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 NFL Draft.
Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State (6'0, 226): (4) Ohio State at (3) Penn State, 12:00 p.m.
Singleton had a great season as a freshman, a down sophomore year, and is playing better again as a junior in 2024.
Nick Singleton | Rush | Yards | YPC | TD |
2022 | 156 | 1061 | 6.8 | 12 |
2023 | 171 | 752 | 4.4 | 8 |
2024 | 75 | 483 | 6.4 | 3 |
He's a bigger back at 226 pounds with good vision and straight line speed, but without much wiggle. Some freshman year highlights:
I think he'd be a good value in the third round.
Also, trivia: The Eagles have employed three of the last four Penn State running backs drafted into the NFL. Who are they? (Two are obvious, but who is the third?) Answer here.
Interestingly, Penn State's running back coach, Ja'Juan Seider, coached Saquon Barkley and Miles Sanders at Penn State, and Wendell Smallwood at West Virginia. Is there a connection there? I dunno, maybe?
Anyway, the Eagles could be in the market for a running back in the draft, as Kenny Gainwell is in the final year of his rookie contract. Maybe Singleton could form a long-term one-two punch with Will Shipley after Barkley's contract expires following the 2026 season?
Oronde Gadsden II, TE, Syracuse (6’5, 236): Virginia Tech at Syracuse, 12:00 p.m.
Gadsden's dad, also Oronde, played six seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins in the late 90's and early aughts. Syracuse lists Gadsden as a TE, but he's really more like a big slot in a similar mold of, saaayyy, Allen Lazard. In 2022, he had 61 catches for 975 yards and 6 TDs. In 2023, he only played in 2 games because of a Lisfranc injury.
In 7 games so far in 2024, Gadsden has 35 catches for 466 yards and 3 TDs.
Gadsden has some downfield receiving chops, and he has a huge catch radius to go along with great hands, which makes him a reliable chain mover in the middle of the field.
Gadsden is more like Johnny Wilson than he is a conventional tight end, but he does have experience lining up at tight end, while Wilson does not.
Elic Ayomanor, WR, Stanford (6'2, 210): Stanford at North Carolina State, 12:00 p.m.
Are we far enough removed from J.J. Arcega-Whiteside to not be scared off by Day 2 wide receiver prospects from Stanford?
Ayomanor has size, downfield ball-tracking skills, and he breaks tackles after the catch.
Ayomanor had a stat line of 62-1013-6 as a redshirt freshman in 2023, 42-484-4 so far in 2024.
Josaiah Stewart, LB/EDGE, Michigan (6'1, 245): (1) Oregon at Michigan, 3:30 p.m.
Stewart had 12.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles as a freshman at Coastal Carolina in 2021, and then a comparatively down year in 2022 before transferring to Michigan in 2023.
As a role player on Michigan's National Championship season, he had 38 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and 9 tackles for loss. In 2024, Stewart is starting, and he is a having a good season, with 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss.
At Coastal Carolina, Stewart played the "Buck linebacker" position, which is similar to the role Zack Baun is playing for the Eagles. He is twitchy, explosive, tough, and he plays at 100 MPH. Very fun highlight reel from Michigan's game against USC this season:
I love Stewart's fit as a linebacker/edge tweener in Vic Fangio's defense.
Shemar Turner, iDL, Texas A&M (6'4, 300): (10) Texas A&M at South Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
Turner is an athletic iDL prospect who had 33 tackles (11 for loss), 6 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles in 2023. Here he is against Arkansas last season. As you can see, he plays with aggression and lines up all over the defensive line.
Sometimes he plays with a little too much aggression, though:
There are other incidents as well. It's be interesting to see if he has character flags, but he has talent and Milton Williams is scheduled to be a free agent next offseason.
MORE: Five things to watch in Eagles-Jaguars
Previously profiled players
- Nazir Stackhouse, DT, Georgia
- Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia
- Barrett Carter, LB, Clemson
- Wyatt Milum, OT, West Virginia
- Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State
- Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
- Landon Jackson, EDGE, Arkansas
- Dontay Corleone, NT, Cincinnati
- Xavier Nwankpa, S, Iowa
- Anthony Belton, OT, NC State
- Malachi Moore, S, Alabama
- Jack Nelson, OT, Wisconsin
- Luther Burden, WR, Missouri
- Jordan Burch, DL, Oregon
- Caden Prieskorn, TE, Ole Miss
- Kenneth Grant, NT, Michigan
- Collin Oliver, LB/EDGE, Oklahoma State
- Dasan McCullough, LB/DB, Oklahoma
- Emery Jones, OT, LSU
- Luke Lachey, TE, Iowa
- Deone Walker, NT, Kentucky
- Bryson Nesbit, TE, North Carolina
- Mykel Williams, EDGE, Georgia
- Deontae Lawson, LB, Alabama
- Jonah Savaiinaea, OG/OT, Arizona
- Nic Scourton, DL, Texas A&M
- Harold Fannin, TE, Bowling Green
- Patrick Payton, EDGE, Florida State
- Aireontae Ersery, OT, Minnesota
- Eric Gentry, LB, USC
- Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas
- Jonah Monheim, OL, USC
- J.T. Tuimoloau, EDGE, Ohio State
- Tre Harris, WR, Ole Miss
- Bradyn Swinson, EDGE, LSU
- Ashton Gillotte, DL, Louisville
- Jake Briningstool, TE, Clemson
- Nick Emmanwori, S/LB, South Carolina
- Smael Mondon, LB, Georgia
- David Bailey, EDGE/LB, Stanford
- Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
- Antwaun Powell-Ryland, EDGE, Virginia Tech
- Ajani Cornelius, OT, Oregon
- Connor Colby, OL, Iowa
- Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
MORE: 3 players who make sense for the Eagles at the trade deadline
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