March 28, 2015
Paul Sancya/AP
Cornerback Trae Waynes poses after Michigan State NFL football pro day earlier this month in East Lansing, Mich.
Last offseason, Chip Kelly visited 12 college pro days to get an extra look at some draft prospects. They were, in chronological order: Pittsburgh, Ohio State, Temple, Alabama, Louisville, Florida State, Virginia Tech, Missouri, Vanderbilt, Texas A&M, Navy, Penn State, and LSU.
The Eagles' top two picks were Marcus Smith (Louisville) and Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt), who worked out in front of Kelly during that tour. The Eagles also reportedly targeted CB Kyle Fuller (Virginia Tech), WR Odell Beckham Jr. (LSU), ILB C.J. Mosley (Alabama), and S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix (Alabama) in the first round, all of whom were also part of Kelly's Pro Day tour. In other words, evidence would suggest that Chip Kelly's whereabouts at Pro Days may mean something, except for when he visits Temple, in which case he simply has nothing better to do.
The first school on Kelly's road trip this year was Clemson. In the last two weeks, he visited Michigan State, Utah and LSU. Let's take a look at the prospects that make sense for the Eagles from those three schools:
Trae Waynes, CB, 6'0, 186: Waynes has good enough size (although he looks really skinny), and he is a great cover corner. He could be the first CB drafted this year, and would be an obvious player of interest to the Eagles if he somehow fell to 20, which seems highly unlikely. If there was a player other than Marcus Mariota I could see the Eagles trading up for, it'd be Waynes.
Tony Lippett, WR, 6'2, 192: If you want to take versatility to an extreme, Lippett played some corner for the Spartans this season when they had some injuries. I wonder if the Eagles might look at his size and envision him on defense.
Kurtis Drummond, S, 6'1, 208: Drummond was a fifth round selection in my Eagles mock draft, 3.0. Drummond biffed the Combine, which should hurt his stock considerably:
Still, he's a safety with good coverage ability and ball hawking skills who can cover bigger slot receivers or tight ends. However, you don't want him playing centerfield in single-high looks, which limits him as a possible starter in the NFL. He's probably best suited in the dime linebacker role played by Nolan Carroll a year ago.
Taiwan Jones, ILB, 6'3, 245: Jones is a big ILB who can hit, but is probably only a two-down linebacker because of his lack of quality cover skills. Jones could fill a similar DeMeco Ryans-like role.
Nate Orchard, Edge rusher, 6'3, 250: Orchard put up eye-popping pass rush numbers this season, amassing 18.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss. He also dominated at times at the Senior Bowl as a pass rusher, both from a two point stance and with his hand in the dirt. However, he looked uncomfortable in coverage, which could make him a more attractive option to a 4-3 team as a DE than as an OLB in a 3-4. If the Eagles think they can coach up his coverage deficiencies, Orchard makes some sense as an Eagles target.
Eric Rowe, CB, 6'1, 205: While Rowe's stock has since risen within the draft community, he was my fourth round selection for the Eagles in my Mock Draft 2.0, with the following write-up:
Rowe started at CB for Utah this season after playing his first three seasons at safety. If the Eagles see Rowe as a CB at the next level, he has the long frame at 6’1, 205 and physical nature against the run that they have prioritized. If they view him as a safety in the NFL, he has versatility to cover receivers, which enables them to stay in their base defense against three WR sets. Initially, I thought Rowe would be a better fit for the Eagles at safety, but after an impressive showing at the Combine, he may very well have the athleticism to be a CB in the NFL (chart via mockdraftable.com):
Rowe did not have a good showing at the Senior Bowl, which could turn teams off, but his size/speed/versatility/positional need should make him an obvious Eagles target.
Jeremiah Poutasi, OG, 6'5, 335: Massive guard with OK athleticism for his size, but certainly doesn't fit the mold of athletic offensive linemen the Eagles have acquired in recent years. Then again, with the Eagles releasing Todd Herremans and seemingly poised to trade or release Evan Mathis, are we sure we know what the Eagles value at guard?
Dres Anderson, WR, 6'1, 187: Another potential fit for the Eagles in the later rounds, we covered Anderson earlier this offseason, with the following write-up:
Anderson is the son of former Rams WR Flipper Anderson. He had a disappointing 2014 season, before getting hurt. When he's healthy he is a speed demon with big play ability, something the Eagles missed at times in 2014 sans DeSean Jackson. Here are Anderson's numbers in 2013, when he played a full season.
| Dres Anderson, 2013 | Rec | Yards | Avg | Long | TD |
| Utah State | 2 | 59 | 29.5 | 56 | 1 |
| Weber State | 4 | 103 | 25.8 | 57 | 1 |
| Oregon State | 4 | 101 | 25.3 | 49 | 1 |
| BYU | 8 | 141 | 17.6 | 74 | 0 |
| UCLA | 6 | 106 | 17.7 | 54 | 1 |
| Stanford | 4 | 82 | 20.5 | 51 | 1 |
| Arizona | 3 | 29 | 9.7 | 13 | 0 |
| USC | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 14 | 0 |
| Arizona State | 4 | 100 | 25.0 | 55 | 1 |
| Oregon | 4 | 37 | 9.3 | 14 | 0 |
| Washington State | 5 | 129 | 25.8 | 57 | 1 |
| Colorado | 7 | 94 | 13.4 | 49 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 53 | 1002 | 18.9 | - | 7 |
Like DeSean, Anderson has huge moments, but can disappear in games. If you'll note, Anderson had a reception of at least 49 yards in nine of 12 games in 2013. Impressive. With volume catchers like Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz in place, a player like Anderson would make sense for a team like the Eagles who can use more of a big play threat than a guy who will catches six or seven passes per game.
La'El Collins, OT, 6'4, 305: Some view Collins as the best OT prospect in the draft. He is highly unlikely to fall to the Eagles at 20.
Danielle Hunter, Edge rusher, 6'5, 252: Hunter was the second round selection for the Eagles in my Mock Draft 3.0, with the following explanation:
Normally I wouldn't expect an athletic freak of nature like Hunter to last to 52nd overall, where the Eagles will be selecting in the second round. However, the top of the draft is loaded with quality edge rushers. Here are the consensus top 9, sort by sack total (not any sort of ranking):
| Edge rusher | Tackles | Sacks | TFL | FF | Batted passes |
| Nate Orchard, Utah | 84 | 18.5 | 21 | 3 | 3 |
| Shane Ray, Missouri | 65 | 13 | 22.5 | 3 | 1 |
| Vic Beasley, Clemson | 34 | 12 | 21.5 | 2 | 3 |
| Dante Fowler, Florida | 60 | 8.5 | 15 | 2 | 1 |
| Bud Dupree, Kentucky | 74 | 7.5 | 12.5 | 2 | 1 |
| Eli Harold, Virginia | 54 | 7 | 14.5 | 1 | 2 |
| Randy Gregory, Nebraska | 54 | 7 | 8.5 | 1 | 3 |
| Owamagbe Odighizuwa, UCLA | 59 | 6 | 11.5 | 0 | 4 |
| Danielle Hunter, LSU | 73 | 1.5 | 13 | 1 | 6 |
Are nine edge rushers going to be taken in the first 51 picks? Considering pass rushers are a valuable commodity in the NFL, it's certainly possible, but it would mean that an edge rusher was taken every 5.7 picks.
The Eagles re-signed Brandon Graham to a long term deal to pair with Connor Barwin, so they have their starters in place, but have almost no depth behind them. And it's not the worst idea to load up on players who can get to the QB.
Hunter is drawing comparisons for his size, athleticism, and lack of college production (in terms of sacks) to the Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul. Hunter is 6'5, and he ran a freaking 4.57 40:
He also has added length because of his 34 inch arms and huge 10 1/2 inch hands. Seeing how Marcus Smith produced (or didn't produce) his rookie season, Eagles fans may not be in the mood to draft another edge rusher "project" early, but can you pass on specimen like Hunter if he's still there in the second round? I wouldn't.
Jalen Collins, CB, 6'1, 203: Collins has excellent combination of size and speed, but only had 10 career starts at LSU. Collins is thought of as a raw player who could be a complete bust in the NFL if he doesn't improve the finer points of the position, but could be a star if he does. He has appeared as the Eagles' first round pick in some mock drafts this offseason, which makes some sense, but in my opinion there will be better players available when the Eagles are picking at 20. Collins could be a player to kind your mind on if the Eagles trade back.
I'm sure Chip probably goes home in between trips, but...
