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January 02, 2021

Grocery shopping: Five college prospects who could interest the Eagles in the 2021 NFL Draft

Eagles NFL
010221MichaelCarter Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports

Michael Carter is a souped up Boston Scott.

As long as you're taking in some college football bowl game action this Saturday, here are some players who could make sense for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Max Duffy, P, Kentucky (6'1, 190): (23) NC State vs. Kentucky, TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, 12:00 p.m.

Lol, yes, a punter. Here he is: 

But seriously, I love this guy:

Anyway, I'm not saying the Eagles should draft a punter (maybe with a 7?), but Duffy is one of the top two punter prospects in the country, and he'll compete at the Senior Bowl in January. 

Meanwhile, Cameron Johnston (a) did not have a good season, and (b) his restricted free agent tender amount is projected to be $2,240,000 this offseason, which the Eagles should not pay.

Kenny Yeboah, TE, Ole Miss (6'5, 240): Ole Miss vs. (11) Indiana, Outback Bowl, 12:30 p.m.

Yeboah is from Allentown, PA, and he was a graduate transfer from Temple who broke out in his final collegiate season at Ole Miss. His numbers: 

Kenny Yeboah Rec Yards YPC TD 
 2016 (Temple)15 15.0 
 2017 (Temple)14 136 9.7 
 2018 (Temple)13 154 11.8 
 2019 (Temple)19 233 12.3 
 2020 (Ole Miss)27 524 19.4 


To note, those 2020 stats were in just 7 games.

Yeboah played a more traditional tight end role in college. In the pros he'll be more of a "move TE," AKA an F, and could pair nicely with Dallas Goedert. A look:

It feels a lot like Zach Ertz's tenure with the team will soon be coming to a close. If so, the Eagles will need to add depth at TE, and a Day 3 prospect would make sense.

Greg Eisworth, S, Iowa State (6'0, 198): (25) Oregon vs. (10) Iowa State, PlayStation Fiesta Bowl, 4:00 p.m.

Eisworth is the leader of the cyclones defense. He is a very good run defender, who knows when to make the sure tackle in open space, and when to deliver a pop. While not the most athletic safety in this class, he has good pass breakup numbers (19 PBUs in 3 seasons), and he knows where he is supposed to be.

I like Eisworth's initial fit in the Eagles defense in sub-packages, perhaps as a dime linebacker, who can eventually grow into a starting strong safety role. Day 3 guy.

Michael Carter, RB, North Carolina (5'8, 199): (5) Texas A&M vs. (13) North Carolina, Capital One Orange Bowl, 8:00 p.m.

Carter and Javonte Williams (previously profiled here) form the best RB tandem in the country. It was fun watching Carter and Williams absolutely wreck the Miami defense earlier this season when Carter ran for 308 yards, and Williams ran for 236.

Here was Carter's day:

Carter has been involved in the UNC offense since he was a freshman, and he put up huge numbers as a senior:

 Michael CarterRush Yards YPC TD 
 201797 559 5.8 
 201884 597 7.1 
 2019177 1003 5.7 
 2020156 1245 8.0 


Carter was also a productive receiver out of the backfield, as he had 82 career catches for 656 yards and 6 TDs. He also returned kicks, though he didn't have any return TDs.

Despite being a part of UNC's offense for four years, he doesn't have a ton of mileage on him, as he has fewer than 600 touches over his four-year college career.

Basically, Carter is a souped up Boston Scott. If you're of the mindset that the Eagles already have a Boston Scott on the roster at an extremely cheap cost and you're fine with what he gives you, then you wouldn't have interest in Carter. If you think Carter can make a bigger impact in the way the Eagles use Scott and are willing to expand that role, then Cater makes sense early on Day 3. It'll be interesting to see how the league values him.

Dyami Brown, WR, North Carolina (6'1, 185): (5) Texas A&M vs. (13) North Carolina, Capital One Orange Bowl, 8:00 p.m.

Brown has averaged at least 20 yards per catch on at least 50 receptions each of the last two years: 

 Dyami BrownRec Yards YPC TD 
 201817 173 10.2 
 201951 1034 20.3 12 
 202055 1099 20.0 


OK, so he actually averaged 19.98 YPC in 2020, but shut up. As you might guess, he's an outside speed guy. I love the highlight at the 3:00 mark below. He knows he had one-on-one coverage, and he calls for the ball pre-snap, then dusts 2020 first-round pick A.J. Terrell.

I believe most view Brown as a Day 3 guy. If he's there on Day 3, he's absolutely worth a swing. I certainly like him a whole lot more than I liked John Hightower or Quez Watkins, for example. But the bet here is that he'll be a riser, and could sneak into Day 2.


Previously profiled players

• August 9

  1. Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota
  2. Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue
  3. Gregory Rousseau, DE, Miami
  4. Jaylen Twyman, DL, Pittsburgh
  5. Caleb Farley, CB, Virginia Tech

• August 23

  1. Kennedy Brooks, RB, Oklahoma
  2. Warren Jackson, WR, Colorado State
  3. Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
  4. Jay Tufele, DT, USC
  5. Kary Vincent Jr., CB, LSU

• September 5

  1. Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
  2. Reed Blankenship, S, Middle Tennessee State
  3. Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Memphis
  4. T.J. Carter, CB, Memphis
  5. Damonte Coxie, WR, Memphis

• September 12

  1. Andre Cisco, S, Syracuse
  2. Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, LB, Notre Dame
  3. Asante Samuel Jr., CB, Florida State
  4. Carlos Basham Jr., DE, Wake Forest
  5. Jackson Carman, OT, Clemson

• September 19

  1. Paris Ford, S, Pittsburgh
  2. Victor Dimukeje, DE, Duke
  3. Matt Bushman, TE, BYU
  4. Chatarius Atwell, WR, Louisville
  5. Javian Hawkins, RB, Louisville

• September 26

  1. Rashad Weaver, DE, Pittsburgh
  2. Creed Humphrey, C, Oklahoma
  3. Seth Williams, WR, Auburn
  4. Alex Leatherwood, OG/OT, Alabama
  5. Marvin Wilson, DT, Florida State

• October 3

  1. Alim McNeill, DT, NC State
  2. Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
  3. Ja'Marr Chase, WR, LSU
  4. Justyn Ross, WR, Clemson
  5. Tony Poljan, TE, Virginia

• October 10

  1. Chazz Surratt, LB, North Carolina
  2. Marco Wilson, CB, Florida
  3. Amari Burney, LB, Florida 
  4. Trey Smith, iOL, Tennessee
  5. Amari Rodgers, WR, Clemson

• October 17

  1. Patrick Jones II, DE, Pittsburgh
  2. Hamsah Nasirildeen, S/LB, Florida State
  3. Tamorrion Terry, WR, Florida State
  4. Richard LeCounte III, S, Georgia
  5. Brian Robinson, RB, Alabama

• October 24

  1. Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss
  2. Jayson Oweh, DE, Penn State
  3. Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State
  4. Cameron McGrone, LB, Michigan
  5. Daniel Faalele, OT, Minnesota

• October 31

  1. Trevon Moehrig, S, TCU
  2. Wyatt Davis, OG, Ohio State
  3. Shaun Wade, DB, Ohio State
  4. Master Teague, RB, Ohio State
  5. Nick Bolton, LB, Missouri

November 7

  1. Chase Lucas, CB, Arizona State
  2. Brant Kuithe, TE, Utah
  3. Mustafa Johnson, DT, Colorado
  4. Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
  5. Jevon Holland, S, Oregon

November 14

  1. Mohamed Ibrahim, RB, Minnesota
  2. Dazz Newsome, WR, North Carolina
  3. Alijah Vera-Tucker, OG/OT, USC
  4. Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama
  5. Kwity Paye, DE, Michigan

November 21

  1. Derion Kendrick, CB, Clemson
  2. Joshua Kaindoh, DE, Florida State
  3. Amari Gainer, LB, Florida State
  4. Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
  5. Sadarius Hutcherson, OG/OT, South Carolina

November 28

  1. Teven Jenkins, OT, Oklahoma State
  2. Aidan Hutchinson, DE, Michigan
  3. Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
  4. Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama
  5. Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

December 5

  1. Patrick Johnson, DE, Tulane
  2. Zaven Collins, LB, Tulsa
  3. Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
  4. Jabril Cox, LB, LSU
  5. Amon-Ra St. Brown, WR, USC

December 12

  1. Tyson Campbell, CB, Georgia
  2. Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina
  3. Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU
  4. Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
  5. Myjai Sanders, DE, Cincinnati

December 19

  1. Sage Surratt, WR, Wake Forest
  2. Josh Myers, C, Ohio State
  3. Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State
  4. Ronnie Perkins, DE, Oklahoma
  5. Bobby Brown III, DT, Texas A&M

December 22

  1. Richie Grant, S, UCF
  2. Khyiris Tonga, DT, BYU
  3. Obinna Eze, OT, Memphis
  4. Marquez Stevenson, WR, Houston
  5. Payton Turner, DE, Houston

December 26

  1. Shi Smith, WR, South Carolina
  2. Jordan Smith, Edge, UAB
  3. Elijah Mitchell, RB, Louisiana
  4. Tarron Jackson, DE, Coastal Carolina
  5. Marlon Williams, WR, UCF

December 29

  1. Jaelan Phillips, DE, Miami
  2. Bubba Bolden, S, Miami
  3. Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State
  4. Daviyon Nixon, DT, Iowa
  5. Ar'Darius Washington, S, TCU

January 1

  1. Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia
  2. Zamir White, RB, Georgia
  3. Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati
  4. Anthony Schwartz, WR, Auburn
  5. Greg Newsome II, CB, Northwestern


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