February 05, 2024
As a reminder, the Eagles are currently projected to have 8 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. While it's likely that Howie Roseman will move up and/or down the board as he usually does, we'll play it straight here and simply act as though the Eagles will stick and pick.
Fuaga is a RT prospect from Oregon State with prototype size and plenty of athleticism who is beginning to get some first round love. In pass protection, Fuaga can retreat with quick feet and wait for rushers to come to him (Jeff Stoutland style), or attack at the snap near the line of scrimmage (Howard Mudd style).
In the run game, he can move bodies against their will and reset the line of scrimmage. But it's his explosiveness when he pulls to the outside or when he bolts to the second level that is what has scouts excited. You can see all of those traits on display here in his game against Utah earlier this season:
Fuaga's fit in Philly is pretty easy. He can understudy under Lane Johnson for however long Johnson wants to continue to play while also potentially cross-training at RG in the short-term. The Eagles could have a hole at RG if Jason Kelce retires and Cam Jurgens replaces him at center.
In the locker room after the Eagles' loss to the Bucs, Johnson said that he thinks he has "a few good years left," and while that may be true, he turns 34 in May and the Eagles have a consistent history of putting succession plans in place years in advance along the offensive line.
The Eagles could also certainly go defense with their first-round pick, as they have with each of their last three first-round picks (Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, Jalen Carter), but as a reminder, offensive line will always be a top priority.
Lassiter is a physical, confident, competitive corner, but one who lacks ideal size, at a listed height/weight of 6'0, 180. He is an aggressive tackler on the perimeter in the run game and on quick screens, and he has both short area quickness as well as long speed to stick with receivers. Some highlights from this season.
On the downside, Lassiter only has 1 career INT, and he can be a little grabby in coverage.
He could potentially be a starting slot corner initially, and eventually take over for Darius Slay after this season.
Cooper had a breakout season for Texas A&M in 2023, filling up the stat sheet with 84 tackles (17 for loss), 8 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. He has good length, he's explosive, he's physical, and he's fun to watch. The play at the 0:34 mark is special:
Edgerrin Cooper Highlights vs USC
— Aggie Highlights (@aggie_highlight) November 1, 2023
Best LB in College Football pic.twitter.com/G1YK0GDFBp
He also has some ability in coverage:
Cooper vs Wheel pic.twitter.com/3UFQzeJw4l
— Tim Verghese (@timvfilmburner) September 19, 2022
The Eagles spent third-round picks on Davion Taylor in 2020 and Nakobe Dean in 2022. Taylor busted and Dean has been a disappointment so far.
If you'll recall, in the 2017 draft, the Eagles drafted cornerbacks Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas, neither of whom panned out in Philly. As a result, the Eagles were eventually forced to overpay a bit to a acquire a corner, which wound up being Darius Slay. That's not an apples-to-apples comparison, but it's close enough. The point is that the Eagles' linebackers were exposed all season, and they're going to have to raise their commitment to fixing the position, whether that's in the draft or in free agency.
Smith is a Philly product who originally enrolled at West Virginia but transferred to Georgia, where he played the star (safety / slot / linebacker hybrid) position in the Bulldogs' defense. He's a big hitter with instincts, and he became a ball hawk this season (4 INTs). He also makes a lot of plays in the defensive backfield for a defensive back.
When @GeorgiaFootball needed a defensive play, Tykee Smith delivered 💥 pic.twitter.com/n0zZbI6W7C
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 4, 2023
The Eagles should be in on tough players with safety / slot corner versatility, and Smith applies.
If some of you have some Georgia player fatigue, I get that. I just like Lassiter and Smith, and think they're both good fits. 🤷♂️
Eboigbe suffered a serious neck injury in 2022, but he rebounded and had a really nice season in 2023. He was mainly thought of as a run stuffer throughout his Bama career, but he turned it on as a pass rusher in 2023, as he had 7 sacks to go along with 64 tackles. Eboigbe has some inside-outside versatility, and some nasty in his game. Here he is killing Texas A&M's RT for a safety.
+2✅
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) October 7, 2023
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/OYlKG9CQIx
I like him as a versatile rotational guy.
Limmer has played both at center and guard for Arkansas, and squat alert 🚨, he can squat 700 pounds.
Arkansas’ Beaux Limmer with a smooth 700 pound squat. pic.twitter.com/PeAPbJ5Jce
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) August 2, 2023
As we all know, squatting massive amounts of weight = Brotherly Shove success!
But also, the Eagles need more interior offensive line depth. If Jason Kelce retires this offseason, as is expected, then Cam Jurgens will move to center, and the Eagles will have to fill in someone (Tyler Steen?) at RG. The only other player currently on the 53-man roster who could play center would be Landon Dickerson, who of course starts at LG. Limmer played at RG and C at Arkansas and would give the Eagles some interior offensive line versatility off the bench.
Bell is South Carolina transfer who served as a Swiss army knife in the Seminoles' offense, lining up at TE, in the slot, out wide, and in the backfield. Despite playing in an offense with RB Trey Benson and future high pick WRs Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson, Bell managed to put up good production in 2023, catching 39 passes for 503 yards (11.9 YPC) and 2 TDs.
He can catch and run:
South Carolina’s TE Jaheim Bell (@dba_bell) reached a max speed of 20.4 mph on this 66-yard touchdown. Bell is listed at 6’3” 230. @DukesMayoBowl | @GamecockFB pic.twitter.com/sNhrVMpb67
— Reel Analytics (@RAanalytics) December 30, 2021
More catch and run:
South Carolina transfer Jaheim Bell scores his first touchdown in a Florida State uniform to all but put LSU away 😲pic.twitter.com/uFP0g8maXk
— 247Sports (@247Sports) September 4, 2023
And he can block.
Jaheim Bell waving Jordan Travis into the end zone while serving as his lead blocker is very cool. pic.twitter.com/LMXL6Ojyqq
— Curt Weiler (@CurtMWeiler) October 23, 2023
Will new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore want a fullback for his offense? He had them in Dallas, but not in L.A. with the Chargers. Maybe a tight end who can do some fullback-like things, like Bell?
Washington finished fourth in the nation in receiving yards. He had 110 catches for 1426 yards (13.0 YPC) and 9 TDs. He produced at least 100 yards receiving in 10 of 12 games for Virginia:
| Opponent | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| Tennessee | 4 | 29 | 7.3 | 0 |
| James Madison | 5 | 119 | 23.8 | 1 |
| Maryland | 9 | 141 | 15.7 | 0 |
| North Carolina State | 10 | 170 | 17.0 | 2 |
| Boston College | 9 | 97 | 10.8 | 1 |
| William and Mary | 7 | 112 | 16.0 | 1 |
| North Carolina | 12 | 115 | 9.6 | 1 |
| Miami | 12 | 152 | 12.7 | 0 |
| Georgia Tech | 11 | 109 | 9.9 | 0 |
| Louisville | 9 | 155 | 17.2 | 1 |
| Duke | 8 | 112 | 14.0 | 2 |
| Virginia Tech | 14 | 115 | 8.2 | 0 |
Virginia stunk in 2023 (they went 3-9), so Washington was a rare bright spot, but he also flew under the radar a bit. He is built like a running back, and he gets yards after the catch. He is also capable of making plays down the field from the slot.
Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Julio Jones are all free agents. Washington would be a nice fit as an extension of the run game on the perimeter, and a guy who can take advantage of favorable matchups over the middle.
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