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Eagles News: Philadelphia needs to address offensive line in the NFL Draft

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 2/26/2015.

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

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The offensive line, not the secondary, is the Eagles' most pressing need in the draft - PhillyVoice
Peters and Mathis are both athletic freaks of nature, and Mathis has relatively low mileage with just 78 career starts, which could delay Father Time for a bit, but for how long? Herremans, meanwhile, is a more traditional old guy, as he is a mere mortal athletically and has been a regular starter since the end of the 2005 season. All three players have had injuries that have caused them to miss significant time at some point during the last three seasons. On the one hand, the Eagles offensive line, when healthy, is still very good. Peters and Mathis both made the Pro Bowl last year (although there's an argument to be made that Peters' game fell off some in 2014), and Herremans may still be a "good enough" guard with bonus points because of his versatility. When the offensive line isn't healthy, we saw how competent (not very) the backups were in the first half of the 2014 season.

Eagles Wake-Up Call: Will Maclin Get Tagged? - Birds 24/7
While the delay might be fraying some nerves, it shouldn't necessarily be looked at as a sign of his imminent departure. From Maclin's perspective, it makes perfect sense to be patient. For one, it allows Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant to potentially set the market. And with leverage to spare, why not wait and see what the Eagles' best offer is before the opening of business on March 10? If it's not satisfactory, he can test the free-agent waters -- unless, of course, the Eagles tag him. If they do, it will cost $12.8 million. Players typically don't like getting franchised, but there are worse fates than making $13 million in a single season.

Eagles Offseason Overview: Running Backs - Inquirer
Abdullah is a natural for the Eagles’ scheme, can catch the ball out of the backfield, and is a high character player. He had the best vertical jump, broad jump, three-cone drill, and 20-yard shuttle of any running back at the combine. That athletic ability should overshadow a 4.6-second 40-yard dash. Johnson has similar size and production, although there are some injury concerns with him. Coleman didn’t work out at the combine because of a foot injury, but has good size and versatility. I like Ajayi, who would get more attention in a different year.

Best team fits for top O-linemen - ESPN In$ider
D.J. Humphries, OT, Florida: He's been getting a lot of buzz recently, and we've really liked his movement skills. He has the potential to develop into a starting left tackle in the NFL, but he doesn't fit for a power running team because he isn't a drive blocker. There's also some durability concerns with him. But his workout was very good, with a great 40 (5.12) and short shuttle (4.64) and above-average scores in the bench press (26 reps) and broad jumps (8-8). One measurement concern: His 33⅝-inch arms are problematic for a left tackle prospect. Team fits: He'd make sense for the Eagles on Day 2, as they're looking for athleticism at the tackle position over size. The Panthers are another possibility.

Eagles free-agent targets: CB Brandon Flowers - CSN Philly
I like Flowers, but at 5-9 I just don’t think he’s a guy Kelly would pay big money for. Flowers played well this past season in his first year with the Chargers. He’s been a very durable corner, missing just 10 games in seven years -- only three cornerbacks have started more games since 2008 than Flowers. He’s consistent, productive and a good locker room guy. Flowers is a good, solid pro. I’d pursue him in a second, but I don’t think Kelly will.

To Tag or Not to Tag: Assessing the Major Franchise-Tag Candidates Across the NFL - Grantland
Letting Maclin go would leave the Eagles with a massive void at their outside-receiver spots, but handing him the $13 million the tag would carry after just a single year of high-level production is its own risk. Trying to figure out a long-term deal that’s closer to Maclin’s actual value among wide receivers is probably the smartest bet.

NFL Draft: Will the Buccaneers take Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota? - The MMQB with Peter King
Lovie Smith says the Buccaneers are "OK" with Jameis Winston’s character issues, but I don’t believe him. Besides, Marcus Mariota could be a better fit for Tampa Bay’s offensive plans

Film Room: Free Agent Defensive Linemen - PE.com
In this installment of our 'Film Room' series evaluating the top free agents at every position, Bo Wulf and Greg Cosell check out some of the defensive linemen to watch when Free Agency begins on March 10th ...

New NFL coaches will change the 2015 NFL Draft - SB Nation
As for the offense, scheme and philosophical changes under new coordinator Chan Gailey could have huge reverberations on the rest of the draft because New York may feel they need to select a quarterback early in the draft. Regime changes haven't always been easy on young quarterbacks that were selected by the previous group. This would obviously be an interesting bombshell. "We're going to run it and throw it," Todd Bowles told reporters at the Combine when asked what the new offense under Gailey would look like. "We're going to be very balanced. It's not going to be a certain style of offense. As we get all our pieces in place, we'll drift toward that as we go. But we're going to run the ball and we're going to throw the ball equally. We're going to be a well-balanced offense."

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