guys with higher ceilings. So
- 6:06Speaker 3: those are two players right there. Omark Cooper Junior, the
- 6:09Speaker 3: wide receiver at Indiana, I think goes a little higher.
- 6:13Speaker 3: And you know, if they were to hold at twenty three,
- 6:16Speaker 3: I think those two guys would be would be in play.
- 6:19Speaker 2: Okay, let's go to a edge, Rusher.
- 6:22Speaker 1: I know your latest article over at Inside the Birds
- 6:25Speaker 1: dot Com looks at the most likely first round edge.
- 6:29Speaker 1: That is a spot where they surely I think we
- 6:31Speaker 1: all agree right. In fact, I think the Eagles are
- 6:34Speaker 1: You know, they told us last year they entered with
- 6:36Speaker 1: Smith and Hunt and then they went out got Zidarius
- 6:39Speaker 1: with then they traded for Jalen Pilps. So it sounds
- 6:41Speaker 1: like they don't think they have enough so twenty three edge.
- 6:46Speaker 3: Yeah, I don't believe that they do have enough their mic.
- 6:48Speaker 3: They still need that headliner.
- 6:50Speaker 2: Now.
- 6:51Speaker 3: Is it fair to expect that a first round edge
- 6:53Speaker 3: rusher can fulfill that role? Maybe not in year one,
- 6:56Speaker 3: but you're projecting out towards the future. The player who
- 6:59Speaker 3: would make some sense for the Eagles as Keldrip Falk
- 7:02Speaker 3: from Auburn, but I'm not exactly sure if he would
- 7:05Speaker 3: be there at twenty three. But that may only require
- 7:08Speaker 3: a slight trade up. When I look at the Dallas
- 7:10Speaker 3: Cowboys at twenty and knowing that edge rusher is such
- 7:13Speaker 3: a priority for them and they're trying to give Christian
- 7:16Speaker 3: Parker some pieces to work with and fortify that side
- 7:19Speaker 3: of the ball, that would make a lot of sense there.
- 7:22Speaker 3: But yeah, I mean Keldric Funk when you look at
- 7:24Speaker 3: what he can provide, like six foot six, two hundred
- 7:27Speaker 3: and seventy six pounds, he's twenty one years old. Yes,
- 7:29Speaker 3: the sack production hasn't been there ten sacks over the
- 7:33Speaker 3: thirty two stars at Auburn, so that certainly is going
- 7:37Speaker 3: to cause some apprehension as well as schematic fit. Knowing
- 7:42Speaker 3: that he has you know, he weighs two seventy six.
- 7:45Speaker 3: How is he more of a four to three defensive end?
- 7:48Speaker 3: How does he project in the three four? Can he
- 7:50Speaker 3: drop in the coverage if you need him to? But
- 7:52Speaker 3: I think in this case you would you would bank
- 7:54Speaker 3: on the upside and know that he can he can
- 7:56Speaker 3: rush from inside, he can move all round formation, and
- 8:01Speaker 3: maybe down the road he becomes that headliner that we
- 8:04Speaker 3: just talked about.
- 8:05Speaker 1: All right, we'll talk with Andrew to checko football at four.
- 8:07Speaker 1: These are some of the areas the Eagles need. And
- 8:09Speaker 1: Andrews given us some of his favorite guys at those
- 8:13Speaker 1: positions at twenty three. I gotta find it hard to
- 8:15Speaker 1: believe at twenty three there's a safety there.
- 8:18Speaker 2: I think we think they need a safety, but it's.
- 8:20Speaker 1: Gonna be probably a second or third round maybe later
- 8:23Speaker 1: to find that spot.
- 8:26Speaker 2: Yeah.
- 8:26Speaker 3: I mean Emmanuel McNeil Warren from Toledo is a player
- 8:29Speaker 3: that I don't think that they would be a reach
- 8:31Speaker 3: if he comes off the board twenty three, twenty four
- 8:34Speaker 3: to twenty five or shortly thereafter, because he has qualities
- 8:39Speaker 3: that I think are going to endear himself to an
- 8:42Speaker 3: NFL defensive coordinator when it comes to taking the football
- 8:45Speaker 3: away high level football IQ the length and speed he
- 8:49Speaker 3: can cover a lot of ground, and aside from that,
- 8:53Speaker 3: I really don't see another safety who would make sense.
- 8:56Speaker 3: I name to keep an eye on who I think
- 8:57Speaker 3: could enter the late first round conversation perhaps or go
- 9:02Speaker 3: high in the second round would be trading Stookes from Arizona.
- 9:06Speaker 3: He's a nickelback. I think he projects more as a safety,
- 9:10Speaker 3: but his stock has risen pretty steadily throughout the process,
- 9:13Speaker 3: especially late here. But as far as being able to
- 9:16Speaker 3: fit at twenty three, it would only be Emmanuel McNeil
- 9:19Speaker 3: Warren in my estimation.
- 9:20Speaker 1: It's stuff from Andrew here giving you some names to watch.
- 9:23Speaker 1: When the Eagles are on the board at number twenty three,
- 9:25Speaker 1: what do you think about corner? Obviously they've got quinnyon,
- 9:29Speaker 1: They've got Cooper, they signed Woolen, so it sounds like
- 9:31Speaker 1: they have a starting secondary for this season, but they
- 9:36Speaker 1: do they need to find maybe that guy for the future.
- 9:39Speaker 3: Yeah, they're set for this year, but when you look
- 9:42Speaker 3: with the long term view in mind, they need to
- 9:45Speaker 3: add another piece to complement Quinnon. Mitchell and Cooper de
- 9:48Speaker 3: Gene instead of having that revolving door at corner of
- 9:51Speaker 3: Dori Jackson, riek one and so at twenty three. I
- 9:55Speaker 3: believe that someone like Chris Johnson from San Diego State,
- 9:58Speaker 3: who I interviewed on the Czech o'dely for Inside the
- 10:02Speaker 3: Birds high character. He did very well at the Senior
- 10:07Speaker 3: Bowl at the NFL scouting combine. He's a really clean
- 10:11Speaker 3: prospect and to me, when I watch the way that
- 10:13Speaker 3: he plays and being able to play manner zone pretty
- 10:17Speaker 3: comfortably reads the eyes of quarterbacks, a savvy football player
- 10:22Speaker 3: that to me suggests that he could be a plug
- 10:24Speaker 3: and play option for someone like Vick Fangio.
- 10:27Speaker 2: All right, good stuff here.
- 10:28Speaker 1: Obviously, you know we're looking at right tackles for the
- 10:31Speaker 1: future because we think Lane has done. But what about
- 10:33Speaker 1: some interior stuff? Is that an area? I mean, do
- 10:35Speaker 1: you draft a guard at twenty three if that's I mean, obviously,
- 10:39Speaker 1: if it's the best player avail, will you go that route?
- 10:41Speaker 1: But is there a guy interior that could be in
- 10:44Speaker 1: play here?
- 10:46Speaker 3: Well? Vega Ione from Penn State is the head of
- 10:48Speaker 3: the class here. But again I look at the Ravens
- 10:51Speaker 3: at fourteen that could be in play, but I think
- 10:58Speaker 3: he's more of a top half of the first round
- 11:00Speaker 3: kind of player. But I think that he has all
- 11:03Speaker 3: pro upside should he slip down the board, that's that's
- 11:07Speaker 3: a trade up candidate for certain, if I'm the Eagles.
- 11:10Speaker 3: But beyond that, Mike, you could convert a Caden Props
- 11:15Speaker 3: to guard year one. You could ask Maxi Hanachor to
- 11:20Speaker 3: play guard in year one, though he does need a
- 11:23Speaker 3: little bit more refinement to his game. But then if
- 11:26Speaker 3: you trade down, let's say in the first round, cast
- 11:28Speaker 3: the Stonus from Saint em that's a player at the
- 11:31Speaker 3: Eagles reportedly hosted on a thirty visit. I love the
- 11:33Speaker 3: way that he plays Nate, tenacious, nasty player that would
- 11:37Speaker 3: really fit well with the expected schematic changes up front
- 11:41Speaker 3: under Shawn ma In. Then you have some guys that
- 11:44Speaker 3: I think you know, whether it's Keelan Rutledge in the
- 11:47Speaker 3: second round or maybe a Caleb Tiernan from Northwestern who's
- 11:50Speaker 3: a tackle by trade six foot eight, but he only
- 11:53Speaker 3: has thirty two and some odd inch arms, which to
- 11:56Speaker 3: me suggests that a move inside could be imminent. So yes,
- 11:59Speaker 3: there are some names, but I think at twenty three
- 12:01Speaker 3: that's kind of no man's land as far as guards go.
- 12:06Speaker 1: All right, Andrew, let's take a look at some of
- 12:08Speaker 1: the stuff in front of Philadelphia real quick, because well
- 12:12Speaker 1: real quick, back on the Eagles in terms of wide receiver,
- 12:15Speaker 1: we didn't really get our hands dirty much on there.
- 12:17Speaker 1: We know the AJ Brown stuff. It sounds like it's
- 12:20Speaker 1: imminent that he will be dealt after this draft.
- 12:23Speaker 2: So at twenty three, is.
- 12:27Speaker 1: There enough talent at twenty three that you would say
- 12:29Speaker 1: they would take a receiver and replenish that spot or
- 12:32Speaker 1: do they think they have enough there with what they've
- 12:34Speaker 1: done this offseason.
- 12:36Speaker 3: Well, I don't believe that they have enough there currently.
- 12:39Speaker 3: Although it is worth pointing out that what we're expecting
- 12:42Speaker 3: to see from Sean Manny and given his prior influences,
- 12:45Speaker 3: is an offense that spreads the football round. So if
- 12:49Speaker 3: you add another tight end, let's say an Eli Stowers
- 12:51Speaker 3: in round two, you couple that with Dallas Gotter and
- 12:54Speaker 3: the receivers that you have in place, that in theory,
- 12:57Speaker 3: could be enough to offset the loss of an AJ Brown.
- 12:59Speaker 3: Depends on you look at it. But if you're asking me,
- 13:02Speaker 3: which you are, I don't believe that they have enough there.
- 13:04Speaker 3: At wide receiver. Do I think that there's one worth
- 13:07Speaker 3: taking at twenty three? Omar Cooper Junior would be my guy,
- 13:10Speaker 3: but I think that he goes a little earlier. Then
- 13:13Speaker 3: you have Denzel Boston. I'm not overly enthused with the player.
- 13:18Speaker 3: I have questions about his long term viability being that
- 13:21Speaker 3: difference maker, and I liked a lot of the talent
- 13:24Speaker 3: in the second round. My Chris Bell, the wide receiver
- 13:27Speaker 3: from Louisville, could be in play at fifty four. Would
- 13:30Speaker 3: be a really good fit for the Eagles. Reminds me
- 13:32Speaker 3: a lot of AJ Brown and body type skill set
- 13:35Speaker 3: and run after the catch ability, sort of a bully
- 13:39Speaker 3: when it comes to imposing his will on defensive backs.
- 13:42Speaker 3: Jeremy Bernard from Alabama's another player who I like could
- 13:46Speaker 3: slot in around that range. Then you go a little
- 13:48Speaker 3: bit beyond that, you have Ted Hurst. You have Antonio Williams.
- 13:51Speaker 3: That would be pretty good fits for the Eagles as well,
- 13:54Speaker 3: and I think they could be early in pac type
- 13:56Speaker 3: of guys that you work in in a rotation of players.
- 14:00Speaker 1: Right man, I know that quarterback Jalen Hurts most people
- 14:04Speaker 1: will understand is firmly in here. But would you be shocked.
- 14:08Speaker 1: If they took a quarter not at twenty three, that
- 14:10Speaker 1: would be shocking. But they did take Jalen in the
- 14:12Speaker 1: second round a couple of years ago, and that shocked people,
- 14:15Speaker 1: and that started basically the era that we're in right now.
- 14:19Speaker 1: They took him, that put the pressure on Wentz. And
- 14:22Speaker 1: here we are fifty four second two third round picks.
- 14:26Speaker 1: I know that's fodder for maybe tomorrow, but is quarterback something?
- 14:31Speaker 1: And by the way, could tonight a Tanner McKey trait
- 14:33Speaker 1: be in play? What's your take on the quarterback position.
- 14:37Speaker 3: Well, it wouldn't surprise me if the Eagles take a quarterback.
- 14:40Speaker 3: But where the Eagles take a quarterback, Well, that's a
- 14:42Speaker 3: different conversation. So I look at it. It would be
- 14:46Speaker 3: reasonable to expect anywhere from pick ninety eight in the
- 14:49Speaker 3: third round or one fourteen, right around that range to
- 14:53Speaker 3: take a quarterback. You're getting you would be getting a
- 14:56Speaker 3: cost controlled option. It's not a dart throw like Kile
- 15:00Speaker 3: McCord was or at Clayton Thorson some years past. Wherever
- 15:03Speaker 3: you take a player in that area of the draft,
- 15:06Speaker 3: they're going to be a part of your team. So
- 15:08Speaker 3: you have to feel pretty convinced that they're going to
- 15:12Speaker 3: project as a high end backup or maybe an asset
- 15:14Speaker 3: down the road. But I think Garrett meus Meyer from
- 15:17Speaker 3: LSU would be a really good fit at either like
- 15:20Speaker 3: ninety eight or one fourteen. And you look at his
- 15:24Speaker 3: play from last season. It tailed off a little bit,
- 15:26Speaker 3: but there's a reason for that. He was playing through
- 15:29Speaker 3: something that was revealed a couple of days ago, and
- 15:31Speaker 3: I think because of that, that could knock him a
- 15:34Speaker 3: little bit further down draft boards than he wouldn't ordinarily
- 15:37Speaker 3: have been, and that could provide some pretty good value there.
- 15:40Speaker 2: All right.
- 15:41Speaker 1: Obviously we have no idea what how he's going to do.
- 15:44Speaker 1: He's always active, he's always looking. Last one I want
- 15:46Speaker 1: to get for you real quick. Would you give up
- 15:48Speaker 1: fifty four for Gernard?
- 15:51Speaker 3: Yes? I would, because I'm not unless you and you
- 15:54Speaker 3: have no way of being certain, but the likelihood of
- 15:58Speaker 3: pick fifty four giving you the same kind of production
- 16:02Speaker 3: that Jonathan Grenard would certainly this season. Yeah. I mean,
- 16:07Speaker 3: I think you take the swing and you get the
- 16:09Speaker 3: established player that's really what that room needs right now,
- 16:12Speaker 3: and then you could add another young player to balance
- 16:14Speaker 3: things out and give you another building block at that position,
- 16:18Speaker 3: but they sorely need a headliner that can absorb a
- 16:22Speaker 3: lot of snaps. They're a known commodity and they're going
- 16:25Speaker 3: to command attention from the offensive line and take away
- 16:28Speaker 3: some attention from the Jaylox Huns and Nolan Smith's of
- 16:31Speaker 3: the world.
- 16:31Speaker 1: All right, good stuff, Andrew, to check O. Great work
- 16:33Speaker 1: on the draft this year. Always good to catch up
- 16:36Speaker 1: with you on that. Ultimately your crystal ball for the
- 16:39Speaker 1: Philadelphia Eagles tonight. Do they stay at twenty three. If
- 16:42Speaker 1: they do, who do they take or do you have
- 16:43Speaker 1: some other scenario in your head.
- 16:47Speaker 3: I'll say they trade up a little bit and take
- 16:50Speaker 3: Monroe Freeling, the offensive tackle from Georgia.
- 16:54Speaker 2: All right, there you go.
- 16:55Speaker 1: Keep that in mind when you're watching the draft tonight,
- 16:58Speaker 1: and don't forget all of Andrew Drew's draft coverage at
- 17:01Speaker 1: Inside the Birds dot Com and of course Football at
- 17:04Speaker 1: four will be recapping it all right here on the
- 17:06Speaker 1: Sports Bash.
- 17:07Speaker 2: Andrew, Merry Christmas Man, enjoy the draft.
- 17:11Speaker 3: Thanks Mike, Thanks Mike, Talk soon man.
- 17:13Speaker 1: Andrew great on the draft as always this year, and
- 17:15Speaker 1: we appreciate him as always. Jumping on board