Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...
Mel Kiper’s Rounds 2 and 3 winners, head-scratching picks from the 2019 NFL draft - ESPN In$ider
WINNERS: When I had to pick my “favorite” prospects in this class at every position -- regardless of ranking -- I chose Sanders as my running back and Arcega-Whiteside as my receiver. And the Eagles got them both at the end of Round 2. Sanders has some explosion, can play on third downs and has limited tread on his tires after sitting behind Saquon Barkley for two years. He could complement Jordan Howard’s skill set and help in the receiving game. The 6-foot-2 Arcega-Whiteside is like a basketball player in the red zone, boxing out corners to snag touchdowns. He had 28 career scores. He also ran a 4.49 at his pro day, so he can be a really good No. 2 receiver. Now, what does this mean for Nelson Agholor’s future in Philly?
Eagles Add Playmakers - Iggles Blitz
The offense struggled too often in 2018. The Eagles added DeSean Jackson and Jordan Howard in the offseason. Now they added young weapons to develop for the future. These guys can also contribute as role players right away. Sanders is 5-11, 211. He say behind Saquon Barkley for a couple of years, but then had a breakout season in 2018. Sanders showed that he was a top flight talent and had big time NFL ability. I love him because he can be a workhorse runner, but he’s also got big play ability. I think he is a great fit for the Eagles offense.
Three picks in, Eagles push offensive talent to new heights - PE.com
Three picks into the 2019 NFL Draft, the Eagles have changed the complexion of the offense, if not for the season ahead certainly in the years to come. They have addressed the present and the future with the selections of offensive tackle Andre Dillard (first round, 22nd overall), running back Miles Sanders (second round, 53rd overall) and wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside (second round, 57th overall). Staying put on Day 2, the Eagles added the versatility and production of Sanders, a tough downhill runner with some wiggle who reminds the Eagles, in a way, of LeSean McCoy, who was chosen with the 53rd overall pick 10 years ago, and then brought the catch-everything, weapon-in-the-red-zone Arcega-Whiteside on board four picks later. After two days of the NFL Draft, we are reminded to exercise some patience for a team building a roster. When free agency began on March 13, many wondered what in the world the Eagles would do to improve the wide receiver and running back positions, and who would be the eventual replacement for All-World left tackle Jason Peters. Anybody have questions now?
2019 NFL Draft: Best available prospects heading into Day 3 - BGN
According to The Draft Network, the slide of Hakeem Butler (WR, Iowa State) is the biggest surprise. He’s a 6’5 3/8”, 227-pound receiver that ran under 4.5 in the 40-yard dash that always had 1,318 yards and 9 touchdowns last year. It’s definitely odd that he’s still out there for the taking. Outside of Butler, the top players left are Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (S, Florida), Amani Oruwariye (CB, Penn State), and Julian Love (CB, Notre Dame). In terms of positional stacks, the linebacker position looks to have the most readily available contributors. Perhaps that’s due to it being a light top end class. Typically day three is where you see your medical and character concerns begin to go, so you should see these players come off the board soon.
Recapping Day 2 of the 2019 NFL Draft - BGN Radio
Michael Kist is joined by Brandon Lee Gowton to recap an exciting second day of the 2019 NFL Draft! The Eagles’ first three picks of the draft are in, how does the gang grade them?! Find out right here!Presented by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.
So You Drafted Penn State RB Miles Sanders... - Black Shoe Diaries
The biggest weakness in Sanders’ game is his ball security, and something that must be fixed at the next level. Whichever team selects Sanders will also get a top-notch locker room guy as well. It couldn’t have been easy for Sanders to come in as the top running back in his class, only to see sparse playing time. He could have grown impatient, especially considering he would have played a large role in any other offense that didn’t have a generational talent like Barkley. But he kept his head down, put in the work and made the most of his opportunities. If you’re reading this after your NFL team selected Sanders, be happy because they just added someone who is an easy guy to cheer for who is also bound to add plenty of value to the offense with some game-changing plays this fall.
NFL Draft: The new Cardinal Pros - Rule Of Tree
The Eagles have struggled mightily trying to find a second receiver to pair with Alshon Jeffery. The cycle of Jordan Matthews, Golden Tate, Josh Huff and Nelson Agholor (to name a few), all of whom disappointed in the second receiver spot. High production from tight ends like Zach Ertz (what up Stanford Alumni) helped various Philly quarterbacks, the lack of a real No. 2 is a need yet to be addressed. With Arcega-Whiteside on the roster, the Eagles not only have a potential second pass catcher but the makings of a matchup nightmare for opposing defensive backs. Both receivers are 6-foot-3 and plus 215. The duo is two guys who can throw their weight around in the red zone and box out defenders. But they are far from one trick ponies, as both can get vertical quickly but share no qualms about going over the middle of the field. Arcega-Whiteside proved last season he can take over games and impose his will on defense. If he can leap to the next level, it will help the Eagles jump a level too.
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside Is NFL Draft’s Biggest Hidden Gem - B/R
Arcega-Whiteside was a highly productive pass-catcher at Stanford last year, hauling in 63 balls for 1,059 yards. Over his three seasons with the Cardinal, Arcega-Whiteside reeled in 28 touchdowns—including 14 in 2018 alone. Per Pro Football Focus, Arcega-Whiteside’s 16.8 yards per catch in 2018 ranked ninth in the draft class. His passer rating when targeted was 135.6—second among the class. However, despite that impressive production, Arcega-Whiteside is flying somewhat under the radar. He isn’t getting the same predraft run as other big-bodied wideouts such as D.K. Metcalf (6’3”, 228 lbs) of Ole Miss or Hakeem Butler (6’5”, 227 lbs) of Iowa State. Pop in tape of Arcega-Whiteside, and it doesn’t take long to see that if there’s one thing he does even better than flying under the radar, it’s going up to get the rock in the red zone.
Why Stanford’s JJ Arcega-Whiteside is a top-three wideout in the 2019 NFL Draft - PFF
You saw a nuanced route runner who can get himself clean with his release and separate from defenders with his physicality. He just wasn’t often given that chance. 857 of his 1,059 yards came on targets 10+ yards downfield. His 14.9 average depth of target was the third deepest among Power-5 receivers with at least 1,000 yards. Arcega-Whiteside wasn’t thrown a single screen all season long. The big man wasn’t ‘schemed’ production, he had to work for all of those yards and even still targeting him resulted in a passer rating of 135.6 – the third highest in the country. Arcega-Whiteside has one of the biggest trump cards of any receiver in this class and deserves more first-round hype.
2019 NFL Draft: Favorite Fits from the First Round - Inside The Pylon
Andre Dillard – OT – and Jeff Stoutland – OL Coach – Philadelphia Eagles. This one is about more than just Stoutland, and really includes the whole tackle situation in Philadelphia. You have left tackle Jason Peters, who will remain a stalwart example of what the position should look like the rest of my evaluation career. Unfortunately, at 37 and with his recent injury history, the Eagles have been forced to play their third tackle too often. Now enters Dillard, an excellent practitioner in pass protection (which is so vital in today’s game), due in part to the vast repetitions he gained in a heavy passing attack at Washington State. Dillard could immediately play well in pass pro while refining other aspects of his game, but does not necessarily have to be put into action in his rookie season, allowing him to learn from Stoutland, Peters, and RT Lane Johnson. Now, just for some fun, here are some picks that don’t match my fit criteria, but I think will have immediate returns for the team. There were many picks that made a great deal of sense, but with these four, I can’t wait to see them play for these teams next year.
NFL draft: Eagles have made three offensive picks in what was supposed to be a defense-heavy draft - Inquirer
But the second day of this draft shaped up as an ideal place to find that blue-chip safety the Eagles need as an understudy to Malcolm Jenkins, who is 31, and Rodney McLeod, who is rehabbing a surgically repaired knee, in the final year of his contract. Roseman hedged his bet there by signing former Vikings starter Andrew Sendejo to a one-year free agent deal; that isn’t likely to be any sort of long-term answer. Highly-touted safeties abounded when Friday’s 53rd and 57th selections arrived, but the Eagles ignored them. Delaware safety Nasir Adderley, from Philly, went 60th overall, to the Chargers. The Rams took Washington safety Taylor Rapp 61st, Virginia safety Juan Thornhill went 63rd, to Kansas City.
Daniel Jones reaction: Let’s give the kid a chance to succeed - Big Blue View
Thursday night, Gettleman circled back around to the Super Bowl idea when discussing Jones. “I just thought his pocket presence and his poise were really important to me. I’ve been saying it for a long time: if you can’t consistently make plays from the pocket, you’re not going to make it in the NFL. You’ll be just another guy. You look at Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks, they consistently make plays from the pocket,” Gettleman said. “That’s what this kid can do, and he is not by any stretch of the imagination an average athlete. He’s a really good athlete. This kid can extend, make plays with his feet, buy time in the pocket. He’s got feel. He really has all the things you’re looking for.” Agree or disagree, the choice is made. The future path is cast. All you can do now is wait and see if Gettleman has chosen the right road.
The Giants Entered This Draft as an NFL Punch Line. Then They Took Daniel Jones. - The Ringer
More than any individual choices, the most frustrating part of the Giants’ recent stretch has been the lack of a cogent plan. Trading Beckham and starting a small-scale rebound may have been reasonable under the right circumstances, but not when the franchise followed it up by handing 30-year-old slot receiver Golden Tate a four-year, $37.5 million deal with nearly $23 million guaranteed. The same goes for the trade up to secure Baker with the 30th pick. To move from no. 37 to no. 30, Gettleman traded away his second-round pick (no. 37) and fourth- and fifth-rounders. That’s not a prohibitive price relative to other draft-day trades, but it doesn’t make sense considering New York’s team-building timeline. Gettleman acquired the fourth-round pick in that deal (no. 132) by trading cornerback Eli Apple to the Saints in October. Like the Harrison trade, that move was justifiable in that it gave the Giants more draft capital; like the Harrison trade, it also seems to work in direct contrast to the move that came afterward. The point of accruing draft picks for veterans is to stockpile draft assets to get a bunch of cheap talent on rookie deals. It’s not to burn those assets to make the sort of move that historically fails far more often than it’s successful.
Buccaneers release Joe Callahan - PFT
He’s also spent time with the Saints, Browns, and Eagles. The Bucs signed him to a future deal in January, and they have starter Jameis Winston, Blaine Gabbert and Ryan Griffin on the roster at the moment, making it likely they’ll add one either this weekend or shortly thereafter.
The best available players after Round 3 of the 2019 NFL Draft - SB Nation
A bunch of Alabama players are still around too. Safety Deionte Thompson and linebacker Mack Wilson should hear their name called early on Day 3. That’s not all. Defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs, edge rusher Christian Miller and cornerback Saivion Smith are also still out there.
Find someone that talks about you the way Coach Stoutland talks about Andre Dillard. Watch this exclusive film breakdown with @fduffy3.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) April 26, 2019
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