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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...
Jason Peters gives his take on the Carson Wentz trade and more - NBCSP
Peters was impressed by what he saw from Hurts last season. What stood out the most? “His leadership and his swagger,” Peters said of his teammate, who is 17 years younger than him. “He comes to the huddle, he demands your eyes and ears. He’s definitely ahead of his time as far as his leadership and his swagger. He must have got that from Nick Saban and all the coaches up there in Alabama. The guy’s got great confidence and I think he’s going to be on the up and up the next couple years.” Even though Peters wore an Eagles hoodie from his home in Texas for the virtual interview, it seems unlikely the Eagles bring him back for 2021. Peters admitted as much in an interview with 6ABC earlier this offseason. On Thursday, Peters said the Eagles are in a “rebuilding phase” and want to get younger.
Lane Johnson on Eagles QB Jalen Hurts: ‘A joy to play with’ - Houston Chronicle
Count Philadelphia Eagles veteran offensive tackle Lane Johnson as a believer in new starting quarterback Jalen Hurts. After the Eagles traded Carson Wentz to the Indianapolis Colts, Hurts emerged as QB1 in Philadelphia. A former second-round draft pick from Oklahoma, the Channelview standout displayed potential and skill as a rookie last season. In 14 games and three starts, Hurts passed for 1,061 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions as he completed 54.7 percent of his throws. He rushed for 320 yards and one touchdown and was sacked 12 times. “I like Jalen a lot,” Johnson said during a telephone interview. “Jalen, he carries himself well. He’s got a lot of poise. He works his tail off. He’s a joy to be around, a joy to play with. He’s got that young energy and that’s what runs this league. I’m excited to have him.”
NFL Mock Draft Simulation: DeVonta Smith and defense - BGN
Pick 6: DeVonta Smith, Wide Receiver, Alabama. I feel like people have gotten bored talking about how good DeVonta Smith. Only weeks after winning the Heisman, I see people talking about him like he is the fourth or fifth-best receiving option in this class. Craziness. Smith might not have the upside of some of his peers, but he is the day one difference maker that the Eagles desperately need. Assuming Jalen Hurts is the starting quarterback, giving him a reliable target who can damage a defense from anywhere on the field is a no-brainer.
NFL Draft debate: Which Alabama WR has the edge, DeVonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle? - The Athletic
Smith is the most polished and “pro-ready” in this class. Quarterbacks will love his precision route running and ability to catch the ball in traffic. He has a knack for finding open space and he was already getting two feet in bounds on sideline catches. There aren’t many weaknesses in Smith’s game but his athletic profile isn’t elite. Smith should be productive from Day 1 and can play inside and out in any scheme. Though Smith will likely be more productive than Waddle early in their careers, if I were picking between the two, I would bet on Waddle’s upside. It’s not just his track speed — he won’t have a combine-timed 40 for teams to fawn over anyway. Waddle’s ability to separate on film is special. In today’s wide-open game, he has a chance to be a star. Again, he’s not just a gadget player. He’s a downfield vertical threat who has enough physicality to beat NFL coverage consistently. Though some may point to his lack of production as a negative, he was on pace for a 1,800-plus yard season before his injury. This is not a knock on Smith, both are excellent prospects. I just like Waddle’s ceiling more.
Lane Johnson paves the way for future athletes at his alma mater - PE.com
Johnson took advantage of his lone opportunity by making the unusual transition from quarterback to tight end, then from tight end to tackle, and then to a first-round draft pick and perennial Pro Bowl selection. However, none of it would have happened if it wasn’t for the opportunity Lane was granted in the form of a scholarship offer from Kilgore College. And he has gone out of his way to repay the school in the form of a $500,000 donation in 2019 that was used to build an athletic facility aptly named the Lane Johnson Performance Center, which officially opened Thursday. For Johnson, it is more than just having his name on the side of a building. It’s his way of providing future Kilgore College athletes with the tools to get the most out of their opportunity – whether it is their lone one like Lane, or like many other junior college athletes, their last.
Film Room: Carson Wentz, The Good, The Bad and The Ugly- Part 3: Mental Processing - Stampede Blue
The other thing they can do, and this might be the most difficult thing of all, is getting Carson Wentz to trust Frank Reich enough to play within his system regardless of everything else. Wentz can’t hesitate to throw a ball to a receiver who has a step on his man over the middle, even if that receiver has dropped the last 3 passes that have been thrown his way. Wentz has to trust the process and Frank Reich has to convince him that it’s a process worth following. If the Colts can convince Carson Wentz to trust everyone around him, we could see him play some really good football in 2021. If they can’t convince him to do that, well, I don’t really want to think about that.
Prospect of the week: Micah Parsons the LB Giants fans have been waiting for? - Big Blue View
Could Parsons be the pick at No. 11 even if a player like Waddle or DeVonta Smith is on the board? My guess, before we know anything about how free agency will turn out, is that the Giants would lean toward trying to get a big-time receiving weapon for Daniel Jones. After seeing what adding a player like Stefon Diggs did for Josh Allen with the Buffalo Bills, adding a player with the potential to be a No. 1 receiver should be a Giant priority. The biggest priority, though, for a team that went 6-10 and has had one winning season in the last eight years has to be adding the best football players, the best playmakers, it can — regardless of position. If the Giants are sitting at No. 11, Parsons is available, and they judge him to be the best football player they can add to the roster that would not surprise — or bother me — at all.
How important is it for the Dallas Cowboys to re-sign Aldon Smith this offseason? - Blogging The Boys
Ultimately the Cowboys do indeed have Lawrence, Gregory, and Anae to lean on as far as edge rushers are concerned (don’t forget about Dorance Armstrong either, says Jerry Jones). Aldon will turn 32 at the season’s beginning and might hold a higher standard of play for a longer period of time after having a season back in the game last year. The risk might be small for the Cowboys, but we have seen that they do not like to mess with their side of the compensatory pick formula too much. Conventional wisdom says that they let Aldon walk, but should they?
How Bad Are NFL Teams at Identifying the Best QB in a Given Draft Class? - The Ringer
Trevor Lawrence is the most sought-after QB prospect since Andrew Luck. For as much as he seems like a sure thing, though, history suggests he may not even be the best quarterback in the 2021 class.
An investigation into Baker Mayfield’s UFO encounter - SB Nation
Teams don’t normally want their star quarterbacks to be distracted during the offseason, but I’ve got to think there’s an exception to be made for an alien encounter. The real question is: Why did aliens visit Baker Mayfield? And I think I have the answer. Any civilization capable of light-speed travel would treat humans as insignificant cosmic ants, but I’d like to believe there’s still an inherent morality to them. So, to this end, they would be naturally conditioned to root for the underdog. What better underdog than the Cleveland Browns? They were fans all along. So, when did aliens begin this trip to see the Browns? I’m assuming there’s enough coverage and scanning of our solar system that extraterrestrials didn’t come from our solar system, or use wormhole technology that would be picked up on scanning. So my assumption is that they came from Alpha Centauri, just over four lights years away.
The Look Ahead #26: Free agent WR draft, NBA All Star Game style - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera and RJ Ochoa continue the SB Nation NFL Show free agent positional breakdown. Today, we look at the wide receivers that could be on the market in less than two weeks. In honor of the NBA All Star game draft tonight, we decided to each pick the five receivers that will have the best year next year (and a sixth man, of course).
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