Eagles News: Philadelphia had a top 10 “draft haul”

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Thor’s “Draft Haul” Grades - Rotoworld
9) Draft: 10, UDFA: 8 | 2019 HAUL grade: B+ ... The gambit to move up the board to steal Andre Dillard from the Texans was one of the best moves in all of the draft this year. The model also called the Dillard pick the third-best best value selection in the entire draft. The rest of Philly’s draft crop was solid, if unremarkable. But the Eagles did what they do and brought in some hidden value in the UDFA ranks, which bumped Philly from a No. 10 draft value ranking to a No. 9 total haul ranking.

State of the Eagles: Post-Draft Edition - BGN
Now that the 2019 NFL Draft is over and we’re easing into the first of two slow news cycles before training camp opens, I thought now would be as good a time as any to take a step back and assess where the Eagles stand now. Free agency is (mostly) old news, so I won’t really cover that - but I will say I generally approve of the depth Howie added along the defensive line with Malik Jackson, and the signing of Zach Brown was a low-risk, high-reward move. I’ve already written at length about Jordan Howard, and bringing back Jernigan and Darby on team-friendly deals is a smart move for a team looking to compete for a championship now. I’ve also overcome my fears of Howie “kicking the can down the road” with his restructures. As many astute readers have pointed out here in the comments, Howie isn’t guaranteeing money to players he doesn’t intend to keep - rather, he’s shifting the money of franchise cornerstones like Zach Ertz and Lane Johnson. Furthermore, with the way the salary cap is accelerating, it’s essentially betting on inflation: $5M in cap savings today is worth a lot more than an extra $5M spent years down the road, because by then it will consume a smaller percentage of an ever-rising salary cap. It’s basic economics. So really, it’s been a solid offseason for Howie and Co., and the draft was no exception. Let’s dig into that topic a little more.

The Kist & Solak Show #94: Prepare for (Training Camp) Battle - BGN Radio
Michael Kist and Benjamin Solak preview upcoming training camp and roster battles for the Eagles, including discussions on the safety, running back, offensive line, and linebacker positions plus much more! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Inked - Iggles Blitz
Let’s talk about Nico Evans. He was a 5-9, 211 standout RB for Wyoming this season. He ran for 1,325 yards and 8 TDs. He averaged 6.5 yards per carry. I think Evans is the kind of guy the Eagles are looking for. He was highly productive in 2018 and showed he can be a workhorse RB. Put on the tape and you also see someone with big play ability. The Eagles have a terrific 1-2 punch in Jordan Howard and Myles Sanders. Corey Clement is an outstanding role player. Wendell Smallwood and Josh Adams have both had some really good moments. Boston Scott is a small, but explosive athlete who we’re all somewhat curious about since this is his first offseason in Philly. Evans has a major uphill battle. But…he’s a good scheme fit and RB is one of those positions where anyone can win a job.

An analytical look at how Carson Wentz can regain his 2017 form for the Eagles - The Athletic
As I wrote last week, there is no excuse for the Eagles to field anything but a top five offense in 2019. This will be the best group of pass-catching weapons that Wentz has had in his career. The offensive line might not be elite (depending mostly on Brandon Brooks’ return), but it’s still an above-average group. The Eagles also have depth and should be able to withstand injuries at most positions on offense. The accuracy numbers from Wentz last year are encouraging, and his low interception rate through 40 starts is impressive. Jackson should be a difference-maker, and Wentz will be another year removed from the knee injury, which should lead to more opportunities to make plays outside the structure of the offense. If Wentz is right physically — and yes, that is again a big if — a clear roadmap exists for him to get back to being the player we saw in 2017.

Former Penn State offensive lineman Ryan Bates ready to live his dream with Eagles - PhillyVoice
“I grew up bleeding green. I always watched the Eagles, and when I was able to be home, I was either watching the Eagles or I was there. I watched the Super Bowl and went crazy like everyone in Philly when the Eagles won (Super Bowl LII). In a sense, I am living the dream. I grew up an Eagles’ fan and now I get a chance to make the team.”

JJ Arcega-Whiteside and the art of pumping the brakes - NBCSP
Just a few months ago, Eagles second-round pick JJ Arcega-Whiteside had just one speed: Frenetic. It was up to 17-year NFL veteran Ricky Proehl to teach him how to slow down with purpose, how to get smoother. “It’s like a race car,” Proehl said to NBC Sports Philadelphia this week. “They don’t come in full throttle, pedal to the floor, on a turn. They downshift in and then accelerate out. That’s what you want to do in your routes and change of direction.” There’s an art to this. Proehl, 51, said when he first met Arcega-Whiteside in January, the soon-to-be draft pick, on a scale of 1-10, had his speed dial turned up to an 11. Proehl needed him to dial it back some, to an 8 or 9, to be a little smoother as he prepared for pre-draft testing. Sure, this adjustment helped Arcega-Whiteside in his pre-draft testing drills, but it’s also a skill that’s helpful in game action. It should aid him in getting in and out of cuts with more efficiency.

NFL players to root for in ‘19: Odell Beckham, Kyler Murray excite - NFL.com
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Chris Long, DE. Well, I’m still pretty salty with the whole Eagles organization for how the Bears’ season ended. So this part of this exercise was tough. And then I remembered how hilarious Long’s Twitter timeline is during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, and I’m in.

Jeffrey Lurie: ‘Nothing works without great fans and we have the best’ - PE.com
”It’s great to have such a successful team and family with our football team. To bring a Super Bowl Championship to Philadelphia has been a dream come true. We want to win more and more and I expect us to,” Lurie said in an exclusive interview. “I’m proud of the fact that we’ve been able to really keep Lincoln Financial Field in elite fashion. It is a fan-friendly, intimate environment with great, great sightlines, great technology. Nothing works without great fans and we have the best.”

Where’d this new Eagles cheerleader learn his moves? His 98-year-old great-grandmother. - Philly.com
The 21-year-old Tanguay hails from Rochester, N.H., but moved to Philly in 2017 to study dance at the University of the Arts, where he’s now a junior. It was difficult to schedule an interview with him because he was in the middle of finals. He prides himself on his work ethic but is a “T-shirt and shorts” kind of guy when he’s not rehearsing or studying. To prepare for his Eagles audition, he practiced the routine “every single morning” with his best friend, Rae Holtzman, for six months. (She also made the team.) The audition “was like an actual show,” Tanguay said. “It’s not like we walk in and do a routine. ... There’s a fitness portion. There’s a dance portion. There’s an onstage-presence portion.” Tanguay said that when he hits the stage, nothing else matters. The Jonas Brothers’ “Sucker” blared through the speakers in the auditorium during his final audition.

Buffalo Bills’ QB Derek Anderson announces his retirement - Buffalo Rumblings
Anderson fully recovered in time for the end of the 2018 season, though his greatest contribution to the team never required him to suit up as a starter. It’s possible his mentorship is greatly missed in 2019, unless Matt Barkley is able to step into that same role as Josh Allen’s primary backup.

How NFL players are preparing now for the regular season, explained by a former lineman - SB Nation
The third phase are the OTAs, or organized team activities. Teams are permitted three per week for the first two weeks, then a fourth one the final week, for 10 total. They also bump from four to six hours per day. The day is split up between lifting, meetings, and practice. Well, it’s close to a practice. Helmet are on, drills are run, 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 are allowed, but there’s not supposed to be live contact. That’s a joke, though. There’s plenty of contact in the trenches, but the older you get in the league, the more you know how to protect yourself and get your work in without contact. For the younger guys, it can be a bloodbath in there. During this phase, the offense and defense get reinstalled from the beginning. It’s the first time players get a chance to get back on the field in something that’s similar to football conditions. Rookies get to see the speed of the game up close, even though it’s not remotely close to that of games. But, guys can start getting their sea legs underneath them. It starts to feel like football again.

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