December 30, 2017
We're now into the bowl game part of the college football season, as there are games on TV most nights. As long as you're taking in some of the action over the following week, here are some players who could make some sense for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2018 NFL Draft.
In his three years at Washington, Gaskin has been a highly productive running back. If he can gain 43 yards against Penn State, he'll top 4,000 rushing yards in just three seasons:
| Myles Gaskin | Rush | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2015 | 227 | 1302 | 5.7 | 14 |
| 2016 | 237 | 1373 | 5.8 | 10 |
| 2017 | 208 | 1282 | 6.2 | 19 |
| TOTAL | 672 | 3957 | 5.9 | 43 |
Gaskin is a shifty runner who lacks elite speed, and has tackle-breaking ability because of his impressive balance, though he's not a bruiser. He reminds me a little of Kareem Hunt, but smaller. A highlight reel:
Not shown in the above video is what Gaskin's true appeal will be to the Eagles. He is excellent is pass protection, which is something the Eagles lack from their current stable of running backs, after Darren Sproles was lost for the season.
On the season, Hurst has 58 tackles (13 for loss) 5.5 sacks, and a forced fumble. Those numbers aren't eye-popping, but make no mistake, Maurice Hurst is awesome. He's quick, fast, he sheds blocks, and he constantly makes plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage. A highlight reel from 2017:
There's no earthly reason Hurst should be available wherever the Eagles are picking, other than his size. At 6'2, 280, Hurst is far from a prototypical defensive tackle. The NFL has probably learned their lesson on that, after Geno Atkins fell all the way to the fourth round in 2010, and Aaron Donald to the 13th overall pick in 2014, despite being clearly more talented than some of the players taken before him.
But if he were to fall, Hurst would be an outstanding fit along the Eagles' penetrating defensive scheme, even with Fletcher Cox and Timmy Jernigan already occupying a big chunk of the Eagles' salary cap.
Over the last two years, the Eagles have unsuccessfully tried to find a deep threat at wide receiver. They are likely to look for another one this offseason after disappointing seasons from free agent acquisition Torrey Smith and fifth-round draft pick Shelton Gibson.
Tre'Quan Smith is one of many deep threats for the Eagles to consider in this draft class. On the season for the Golden Knights, Smith had 54 catches for 1082 yards (20.0 yards per catch), and 13 TDs. He also had productive freshman and sophomore seasons:
| Tre'Quan Smith | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2015 | 52 | 724 | 13.9 | 4 |
| 2016 | 57 | 853 | 15.0 | 5 |
| 2017 | 54 | 1082 | 20.0 | 13 |
| TOTAL | 163 | 2659 | 16.3 | 22 |
Here are highlights from the UCF-Cincinnati game this season, in which Smith had four touchdowns:
Smith would have been a Chip Kelly favorite, as he is thought of as an excellent blocker, and was named to 2016-17 American All-Academic Team.
When you think of 6'3, 214 safeties, you think of thumpers who play close to the line of scrimmage. While Harrison will make big hits, he is also skilled in coverage, as Bama used him as a deep half safety, with some assignments against some of the better tight ends they faced. A highlight reel:
Ideally, the Eagles would prefer their safeties to also be able to cover slot receivers, and I'm not sure Harrison can do that at the pro level. Then again, most safeties cannot. Harrison could flourish in more of a Rodney McLeod type of role, and they may even think of him as a linebacker prospect.
O'Daniel is an undersized linebacker at just 215 pounds, but he is a playmaker. In 2017, he filled up the stat sheet, making 84 tackles (10.5 for loss), 5 sacks, 5 pass breakups, 2 fumble recoveries, and 2 INTs, both of which he returned for scores.
Here's a highlight reel from 2016. As you can see, O'Daniel does not play like he's undersized:
The Eagles have recently brought in a pair of safeties and converted them to linebacker, in Kamu Grugier-Hill and Nate Gerry. Jim Schwartz seems to prefer athleticism to size, and O'Daniel has the speed and coverage skills he covets at the linebacker position.
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