November 11, 2023
During the college football season each year, as long as you're watching the games, we point out five players each week to keep an eye on who make logical sense for the Philadelphia Eagles in the following year's draft.
Benson is a big back who can run through tackles, but he can also pick his way through traffic with nimble feet and he has good long speed for a guy his size that allows him to run away from defenders in the open field. Here he is killing Virginia Tech this season:
In two years at FSU since transferring from Oregon, Benson has good production on a low number of carries:
| Trey Benson | Rush | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2020 (Oregon) | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 |
| 2021 (Oregon) | 6 | 22 | 3.7 | 1 |
| 2022 (FSU) | 154 | 990 | 6.4 | 9 |
| 2023 (FSU) | 97 | 641 | 6.6 | 8 |
He also has some receiving chops, catching 29 passes for 341 yards (11.8 YPC) and a TD as a receiver in 22 games at FSU.
On the downside, Benson has a significant injury in his past. As a freshman with Oregon in 2020, he shredded his knee, with tears of his ACL, MCL, lateral meniscus, medial meniscus and gracilis tendon, so he'll be a player of interest at the Combine medical checks. Day 2 guy.
Nelson is long and lean, and has some versatility (13 starts at RG in 2021, starter at LT since), though his length makes him a clear fit at OT in the NFL. He has good athleticism, but the knock on him is that he will cede ground in pass protection against power.
If the Eagles don't select Lane Johnson's successor on Day 1 or Day 2, Nelson makes sense as a versatile backup in the same mold as Jack Driscoll on Day 3.
McConkey is a speedy slot receiver who gets open and then gobbles up yards after catch. He's a weapon at all three levels of the defense, as he can make catches deep down the field, he's fearless over the middle, and he can be an extension of the run game with quick screens. He also has added value as a returner.
In 2023, McConkey has 22 catches for 337 yards (15.3 YPC) and a TD in 5 games after missing the first few games with an injury.
The Eagles have A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on the outside, but they do not have a consistent playmaking slot receiver. McConkey would add a new element to the Eagles' offense.
Newton is a transfer from Louisiana-Monroe who helped TCU get to the National Championship Game last season. He had 3 INTs (including a pick-six) and 12 PBUs in 2022.
Lowest completion rates allowed in coverage this season:
— PFF College (@PFF_College) January 8, 2023
🐸 Josh Newton: 34.3% (2nd)
🐸 Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson: 34.7% (3rd)
ONLY duo to rank inside the top 20 this year pic.twitter.com/aVh2CU1dOZ
Newton has good speed, but it's his inside-outside versatility that should appeal to the Eagles, who need a slot corner in the short, and an outside corner to take over for the aging Darius Slay and James Bradberry, long-term.
Burch came in at No. 4 on The Athletic's "freaks" list this offseason.
The former five-star recruit left South Carolina after a breakout season, making 60 tackles (32 solo), 7.5 tackles for losses (TFLs), 3.5 sacks and deflecting three passes. The 6-6, 295-pound junior follows what has been an impressive run of Duck edge rushers. Even though Burch is almost 300 pounds, he’s hit almost 21 MPH on the GPS, going 20.85 and he’s vertical-jumped 34 inches. Burch also back-squatted 685 pounds and has done a sumo deadlift of 685.
In 2023 for the Ducks, Burch has 25 tackles (7 for loss), and 3 sacks, so his stats aren't crazy, but you can pretty clearly see his combination of size and athleticism. Watch this big man run:
The Eagles have plenty of speed on the edge, but they could use a power guy who can also shift inside on obvious passing downs, and Burch has raw measurables worth developing.
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader
