December 01, 2018
As long as you're taking in some college football action this Saturday, here are some players who could make sense for the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2019 NFL Draft, in which the Birds are projected to have 10 picks.
In 2017, Boyd had 15 pass breakups. This season, he has 14. My conclusion -- he gets his hands on a lot of footballs, which is good. A highlight reel:
At 6'0, 195, Boyd has good size. He's also a good tackler, and will lay the occasional big hit. This Eagles season has shown at times what can happen when your corners aren't tackling well.
Boyd doesn't have any interceptions this season, which is probably why he's flying under the radar a bit in the draft community, but I imagine he's going to go on Day 2 of the draft. Very intriguing prospect.
Lil'Jordan Humphrey sounds like a character in a nursery rhyme, and if I'm being honest, that's partly why I'm profiling him. Secondarily, he has also had a good season, catching 72 passes for 1058 (14.7 YPC) and 8 TDs. A highlight reel:
There isn't much "lil" about Humphrey at all, as he's 6'4, 225. He isn't the field-stretching speed demon the Eagles presently need, as he is a lot closer of a player to an Alshon Jeffery than a DeSean Jackson, obviously. Still, it's never the worst thing to have some wide receiver depth, and Humphrey is yet another target who could be effective for the Eagles in the red zone.
Kinlaw is a raw, 6'6, 305 pound chiseled monster with very good strength and athleticism, who is probably best served to stay in school for another year, but should be attractive to the Eagles if he were to come out. In 2018, he has 27 tackles (8 for loss), 3 sacks, 3 batted passed, and 2 forced fumbles.
In his first game of the season this year, Kinlaw wrecked Vanderbilt's offense, making 5 tackles (3 for loss), while also getting to Kyle Shurmur for 2 sack-fumbles, and a batted pass. One of those sack-fumbles is below:
Kinlaw should probably work on his game for a year in school, especially in a year where there's an overwhelming number of talented defensive tackles, but if he did come out, he could be a long-term prospect and a Day 3 steal.
In 2019, with Nick Foles likely moving on and the team having a projected 10 picks, a third quarterback to groom behind Carson Wentz and Nate Sudfeld might make sense, even if it won't help the team immediately.
One quarterback that I like is Costello, who fits the "heighth" profile that the Eagles seem to prefer, seeing as all three of the current Eagles QBs are 6'5 or taller. In two years at Stanford, Costello has 42 TD passes vs. 15 INTs and an 8.3 YPA average, with room to grow.
Costello's best trait is his accuracy, particularly on touch passes down the field, which you can see plenty of in the following video of his game against Oregon:
His arm strength is good enough for the pro level, though you don't see many velocity throws in the above game. On the downside, Costello won't be making many plays with his legs in the NFL, though he does have a few at Stanford. But clearly, he doesn't have the same kind of mobility as Wentz, or even Sudfeld for that matter, in my opinion.
Costello is a junior, so he'll probably stay in school for another year, though it could maybe make some sense for him to come out in what is looking like a weak quarterback class.
Pollard is a dynamic playmaker who does a little of everything for Memphis. He's an elite kick returner (6 kick return TDs in his career), while also playing running back and wide receiver. A highlight reel:
A common trait that the most potent offenses (Chiefs/Rams/Saints) in the NFL share is a dynamic running back who can create mismatches with opposing linebackers by catching the ball out of the backfield, down the field. Pollard has the receiving ability part down, but the tougher evaluation for NFL scouts will be whether or not opposing defenses will respect his ability to run the football at the next level.
At Memphis, Pollard has 85 carries for 628 yards (7.4 YPC) and 7 TDs. Those are good numbers, but represent a small sample size. Still, a creative offense should be able to find ways to get him involved and making plays in the NFL.
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