September 26, 2015
As long as you're taking in some college football games today, here are some players who could make some sense for the Eagles in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Lyons was originally recruited by Jim Harbaugh to play at Stanford. This offseason, he transferred from Stanford to Michigan to finally play for Harbaugh after a four-year stint with the 49ers. At Stanford, Lyons was the prototypical big, press corner the Eagles have targeted since Chip Kelly became the Eagles' head coach.
However, he has not possessed the ball skills the Eagles prefer. Of the 31 cornerbacks that were selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, the three corners the Eagles drafted all landed among the top six players in pass breakups the last two years, including the #1 overall player, sixth round pick JaCorey Shepherd, who had 28. By comparison, over the last two seasons, Lyons had a grand total of five.
This season, Lyons moved to safety, which makes him somewhat of a "reverse Eric Rowe." But certainly, the Eagles value versatility from their defensive backs, and Lyons fits the bill.
Henry may be the best TE prospect in this year's class, which is another weak one.
Zach Ertz is the long-term starter at TE, as Brent Celek's receptions, yards, and first down catches have declined (or stayed the same) in each of the last four years.
| Brent Celek | Catches | Yards | First downs |
| 2011 | 62 | 811 | 35 |
| 2012 | 57 | 684 | 32 |
| 2013 | 32 | 502 | 22 |
| 2014 | 32 | 340 | 16 |
Celek is the best blocking tight end on the team, but his blocking ability doesn't warrant the $5 million he'll count against the cap in 2016 if he continues to be less and less productive as a receiver.
This past offseason, the Eagles brought in a number of tight ends for pre-draft visits, and they signed three undrafted tight ends at the conclusion of the draft. None of them were good enough to stick, but their actions would indicate that they were perhaps trying to develop a TE to eventually take over for Celek.
Henry could pair with Ertz to form one of the best TE duos in the NFL. Henry's career numbers at Arkansas so far:
| Year | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2013 | 28 | 409 | 14.6 | 4 |
| 2014 | 37 | 513 | 13.9 | 2 |
| 2015 (3 games) | 14 | 191 | 13.6 | 1 |
Texas A&M is an offensive tackle factory, and Ifedi could be the fourth OT selected out of Texas A&M in the first round in as many years:
| Year | Player | Team | Draft position |
| 2013 | Luke Joeckel | Jaguars | 2nd overall |
| 2014 | Jake Matthews | Falcons | 6th overall |
| 2015 | Cedric Ogbuehi | Bengals | 21st overall |
The Eagles' needs along the offensive line are obvious after just two games this season. They need to replace both of their guards, and Jason Peters' time in the NFL is winding down. Ifedi doesn't fit the profile of the offensive linemen we typically associate with the Eagles, in that he's not a super-athletic guy who is great at getting out into space in the screen game and at the second level.
However, what he does do well is move players off the line of scrimmage against their will. Ifedi received a second round grade from the NFL's advisory committee last offseason, but he opted to stay in school for his junior year. Ifedi played RG in 2013, RT in 2014, and he'll stay at RT in 2015. In terms of his fit with the Eagles, Ifedi could potentially fit at RT (with Lane Johnson moving to LT), or at RG. Here's his 2014 game against Ole Miss, where you get to see him work at times against potential top 5 overall pick Robert Nkemdiche. Ifedi's arms are bigger than my legs:
Westerman is a former bigtime high school recruit (27th in the country by Rivals.com), who is an athletic freak. Here he is benching 315 pounds 20 times.
He reportedly benched 225 pounds (the weight used at the Combine) 41 times. Westerman is among the best guards in college football, and should be of obvious interest to the Eagles.
Kessler's 2014 numbers were outstanding: 69.7 completion percentage, 8.5 yards per attempt, 39 TD passes, 5 interceptions. His 2015 so far are ridiculous: 78.7 completion percentage, 10.4 yards per attempt, 10 TD passes, 0 interceptions. Because of his breakout season in 2014 and his early-season success in 2015, Kessler is thought of by some as a potential Heisman candidate.
Chip Kelly has brought in two USC quarterbacks in Matt Barkley and Mark Sanchez, which is worth noting, and Kessler has the kind of intangibles that could impress Kelly, like Barkley's did a few years ago.
Personally, I'm not a huge fan, although I could see the Eagles having interest. A few months ago, we did an in-depth profile on Kessler, in case you're not sold on Sam Bradford.
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski
