Grocery shopping: Five college players to watch who could interest the Eagles in the 2017 NFL Draft

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In 2015, he picked up where he left off the previous season, rushing 91 times for 745 yards (for a ridiculous 8.2 ypc) and 7 TDs in his first five games. And then he suffered a grotesque injury in his sixth game against Tennessee that ended his season and drastically affected his likely draft position.

His numbers over two incomplete seasons, pre-injury:

Post-injury, Chubb's numbers are way down. In 2016, Chubb has 146 carries for 691 yards (4.7 YPC), and 5 TDs. There were questions as to whether or not Chubb would be back in time to start the 2016 season. Impressively, he was ready to go Week 1, but it's probably safe to say he's not the same back he was pre-injury.

Chubb will be a player of extreme interest when teams do medical checks at the NFL Combine. They will have to determine if he can be the same guy that he once was. A highlight reel of Chubb, pre-injury:

Chubb has a low center of gravity and runs with power and balance, but as you can see in the video above, he also runs with good vision, he makes effective cuts in traffic, and has good enough speed to rattle off long runs. 

Greg Pyke, OG, Georgia (6'5, 313): (9) Auburn at Georgia, 3:30 p.m.

Pyke started at RG for Georgia in 2014 and 2015, before moving to RT in 2016. Heading into 2015, Pyke was thought to be a potential candidate to leave early for the 2016 NFL Draft, but had a disappointing season and was even benched for one game.

Pyke is a good run blocker, as the above video shows:

His potential appeal to the Eagles will be that he played both at guard and tackle, as Doug Pederson values versatility. The Eagles will have to determine if he is truly versatile, or if he's nothing more than a guard prospect at the next level. 

James Washington, WR, Oklahoma State (6'0, 205): Texas Tech at (13) Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m.

If you'll note the receivers we've profiled so far (at the bottom of this article), many of them are speed receivers who can take the top of a defense, as the Eagles have an obvious need for someone who can get vertical in the passing game.

Washington fits the bill, as he has averaged 19.2 yards per catch over his career.

A highlight reel:

Note above that Washington does a great job adjusting to balls in the air that aren't perfectly thrown, which is something Carson Wentz could have used against the Lions this season.

JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, USC (6'2, 220): (20) USC at (4) Washington, 7:30 p.m.

There's a notion that USC offensive skill position players don't often pan out in the NFL, which sounds about right, but I figured I'd take a look to see how bad it is, and good God it's awful. Here are the USC skill position players (we'll include TE and FB) who have been drafted since 2000:

That's craptastic.

USC WR JuJu Smith-Schuster probably shouldn't be punished for previous busts who have played at his school, but it's kind of hard to overlook. (I won't guess on why USC has had so many disappointments at the skill positions, but have produced quality pro players at other positions).

Here are Smith-Schuster's numbers at USC:

Smith-Schuster has good size at 6'2, 220, and he seems to enjoy contact once he has the ball in his hands. He had good YAC ability, breaking tackles with his thick build. He can also beat defenses over the top, and make difficult catches in traffic.

A highlight reel:

Smith-Schuster is a likely first-round pick. Would the Eagles dare go the route of the first round USC receiver after Nelson Agholor? 

Jeremy McNichols, RB, Boise State (5'9, 207): (22) Boise State at Hawaii, 7:00 p.m.

McNichols is in the second year as the lead back at Boise State. His numbers the last two years are incredibly similar to Doug Martin's last two years at Boise when he was a first-round pick coming out of college.

And as receivers out of the backfield:

McNichols and Martin also happen to have short statures, at 5'9. While Martin was a first round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, McNichols can probably be had in the third. A highlight reel:

McNichols is a hard runner with a nose for the end zone (46 total TDs the last two years), and his receiving ability should interest Doug Pederson, who emphasizes that attribute in his running backs.

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Previously profiled players

• September 1

1. Zach Cunningham, OLB, Vanderbilt
   
2. Mitch Leidner, QB, Minnesota
   
3. Jonah Persig, OT, Minnesota
   
4. Sean Harlow, OG, Oregon State
   
5. Dion Dawkins, OT, Temple

• September 3

1. Samaje Perine, RB, Oklahoma
   
2. Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU
   
3. Elijah Hood, RB, North Carolina
   
4. Adoree' Jackson, CB/PR/KR/WR, USC
   
5. Zach Banner, OT, USC

• September 10

1. Dorian Johnson, OG, Pittsburgh
   
2. Deatrich Wise, Jr., DE, Arkansas
   
3. Cameron Sutton, CB, Tennessee
   
4. Jalen Hurd, RB, Tenn-essee
   
5. Royce Freeman, RB, Oregon
   

• September 17

1. Damore'ea Stringfellow, WR, Ole Miss
   
2. Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
   
3. James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh
   
4. Charles Harris, DE, Missouri
   
5. Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame
   

• September 24

1. Desmond King, CB, Iowa
   
2. Malik McDowell, DT, Michigan State
   
3. Jalen 'Teez' Tabor, CB, Florida
   
4. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford
   
5. Johnny Caspers, OG, Stanford
   

• October 1

1. Jourdan Lewis, CB, Michigan
   
2. Freddie Stevenson, FB, Florida State
   
3. Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
   
4. Cordrea Tankersley, CB, Clemson
   
5. Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
   

• October 8

1. Dan Feeney, OG, Indiana
   
2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
   
3. Josh Reynolds, WR, Texas A&M
   
4. Jalen Reeves-Maybin, LB, Tennessee
   
5. Donnel Pumphrey, RB, San Diego State

• October 15

1. Ryan Switzer, WR, North Carolina
   
2. Joshua Dobbs, QB, Tennessee
   
3. Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee
   
4. Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama
   
5. Raekwon McMillan, ILB, Ohio State
   

• October 22

1. Amba Etta-Tawo, WR, Syracuse
   
2. Dawaune Smoot, DE, Illinois
   
3. Sidney Jones, CB, Washington
   
4. Dede Westbrook, WR, Oklahoma
   
5. Evan Engram, TE, Ole Miss
   

• October 29

1. John Ross, WR, Washington
   
2. Vita Vea, DT, Washington
   
3. Taywan Taylor, WR, Western Kentucky
   
4. Montravius Adams, DT, Auburn
   
5. DeMarcus Walker, DE, Florida State
   

• November 5

1. Anthony Walker Jr., LB, Northwestern
   
2. Adam Bisnowaty, OT, Pittsburgh
   
3. Sam Rogers, FB, Virginia Tech
   
4. Curtis Samuel, RB, Ohio State
   
5. Ethan Pocic, C, LSU
   

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