Eagles News: Howie Roseman takes a risk by drafting three players with character concerns

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Eagles take a gamble with Smallwood, Mills, and McCalister - Inquirer
The Eagles of old never would have selected three prospects with the red flags Wendell Smallwood, Jalen Mills, and Alex McCalister wore like scarlet letters entering the draft. Forget even the recent history of Chip Kelly, who would have had players with checkered pasts involving arrests, suspensions, and social-media foibles removed from his board predraft. The Andy Reid-Joe Banner-Howie Roseman Eagles had a protocol as strict when it came to evaluating prospects. They took some risks, but they were mostly rolls of the dice based on personality (e.g., DeSean Jackson). Did they miss out on some players who would prove worthy of a second chance? Sure. But more often than not, the potential for reoccurrence far outweighed any reward.

Smallwood On ’14 Arrest: ‘I Never Did Any Of That’ - Birds 24/7
In July of 2014, Smallwood was charged with witness intimidation in relation to a murder case. According to the Delaware News Journal, the charges were officially dropped after Smallwood’s friend pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. "I never came to anyone, tried to give them — as they were saying — recanted statements or anything like that. I never tried to get someone out of something. I never did any of that. I think it came to light at the end of the day, and that’s why the DA made the decisions they did," Smallwood said at his introductory press conference. "I was just in the wrong situation and I was young hanging out with the wrong people. … I just learned from the situation and I’m just trying to move forward and be a better man from that."

Eagles projected depth chart, updated after the draft - PhillyVoice
Doug Pederson said that Jordan Matthews will play more on the outside this season. He is easily the best receiver on the team, and it previously made no sense taking him off the field. In free agency, the Birds added Givens and Randle. Huff is in an interesting spot. He was of course among the Oregon players brought in by Chip Kelly. While he has shown explosive flashes, overall he has been inconsistent. What does the new regime think of him? For now, we'll leave him at WR3, but I put him there with no conviction. The addition of Randle gives Huff legitimate competition. The other wide receivers on the roster are T.J. Graham, Freddie Martino, Jonathan Krause, and Xavier Rush. The Eagles were expected to add a receiver in the draft, but that did not happen.

7th Rounders to the D - Iggles Blitz
I was shocked that Mills fell this low. I had him going in the mid-rounds. The only question is if he would be viewed as a Safety or CB. The Eagles are listing him at S for now. The 6-0, 191 DB is very talented. He fell in the draft for a couple of reasons. He ran a 4.61 at the Combine. He was much faster at his Pro Day, running 4.47. Mills also had character issues. He was arrested for hitting a woman. The charges were lowered and then dismissed, but it hardly sounds like he’s totally innocent. I’m not a PI so I’ll stick to the football stuff for now.

Doug Pederson: Sam Bradford missing valuable time in offense - CSN Philly
"Anybody that’s not in any of the 32 offseason programs is losing valuable time at that club," Pederson admitted on Saturday night, soon after the draft ended. "Anybody that’s not in the offseason program, yes, would lose the time." Pederson didn’t waste time naming Bradford his starting quarterback this offseason after Chase Daniel signed a high-priced deal and still says Bradford is the starter. But this time away isn’t helping. At what point is Bradford in danger of losing his role as starter?

Inside The Studio: Carson Wentz - PE.com
Dave Spadaro learns about who Carson Wentz is as a person off the field in this one-on-one interview during the quarterback's first day in Philadelphia as an Eagle ...

Aziz Shittu signs with the Philadelphia Eagles as an Undrafted Free Agent - Rule of Tree
Stanford Defensive Lineman Aziz Shittu will continue his career in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles. Shittu went undrafted but signed as an undrafted free agent with Eagles shortly after the draft ended. Shittu was notably snubbed from an invite to the NFL combine and projected to be selected in the later rounds or not drafted at all. Shittu dealt with a major knee injury while at Stanford and many scouts believe he does not have the size nor speed to be an elite defensive lineman in the NFL. Shittu is a hard worker, however, and his 'motor' is near-universally praised. Shittu is a smart player who works hard and has plenty of potential.

Report: Destiny Vaeao to sign as UDFA with Philadelphia Eagles - CougCenter
Vaeao has played all along the defensive line in his career for WSU, seeing snaps as the "Buck" linebacker (hybrid DE/LB) as a freshman in WSU's 3-4 before moving to end during his middle years and then finally tackle as a senior. If there's one thing that an NFL team probably found intriguing about Vaeao, it's his potential to rush the passer from the interior on passing downs, which has taken on an increased emphasis in the league with guys like Seattle's Michael Bennett starting on the outside on standard downs before dropping down inside with the sole purpose of creating havoc with the pocket.

NFL Draft 2016: Best players available after the draft - SB Nation
The Eagles signed a top six UDFA.

The Bison Is Poised To Become The U.S. National Mammal - NPR
All thanks to Carson Wentz, probably.

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