The Eagles hosted Clemson safety T.J. Green on a pre-draft visit, according to Green's Twitter account (hat tip to Turron Davenport). Green is one of 30 prospects scheduled to visit the team's facility in Philadelphia leading up to the 2016 NFL Draft. As you can see, Green is a big fan of former Eagles and Tigers safety Brian Dawkins.
Visit with Philly today ✈️✈️✈️ pic.twitter.com/DCDVrg5Qj6
— T.J. Green (@BossGreen256) April 12, 2016
The G.O.A.T pic.twitter.com/wFdyjyajHT
— T.J. Green (@BossGreen256) April 12, 2016
The 21-year-old Green has good size for a safety. He's listed at 6-2, 209 pounds. He's also very fast. Green ran a 4.34 40-yard dash.
The majority of Green's playing time came in his final season at Clemson. In three years playing for the Tigers, Green finished with 118 tackles (5.5 for loss), one interception, one sack, and two forced fumbles.
Philadelphia is looking for safety depth behind starters Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod. There's also some thought teams are looking at Green to play cornerback. The Eagles have publicly said that they plan to upgrade their secondary depth this offseason.
CBS Sports ranks Green as the third best safety in this class. They project him as a third round pick. Here's a scouting report via NFL.com.
"Strengths - Former wide receiver turned safety. Speedster who had a few "walk down" tackles coming from way behind to make tackles on breakaways. Has exciting coverage range potential for defense that asks more of him. Flashes man cover ability with length, speed, and balls skills associated with being a former receiver. Asked to walk down into the box and handle run support duties from time to time. Lightning fast blitzer who can factor off the slot. Patterns his game after Chiefs safety Eric Berry. Returned kickoffs in 2014.
Weaknesses - Open-field tackling issues are problematic. Too much shoulder hits and not enough wrap ups. Positioning and balance when tackling is below average. Credited with 17 missed or broken tackles in 2015. One-year starter. Asked to play so much high safety that his coverage opportunities and experience is limited. Hesitates to fire downhill after the run or catch, giving away valuable yardage. Instincts a work in progress missing opportunities to take chances and make plays on the ball.
Bottom Line - Height/weight/speed prospect who appears to be heating up around draft circles. With just one year of full-time starting experience and so much dead tape due to deep coverage responsibilities, teams will have a limited sample size to operate from, but traits usually win out. If Green hits a fast 40 at the combine (as expected), his stock will get a bump. Greens coverage potential is evident, but he might need time on the bench to watch and learn early on."
Complete list of known Eagles draft visits
QB Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
WR Mike Thomas, Southern Mississippi
QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State
LB Nick Kwiatkoski, West Virginia
RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State
LB Steven Daniels, Boston College
CB Daryl Worley, West Virginia
S T.J. Green, Clemson