Eagles News: Carson Wentz’s voice has “carried significant weight with some in the front office”

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How much influence will Carson Wentz have in the Eagles’ draft? Based on past drafts, plenty - Inquirer
Of the top seven offensive players the Eagles have selected in the last four NFL drafts, six have been represented by the same agency. Carson Wentz was the first, likely setting off a chain reaction, in part, because of his affiliation with Rep1 Football. It may be a mere coincidence, but the quarterback’s predraft relationship with several of the players speaks to his influence with Eagles’ decision makers. [...] Howie Roseman has previously noted Wentz’s involvement in personnel, but the general manager has also emphasized that his opinions were just a small part of the process. The Eagles, after all, have countless executives, scouts, and coaches and millions of dollars invested in the evaluation of draft prospects and free agents. But Wentz’s voice has carried significant weight with some in the front office, according to organizational sources, both current and past ones with the Eagles. [...] Wentz has strong feelings about various particulars related to the Eagles, but he hasn’t forced his player preferences on the personnel department, sources said. Roseman, coach Doug Pederson and owner Jeffery Lurie have asked for his input and he has obliged.

Daniel Jeremiah explains why he thinks the Eagles could go linebacker at No. 21 - BGN
“I also know that from Joe Douglas being there with Howie and now with Andy Weidl being there with Howie, those guys came from the same place I came from in Baltimore, and we saw what a linebacker can do with Ray Lewis and the impact he can have on a football team. That’s another side of it. I would also say if you’re looking at high batting average picks, when you look at some of the linebackers that we’ve seen go in the first round over the last several years, they’ve all been impact players. We saw it with Devin Bush last year with the Steelers. We saw it with Devin White last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, we’ve seen it with Vander Esch what he’s done with the Cowboys while he’s been out there, these guys have all played at a high level and been very impactful, and Jim Schwartz with what he wants to do and asking some of those guys to be able to run and cover, I think he’s a great pick, and I also think with Murray, you’re talking about off-the-charts intangibles with intelligence and just a high, high character individual who’s a phenomenal leader. He started at Oklahoma as a freshman. This kid is made of the right stuff, and I think in a year where you don’t have all the information on all these players and there can be more risk involved, I don’t know that it gets much safer than him.”

From the Bleachers #20: Thankful for the East in a Digital Age - BGN Radio
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Eagles 2020 NFL Draft preview: Linebacker - PhillyVoice
Nate Gerry made strides in 2019, playing in all 16 games and starting 12. He still has some run defense deficiencies, but he has been good in coverage, which the Eagles prioritize at the position. He’s a good bet to start once again in 2020. The team also likes T.J. Edwards, who had a high number of tackles (30), playing on 112 total defensive snaps, plus special teams. While he lacks ideal athleticism, he looked good against the run, and seemed to know where he should be in coverage. But clearly, there’s work to be done here. If you ignore positional importance and only focus on the depth chart, linebacker is the team’s second-biggest need, at a minimum. There’s even an argument to made that it’s the team’s biggest need, even ahead of wide receiver. As such, if you’ve read mock drafts over the last few months, you’ve seen more than your share of linebackers being projected to the Eagles in the first round.

Last Minute Shopping - Iggles Blitz
High quality DEs Everson Griffen and Jadeveon Clowney are still on the market. We keep expecting one of them to sign with Seattle, but nothing has happened so far. Griffen is older than the Eagles would prefer and Clowney has had injury issues. Still, the price on both has to be dropping and that could make the Eagles take them into consideration. Yannick Ngakoue is still out there, but no good rumors in regard to him right now. There are rumors that WR Kenny Stills is being shopped by Houston. I think he would make sense for the Eagles. They may prefer to wait until after the draft to see which WRs they can come away with.

NFL draft 2020: Howie Roseman’s reluctance to praise WR draft class doesn’t change anything - NBCSP
This is the same general manager who earlier this offseason said that the Eagles’ cupboard at receiver isn’t as empty as many think. But their top four receivers are Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, JJ Arcega-Whiteside and Greg Ward. Maybe it isn’t a complete disaster, but there’s not a lot to rely on there either. So it’s an incredibly deep class at a position where the Eagles have immense need. That’s the recipe for mounting pressure on a general manager. Roseman needs to nail this and he knows it. He’s taken measures to make sure his words won’t come back to bite him. But it wouldn’t make missing out on this — let’s face it — historic wide receiver class hurt any less.

Eagles host community blood drive for American Red Cross - PE.com
In an effort to help maintain a sufficient blood supply and to avoid a potential shortage during these uncertain times, the Philadelphia Eagles and the American Red Cross, with the support of Budweiser, hosted a community blood drive in the Touchdown Club at Lincoln Financial Field on Thursday, April 16. The blood drive screened 100 donors and collected 74 pints of blood, which has the potential to help up to 222 patients. As concerns around COVID-19 continue to rise around the country, the need to sustain a stable blood supply for patients with life-threatening conditions is critical at this time. The need for blood remains constant throughout the year, as volunteer donors serve as the only blood source for individuals relying on transfusions.

Scouting wide receivers for the Eagles: Best of the rest in the NFL Draft - The Athletic
Wulf: Oh boy, let’s talk about Van Jefferson. You know I’m going to start with his age. He’s one of four wide receivers with a draftable grade in Brugler’s guide who will turn 24 before September. Strike one. But at least the other three (Hightower, James Proche and Juwan Johnson) had some semblance of worthwhile college production. In four years of playing time, the most receiving yards Jefferson had in one season was 657 as a senior in 2019. He did that as, like, the oldest guy in the conference. Strikes two, three and four.

2020 NFL Mock Draft: The unexpected draft - Fake Teams
21. Philadelphia Eagles: Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia. No wide receiver for the Eagles so they instead choose to continue to build the most indestructible offensive line the world has ever seen.

Eagles Draft Preview w/ Bleeding Green Nation’s Brandon Gowton - ESPN Richmond
The manager and editor-in-chief for Bleeding Green Nation talks with Bob about how the Eagles are preparing for the NFL Draft which starts in a week.

Bears release tight end Trey Burton as post-June 1 designation - Windy City Gridiron
Injuries held Burton to just 8 games in 2019, and his production fell far short of expectations, as he finished the year with 14 catches for 84 yards and no touchdowns. The 28-year-old veteran fought through calf and groin issues but was unable to produce to the standard necessary for the starting tight end position. The report of his release comes minutes after the team signed former Packers offensive tackle Jason Spriggs.

The Leggy 100: Ranking the top 2020 NFL draft prospects - ESPN
17. Justin Jefferson, WR, LSU, 6-1¼, 202 (4.43). Jefferson did the bulk of his work in the slot last season, but he can play all over the formation and has some of the best hands on the board. He snatches the ball, which creates more space against the defender, and runs well after the catch. [...] 39. Denzel Mims, WR, Baylor, 6-2⅞, 207 (4.39). Mims wasn’t asked to do as much, in terms of routes, as the other prospects on the board, but his skills are easy to see. He has a big catch radius and elite speed, so he figures to make an impact downfield early before he develops a more all-around game. He had 28 touchdown catches over the past three seasons combined. [...] 51. Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU, 5-10⅝, 206 (4.47). Reagor is another player who might be waiting a while to be selected because of the wide receiver depth in this draft. He dealt with inconsistent play from his quarterbacks, so better ball placement will allow him to have a quick impact. He also has return skills with two punt return TDs in 2019.

Why Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray is a legit possibility for the Dallas Cowboys at pick 17 - Blogging The Boys
The 2020 NFL Draft is less than a week away so it won’t be much longer when the Dallas Cowboys will have a new crop of rookies on their football team. Unlike last season, the organization will have a first-round draft pick at their disposal. There are a lot of different directions the team can go as the list of pre-draft visitors are laced with several different defensive linemen, cornerbacks, and wide receivers. But right in the middle of that list is Oklahoma linebacker Kenneth Murray. Would the Cowboys dare take a linebacker with their first-round pick?

2020 NFL Draft prospect profile: Grant Delpit, Safety, LSU - Big Blue View
Adding Delpit to an NFL squad can give a defense a lot of flexibility. Has the range to be a single high safety in cover 1 man. Easily possesses the range to play cover 2 or cover 3 safety, while also having experience and the physical nature to drop into the box. Can be trusted as the deep half safety in cover 6: quarter, quarter, half defenses. Instincts and ability to see the field are an underrated part of Delpit’s game; could occasionally thrive in a robber role. Can play man coverage effectively and uses his long/physical frame to disrupt receivers up the stem and throughout the catch point. Was used near the line of scrimmage a lot as a blitzer and became a nuisance for offenses when they would try to run laterally towards his side. If Delpit cleans up his tackling deficiencies, someone will get a steal if he’s available in the second round.

Vox Media furloughs more than 100 employees for three months - CNN
Vox Media, owner of sites including Vox, The Verge and New York magazine, is furloughing about 9% of its employees for three months. The decision is one of several measures the digital media company announced Friday to cut costs after the coronavirus pandemic decimated its revenue sources. The furloughs, which will run from May 1 to July 31, affect multiple departments including sales, events, production, IT, operations and editorial. Vox Media currently employs about 1,200 people, resulting in about 100 people facing three-month furloughs. In addition, about 1% of the company’s personnel will have reduced hours for the same time period. Vox Media will continue to cover the health benefits of those affected.

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