The Linc - Eagles Meet With Johnny Manziel

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Random Eagles notes: NFL Combine edition - JimmyK, Philly.com
Last year, West Virginia's Tavon Austin was the 8th overall pick to the Rams. If you look at Austin's highlight reel, and compare it to the highlight reel of Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas, you'll see two players who make explosive plays running the ball (both on handoffs and after the catch), and in the return game. Thomas is not thought of as highly as Austin, and a number of people have asked why. Austin was a legitimate receiver in college, who also ran the ball quite a bit at the end of his senior season. Thomas wasn't a natural receiver, who required a little more creativity to get the ball in his hands.

Combine Update - Tommy Lawlor, Iggles Blitz
Peter King mentioned in an article that the Eagles met with Johnny Manziel. Say what? We’re going for Johnny Football? Uh, no. The Eagles have met with all the top underclassmen for years. This began under Reid/Heckert and continues today. Why? Scouts start doing research on prospects in May. They gather all kinds of info and build detailed reports. Underclassmen declare in late December or early January. The team may have done some preliminary work, but doesn’t have as good a feel for those guys. One way to catch up quickly is to make sure you meet with them at the Combine. This isn’t a big deal. The Eagles are just doing their due diligence.

All-22: Why Mitchell Could Be a Fit - Sheil Kapadia, Birds 24/7
Mitchell is 26 and has the measurables. The 6-foot, 210-pounder was not invited to the combine coming out of college but reportedly ran a 4.39 40 at his Pro Day. He never started more than four games in a season for the Raiders and played a total of 1,576 snaps there, per Pro Football Focus. That's roughly the equivalent of a year and a half for a full-time starter. Mitchell played free safety for the Panthers and only lined up in the box 22.7 percent of the time on run snaps, per PFF. That ranked 52nd out of the 63 safeties who played at least 50 percent of their team's snaps in 2013. In coverage, he was a big hitter whose athleticism showed up on tape.

Sizing up the NFL Combine's safety crop - Les Bowen, Daily News
Despite all the talk you're hearing about an unprecedented abundance of talent in the upcoming NFL draft, if you look at assessments of the safeties - what Eagles fans seem to care most about these days - you'll find a steep dropoff after the first two names, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Calvin Pryor.

Draft Risers And Sliders: DL And LB - Tony Pauline, PE.com
2. LB C.J. Mosley, Alabama: Mosley did not run the 40-yard dash, but participated in position drills and showed why he's so highly rated. To say Mosley looked natural during all the drills is an understatement. As with all the linebackers who did well on Monday, Mosley looked terrific in coverage drills, effortlessly moving laterally and changing direction at a good pace.

Honoring the highlights and lowlights at the NFL combine. | SportsonEarth.com
Mandatory Monday's Forty Awards honor the highlights, lowlights and fashion runway stunners at the NFL combine, from best press conference intro (Rex Ryan) to best body part (Teddy Bridgewater's hands).

Devin McCourty gives NFL Scouting Combine advice to draft prospects | The MMQB with Peter King
The NFL scouting combine can be an anxiety-inducing time for prospects if they don't arrive prepared. Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty does his part to help, passing along 10 nuggets of wisdom gleaned from his own experience

Johnny Manziel met with Eagles at NFL Combine, according to report - ESP, NJ.com
The Eagles continue to insist that Nick Foles is their franchise quarterback - and very well could be - but that isn't stopping the team from doing their homework on one of the top prospects in the draft.