December 22, 2018
The second week of the college football bowl season will kick off on Saturday, and below are five players who could make sense for the Eagles in the 2019 NFL Draft, in which the Birds are projected to have 10 picks.
Obviously, Jackson has imposing size at 6'7, 245, he has a big arm (but can also throw with touch), and some nice athleticism. As such, he's going to get long looks from teams around the league. A highlight reel:
Some early mock drafts have Jackson going in the first round (if he comes out). No way. He's raw prospect with accuracy issues, a long delivery, and shaky feet.
With Nick Foles almost certainly going to be on another roster in 2019, the Eagles could look to draft a third quarterback to develop behind the scenes, and Jackson has the size they covet to go along with an appealing skill set. If he lasted until Day 3, the Eagles could have interest.
In drafts under Joe Douglas, the Eagles have prioritized production, and Hodge certainly has that, racking up 414 tackles (21 for loss) in three years at Buffalo. He doesn't have ideal speed, and isn't going to make a lot of impressive sideline-to-sideline plays, but he is a strong, physical run defender who gets off blocks and makes his presence known. Here's his game against Temple this year.
In a division with Ezekiel Elliott, Saquon Barkley, and Derrius Guice, the Eagles could use a plus run stopping linebacker in their base defense, and Hodge could be a fit in the mid-to-late rounds.
Deiter possesses the type of offensive line versatility that the Eagles love:
• In 2015 as a freshman, Deiter started seven games at LG and six at C.
• In 2016, he started four games at LG and 10 at C.
• In 2017, he started all 14 games at LT.
• In 2018, he moved back to LG and made the Second-Team AP All-American List.
Deiter's primary position in the pros will likely be at guard. At 6'6, 328, he has great size, and obviously enough athleticism to have also played LT and C at Wisconsin. I mean, look at the wheels here:
As a potential Day 2 pick, Deiter could be a plug-and-play starter at LG in Philly, with Stefen Wisniewski moving on and Isaac Seumalo serving as versatile reserve who can play all over the line.
Redwine was a corner at Miami for two seasons before he moved to safety. As you should know by now, Jim Schwartz likes his safeties to have corner experience in their backgrounds.
While the Eagles have more of an immediate need for a single high safety in the Rodney McLeod role, they can also use another safety in the Malcolm Jenkins role. I believe Redwine is more of the latter, as he has man-coverage ability against tight ends, he is a good blitzer, and a physical run defender. A highlight reel:
Redwine is the type of confident player that Jim Schwartz should love.
Yep, Kyle Shurmur is the son of former Eagles offensive coordinator and current Giants head coach Pat Shurmur. Once you get past that reality, Shurmur's kid is actually a decent Day 3 quarterback prospect who improved each year at Vanderbilt, and who possesses the size and arm strength at quarterback that the Eagles seem to prefer. His game vs. Georgia this year:
Yes, I realize we profiled two QBs in one post, and yes, I'm aware it's not at all an immediate need. As noted above, a third quarterback to develop behind the scenes would make sense on Day 3, especially when the team will likely have 10 picks.
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