Grocery shopping: Five college players to watch who could interest the Eagles in the 2020 NFL Draft

After having some nice depth at DT for like five minutes this year, the Eagles will once again probably need help there next offseason.
Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports

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 2020 NFL Draft.

Tyler Biadasz, C, Wisconsin (6'3, 307): Michigan (11) at Wisconsin (13), 12:00 p.m.

Biadasz is a very strong, nasty, intelligent center who is highly likely to go in the first round of the 2020 draft, assuming he comes out. He's not going to get out in space and make athletic plays the same way that Jason Kelce does, but watch him move the line of scrimmage and put guys on the ground:


Going back to 2000, only 13 centers have been picked in the first round, although the league has started to trend towards drafting more of them early in recent years, as three centers went Round 1 in the last two drafts, and five got taken in Round 1 in the last five drafts:

 YearTeam Player Drafted Career starts Pro Bowls 
 2019Vikings Garrett Bradbury 18 
 2018Lions Frank Ragnow 20 16 
 2018Bengals Billy Price 21 10 
 2016Colts Ryan Kelly 18 35 
 2015Browns Cameron Erving 19 34 
 2013Cowboys Travis Frederick 31 80 
 2011Dolphins Mike Pouncey 15 109 
 2010Steelers Maurkice Pouncey 18 108 
 2009Browns Alex Mack 21 149 
 2009Bills Eric Wood 28 120 
 2006Jets Nick Mangold 29 164 
 2005Seahawks Chris Spencer 26 95 
 2003Browns Jeff Faine 21 118 


The highest a center has gone over the last 20 drafts is 15th overall, when the Dolphins took Mike Pouncey there in 2011. Taking centers in the first round is a pretty safe bet, in that you're likely to find a long-term starter, and as you can see, there was a string of six straight first-round centers who went to at least one Pro Bowl, for whatever that's worth.

However, is the positional value there? As in, is a center going to make enough of an impact to significantly raise your number of wins over the course of their tenure with the team? That's something for the Eagles' analytics nerds to study.

The Eagles have a need for a center on the horizon, but ideally one with positional versatility. Biadasz has only played center at Wisconsin, but there's little reason to believe he couldn't also play guard. He could make sense as a versatile backup iOL early in his career, and eventually a full-time replacement for Kelce at center.

Shyheim Carter, S, Alabama (6'0, 191): Southern Mississippi at Alabama (2), 12 p.m.

Every year we profile a bunch of Alabama players, and the Eagles never draft any, ha. Welp, that'll continue this year, I guess.

Carter has mostly played slot corner so far at Bama, but he made a move to safety in 2019. He can play free safety, strong safety, slot corner, or the star position in Alabama's defense, and is widely thought of as one of the smartest players on the team. That makes him a Malcolm Jenkins replacement candidate. A highlight reel:


The play at the 1:17 mark is awesome, in which he slips under the block of a guy who outweighs him 120 pounds, and then he gets a helmet on the football, creating a forced fumble.

Derrick Brown, DT, Auburn (6'5, 318): Auburn (8) at Texas A&M (17), 3:30 p.m.

Brown is a very large man at 6-foot-5, 318, pounds but he also possesses impressive quickness/athleticism, as well as a a motor that runs hot and an ill-tempered mentality. Watch him:


Personally, I was surprised he didn't come out in the 2019 NFL Draft, as he almost certainly would have been a first-round pick, barring any unknown character concerns. Brown is unlikely to be available whenever the Eagles are drafting in 2020, but it's worth at least learning his name, as surely they would have interest in him as a gap-penetrating wrecking ball of a DT.

Tylan Wallace, WR, Oklahoma State (6'0, 185): Oklahoma State at Texas (12), 7:30 p.m.

Wallace is a deep ball-tracking stud who had big-time numbers as a sophomore, and is off to a great start as a junior

 Tylan WallaceRec Yards YPC TD 
 2017118 16.9 
 201886 1491 17.3 12 
 201915 390 26.0 


A highlight reel:


Not to start thinking about replacing DeSean Jackson before you've even had a chance to enjoy him, but Jackson will turn 33 in December. The Eagles' offense just looks so much different when they have a player capable of taking the top off the defense, and they'd be smart to start developing Jackson's successor.

Solomon Kindley, OG, Georgia (6'4, 335): (7) Notre Dame at (3) Georgia, 8:00 p.m.

You can see by Kindley's height and weight (6-foot-4, 335 pounds) that he is a massive human being. In 2017, he started at RG. In 2018, he started at LG, so there's some left-right versatility, I suppose.

Kindley gets good push in the run game, though if you get him in space, he'll struggle with speed. Here's his game against Alabama last season. He's No. 66, the LG.


There was hope that Isaac Seumalo could have something of a breakout season in 2019, but after his atrocious Week 2 performance against Atlanta, the Eagles need to start thinking about whether they can continue to trust him as a starter.


Previously profiled players

• August 24

  1. Lamical Perine, RB, Florida
  2. Jabari Zuniga, DE, Florida
  3. C.J. Henderson, CB, Florida
  4. Jonathan Garvin, DE, Miami
  5. Jeff Thomas, WR, Miami

• August 31

  1. Scottie Phillips, RB, Ole Miss
  2. Henry Ruggs, WR, Alabama
  3. Javon Kinlaw, DT, South Carolina
  4. Troy Dye, LB, Oregon
  5. Jeremiah Dinson, S, Auburn

  1. Nate Stanley, QB, Iowa
  2. Laviska Shenault, WR, Colorado
  3. J.D. Spielman, WR, Nebraska
  4. Jason Huntley, RB, New Mexico State
  5. Ashtyn Davis, S, California


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