Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 5/16/21.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

NFC Udfa Class Rankings - Rotoworld
8th overall — This is the lowest the Eagles have ever finished in my UDFA rankings. The last two years Philly finished No. 5 and No. 8 (overall), respectively. But this class is just as intriguing as those ones were (this UDFA crop in my opinion is the best of the last three for reasons I’ll touch on in Wednesday’s AFC UDFA rankings). I wouldn’t even argue with someone who thought it was more intriguing. The Eagles didn’t sign anyone, either year, that I had ranked as high overall in the Thor500 as QB Jamie Newman and iOL Kayode Awosika. Newman is 100% a victim of circumstance. My favorite sleeper quarterback in this class, Newman made an inspired transfer decision to go from Wake Forest to Georgia after the 2019 season. But he decided to opt-out after the pandemic hit. At the time of his opt-out prior to the 2020 season, Newman was sitting atop a murky Tier 2 of 2021 NFL Draft quarterback prospects behind sure-things Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields and Trey Lance. That tier included guys like Kyle Trask and Kellen Mond. Not only did Mac Jones and Zach Wilson quickly surge past him as the 2020 season began, but so did Trask, Mond, Davis Mills, and, well, everyone else. I think the NFL was a bit too quick to forget about Newman’s 2019 season. That year, in a hyper-speed offense that rarely threw screens, Newman showed off a sniper rifle. He ranked as PFF’s No. 6 graded quarterback on throws 10-plus yards downfield and No. 2 (behind Trevor Lawrence) on graded throws beyond 20 yards. Newman also had 22 big-time throws against just four turnover-worthy passes, a fabulous ratio. For some context, Mond had only 25 big-time throws over the last two seasons combined.

Eagles Super Bowl hero signs with the Giants - BGN
Clement should always be remembered in Philly for his valuable contributions to the Eagles’ Super Bowl LII victory. He logged four catches for a team-high 100 receiving yards and one touchdown. Pretty impressive stuff from an undrafted rookie free agent signing. The Eagles were high on Clement going into 2018. He failed to ever take a step forward, though. Injury issues seemed to hamper his development. There was no need for the Eagles to re-sign him this offseason, especially after bringing back Jordan Howard, drafting Kenny Gainwell, and picking up Kerryon Johnson.

Giants roster move: RB Corey Clement signs after tryout - Big Blue View
The 5-foot-10, 220-pound Clement joins a backfield that includes Saquon Barkley, Devontae Booker and sixth-round pick Gary Brightwell. Following the draft, running back was one of the few positions on the 90-man roster that appeared to need more depth. The signing of Clement addresses that. Clement and Ito Smith were veteran backs trying out this weekend. Veteran wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin was trying out at tight end. No word on whether Benjamin has been signed.

At the Podium: Rookie minicamp Day 1 pressers - BGN Radio
With Day 1 of rookie minicamp in the books, hear from head coach Nick Sirianni, Marlon Tuipulotu, Trevon Grimes and Jamie Newman as the speak to the Philly media.

Eagles mailbag: Build a 22-man starting offense/defense, using no more than one player per NFL team - PhillyVoice
Question from bradco: Very important year for Josh Sweat. Are we asking too much for 10 sacks and good pressure regularly? ... Yes, you’re definitely asking for too much if you’re looking for 10 sacks. He’ll probably back up Derek Barnett again, and I think it’s reasonable to expect him to consistently get good pressure when he’s in the game, however, I don’t know yet if he’s a guy you want playing a hefty number of snaps. There’s a belief that I have heard that the more snaps he plays, the less effective he will become.

Key intel on all 32 teams after the 2021 NFL draft: Depth chart fits, remaining needs and more - ESPN+
I talked to three different high-ranking execs in the No. 5-15 range who said a) the Eagles were trying to move up, and b) they were eyeing a cornerback, most likely, or possibly a quarterback. Whether the latter was an Eagles smokescreen isn’t all the way certain, but at the very least they looked into getting Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain II, who went eighth and ninth, before taking DeVonta Smith at No. 10. And in Smith, “they might have gotten the third-best overall player in the draft,” said an AFC personnel exec.

Predicting 2021 NFL division winners: Here’s a look at all eight, with confidence level for each - CBS Sports
NFC East – Washington Football Team. Confidence level: 6.5. The NFC Least is always quirky. But for me, WFT has far and away the best defense in this division (and maybe the NFL), Chase Young is going to blow stuff up every week and Fitzmagic has enough in the tank to navigate 9-10 wins. And that still is probably all it will take, even in an 18-week season. Love the additions of offensive weapons and the OL will be better. Dallas still doesn’t have enough on defense and Dak Prescott may need time to get fully back into top form. The Eagles are my dark horse – they go two months without having to get on a plane, ridding themselves of the Wentz sideshow will be addition by subtraction and they will run the ball with gusto. The Giants have spent a lot of money in the past without getting all that much bang for their buck; sometimes history repeats.

Nick Sirianni’s offense might not be best-suited for Jalen Hurts - Inquirer
But they ran them much more with the latter two than with Brissett, who struggled to throw downfield. Hurts’ lack of accuracy downfield — at least based upon a small NFL sample — would suggest that deep crossing routes won’t be his forte. His tendency to scramble if his first few reads aren’t open won’t help either. When Sirianni first started installing the offense with his coaches, there wasn’t much in terms of the quarterback read run game or run-pass option plays, two team sources said. Offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland brought some of that package into the fold, but it remains to be seen whether Sirianni scripts game plans for Hurts that favor those plays.

Cowboys 2021 schedule: Things look pretty favorable for the Cowboys from Thanksgiving on - Blogging The Boys
Thinking about things from a grander perspective, the important thing about the post-Thanksgiving stretch is that it comes against the worst quarterbacks that the Cowboys will face this season. By that point in time they will be done with Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady, and Justin Herbert. They will draw Ryan Fitzpatrick twice, Daniel Jones, Jalen Hurts, Derek Carr, Jameis Winston (maybe Taysom Hill?), and Kyler Murray. You have to like those odds.

Colts Way Too Early 53 Man Roster and Depth Chart Prediction - Stampede Blue
Quarterback (2): Carson Wentz, Jacob Eason. Analysis: The quarterback position looked cut and dry with Carson Wentz as the starter and Jacob Eason as the back up. But with the draft pick Sam Ehlinger it threw a spanner into the works and offers Ehlinger a huge opportunity to battle with Eason for the back up job. In my opinion the back up job is Eason’s to lose and he hangs on and wins the competition against Ehlinger.

How soon can we expect the NFL rookie QBs to start? - SB Nation
After months of rumors about which way the 49ers would go in the draft, they ended up going with the upside potential of Trey Lance over the NFL-ready, low ceiling Mac Jones. There’s a lot to link about Lance’s potential in the NFL, but he’s not quite ready to put a team on his shoulders yet. With the Niners having Jimmy Garopollo under contract there’s freedom to sit Lance for a year and let him learn the system, but something tells me they’ll grow impatient. I don’t believe San Francisco has enough tools to win consistently with Jimmy G under center, and they don’t either — otherwise they wouldn’t have traded up for Lance. I think he rides the bench for a few weeks, then gets the nod. Projected start: Week 7. [BLG Note: The Eagles play the 49ers in Week 2.]

Bald Eagles Are Back. And They Want to Eat Your Pets. - Wall Street Journal
America’s majestic emblem conjures feelings of awe. They also attack small dogs and scavenge a landfill.

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