Latest / Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast / The DiCecco Daily: Two Prospects Who'd Be Good Fits For The Eagles
Transcript
- 0:09Speaker 1: What's going on?
- 0:10Speaker 2: Everyone, Welcome into another episode of the check O Daily.
- 0:13Speaker 2: Andrew decheco Eagles beat reporter Friendsidethebirds dot Com and we're
- 0:18Speaker 2: gonna talk about a couple of different things today. It's
- 0:21Speaker 2: kind of like a Schmrgesborg, if you will, of topics.
- 0:24Speaker 2: But I want to get into specifically a prospect on
- 0:28Speaker 2: offense and a prospect on defense as it pertains to
- 0:31Speaker 2: the NFL Draft and why I like the player and
- 0:35Speaker 2: their fit for the Philadelphia Eagles. The first player is
- 0:39Speaker 2: a wide receiver by the name of Ted Hurst. Now,
- 0:42Speaker 2: he went to Georgia State, and years ago when I
- 0:47Speaker 2: was covering the different conferences, I focused on the Sun
- 0:53Speaker 2: Belt Conference a lot, so I was privy to the
- 0:56Speaker 2: Coast of Carolina guys and just a lot of those
- 1:00Speaker 2: type of players that kind of go under the radar.
- 1:02Speaker 2: So I was sort of clued into Georgia State and
- 1:07Speaker 2: Ted Hurst I was aware of. He goes to the
- 1:09Speaker 2: Senior Bowl and by all accounts perform as well there.
- 1:13Speaker 2: But this is a six foot four, two hundred plus
- 1:16Speaker 2: pound wide receiver had seventy one receptions for over one
- 1:19Speaker 2: thousand yards and six touchdowns last year.
- 1:22Speaker 1: And what I like.
- 1:23Speaker 2: About him is his ability to separate. He can get vertical.
- 1:29Speaker 2: You like the length, he's a very lengthy wide receiver,
- 1:32Speaker 2: but he can really stretch teams and put a unique
- 1:35Speaker 2: stress on defensive backs.
- 1:38Speaker 1: But he's explosive.
- 1:40Speaker 2: Off the line. I like his ability after the catch.
- 1:43Speaker 2: He'll attack the catch point. He tracks the football well.
- 1:46Speaker 2: He's a big time football player that I think you
- 1:49Speaker 2: can move around formations and his best fits going to
- 1:52Speaker 2: be on the boundary. But I think the explosive qualities
- 1:56Speaker 2: and his ability to win in contested cats situations makes
- 2:00Speaker 2: him a really interesting prospect. And I think you're going
- 2:03Speaker 2: to see him go a little bit higher than you
- 2:06Speaker 2: might suggest, or then.
- 2:08Speaker 1: His school might suggest.
- 2:10Speaker 2: Because of the tools that he has, I think he
- 2:12Speaker 2: can be a number two and a high end number
- 2:15Speaker 2: two wide receiver at this next level. And you may
- 2:20Speaker 2: look at the school and that would be you know,
- 2:22Speaker 2: and you may.
- 2:23Speaker 1: Come to a conclusion.
- 2:24Speaker 2: But they always say scout the player, not the helmet,
- 2:27Speaker 2: and ted Hurst is one of my favorite wide receivers
- 2:30Speaker 2: in this draft class. Just go back to what Greg
- 2:32Speaker 2: Cosell had to say about him. I believe his best
- 2:35Speaker 2: football is ahead of him and there are a lot
- 2:39Speaker 2: more that he can do from a route running perspective,
- 2:42Speaker 2: as I should say route tree. He wasn't asked to
- 2:45Speaker 2: do a ton at Georgia State, and he was able
- 2:48Speaker 2: to win exclusively on just being better than everybody else.
- 2:51Speaker 1: But there's nuanced to his game. I could see it there,
- 2:54Speaker 1: and I.
- 2:54Speaker 2: Know that if you get him into a pro system
- 2:57Speaker 2: around NFL coaches there are going to work with him
- 3:01Speaker 2: to really maximize his ability and even take it to
- 3:03Speaker 2: another level. So keep an eye on him. I think
- 3:07Speaker 2: he's someone that is going to is going to have
- 3:11Speaker 2: a long career, and I like the fit in Philadelphia
- 3:14Speaker 2: because you have Deavonte Smith. He can sort of do
- 3:18Speaker 2: it all. He's a three level threat, one of the
- 3:20Speaker 2: best route runners in the game, and criminally underutilized, I
- 3:23Speaker 2: think in this offense at least in years past. And
- 3:27Speaker 2: Hurst gives you someone who can take the top off
- 3:30Speaker 2: of a secondary, a bigger bodied guy, a lengthier type
- 3:34Speaker 2: of guy, and I believe that he could still add
- 3:38Speaker 2: some strength to his frame to really fill that out.
- 3:40Speaker 2: But I believe that those two would compliment each other well.
- 3:43Speaker 2: And I'm not including aj Brown this conversation, but for
- 3:46Speaker 2: right now, he's on the Eagles, and he would also
- 3:49Speaker 2: be obviously in the mix, so that would be quite
- 3:53Speaker 2: a wide receiver trio. And then you have Hollywood Brown
- 3:56Speaker 2: and you see where you go from there. Darius Cooper.
- 3:58Speaker 2: But yeah, I like the fit a bit and I'm
- 4:01Speaker 2: not exactly sure. I want to say probably third round
- 4:04Speaker 2: for him, but he has the upside that to me,
- 4:09Speaker 2: it wouldn't surprise me if he goes late too. But
- 4:12Speaker 2: that's the You're starting to hear his name a lot more.
- 4:15Speaker 2: You get that late serge before the draft, and I
- 4:18Speaker 2: think that there will be a team who really values
- 4:21Speaker 2: what he brings from a size, speed perspective and maybe
- 4:25Speaker 2: takes him a little bit higher than where he's being
- 4:28Speaker 2: projected currently. On the defensive side, I would say defensive lineman.
- 4:32Speaker 2: He's really a defensive tackle. Caleb Procter at a Southeastern Louisiana.
- 4:39Speaker 2: But what I like about him six foot two, two
- 4:41Speaker 2: hundred and ninety one pounds, He's quick, he's explosive. You
- 4:45Speaker 2: talk about his first step quickness and hand utilization. He's
- 4:49Speaker 2: disrupted behind the line of scrimmage. He had thirteen tackles
- 4:53Speaker 2: for loss last season and nine sacks. That's another name
- 4:57Speaker 2: that you're starting to hear creep up boards a little
- 4:59Speaker 2: bit more, but I was, you know, he was on
- 5:02Speaker 2: my radar going into the draft process, and the more
- 5:05Speaker 2: that I watch him, the more that he kind of
- 5:08Speaker 2: reminds me a little bit of Moro Jomo. And size
- 5:12Speaker 2: that Jomo is right around two ninety two ninety five ish,
- 5:16Speaker 2: but the quickness, the violence with the hands, the ability
- 5:20Speaker 2: to provide pressure from the interior and just be sort
- 5:24Speaker 2: of a disruptive force and use the size and leverage.
- 5:28Speaker 1: To your advantage.
- 5:29Speaker 2: Yeah, it kind of reminds me a little bit of
- 5:31Speaker 2: Moro Jomo. And when I look at the Eagles defensive
- 5:33Speaker 2: line situation, I've talked a lot about this, but you've
- 5:37Speaker 2: invested in Jordan Davis, a big payday awaits Jayalen Carter.
- 5:42Speaker 1: What about Moro Jomo.
- 5:43Speaker 2: Well, it's very difficult to envision the Eagles being able
- 5:46Speaker 2: to afford to pay all three players, and a Jomo
- 5:51Speaker 2: offers a skill set I'm talking about the pass rush
- 5:55Speaker 2: aspect of his game that typically commands more money from
- 6:01Speaker 2: prospective suitors, and so it might be a little challenging
- 6:05Speaker 2: to keep Moro Jomo. But this is a good spot
- 6:07Speaker 2: for the Eagles in round four, right around pick one
- 6:11Speaker 2: thirty seven to add a player that gives you rotational
- 6:16Speaker 2: depth but can be someone who can undertake sort of
- 6:20Speaker 2: a Moro Jomo roll down the line. And I think
- 6:23Speaker 2: Caleb Procter is a really interesting player. He has a
- 6:26Speaker 2: number of thirty visits coming up. The anticipation in buzz
- 6:30Speaker 2: is starting to build around him, and I just like
- 6:35Speaker 2: his ability to be a disruptive force and also the
- 6:41Speaker 2: movement ability, the lateral agility that he has. It's an
- 6:46Speaker 2: appealing factor for a defensive lineman. And again, I think
- 6:50Speaker 2: he might be another player I mentioned Ted Hurst. Wouldn't
- 6:53Speaker 2: surprise me at all if Caleb Proctor is someone who
- 6:57Speaker 2: goes a little bit higher than what.
- 7:00Speaker 1: He's currently being projected as.
- 7:03Speaker 2: So I kind of if you're looking for an Eagles comparison,
- 7:07Speaker 2: I would I would say sort of like a Moro
- 7:10Speaker 2: Jomo type of player, might be a little bit longer.
- 7:13Speaker 2: I don't know that he has a Jomo's arm length,
- 7:16Speaker 2: because Caleb Procters is thirty three inches.
- 7:19Speaker 1: I think moros are a little bit longer than that.
- 7:22Speaker 2: But if you're looking for numbers, he ran the forty
- 7:26Speaker 2: yard dash at two hundred and ninety one pounds at
- 7:28Speaker 2: four seven nine. His ten yard split was one six'.
- 7:32Speaker 2: Eight he had a thirty three inch vertical and a
- 7:34Speaker 2: nine to five broad. JUMP i know that there are
- 7:37Speaker 2: some who are curious as to how he, tested and
- 7:40Speaker 2: he was A Southern Conference player of The, year as
- 7:43Speaker 2: one might expect with the thirteen and thirteen tackles for
- 7:47Speaker 2: loss in nine, sacks and he even got his hand
- 7:51Speaker 2: up there a little. Bit he had a couple of pass,
- 7:53Speaker 2: breakups and SO i think that he does have some
- 7:57Speaker 2: really intriguing athletic.
- 7:58Speaker 1: Qualities and you.
- 8:01Speaker 2: Wonder about his build and how that might contribute to
- 8:05Speaker 2: his inefficiencies to consistently, anchor and that's a valid. Concern
- 8:09Speaker 2: but we're talking about a projected fourth round, pick not
- 8:13Speaker 2: a down in and down out. Starter and if you're
- 8:16Speaker 2: looking for a complimentary, piece players who can add some
- 8:19Speaker 2: juice and get after the quarterback are going to be in.
- 8:21Speaker 2: Demand and SO i think that he would be a
- 8:24Speaker 2: really good fit. There and this is an, aside it
- 8:28Speaker 2: has nothing to do with this, podcast But Ty, robinson
- 8:31Speaker 2: last year's fourth round, pick is someone who's under the
- 8:34Speaker 2: microscope for me going into twenty twenty six because of
- 8:39Speaker 2: you could potentially add a player to that.
- 8:41Speaker 1: Group and if they.
- 8:43Speaker 2: Do and you already Have Byron young and you're committed
- 8:46Speaker 2: To Jordan Davis jay When carter is a standout A
- 8:50Speaker 2: jomo is entrenched in his, role what would that mean
- 8:54Speaker 2: For Ty robinson in year, two for a twenty five
- 8:56Speaker 2: year old defensive tackle that's played.
- 8:59Speaker 1: Sparingly it's something to think.
- 9:01Speaker 2: About but that's kind of WHERE i, am AND i
- 9:03Speaker 2: wanted to mention those two players and make sure you
- 9:06Speaker 2: check them out if you get a. Chance but then
- 9:10Speaker 2: THE hbcu and The International Pathway program also held a
- 9:16Speaker 2: showcase which was a pro day for THE ipp, guys
- 9:19Speaker 2: and that was at The Washington commander's facility in Late.
- 9:22Speaker 2: March there's a couple of players who really helped themselves.
- 9:26Speaker 2: THERE u are Spelled Uar bernard And Joshua. Waru bernard,
- 9:35Speaker 2: is as someone told, Me Javon, gopi WHO i spoke
- 9:39Speaker 2: to the other, day who was a pass rush specialist
- 9:43Speaker 2: and AN nfl consultant and he works with THE ipp.
- 9:46Speaker 2: Guys he's in his first fourth, YEAR i should, say
- 9:49Speaker 2: working with that. Program he has a lot of background
- 9:53Speaker 2: on both and SO i reached out to him to
- 9:54Speaker 2: add some more context to the workouts and get some
- 9:59Speaker 2: of a back. Story where are, they, like what's their
- 10:02Speaker 2: background and how did they find these? Players because to,
- 10:05Speaker 2: me that's always something THAT i find to be really.
- 10:09Speaker 1: Interesting and so we'll start WITH THU.
- 10:13Speaker 2: R bernard and he's six foot four and a half
- 10:16Speaker 2: three hundred and six pounds and he has an arm
- 10:19Speaker 2: length of thirty five and three quarter.
- 10:21Speaker 1: Inches that's.
- 10:22Speaker 2: Insane he hit a four to six y three in
- 10:25Speaker 2: the forty yard, dash a thirty nine inch vertical and
- 10:28Speaker 2: a ten foot ten inch broad, jump and he had
- 10:31Speaker 2: thirty one reps on the bench. Press he's a native
- 10:34Speaker 2: Of nigeria and he played basketball growing. Up he was
- 10:39Speaker 2: a forward and a. Center he lost his, father and
- 10:43Speaker 2: you couple that with growing up around a modest income
- 10:47Speaker 2: and the way That gopie explained it to, me it
- 10:50Speaker 2: sort of ignited a fire Inside bernard that he wanted
- 10:54Speaker 2: to take this opportunity and really seize it and and,
- 10:58Speaker 2: go you, know per be able to set his family
- 11:01Speaker 2: up and himself up for long term.
- 11:05Speaker 1: Success and, so, yes he was a basketball player growing.
- 11:09Speaker 2: Up and when they Found bernard he was still two
- 11:15Speaker 2: years he was under he was.
- 11:18Speaker 1: Underaged he still. Was he didn't meet the age.
- 11:23Speaker 2: Requirement they discovered him two years, ago but while he
- 11:26Speaker 2: was playing, basketball he began working out with the understanding
- 11:29Speaker 2: that a future opportunity would be.
- 11:31Speaker 1: IMMINENT i mentioned him losing.
- 11:33Speaker 2: His father and what that meant to, him and he's
- 11:38Speaker 2: now in a position to flip that script and position
- 11:42Speaker 2: himself for long term security and for the security of his.
- 11:46Speaker 2: Family AND i think if you want to hear about
- 11:50Speaker 2: what his singular focus, WAS i have a quote here
- 11:54Speaker 2: That gopi told, me and it was right ahead of
- 11:59Speaker 2: THE i popping. Workout he, Said, Coach i'm not going
- 12:02Speaker 2: back To.
- 12:02Speaker 1: Nigeria he was.
- 12:04Speaker 2: Determined he maximized the opportunity with all thirty two teams on.
- 12:08Speaker 2: Hand and here's a funny, anecdote BECAUSE i think this
- 12:13Speaker 2: adds some more context to. It there was a pretesting
- 12:17Speaker 2: session In london back In october and they were unable
- 12:21Speaker 2: to find a pair of shoes that were sizable enough
- 12:23Speaker 2: to House bernard's, feet and he resorted to attempting the
- 12:27Speaker 2: vertical wearing only, socks and he still soared to thirty eight.
- 12:32Speaker 2: Inches so he's viewed as a interior four eye at
- 12:38Speaker 2: the next, level and he has been in demand in
- 12:42Speaker 2: the ensuing days from. That he has visits on the
- 12:46Speaker 2: docket with The Indianapolis colts And Denver, broncos and AS i,
- 12:50Speaker 2: understand others are rowing. In The eagles have also shown
- 12:54Speaker 2: interest in, him and they boast the face of THE
- 12:57Speaker 2: ipp program And All pro left Tackle Jordan and What
- 13:02Speaker 2: gopi told me is That milatta has frequented The Training Facility,
- 13:08Speaker 2: hub which is located to Extrae performance In Physical therapy
- 13:11Speaker 2: In Fort, Myers, florida and he's been a very prominent
- 13:14Speaker 2: resource for the current group OF ipp, players preparing them
- 13:20Speaker 2: for what's ahead and doing whatever he can to kind
- 13:22Speaker 2: of throw his arm around him and be a.
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- 15:45Speaker 2: Up the other ipp prospect AND i talked about him
- 15:48Speaker 2: a second. Ago was Is Joshua uru who is an edge.
- 15:53Speaker 2: Rusher that's his profile and he's six foot, four two
- 15:57Speaker 2: hundred and forty four, pounds comes from a rugby.
- 16:00Speaker 1: Background he's A kenya. Native.
- 16:03Speaker 2: Well he recorded a four four or five forty yard
- 16:06Speaker 2: dash and posted a forty one inch vertical and an
- 16:09Speaker 2: eleven to two broad, jump and his arm length measured
- 16:12Speaker 2: in at thirty three and a quarter inch and he
- 16:14Speaker 2: had twenty two reps on the bench. PRESS i mentioned
- 16:17Speaker 2: his size, well he profiles as an edge rusher at
- 16:20Speaker 2: the next level and in. Preparation WHAT i learned is
- 16:23Speaker 2: that he would watch film of pro rushers With gopie
- 16:27Speaker 2: practically every other day over the past three, months Including
- 16:30Speaker 2: Denver's Nick, Benito New York's Brian, burns And Philadelphia's Nolan.
- 16:34Speaker 2: Smith he talked about how the tenacity that stems From
- 16:41Speaker 2: maru's rugby, background along with his, explosiveness, intelligence and eagerness
- 16:46Speaker 2: to learn as obvious positives that should help him translate
- 16:51Speaker 2: to the next. Level The Las Vegas raiders And Arizona
- 16:54Speaker 2: cardinals have shown early interest and other teams are expected
- 16:58Speaker 2: to join The. Fray AND i should also add That,
- 17:01Speaker 2: uru Like, bernard should also be viewed as A day three,
- 17:05Speaker 2: candidate which should appeal to a team searching for that
- 17:09Speaker 2: multiple ball clay with potential upside in the final. Rounds
- 17:13Speaker 2: so there's just a spotlight on two ipp prospects that
- 17:17Speaker 2: you probably are going to start to hear about in
- 17:19Speaker 2: the coming days if you haven't. ALREADY i wrote a
- 17:22Speaker 2: story about it On inside The birds Dot. Com there's
- 17:25Speaker 2: some insight there into those, guys And i'm always fascinated with.
- 17:28Speaker 1: THAT i did a story.
- 17:30Speaker 2: WHERE i did some digging when The eagles brought In
- 17:33Speaker 2: lake And, vakalahi just to learn more about.
- 17:35Speaker 1: Him And.
- 17:39Speaker 2: I'm drawing a blank on the players on the tackles
- 17:42Speaker 2: name that The eagles had last, Season Luke. Man it's
- 17:47Speaker 2: going to bother, me but, yes his name. Was his
- 17:49Speaker 2: first name Was. Luke But i'm always interested in that
- 17:52Speaker 2: because when you have a player on The eagles roster
- 17:56Speaker 2: And Jordan, malatta who is one of the best stories
- 17:59Speaker 2: of development that you could. Find The eagles have the
- 18:02Speaker 2: player development staff in place and the, structure and they
- 18:10Speaker 2: have a good eye for, talent and so either one
- 18:14Speaker 2: of those players wouldn't it wouldn't surprise me if with
- 18:18Speaker 2: their final pick On day, three if they were to
- 18:21Speaker 2: look at a player like that and just kind of
- 18:23Speaker 2: bank on the upside and you're coaching staff getting the
- 18:26Speaker 2: most out of, them because they're both really young at
- 18:29Speaker 2: twenty one years. Old AND i just read for you
- 18:32Speaker 2: the eye popping testing numbers that they were able to
- 18:37Speaker 2: kind of put out, there and there's a reasonable upside
- 18:39Speaker 2: for both.
- 18:40Speaker 1: Players but right, now IT'S. U.
- 18:42Speaker 2: R bernard who's drawing a lot of praise and is
- 18:45Speaker 2: sort of the name that's popped up that you're probably
- 18:49Speaker 2: not familiar with that you're seeing a lot more on
- 18:53Speaker 2: social media and you're seeing some stories about. Them so
- 18:56Speaker 2: those are two guys right. There feel free to look
- 18:59Speaker 2: into them a little bit. More and just the possibility
- 19:03Speaker 2: of what they could potentially be or what they what
- 19:07Speaker 2: a team could do with that kind of athleticism is
- 19:10Speaker 2: fascinating on its.
- 19:11Speaker 1: Face but for, now that's going to.
- 19:13Speaker 2: Do it for this episode Of The Checho Daily Andrew
- 19:16Speaker 2: decheco and we'll catch you all on the next.
- 19:18Speaker 1: One