How did Possible Eagles Draft Picks fare at theCombine?
With the Philadelphia Eagles officially picking 14th overall in the 2017 NFL draft, there should be plenty of names that should get fans excited. With what experts are calling a very deep draft, the Eagles are hoping to walk away with a franchise caliber player and hopefully a few of the names listed below will be available when the Eagles pick. Here’s a post-Combine look a possible future Eagles.
Wide Receivers:
Mike Williams, Clemson
Mike Williams is a tall and strong wide receiver. Listed at 6’3” and 218 pounds, Clemson’s #1 wide out turned in an excellent 2016 season. Hoping to build on a Sophomore campaign where he had 57 receptions (#6 in ACC), 1030 receiving yards (#4 in ACC) and 6 touchdowns, his 2015 Junior year was cut short after injuring his neck in Clemson’s first game of the season that ended his 2015 bid. Williams responded nicely by dominating the NCAA in 2016 where he led in the ACC with 98 receptions, good enough for fifth in the NCAA, and his 1361 receiving yards were second in the ACC only to Syracuse’s Amba Etta-Tawo. Mike Williams also has the ability to show up in big games, averaging 7 catches and 95 yards in both the Fiesta Bowl and the College Football Championship Game. Even though he didn’t run the 40 yard dash at the combine, he still impressed with 121” broad jump and 32.5” vertical jump.
John Ross, Washington
If you didn’t know who John Ross before the combine you sure do now. Ross broke Chris Johnson’s 40 yard dash record by .02 seconds as he ran a staggering 4.22. He also ranked third among wide receivers at the combine in broad jump (133”) and 7th in vertical jump (37.0”). He also measures very well to a current wide receiver that has been rumored to go to the Eagles via trade. WR Brandon Cooks sits at 5’9”, 189 lbs and ran a 4.33 40 with a 36” Vertical Jump. Ross is a full inch taller and is just a pound lighter than Cooks and outperformed the star WR’s combine numbers. John Ross was also a stud wide receiver for Washington in 2016. He recorded 81 receptions (#3 in PAC-12), 1150 yards (#2 Pac-12) and 17 touchdowns, which ranked third in the nation. If the Eagles aren’t able to trade for Cooks, the “Bigger, Faster, Younger version” might be available at pick #14.
Corey Davis, Western Michigan
The biggest knock on Corey Davis is he didn’t really face any tough defenses in college. Playing in the MAC conference he didn’t really play against NFL type of talent that he would of seen in other conferenes. With that being said, he also didn’t play down to the talent level that some star players do. The 6’3” senior showed improvement every year since his 2013 freshman campaign, as he went from 67 receptions for 941 yards and 6 touchdowns to 97 receptions for 1500 yards and 19 touchdowns. His career 331 receptions ranks fourth all time in the NCAA and while his 52 career touchdown receptions ranks second all time. Unfortunately, due to a non-serious ankle injury, Corey Davis was unable to participate in many of the combine drills, but says he will hold individual workouts in April and will be ready to go for mini-camp.
Running Backs:
Leonard Fournette, LSU
A projected top 10 pick coming into the combine, it seems that the LSU Junior didn’t do a lot to guarantee himself a top ten spot and could be available to the Eagles at 14. The biggest knock against Fournette was he came into the combine ten pounds overweight. After not playing in his bowl game due to injury concerns, many scouts considered this weight gain unacceptable, especially since he ran a slower 40 than most backs (4.51) and had a very disappointing vertical jump at 28.5 inches. Hoping to bounce back on April 5th at his pro day, the combine numbers shouldn’t overshadow what he did while at LSU. Despite having to deal with ankle problems his final year, limiting him to only seven games, he still managed 843 rushing yards and posted a 6.5 average per attempt. He dominated the SEC as sophomore, playing in 12 games and recording 1953 rushing yards on 300 attempts, an average of 6.5 yards per rush. Regardless of his current condition Fournette is a player with a very strong stiff-arm that can run through people and doesn’t shy away from contact and will be a first round pick in April.
Dalvin Cook, Florida State
Dalvin Cook has been tied to the Eagles as many Draft Experts have him as the #2 running back in this year’s draft class. Despite some off the field issues in high school and college, Cook possesses some really true talent. Cook wrapped up his junior year recording 1765 rushing yards (fifth in the NCAA) on 288 attempts (7th in the NCAA) which led to 19 rushing touchdowns (6th in the NCAA). He also has the ability to catch the ball, recording 33 receptions for 488 yards as well as becoming the all-time yards from scrimmage leader in the ACC (5,399 career yards). His 40 yard dash time (4.49 seconds) helped emphasize his breakaway speed he showed off in college. He needs to work on his ball protection and running through the tackles but overall the third year back from FSU should intrigue the Eagles.
Christian McCaffrey, Stanford
Before the combine, Christian McCaffrey was being compared to Eagles great Brian Westbrook by a few NFL scouts and that had a lot of Eagles’ fans a little upset. However McCaffrey exceeded expectations at the combine. His athleticism was on full display as he finished first among running backs in the 3-cone drill (6.57 seconds), second with a 37.5” vertical jump, and fourth in both short shuttle time (4.22 seconds) and 40-time (4.48 seconds). Despite battling small injuries throughout the year, McCaffrey’s 2016 campaign was not something to forget. McCaffrey produced 1603 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns in last season as well as recording 310 receiving yards on 37 receptions. McCaffrey, who can also return kicks and punts, finished his three year career with 5,128 yards from scrimmage and 31 touchdowns.
Cornerbacks:
Sidney Jones, Washington
The six foot, 186 pound junior from Washington is another player that has been linked to the Eagles over the past few weeks. The first team All-Pac 12 player recorded six pass breakups and three interceptions after recording 14 pass breakups and four interceptions in 2015. The Marcus Peters replacement at Washington is not only being compared to the pro bowl corner, but will be even more attractive in the draft considering he doesn’t have any of Peters’ personality defects coming out of college. Although Jones wasn’t a star at the combine, he didn’t do anything to hurt his status. Jones ran a 4.47 40 yard dash, had a 10’3” broad jump and ran the 20 yard shuttle in 4.28 seconds. He may need to add some upper body strength but he possesses #1 cornerback talent.
Jalen “Teez” Tabor, Florida
The one thing Howie Roseman likes to do is draft players from Florida, which makes Teez Tabor joining the Eagles a very strong possibility. With that being said Tabor did not have a very good combine. Listed at 6’ 200 lbs, the junior ran a very slow 40 time (4.62) after being told he has smaller than desired hands. Scouts also fear that his lack of deep speed forces him to play too deep in coverage which means he might struggle in press coverage. With all that being said the combine can’t take away what Teez did on the football field the last few years. He was able to rack up 104 tackles, 11 for loss, as well as defending 28 passes which ranks sixth all-time the SEC. Being compared to Darius Slay, if the Eagles do select him in the first round there are many positives you can draw from this kid.
Marshon Lattimore, Ohio State
Despite being projected to be the first cornerback off the board, some mock drafts have him going as high as #2 overall to San Francisco, there is a still a chance he can slide down and the Eagles might trade up to get him. Listed at 6’ and 190 lbs, Lattimore impressed at the combine running a 4.36 40 but reports came out shortly after that he injured himself on the run. Lattimore, who has a history of hamstring injuries, seems to be all right but it is concerning to many teams that he doesn’t have the ability to stay healthy. With injuries causing him to miss the majority of his first two years, he impressed in his one full year of playing, recording four interceptions, nine passes defended, and 41 total tackles. With only 16 career games played and this recent injury scare, we might see the player being compared to Vontae Davis fall in the draft.
Regardless of who the Eagles choose in the 2017 draft I feel very confident that any of these players will be a great addition to the team. Clearly free agency, which starts March 9th, can change the needs of the Eagles at the draft but if one of these guys is available it would behoove Howie to pull the trigger on these talented players.
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