The NFL Draft is slowly creeping up for fans, but rapidly approaching for NFL front offices. With that, potential Eagles draft prospect visits have been making news in Philadelphia media, as in the same case for other teams around the league. While teams and the Eagles in particular do not always draft prospects that visit the facility, it’s still a decent opportunity at potential prospects and positions the Eagles may be looking for. Here is a roundup of all of the Eagles draft prospect visits they have conducted, a month away from the NFL Draft.
Every Eagles Draft Prospect Visit So Far
A Few Top Guys
Only three of the 13 prospects that have visited the Eagles are players that have been mocked inside the first round of the NFL draft. Tyler Guyton has visited the Eagles, and there has been a ton of smoke around the Eagles being very interested in him even before the visit.
However, another new, interesting name for the Eagles is Laiatu Latu, an edge rusher out of UCLA. Latu is a touted player for his skill and production at UCLA but comes with risks of his own. He was medically retired from football while he was at Washington but then decided to transfer to UCLA. In two seasons at UCLA, Latu has dominated the PAC 12. He has a rare maturity in his game, with a variety of pass-rush moves and ways to disengage from blockers. He’s a talented player, but how teams feel about his medicals is key.
Another interesting name that has visited the Eagles is Cooper DeJean. DeJean played cornerback at the University of Iowa and was very successful as a punt returner as well. He’s an athletically gifted player who has shown himself to be instinctive and a playmaker with the ball. However, there’s debate among draft analysts whether he should play cornerback or safety in the NFL.
Unfortunately, DeJean hasn’t been able to work out in front of teams as he’s been recovering from a broken fibula earlier in the season. DeJean has some tightness in his hips and a little bit of a lack of twitch that you may see out of some of the top corners. However, he fits extremely well as a corner in Vic Fangio’s zone-heavy scheme. Whether he ultimately plays at corner or safety, DeJean has the skills to be a playmaker at the next level.
Bunch of Bigs
Six of the thirteen visits for the Eagles have been offensive linemen. Both Tyler Guyton and Travis Glover from Georgia State have been the offensive tackles to visit the Eagles. Zak Zinter from Michigan, Cooper Beebe from Kansas State, Brandon Coleman from TCU, and Christian Mahogany from Boston College are interior offensive linemen who have visited the Eagles.
While it’s not definite that the Eagles draft one of these guys, their potential interest in them is noteworthy. Maybe last year’s third-round pick hasn’t impressed the Eagles? Or maybe they want to take another interior offensive lineman for depth purposes. Regardless, don’t be shocked at another classic Howie Roseman offensive lineman selection in the mid-rounds of the draft.
Young Blood at Linebacker
There have been two linebackers that have visited the Eagles so far ahead of the draft. The first one was Edgerrin Cooper, out of Texas A&M University. Cooper is regarded by many as the draft’s top linebacker because of his athleticism and sideline-to-sideline speed. Which is something that the Eagles desperately lacked last year at the linebacker position.
The other linebacker who most recently visited the Eagles is Trevin Wallace out of Kentucky. He’s another linebacker who has great athleticism and speed but is seen as much rawer than Cooper. It shouldn’t be a shock, but it seems as if the Eagles are looking for linebackers that are more about speed and explosiveness, than the technical aspects of the position. Which makes sense and could end up being a perfect long-term fit next to Nakobe Dean.
Other Eagles Draft Prospect Visits and Final Thoughts
The three other prospects that visited the Eagles were defensive lineman Khristian Boyd from Northern Iowa University, and Brenden Rice and Ainias Smith, wide receivers from USC and Texas A&M. Both Rice and Smith are seen as wideouts that will likely be taken on the third day of the draft. It may mean that the Eagles won’t go out of their way to draft a wide receiver early and are fine with Devante Parker as wide receiver three.
Overall, the Eagles still have 17 potential prospect visits to use before the NFL draft in late April. As we know it’s not a perfect indication of what the Eagles may do on Draft weekend. But there is some rhyme or reason for the Eagles prospect visits and there are takeaways to watch out for.
