Report: Eagles host some big name prospects on pre-draft visits

Oklahoma offensive tackle Cody Ford, Ole Miss wide receiver A.J. Brown, Penn State cornerback Amani Oruwariye and Arkansas interior offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt are four of the 30 prospects from the 2019 NFL Draft who will be hosted by the Eagles for a visit in Philadelphia, according to reports from Alex Marvez and SportsRadio 94WIP.

CODY FORD

Ford is one of the top offensive line prospects in this year’s class. The Draft Network analysts have him ranked as their second or third best offensive tackle despite the fact there’s some thought he should play at guard in the NFL.

Ford, a redshirt junior, made 21 starts in 29 games played at Oklahoma. Pro Football Focus has some more insight on his college performance:

Ford moves well in pass protection, finishing 2018 with his second consecutive season with a pass-blocking grade above 85.0 after he surrendered just six QB pressures on 414 snaps. Impressively enough, he kept Sooners quarterbacks upright, as all six pressures allowed went down as hurries.

Funny enough, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s NFL comparison for Ford is current Eagles starting right guard Brandon Brooks.

Ford offers a rare combination of physical and athletic traits that will have NFL teams dreaming of his upside. He is raw and relatively inexperienced as a starting tackle with exploitable holes that will need to be patched before he can thrive in the pros. As a tackle, he’s a developmental, high-risk/reward talent. The safer (and better?) route might be to play him as a guard where he will face less exposure in pass protection and where his size and athleticism should allow him to become a plus run-blocker fairly quickly.

There’s no guarantee Ford even falls to Philly’s pick at No. 25 but they might want to consider developing him into a potential Jason Peters replacement if he does. They can always move him to guard down the road if tackle doesn’t work out.

Spider graph via Mockdraftable:

A.J. BROWN

The 21-year-old Brown finished his college career with 189 receptions for 2,984 yards (15.8 yards per reception) and 19 touchdowns. PFF has more stat info for 2018:

Brown was the definition of a complete receiver for Ole Miss. He forced 17 broken tackles, had 34 explosive plays and only dropped five passes on 90 catchable targets.

Zierlein comps Brown to JuJu Smith-Schuster. Scouting report:

Slot bully with rare combination of brawn and quickness that allows him to separate with both power and foot quickness. Brown has the size and demeanor to take on a relatively heavy workload as a safety blanket for a young quarterback in a ball-control passing attack. He’ll see an upgrade in athlete across from him, but he has the feet and body control to uncover and create windows as a premium route-runner.

Kind of interesting the Eagles are using a visit on a Day 2 slot receiver prospect, huh? Nelson Agholor is set to make $9.4 million this year but Philadelphia can save all that money by trading him. Even if Agholor IS retained, he’s set to be a free agent in 2020. So it’s not a shock the Eagles are keeping their eyes on the future of that position.

Spider graph via Mockdraftable:

Highlights:

AMANI ORUWARIYE

Oruwaryie (OH-rue-war-ee-AY) is a 23-year-old defensive back who logged 106 tackles, 20 passes defensed, eight interceptions, one forced fumble, and one defensive touchdown in four years playing for the Nittany Lions.

Zierlein comps Oruwaryie to current Eagles cornerback Rasul Douglas. Scouting report:

He can be an effective press-man defender, but must win at the line of scrimmage or he could become an early target for quarterbacks as he lacks makeup speed once he’s beaten. Oruwariye is a proven disruptor at the catch point and is willing to step up and take on run support duties. When all factors are considered, he’ll be considered a scheme fit for zone-heavy teams who covet physicality in press.

The Eagles are loaded with young corners so I just can’t see them taking a player at that position in the first round. A Day 2 pick even feels superfluous unless it’s painfully clear he’s the best player available. Someone playing devil’s advocate could point out that Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby are free agents after this year while Sidney Jones has been incredibly injury prone to this point.

In any case, Oruwaryie sounds like the type of corner that Jim Schwartz values.

Spider graph via Mockdraftable:

Highlights:

HJALTE FROHOLDT

Hjalte Froholdt (Yell-duh Fro-holt) is a Denmark native who projects as a Day 3 pick. He mostly started at left guard for Arkansas but he does have some experience playing center.

Scouting report:

Froholdt has primarily lined up at guard, but a move to center might give him his best shot as a pro. He has good power to absorb and neutralize at the point of attack, but there just aren’t enough wins as an in-line blocker due to his lack of push. Froholdt also struggles to protect his edges through foot quickness or functional power and he should be able to get the help he needs at center. His ability to play both guard and center strengthens his case to become a solid backup who can step in and start in a pinch.

The Eagles could view Froholdt as a potential Stefen Wisniewski replacement.

Spider graph via Mockdraftable:

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Complete list of known Philadelphia Eagles draft visits

Oklahoma OT Cody Ford

Ole Miss WR A.J. Brown

Penn State CB Amani Oruwariye

Arkansas G/C Hjalte Froholdt

TCU DE L.J. Collier - [Click here]

Old Dominion DE Oshane Ximines - [Click here]

Michigan RB Karan Higdon - [Click here]

Florida S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson - [Click here]

Alabama State OT Tytus Howard - [Click here]