October 19, 2019
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.
Since 2013, nine Clemson wide receivers have been drafted:
| Year | Player | Team | Round | Overall |
| 2013 | DeAndre Hopkins | Texans | 1 | 27 |
| 2014 | Sammy Watkins | Bills | 1 | 4 |
| 2014 | Martavis Bryant | Steelers | 4 | 118 |
| 2016 | Charone Peake | Jets | 7 | 241 |
| 2017 | Mike Williams | Chargers | 1 | 7 |
| 2017 | Jordan Leggett | Jets | 5 | 150 |
| 2018 | Deon Cain | Colts | 6 | 185 |
| 2018 | Ray-Ray McCloud | Bills | 6 | 187 |
| 2019 | Hunter Renfrow | Raiders | 5 | 149 |
Clemson could get back into the first round with another receiver in Higgins, a tall receiver with a huge catch radius who aggressively attacks 50-50 balls and makes plays with his speed down the field. His numbers:
| Tee Higgins | Catches | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2017 | 17 | 345 | 20.3 | 2 |
| 2018 | 59 | 936 | 15.9 | 12 |
| 2019 | 24 | 549 | 22.9 | 3 |
Note those yards per catch numbers. A highlight reel:
Higgins is similarly sized to Mack Hollins, but with actual receiving chops. He would be an asset both in the red zone, which the Eagles seem to prioritize, as well as in between the 20's, where the offense currently plods along slowly when DeSean Jackson isn't on the field.
In his second season as a full-time starter, Murchison already has 7 sacks in 6 games from his DT spot. Though maybe a touch undersized, he is a penetrating one-gap defensive lineman with an assortment of pass rush moves, power, quickness, and savvy on the interior of the Wolfpack DL.
He was a fullback in high school, enrolled at Louisburg College, and transferred to NC State in 2017, which was a redshirt season.
Here's a highlight reel from 2018, his first year as a starter, when he had 4 sacks:
The Eagles thought they were very deep on the interior of their line this year, until they weren't. Murchison is a disruptor who could grow in the Eagles' scheme.
Jones is an athletic safety prospect with a good build for the position. He is a quality run support player who is second on the team this season in tackles, and brings some physicality. He also has a little experience as a returner.
Some are viewing Jones as a first- or second-round pick. Huh? I don't see that at all. With only 2 career INTs, and 6 pass breakups (ew), he is not what NFL teams are looking for in safeties these days. However, if he slips into Day 3, I can see him as a positive contributor in third safety role for the Eagles.
If you're a pro prospect from Penn State these days, there's a good chance you're going to impress at the Combine in some way, and Gonzalez is no different. Here he is putting up 225 pounds 38 times (OK, some some of these aren't locked out, but whatever):
Never fight Steven Gonzalez.
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) July 15, 2017
38 bench reps of 225 lbs. pic.twitter.com/0hSMq4gNXl
At 6'4, 341 pounds, Gonzalez is what you think he is -- a guy who will move the line of scrimmage, but isn't going to wow anyone with second-level blocks, and will likely struggle with quicker interior rushers in the pros.
But as a late-round backup prospect? Sure, and the Eagles need some depth on the interior of their offensive line. While their injury luck hasn't been awesome, they've been fortunate not to have anyone go down at guard or center yet this year.
At 5'11, 181, Hill is a slot prospect who will probably be available on Day 3 because of his lack of size, though he is a quality press-man cover corner.
So why would the Eagles be interested in a slot corner when they already have Avonte Maddox? Fair question, Jimmy posing as a reader. Well, first, we have to see how Maddox recovers from the brutal hit he took from Andrew Sendejo. Secondly, there's nothing wrong with having added depth at corner, especially when your starting slot corner can also play safety. And finally, my girlfriend is trying to hurry me out the door to go to The Jug, and since I profiled Hill last year, he is a player I could write about rather quickly.
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