Eagles looking at Vanderbilt WR

When the NFL draft commences at the end of next month, remember the name Earl Bennett.

He is a wide receiver from Vanderbilt who is projected to be taken in the second round, and the Eagles are interested enough in him that, according to a league source, they have asked for a personal workout today.

Bennett, 6 feet and 209 pounds, was a three-time all-Southeastern Conference selection and decided to enter the draft after his junior season at Vanderbilt. He led the Commodores in receiving during each of his three seasons, including his freshman year, when Denver's Jay Cutler was his quarterback.

Bennett, who ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash at the scouting combine in Indianapolis, caught 75 passes for 830 yards and five touchdowns last season. His 236 career receptions are an SEC record.

Really burst onto the scene as a true freshman in '05 and quickly emerged as Jay Cutler's favorite target..A three-year starter in the SEC...Has experience returning kicks and punts..Not the most physically gifted wideout in the world but makes up for it by doing all of the little things..Profiles as a prototypical possession receiver.

Earl Bennett caught the eye of scouts early in the 2006 season and has continued to progress over the duration of his collegiate career. Earl Bennett may take a page out of the Giants game plan that they utilized on 2006 2nd round draft selection Steve Smith, initially Earl Bennett may be best suited as the slot receiver and then advancing his game to make him a solid #2 WR. Bennett is one of the more NFL ready receivers in the group, but questions about his athleticism will limit his draft status.

Bennett has a nice frame. It compliments him having virtually no fundamental weakness. He runs sharp routes, understands coverages and is not only willing to run block, but does it well. He's a quarterback's best friend, because if the ball is anywhere near him, he'll make the catch. You can't put up his reception totals and have drops. Bennett has thrived on being able to find weaknesses in coverages.

If Bennett ran a 4.4 in the 40-yard dash, he'd probably be the top receiver on the board. The problem is, he runs a 4.52 and scouts have taken notice of that. NFL scouts love pure burners and Bennett will never be that kind of receiver. The other concern about Bennett is that he's operated for the most part out of the slot -- which is virtually unheard of for a No. 1 receiver. That may have been to compensate for his lack of speed. While Bennett may never be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, there is no reason to believe he won't at least be a solid possession receiver for several years. But that will likely drop his draft stock to the middle rounds.