April 28, 2017
With their first three picks in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Eagles have loaded up on defense, selecting Tennessee DE Derek Barnett, Washington CB Sidney Jones, and West Virginia CB Rasul Douglas.
In the fourth round on day three of the draft, the Eagles currently have two picks. Here are my top 20 options for the Eagles in round four of the 2017 NFL Draft:
• Josh Dobbs, QB, Tennessee: Dobbs has 2,160 rushing yards and 32 rushing TDs over his career in addition to decent passing numbers. As a passer, Dobbs has a good arm and can be accurate when he's able to step into his throws, but he tends to lose that accuracy and can make bad decisions when he's forced to move. Also, he can be over-reliant on his running ability, as he'll often bail from the pocket at the first sign of pressure. There is also a thinking that Dobbs' mechanics need refinement. Still, his physical traits and quality character could make for an intriguing project in the later rounds for an Eagles coaching staff that is absolutely loaded up with quarterback gurus.
• Wayne Gallman, RB, Clemson: Gallman was the running complement to Deshaun Watson and Clemson's passing attack. He's a little leaner than preferred, and thus he's not much of a pile-pusher, but I love the way he runs. He is a physical, determined runner who breaks a lot of tackles in space, and looks to dish out punishment to would-be tacklers. With 65 career receptions, Gallman also has some receiving ability. He does a nice job catching the ball with his hands and then immediately transitioning as a runner. That has to be a skill set that will intrigue the Eagles in the screen game.
• Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma: Perine is probably most known for owning the FBS single-game rushing record, when he had 427 rushing yards in a 2014 game as a freshman against Kansas. He is also known for his incredible strength. Go read what Perine's teammates say about him in the weight room. Though he doesn't have the requisite receiving ability, at 5'10, 235, and with his strength noted above, tackling Perine is like tackling a runaway bowling ball.
• Jeremy McNichols, RB, Boise State: McNichols' numbers the last two years are better than Doug Martin's last two years at Boise when he was a first-round pick coming out of college. McNichols is also a very effective receiver out of the backfield, catching 88 passes for 934 yards and 10 TDs the last two years, and would be a good fit in Doug Pederson's offense.
• Marlon Mack, RB, USF: In each of Mack's three seasons at USF, he has had at least 1,000 yards rushing. In 2016, Mack rushed for an impressive 6.8 yards per carry. Over his three-year career, Mack has 65 receptions, which is enough to show that he can contribute in the passing game.
• Chad Hansen, WR, California: Hansen was a bit of a one-year wonder at Cal. When you watch his games, you see his obvious play speed, leaping ability, body control, and YAC. While the skill set is certainly there, I'd be very wary of taking a 22-year old developmental one-year wonder earlier than the third round.
• Ryan Switzer, WR, North Carolina: Over his college career Switzer has seven punt return touchdowns. That's tied for second all-time in NCAA history. Switzer also had two punt return touchdowns called back over his career. As a receiver, Switzer has always been a contributor in the regular offense, but did not put up big numbers by any stretch until the 2016 season, when he had 96 catches for 1112 yards and 6 TDs. Darren Sproles said this offseason that he believes 2017 will be his last year in the NFL. Switzer could be a guy who takes over for Sproles as the team's primary punt returner, while potentially taking over in the slot for Jordan Matthews, who is heading into the final year of his deal.
• Shelton Gibson, WR, West Virginia: Over the last two seasons, Gibson has 80 catches for 1,838 yards (for a ridiculous 23.0 yards per catch) and 17 TDs. He ran a disappointing 4.50 at the Combine, but he clearly has deep ball skills and excellent tracking ability. Gibson is a one-trick pony, but it's a pretty neat trick.
• Josh Reynolds, WR, Texas A&M: Reynolds has a vertical element to his game (17.0 career YPC) in addition to ability to use his size to make acrobatic, contested catches. At 6'3, he was also a red zone threat for the Aggies, hauling in 30 TD receptions the last three seasons. However, at 194 pounds, he's skinny, and will have to put on more muscle to beat jamming physical NFL corners at the line of scrimmage.
• Jake Butt, TE, Michigan: Butt is far from an elite athlete, but he has reliable hands, he makes the most of his limited athleticism with subtly good route running, and he's not going to shy away from contact once he gets the ball in his hands. The downside? Butt tore his ACL in Michigan's bowl game against Florida State, and there's a decent chance he'll be a complete non-factor in his rookie season.
• George Kittle, TE, Iowa: Kittle has good hands, and he ran a 4.52 at the Combine. In watching him, he also shows a lot of tenacity as a blocker. Kittle is only eight pounds lighter than Brent Celek. With Celek likely to be a cap casualty next offseason, Kittle is a guy the Eagles can try to bulk up a bit to be an inline blocker in 2018 and beyond.
• Adam Bisnowaty, OT, Pittsburgh: Bisnowaty started in 43 games in his college career, all at left tackle, however, he'll likely move to right tackle in the pros. The words you'll often see to describe Bisnowaty are physical, scrappy, tough, etc. That's often a kind way of saying a guy isn't athletic, but he tries hard. In Bisnowaty's case, he has decent athleticism and he excels in the run game. Doug Pederson likes the scrappy types. When asked what he looks for in offensive linemen, Pederson once said, "Guys that are athletic who can get out on the perimeter and run, aggressive up front, have a little, as they say, 'piss and vinegar' in their neck are guys that you look for." That's Bisnowaty.
• Eric Magnuson, OG/OT, Michigan: At Michigan, Magnuson was slated to be the Wolverine's left tackle, but that never happened. Instead, he started at guard and right tackle during his college career (RT in 2016), while getting reps at left tackle in practice. He is also thought to have the requisite intelligence to play center. Magnuson even played a little tight end, changing his jersey number for a short time to No. 81. He was used mainly as an extra blocker at TE, similarly to the way the Eagles used Matt Tobin and Seumalo in jumbo sets this past season. Magnuson could be a player of interest in the middle rounds who provides good depth at multiple positions, with his ceiling being a starter at RT.
• Damontae Kazee, CB, San Diego State: Kazee is a lesser known player on a very good San Diego State team who does a great job attacking the football in the air. Over the last two seasons, he has 15 interceptions. He also added three forced fumbles and is aggressive in run support. At 5'10, 184, Kazee is projected to be a slot corner at the NFL level. Ron Brooks took a pay cut to stay with the team in 2017. Kazee could be a long-term solution at slot corner.
• Corn Elder, CB, Miami: Despite his small size, Elder is a physical tackler who also contributes on special teams for the Hurricanes. In 2016, Elder had 76 tackles (4.5 for loss), 3 sacks, 1 INT, and 12 pass breakups. In 2015, he had 41 tackles (4 for loss), 2 sacks, 2 INTs, and 11 pass breakups.
• Marquez White, CB, Florida State: White was very good in 2015 at his corner spot in the Seminoles' defense. That season, he allowed a grand total of just nine completions, 131 yards and no touchdowns on 28 total targets. In 2016, while he was still good, he didn't have quite as much success, as was overshadowed by sophomore Tarvarus McFadden, who led the nation with eight interceptions. White's tackling will have to improve, as CFBfilmroom.com has him down for 27 tackles and 7 missed tackles in 2016. That won't be acceptable in the pros. Still, in a Florida State secondary that has been absolutely loaded with great defensive backs, White is flying under the radar a bit, but he could be a good coverage corner at the next level.
• Desmond King, S, Iowa: After watching King get roasted all week at the Senior Bowl, I don't think he is long for corner in the NFL, at least on the outside. I think he'll be a safety who can also play slot corner, and he may even slip to Day 3 of the draft. King has good ball skills, as he racked up 13 pass breakups and tied for second in the NCAA with 8 INTs in 2015. He had three picks (one for a pick-six) and seven pass breakups in 2016. He was also Iowa's primary kick and punt returner, putting up decent numbers, but never taking one back for a touchdown. I don't think you'd view King as an answer at returner, but he'd be another guy who can do it.
• Anthony Walker, LB, Northwestern: As a sophomore in 2015, Walker filled up the stat sheet, compiling 120 tackles, 20.5 of which were tackles for loss, 4 sacks, 4 pass breakups, 1 INT, 1 forced fumble, and 2 fumble recoveries, one of which was returned for a touchdown. In 2016, he had 105 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 5 pass breakups, 1 INT, 4 forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. Very underrated player who has flown way under the radar.
• Carlos Watkins, DT, Clemson: Watkins is sort of the opposite of Tomlinson above. While I don't love his motor and he's nowhere near as good against the run, Watkins did put up glamour stats in 2016, when he collected 10.5 sacks, best in the nation among defensive tackles. The majority of those sacks came from Watkins simply pushing the pocket and engulfing the quarterback. Last season, Brandon Graham was fifth in the NFL in hurries, but he only had 5.5 sacks. Adding a player like Watkins to the middle of the defense who can split double teams and push the pocket would help make everyone else along the defensive line better.
• Ryan Glasgow, DT, Michigan: Glasgow isn't flashy, but he was a solid run defender on a Michigan defense that allowed just 3.1 yards per carry in 2016. On the season, Glasgow had 43 tackles, 4 sacks, and 1 forced fumble. Glasgow is probably a guy that'll come off the field on obvious pass-rush situations, which is fine for the Eagles' needs.
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