May 06, 2025
Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images
Rutgers Scarlet Knights offensive lineman Hollin Pierce (72) against the Kansas State Wildcats during the Rate Bowl at Chase Field.
An undrafted free agent doesn’t make the Eagles roster every year. Some years, like last season, none make it.
But in three of the past five years, at least one undrafted free agent has either made the initial 53-man roster or found his way onto the active roster at some point in his rookie season.
Those names include T.J. Edwards, Jack Stoll, Josh Jobe, Ben VanSumeren, Josh Sills, Eli Ricks, and Reed Blankenship.
VanSumeren, Ricks and Blankenship are still with the team, with Blankenship being the biggest success story as a Super Bowl-winning starting safety who is poised for an extension this offseason.
Blankenship was one of three undrafted rookies from the 2022 class, along with Sills and Jobe, to make the initial 53-man roster.
This year’s undrafted rookie class will have a tough time competing against a roster that might not be as talented as last year’s but shouldn’t be too far away. The Eagles are deep at some key positions and just finished up a 10-player haul in the NFL Draft.
But if there’s one rookie free agent who could stand above all others, both literally and figuratively, it’s gigantic offensive tackle Hollin Pierce.
There’s no question that the Rutgers product has some desirable traits for offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, especially with Pierce’s staggering 6-foot-8, 344-pound frame and 88 1/4-inch wingspan.
If there’s one kind of offensive lineman that Stoutland covets, it’s a humongous one, and Pierce surely fits the bill.
This year’s draft was especially deep at offensive tackle – eight went in the first 55 picks, and five in the first round – which could explain why a prospect like Pierce didn’t get drafted at all.
Teams that wanted offensive tackles made sure to get them early.
The Eagles, who live to draft offensive linemen, feasted on the position on Day 3 after surprisingly passing on both guards, tackles and centers in the first four rounds. They drafted three offensive linemen with their final five picks.
Reasons that Pierce would be an odds-on favorite to make the initial 53 include his aforementioned size – did we mention the 88 1/4-inch wingspan? – and Stoutland’s track record coaching immense human beings in Pierce's weight neighborhood, such as Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, and last year’s surprise right guard, Mekhi Becton, a 350-pounder who parlayed his Eagles success into a free-agent deal with the Chargers.
But Pierce has other admirable traits that make him moldable for Stoutland, including four years starting at Rutgers, which plays in a Power 5 conference. According to PFF, Pierce committed just four penalties in his entire collegiate career covering more than 3,000 snaps, another appealing trait for a position coach.
Some of his weaknesses can be overcome. He’s not the bendiest, most athletic tackle – I mean, if he were bendy and athletic, he’d probably be a first-round pick – and he can struggle with speed rushers.
But he might actually be more refined and more coachable than Eagles sixth-round pick Cameron Williams, a Texas product who’s also a massive human being (6-6, 317 pounds), but a prospect who some NFL personnel folks I spoke to felt needed some extra motivation, which he’ll surely get at “Stoutland U.”
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