April 17, 2019
Leading up to the draft, we'll be taking a look at each of the Philadelphia Eagles' positional groups. We'll determine if the Eagles are likely to select a player at that position with one of their seven picks in the 2019 NFL Draft, as well as note some players who make sense.
Previous draft preview positional analysis
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Offensive tackle | Interior OL
Today we'll continue on with the defensive ends, a talented, but older group in need of an infusion of youth. The Eagles' depth chart at DE currently looks like this:
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| LDE | Brandon Graham | Chris Long | Daeshon Hall |
| RDE | Derek Barnett | Vinny Curry | Josh Sweat |
While Graham and Barnett are a good starting duo, Long, who is now 34 years old, may or may not play this season, while Curry will be 31 in June and is coming off a bad season in Tampa.
Anything the Eagles get from Sweat and Hall should be viewed as an unexpected pleasant surprise.
Sweat is a long and lean athletic freak of nature who absolutely destroyed the Combine:
He wasn't just a workout warrior though. He was a productive player in college who managed 10.5 sacks in 2017, despite being shut out in the sack column first four games. In 2018, he had 12 sacks. Sweat originally enrolled at Michigan State, left to play at a junior college, and then landed at Mississippi State.
Here's a video of his background, and his ability as a pass rusher:
Sweat won't be available at pick No. 25. If the Eagles were to land him, they would have to trade way up. However, it is interesting that the Eagles had him in for one of their 30 allotted pre-draft visits.
Projected round: 1
Gary is a big, versatile defensive lineman who played inside, outside, left side, and right side in Michigan's defense. He also blew up the Combine.
A highlight reel:
Unfortunately, while Gary's physical ability is obvious, it did not translate to production, and he had a paltry 9.5 sacks over three years, which is a legitimate concern for a sure-fire first-round pick.
Projected round: 1
Ferrell was a redshirt sophomore a season ago who could have come out and likely would have been a first-round pick, but he opted to stay at Clemson for one last season. His numbers:
| Clelin Ferrell | Tackles | Sacks | FF | TFL |
| 2016 | 44 | 6 | 0 | 12.5 |
| 2017 | 66 | 9.5 | 2 | 18 |
| 2018 | 55 | 11.5 | 3 | 20 |
| TOTAL | 165 | 27 | 5 | 50.5 |
Ferrell has good size for a 4-3 defensive end at the NFL level. While he plays on a loaded Clemson defensive line, you can see in the below video that he creates his own pressure.
In addition to being a a good pass rusher, Ferrell plays hard and is also a good run defender, much like Derek Barnett when he came out in 2017.
Projected round: 1
Ferguson has 45 sacks over his collegiate career, an FBS record. In 2018, he had 17.5 sacks, which led the nation. He is also regarded as a good run defender, and his tackle for loss numbers (67.5 in four seasons) back that up.
A highlight reel:
Ferguson did not participate at the Combine because he was convicted of battery during his freshman year in college, and his pro day workout numbers did not impress. Still, the production is difficult to overlook, and Ferguson should be a starter at the next level.
Projected round: 2
Collier is a short-but-bulky defensive end prospect with some pretty uninspiring athletic measurables:
His stats also won't get you excited, as he had 14.5 sacks over the last three seasons, with a season high of 6.
However, he is thought of as a very good run defender, and a tough player. Here's a breakdown of Collier by the Cowboys' website.
Personally, if I'm shopping for defense end talent, I want my starters to be explosive impact players. I don't think Collier is that, but he can be a good rotational player. Above, the Cowboys' website guys see him as a third-round pick. That's about right.
Projected round: 3
Jackson was an immediate force as soon as he got to Miami, as he had 7.5 sacks his freshman season. He finished his three-year career at Miami with 22.5 sacks and 35.5 tackles for loss. At 6'4, 275, with plenty of power, he won't get pushed around as a rookie in the NFL, and his relentless style of play would fit well in a rotational role in the Eagles' defense. He's a guy who can play DE on base downs, and be an interior rusher on obvious passing downs, somewhat like Michael Bennett. A highlight reel:
I believe Jackson is one of the more underrated defensive ends in this class.
Projected round: 3
At 6'4, 281 pounds, Allen isn't going to be mistaken for a speed rusher like Von Miller, but he offers inside-outside versatility and has the ability to push the pocket with his sheer strength. Over the last three seasons, he has 40.5 tackles for loss (good) and 16.5 sacks (meh).
A highlight reel:
With the Eagles needing depth both at DE and DT, Allen is a player who makes sense in their rotational front.
Projected round: 3
Jelks is a long-and-lean defensive end from Oregon's 3-4 scheme that required him to play a lot of 2-gap responsibility. Remember those 3-4, 2-gap days in Philly? You'd probably prefer to forget. Anyway, here's a highlight reel:
In the NFL, Jelks projects to 4-3 defensive end, where teams can better utilize his explosiveness. While his 3-4 background won't help his college stats (he has just 15.5 sacks in 4 seasons), his time being misused at Oregon will serve him well in the NFL as a run stopper.
Projected round: 4
Ximines had good numbers at Old Dominion, posting 32.5 sacks, 51 tackles for loss, and 11 forced fumbles the last four years. Of course, a lot of that damage was done against some lower-level right tackle tomato cans:
Still, you can see his athleticism as an up-field rusher. On the downside, he is thought to need significant work against the run.
As far as his fit with the Eagles, Ximines would be a sub-package rusher until he could prove he can hold up against the run. Many see him as a Day 2 pick. I see him more as a developmental prospect with some nice upside, but also a low floor.
Projected round: 4
This guy had some showing at the Combine:
And hey, the athleticism shows up in games:
Of course, if you watch the above video, one of the things that may have jumped out at you is Crosby's lack of muscle definition. Opposing offensive tackles are going to line up against him and will be licking their chops in the run game. With a year or two of NFL weight training under his belt, Crosby could develop into a more complete player, but his ability to stop the run will be in question until then.
For now, he's just a sub-package pass rush specialist prospect worth taking a flyer on sometime on Day 3.
Projected round: 5
Polite had a breakout season for the Gators in 2018 with 45 tackles (19.5 for loss), 11 sacks, and best of all, 6 forced fumbles. He was one of prospects in this draft I most enjoyed watching, because of his combination of speed, pass rush feel, and relentlessness. A taste:
And then... ugh. Polite then proceeded to have a disastrous offseason in which he looked bad (and overweight) at the Combine and reportedly did not interview well.
Still, as sub-package pass rusher, he sure looked the part last season, and if a coaching staff can get through to him, he could be a steal on Day 3.
Projected round: 5
Granderson was a lightly-recruited player who played linebacker and tight end in high school, while being listed at 6'6, 185. You can see how skinny he was in his high school highlight reel. At Wyoming, he put on about 70 pounds to play DE, and apparently shrunk an inch.
In his third year at Wyoming in 2017, Granderson broke out, collecting 78 tackles (16 for loss), 8.5 sacks, 2 FF, and 2 INTs. In 2018, those numbers fell off sharply, as he had 40 tackles (7.5 for loss), 3 sacks, and no forced fumbles. A highlight reel:
Granderson has good quickness and athleticism from his DE spot, but is still developing. He could make sense for the Eagles in the same way Crosby does above.
Projected round: 5
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