Eagles 2019 NFL Draft preview: Interior offensive line

Previous draft preview positional analysis

Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Offensive tackle

Today we'll continue on with the interior offensive line, which is a strength at the starting spots, but still very likely to be addressed by the Birds in the draft because (a) they have a need for depth, and (b) it's a good interior offensive line draft class.

The Eagles' depth chart along the interior of the offensive line currently looks like this:

That's it. Not counting guys they signed to futures contracts, the Eagles only have four interior offensive linemen, and Brandon Brooks may not be ready for the start of the season.

Many national mock drafts have the Eagles selecting an offensive tackle, on the premise that Jason Peters is old. I believe it's more likely they'll take an interior offensive lineman, for three reasons.

1. It's a short-term need: The Eagles could use a plug-and-play starter at guard if Brooks is not yet ready to return from his torn Achilles by the start of the 2019 season. Even if Brooks is ready to go, the Eagles need more interior OL depth with Stefen Wisniewski moving on, as the above depth chart clearly shows.
2. It's a long-term need: Jason Kelce seriously considered retiring this offseason, and the fear of losing him likely prompted the Eagles to give him a raise. Still, Kelce's non-football future is on his mind, and should he hang up his cleats anytime soon, the Eagles will need reinforcements along the interior of the offensive line. Ideally, if the Eagles were to draft an interior offensive lineman, he would be able to play guard and center, and be the heir apparent to Kelce in the middle. Or at least if he can play guard and tackle, Isaac Seumalo could maybe be the center of the future. If he's a guard only, no thanks.
3. Deep iOL class: There are a lot of interior offensive linemen who could come off the board somewhere around the 25th overall pick, like Jonah Williams, Garrett Bradbury, Cody Ford, Chris Lindstrom, Dalton Risner, etc. If all the appealing defensive ends and defensive tackles are gone by the time the Eagles pick, bolstering the trenches on the offensive side of the ball would be boring, but prudent. 

Here are 10 interior offensive linemen who make sense for the Eagles

Garrett Bradbury, North Carolina State (6'3, 306)

Bradbury will be a first round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft after winning the Rimington Trophy (nation's top center), impressing at the Senior Bowl, and then killing it at the Combine.

Bradbury enrolled at NC State as a tight end, but he moved to guard, and eventually landed at center. Bradbury has outstanding athleticism, but is also powerful enough to handle the big-bodied nose tackle types that Kelce struggled with earlier in his career, even if undersized.

If he isn't gone by the time the Eagles pick, they'd have to consider him.

Projected round: 1

Cody Ford, Oklahoma (6'4, 329)

Ford is a likely first-round pick who played LG at Oklahoma initially, but moved to RT in 2018. The Eagles will value that versatility. Here's his game against UCLA this season:

Ford can be a great guard in the NFL. He moves defenders off the line of scrimmage against their will, and he has enough athleticism to have played on the edge in Oklahoma's spread offense.

Ford could bolster the Eagles' already sturdy offensive line by filling in for Brooks in the short term, and playing LG long-term, with Isaac Seumalo transitioning from an average starter into a great reserve who can play all five positions. To take a guard in the first round, he better be really worth it, and I believe Ford may fit that bill.

Projected round: 1

Chris Lindstrom, Boston College (6'4, 308)

Lindstrom is a highly athletic interior offensive lineman, who had a good showing at the NFL Combine: 

Here's Lindstrom against Clemson's soon-to-be professional defensive line. This is worth watching, because you get a taste both for Lindstrom, as well as many of Clemson's players who could be of interest to the Eagles:

While Lindstrom could display a little more nasty in his game and he's not going to win with pure strength, he makes up for it with excellent technique, balance, and quickness. His home in the NFL could be at center.

Projected round: 1-2

Elgton Jenkins, C/OG/OT, Mississippi State (6'4, 310)

Like Isaac Seumalo, Jenkins is rare lineman capable of playing every spot along the offensive line, though his best positions in the pros will be at guard and center. In his first three seasons at MSU, Jenkins appeared in 36 career games, with 21 starts. He started 13 games at center, five at left tackle, two at left guard and one at right tackle. In 2018 as a senior, he was once again the starting center.

Jenkins is a well-rounded blocker both in the run game and passing game, and is thought to be very intelligent. Here's his game last year against Alabama:

Projected round: 2

Erik McCoy, Texas A&M (6'4, 303)

Unlike Jenkins above, McCoy played almost his entire college career at center, with only a couple starts at guard. Like Jenkins, he faced excellent defensive line competition, playing star-studded defensive lines like Alabama, Mississippi State, Clemson, and Auburn. Here he is against Clemson: 

I'm guessing he slipped or something while running the 3-cone drill at the Combine, but his athletic measurables are otherwise very good:

The Eagles will need a center to eventually take over for Kelce, and like Bradbury above, McCoy can do some athletic things in the run game, while also holding up against power from more massive defensive tackles. The Eagles would likely feel more comfortable using a premium pick, however, on a player who has also played a little more at guard as well, which is where he would be needed short-term.

Projected round: 2

Michael Deiter, Wisconsin (6'5, 309)

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, but he would give the Eagles a valuable piece they can fill in at multiple spots along the line when the need arises. Also, they can develop an entire section of their playbook to run trick plays with him:

Projected round: 2-3

Connor McGovern, Penn State (6'5, 308)

McGovern has been a starter along the PSU OL since he was a freshman. He played both guard spots initially, then played center for a year and a half, and finished up his career as the starting right guard.

McGovern is a powerful run blocker, but needs improvement in pass protection. He tested much better than expected athletically at the Combine:

He would make sense as the added lineman in the Eagles' jumbo sets, with the potential to develop into a starter, most likely at guard. Here he is in Penn State's bowl game against Kentucky: 

Projected round: 2-3

Pierschbacher has been a starter on Bama's offensive line since he was a freshman in 2015, who had 57 starts over his college career. In his first three seasons, Pierschbacher got experience starting at both guard spots, before taking over at center in 2018. Are you seeing a theme here?

Here's his game against USC in 2016. He's the RG here:

Projected round: 4-5

Dru Samia, Oklahoma (6'5, 305)

Samia will be a guard in the pros, but he does have extensive experience at Oklahoma at RG and RT. At 305 pounds, he's a little undersized, but makes up for it with his athleticism, even if he didn't test well at the Combine. His ability as a pulling guard and a guy who can work to the second level is obvious. The biggest concern would be powerful defenders getting a push against him on bull rushes, as Ohio State's soon-to-be pro defensive line was able to do in 2017:

Samia is a tough, competitive player with some nice athletic attributes.

Projected round: 4-5

Hjalte Froholdt, Arkansas (6'5, 306)

Froholdt comes from Denmark, and has limited experience playing football overall, but the experience he does have was in the SEC against some very good defensive linemen. Upon arrival at Arkansas, he was a defensive tackle, who eventually flipped to the offensive side of the ball, where he played guard and center. 

Froholdt had a nice Combine: 

Obviously, the Eagles took a chance on another foreign player with limited experience, but some athletic upside in Jordan Mailata. Froholdt could make sense on Day 3 of the draft.

Projected round: 5

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