Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 4/19/20.

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NFL Draft chatter: Talking Tua, first-round sleepers, Cowboys, Raiders - The Athletic
No. 21 — The need for speed. Philadelphia wants receiver help. That’s not a usual move in the first round under Howie Roseman, but there’s a glaring hole. Alabama’s speed threat Henry Ruggs likely requires a trade-up ahead of San Francisco at 13, but the interest in Philly exists. Jalen Reagor’s projected range pushes a bit further out (24-33 with Green Bay at 30 a viable option). Still, the Eagles have put in work on the TCU receiver who ran an unofficial 4.22 at a virtual Pro Day after clocking a disappointing 4.47 at the combine.

NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Final look at the Eagles’ projected first round picks - BGN
For the billionth week in a row, Justin Jefferson is the clear favorite. I made my case for the Eagles drafting him earlier this week. The TL;DR version is that the fit isn’t perfect but his profile is still worth betting on. Howie Roseman can’t afford another total miss at receiver.

Eye On the Enemy #16: NFC East Mock Round Up - BGN Radio
John Stolnis looks around at how the experts are mocking the NFC East with thoughts on the Eagles, Giants, Cowboys and Washington PLUS thoughts on the notion that the league believes the Eagles are a lock to select a WR in the first round! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Eagles 2020 NFL Draft preview: Cornerback - PhillyVoice
Amik Robertson, Louisiana Tech (5’8, 187). As I have noted previously, I love this guy. To begin, in three season at Louisiana Tech, Robertson has filled up the stat sheet across the board, particularly with a high number of interceptions and pass breakups. It’s not often you see a guy with the type of tackle, tackle for loss, and interception combination that Robertson has. At 5’8, 187, Robertson doesn’t have ideal size, but he doesn’t play small.

Pick 21 - Iggles Blitz
I’ve been studying OL prospects all day and watched a couple of LSU games. I couldn’t help but notice some guy wearing #2 making a bunch of catches and making plays. If Justin Jefferson is on the board at 21, he would be a big upgrade for the Eagles passing attack. He is fun to watch. And a damn good player. [...] I can see some team falling in love with Jefferson. Character. Production. Combine speed. Positional ability. He is a terrific prospect.

NFL Draft 2020: KJ Hamler, Miles Sanders talking ‘a lot’ about teaming up on Eagles - NBCSP
Hamler, a slight but talented wideout who caught 56 passes for 906 yards and eight touchdowns in 2019, is expected to be selected in the draft’s first two rounds, and his Pennsylvania connection has Eagles fans’ interest piqued. It sounds like the interest is mutual. When Riddick asked Hamler about potentially playing for the Eagles in 2020, alongside former Penn State teammate Miles Sanders, Hamler had this to say: “I talk to Miles a lot. Miles is one of my best friends. [...] Yeah, we talked about me playing for the Eagles, and seeing if they’re interested or not. I’ve talked to the Eagles a lot, actually, but I can only go to one team, and the one team that’s going to get me is going to get 100 percent, 120 percent out of me, 24/7.”

Plans set: Eagles to begin virtual offseason program on April 27 - PE.com
The Eagles have been preparing for this, as well as the NFL Draft, for many weeks. Head Coach Doug Pederson will try to recreate the successful classroom setting at the NovaCare Complex in a virtual manner where the position coaches and even the coordinators are able to share, through the Microsoft Teams platform, the X’s and O’s of the playbook to the players who voluntarily want to participate in the program. Additionally, the league is permitting teams to provide workout equipment for voluntary use by quarantining players, up to a certain dollar threshold. Players won’t have full gyms provided for them, but if they are in need of equipment such as bands or hand weights, the club is permitted to send them a limited number of items. It’s important, then, that the Eagles identify how players are living now – big houses, small apartments, access to fields, etc. – as they determine what equipment can best serve the player as he pursues workouts away from the club.

2020 NFL Draft: Five ways the Eagles could trade up for a top wide receiver prospect - CBS Sports
Like Berry, Jets GM Joe Douglas is an old friend who’d likely perk up at the chance to increase draft capital for his rebuild. In this trade, he gets an extra top-55 pick (and thus can get both OT and WR help early), as well as immediate Sam Darnold help in Jeffery. The latter is aging and banged up, but he’s got a great history with both Douglas and Adam Gase from Chicago and can be cut after 2020 for a savings of about $8 million. On the Eagles’ side, Roseman would likely still get his WR of choice (Jeudy, Lamb or Ruggs) while also unloading Jeffery’s deal. We’ll say the 2021 conditional fifth is returned to the Eagles if Jeffery plays at least 13 games for New York in 2020, allowing Philly to get at least something in return for the wideout.

Hot 150: Gil Brandt’s top-ranked prospects for 2020 NFL Draft - NFL.com
42) Jalen Reagor has strong hands but will drop some easy ones. His father, Montae Reagor, spent nine years in the NFL and was a second-round draft choice of the Denver Broncos in 1999. I think Jalen Reagor could be a very good corner, but Montae is against the idea of a position switch. Reagor can return punts and kickoffs. He had 22 touchdown catches in his three years at TCU. [...] 49) On tape, Denzel Mims doesn’t play as fast as someone with 4.38 speed. A four-year player who made 35 starts, Mims collected 186 catches for 2,925 yards and 28 touchdowns. Mims won the battle on 20 contested catches in 2019. He has a thin lower body, but he’s a good athlete, having played basketball and won the state 200-meter championship in high school. He is a good person and a hard worker.

A one-of-a-kind path to the NFL draft: How the XFL’s BattleHawks prepped ball hawk Kenny Robinson - ESPN
For a moment, Kenny Robinson was a trailblazer. He was the first to follow a new path to the NFL draft, one that put money in his pocket and bypassed the restrictive structure of college football. If all went well in the coming years, dozens of players would leave school early and follow his route through the XFL. But the XFL’s unexpected demise closed that door for the foreseeable future, making Robinson one of the most unique draft prospects in history. He is a former All-Big 12 safety at West Virginia who, at age 21, has a half-season of professional football on his résumé. [BLG Note: The Eagles have shown some pre-draft interest in Robinson.]

2020 LSU Football NFL Draft Profiles: Justin Jefferson - And The Valley Shook
The single most important job a wide out has is catching the ball when it’s thrown your way and there may not be a better receiver in this draft class that has better hands than Jefferson. In fact, per Pro Football Focus Jefferson caught 92.3 percent of contested balls; no other receiver did better than 66.7 percent. Jefferson might do his best work out of the slot but look at that 40 time he ran in Indianapolis. 4.43. That’s first round pick speed. Moreover, he runs every route on the route tree and runs them well. Jefferson is also a fiend in open space, forcing 25 missed tackles last year like this one.

Dallas Cowboys 2020 NFL draft scouting report: Utah CB Jaylon Johnson - Blogging The Boys
Long, physical cornerbacks don’t grow on trees, and Johnson’s best traits are just that. Johnson has to learn to tone down some of his aggressiveness at the line of scrimmage and throughout the route-stem, but there’s a lot to like in Johnson’s game. Johnson has ideal size at the position, and pairs solid athleticism with impressive physical traits. Johnson has a chance to be drafted at the end of the first round, and should be one of the top 5-6 cornerbacks drafted in this class. Johnson could be a trade down candidate for the Cowboys if they look to move back in the first round, or an excellent value pick if he hangs around until the 51st overall pick.

2020 NFL Draft prospect profile: K’Lavon Chaisson, EDGE, LSU - Big Blue View
Chaisson initially projects as an excellent No. 2 option at pass rusher but would be the No. 1 option on the Giants. Will be maximized next to a top-level pass rusher in Year 1. By Year 3, Chaisson should be the No. 1 pass rusher on his team, with the upside to develop into a Pro-Bowler. It’s hard to ignore the three defensive phase ability to be able to get after the quarterback and disrupt, stop the run and set the edge, and being able to drop into coverage. His athleticism, motor, and pass-rushing repertoire are already at an NFL level, albeit he could use more inside counter. He played in LSU’s 3-4 Under defense, where he was utilized in two-point, three-point, and four-point stances, mostly on the weak-side of the formation, next to the 3-technique in base defense. His best fit in the NFL would be as an outside linebacker in a multiple 3-4 front.

What every lesson we learned from the 2015 NFL Draft means for 2020 - SB Nation
20. Philadelphia Eagles: Nelson Agholor, WR. Agholor was supposed to be the perfect playmaker for Chip Kelly. Instead, his career got off to a rough start before briefly stabilizing and then, in 2019, returning to disappointment. He’ll try to live up to his first-round status as a Raider in 2020. Lesson learned: Some flaws don’t get fixed. Agholor is an electric athlete and an occasional savior from the slot, but his college tape showed a player whose lapses in concentration led to frustrating drops. As an Eagles fan will tell you, that’s a problem that didn’t go away in the NFL — he had 21 drops the past four seasons. Players it applies to in 2020: Jordan Love, Jalen Reagor.

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