NFL Combine 2019 recap: Potential Eagles offensive line targets

Offensive lineman were busy on Thursday, first hitting the bench press and then hitting the podiums for their barrage of questions from reporters. There were about 58 players that they fit into the 1.5-2 hour window for interviews, so it goes by in a flash. Two of the guys who are considered potential Eagles targets include Yodney Cajuste and Andre Dillard.

Yodny Cajuste (West Virginia)

He’s not exactly the most talkative guy, but he did have some insight into the type of player he is. Cajuste addressed sitting out of the bowl game, and said that if you watch the Oklahoma game, it’s obvious he was rolled up on and his ankle just wasn’t ready to go for the bowl game.

He talked about the No. 1 thing he needs to show teams is that he’s reliable and that the film speaks for himself. When he meets with teams he’s confidant they’ll see what kind of guy his is and just wants to show them that he’s very reliable.

Cajuste did note that his ceiling is really high and that he’s a very hard worker, while also pointing out that he’s still got a lot to learn and is eager to do so. He went on to say that he doesn’t compete with anyone but himself and is a tough critique of his own performance. He also said that he prepares well for every opponent, and watches film on his own time ahead of games to try and find their tendencies.

He was asked what some of his favorite plays were to run in West Virginia, he said he definitely liked passing the ball and when they aired it out and having to give five-man protection with everybody one-on-one by themselves. For the run game, he said he likes running counter on the right side where he pulled.

Cajuste has not met with the Eagles yet, and didn’t say that was one of the formal meeting he’s got planned for this weekend.

Andre Dillard (Washington State)

One of the big points of Dilliard’s time at the podium was talking about how he was able to bulk up so much during his collegiate career. He weighed 240 pounds when he got to WSU and weighed in at 315 at the Combine, which is a pretty impressive gain while satying lean. He talked about having to eat everything, all the time and would even set an alarm some nights to wake up and have a shake at 2 a.m. to try and bulk up. He said eating late night was the key.

He said one of the biggest questions he’s gotten when meeting with teams is about how he feels about going from a mostly passing offense to an NFL style offense, and how he feels about his talents as a run blocker. He didn’t seem to have any concerns about his ability, and clearly seems committed to following the instructions of his team and coaches if they want him to develop in other ways.

Tytus Howard (Alabama State)

The Eagles already had a formal meeting with the Alabama State offensive tackle, who is another player who bulked up a lot during his time in college. Howard played both tight end and quarterback in high school, and would be an interesting addition to the Eagles line and also notched 21 reps on the bench press on Thursday.

Dalton Risner (Kansas State)