We broke down a ton of prospects as of late. Here is a roundup of the first round prospects we've analyzed.
For the second round, we've covered Brett Hundley, Damarious Randall, and Phillip Dorsett. In the third round, we broke down Owamagbe Odighizuwa.
Here are a few other prospects the Eagles could target in Day Two of the draft.
From Patrick Causey (@PhillySportsJD):
P.J. Williams, CB, FSU
Williams checks off a lot of boxes that the Eagles want at corner. He has good size and athleticism, coming in at 6'0 192 lbs, with a 4.45 40 time. He is a physical, aggressive corner, that excels in press man coverage, using his length to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. He has tremendous timing and ball skills, with the ability to close on the receiver and knock the throw away. He also excels in run support; he is a sure tackler that is not afraid to attack a running back in the open field. While he lacks experience at the safety position, some NFL scouts think he could excel if he makes the switch.
His spider chart shows how explosive he can be with his high scores on vertical and long jumps; however, his speed is not as impressive:
However, his aggressiveness could get him in trouble. He will likely be penalized often until he learns to adjust to the NFL's illegal contact rules. There are also questions about his motor. He showed up in big games, but often disappeared against lesser competition.
While the Eagles have not brought Williams in for a draft visit, he could be a great target for the Eagles in the second round if they decide to go wide receiver or offensive line in the first round.
Devin Smith, WR, OSU
Devin Smith would be an ideal target for the Eagles in the second round. While he claims that he modeled his game off Jeremy Maclin, he has the deep threat ability of another former Eagle, DeSean Jackson. He ranked second in the FBS in yards per catch (27.2), behind only Miami's Phillip Dorsett.
While his 4.42 40 time does not suggest he has the same speed as Jackson, he has a knack for getting behind the defense for a big play. Smith's big play ability would fill a huge void for the Eagles, requiring the defenses they face to respect the deep ball in a way they have not had to do since the Eagles cut DeSean Jackson. As you can see from his spider chart, he scores well in areas that measure explosiveness:
The other reason the Eagles could target Smith is because he excels on special teams. Chip Kelly values versatility, so he could be drawn to the fact that Smith was known as one of the best gunners in college football.
The biggest knock on Smith is that, like Jackson, he struggles against more physical corners. However, he could improve in that regard with strength training and honing his route running ability. If the Eagles do not target a wide receiver in the first round, expect them to give serious consideration to Smith in the second.
Donovan Smith, OL, PSU
Smith has been pegged as a 3rd to 4th round prospect by the media, but reports have emerged about teams, including the Eagles, having Smith pegged as a potential 1st or 2nd round prospect. Smith is 6'6, 338 lbs, and played tackle in college. However, he is projected as a guard at the next level based on his lack of athleticism. He excels in run support, dominating at the point of attack. He also had a great Senior Bowl, where he manhandled defensive lineman all week. But he has limitations in pass protection. The Eagles have shown considerable interest in Smith, so don't be surprised if the Eagles target him. The only question is how soon they will do so.
From Michael Coggin (@mqcoggin)
Chris Conley, WR, Georgia
Conley should come with a disclaimer. I don’t like this guy for Kelly…I love him. He is a larger bodied WR at 6’2” & 213 lbs and was a four-year contributor for the SEC East runner-ups. For those keeping score at home, Jordan Matthews similarly played in the SEC East and clocks-in at 6’3” & 212 lbs. Here is a look at Conley’s production by year:
|
Year |
Catchces |
Yards |
Average |
TDs |
|
2011 |
16 |
288 |
18.0 |
2 |
|
2012 |
20 |
342 |
17.1 |
4 |
|
2013 |
40 |
651 |
14.5 |
6 |
|
2014 |
36 |
657 |
18.3 |
2 |
Are these numbers gaudy? Certainly not. Are they understandable when a guy named Todd Gurley was running rampant in Athens? Definitely. Would they have been higher if a guy not named Hutson Mason had been under center? Undoubtedly.
Depite Mark Richt’s best efforts to keep Conley a secret, the WR had a stellar combine performance that likely propelled his draft value up from a 4th round selection to the 2nd or early 3rd round. Here is his mockdraftable.com spider chart:
Any time you are compared to Calvin Johnson, Andre Johnson, & (to some extent) Donte Moncrief, there is room for you in my organization. Period. Normally, this is where you would see some in game highlights. Instead, this is a video of Conley mic’d up at one of his practices:
This kid is a thinker. He is articulate. He is a leader and is someone that would score through the roof on Kelly’s character scale. In fact, he was selected to the NCAA Student Athlete Advisory Committee as the SEC representative & was elected into Georgia’s Student Athlete Leadership Academy.
…Ok, fine…here are real highlights:
Remember, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews had issues with drops coming out of college as well. I have always felt that ball catching is something that can be improved on over time. Chip’s system is founded on creating spaces & it sounds like that is a particular strength of Conley’s game. Gimme this guy all day long to pair with Jordan Matthews, Josh Huff & Zach Ertz and I’ll show you a well-balanced receiving corps for years to come.
Ali Marpet, OL, Hobart
Ali Marpet (6’4”, 307 lbs) has garnered a lot of attention from the Eagles staff since scouting season opened. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland worked out Marpet at Hobart’s Pro Day. Marpet was also interviewed by the Eagles at the NFL Combine. He is a four year Hobart OL & started 37 of his 43 games there. Here is his spider chart:
For his performance at Hobart & projection to the next level, Marpet was chose as the first Division III player ever to compete at the Senior Bowl last year. Marpet projects as an offensive guard in the NFL: a position of need for a team that lost Herremans this offseason and could move on from Evan Mathis at any moment.
This is a guy that could grow into a starting role in the Chip Kelly offensive scheme. But this is largely speculation & conjecture. The truth is that, until the Senior Bowl, Marpet has never competed against NFL-caliber talent: far from it at Hobart. It would be hard to rationalize a prospect like that in the third round if there were FBS-level athletes available at OL or other positions.
Tre Jackson, OL, Florida State
Here is a four year contributer & 42 game starter for the Seminoles. He missed one game (ankle injury) in the last two seasons combined. Unlike Marpet (above), Jackson not only played against college football’s best but also excelled. In fact, he was a unanimous All American last year & a two-year All-ACC first team OL in 2013 & 2014. At the Senior Bowl, he played well enough to be named South Team MVP.
Right now, Chip Kelly runs the most prolific & rigorous strength & conditioning program in the NFL. If a primary concern is Jackson’s midsection, then it is a concern that you can write-off in Philadelphia. If the concern is Jackson’s ability to play in space & move laterally, then those are likely larger schematic problems for Stoutland & Kelly. Jackson’s spider chart is below:
You would think that with the accolades & evaluations detailed above, Chip & Co. would have spent some time getting to know Jackson. This is not the case as Jackson was not interviewed or worked out (that we know of) by the Eagles. It is possible Chip has the knowledge he needs with the Seminoles’ exposure over the last couple years but, as we know, Kelly tends to drat guys he has met with leading up to the draft. Around the time Jackson (or Marpet) is drafted, NFL teams will start to acquire guys with potential if they believe they can uncover a hidden gem: Jackson could fit that bill.
