Eagles News: Philly’s “worst-case scenario mock draft” has Bijan Robinson at No. 10

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Eagles worst-case scenario mock draft: Bijan Robinson, Emmanuel Forbes go in Round 1 - The Athletic
Round 1, No. 10: Texas RB Bijan Robinson. This is nothing against the player. Robinson is awesome. He’s ranked No. 6 on Dane Brugler’s Top 100 draft board for a reason. At 5-foot-11, 215 pounds with a 4.46-second 40-yard dash, he has the physical tools teams drool over and the production to match. He has two 1,000-yard rushing seasons to his credit, averaged 6.3 yards per carry during his time at Texas and is an accomplished receiver to boot. He’s equal parts elusive and powerful. In the Eagles’ offense, playing next to Jalen Hurts and behind a great run-blocking offensive line, he would be a front-runner to lead the league in rushing. And yet … Even if the “running backs don’t matter” discourse has gone too far, using the No. 10 overall pick on a position Philadelphia can coax high-level production out of from average talent would seem like a waste of its chance to add a franchise pillar. Long term, the Eagles have needs at premium positions they value, such as offensive line, defensive tackle, edge rusher and cornerback. The notion that Robinson is the player who would most move the needle for the Eagles as a Super Bowl contender in 2023 is also misguided. As Howie Roseman said Thursday, they would be “naive” to expect the same level of health this season as they had in 2022. What difference would matter more for a team with Super Bowl aspirations, the gap between Robinson as starting running back and a backfield duo of Kenneth Gainwell and Rashaad Penny, or the gap between, say, starting cornerback Christian Gonzalez and Zech McPhearson? Or Paris Johnson Jr. and Jack Driscoll? Or Jalen Carter and Marlon Tuipulotu? This is not an effort to be a buzzkill. Football is supposed to be fun and Robinson probably adds the most short-term juice of any early first-round possibility. But championships aren’t built by failing the Marshmallow test. At the very least, if Robinson is the target, a trade-down of several spots feels necessary.

Brian Baldinger shares his concerns about drafting Bijan with the 10th pick - Audacy
Audacy NFL Insider Brian Baldinger joins the show to talk all things NFL Draft. He has an interesting reasoning for why not to draft Bijan Robinson at 10.

Bijan Robinson Only Took Official Visits to Eagles, Buccaneers Before 2023 NFL Draft - B/R
Texas running back Bijan Robinson said on The Dan Patrick Show that he’s visited two teams—the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers—on official predraft visits.

Versatile Big Men Revolutionized the NBA. Meet the NFL Draft Prospects Who Could Change Football. - The Ringer
Robinson wears no. 5 in honor of Reggie Bush. He told Sports Illustrated he watches Barry Sanders videos “every other day.” “I’m always trying to mimic his moves,” Robinson said. But Robinson is unlikely to be drafted as high as his idols. Sanders went third in 1989. Bush was considered a lock to go no. 1 overall to the Texans in 2006, and it was a shock when he fell to no. 2 to the Saints. But for all of Robinson’s superlatives, it would be stunning if he was selected in the top five this year. It will be controversial if he’s even taken in the top 10. Barkley, who was taken second by the Giants in 2018, was the last back to be selected in the top 10. No running back has gone higher than no. 24 since. Last year, no running backs were selected in the first round at all, yet another sign of how the position’s value has plummeted over the past decade as teams rely more on passing to gain yards. It’s become a position where teams have found they can save money while investing resources elsewhere on the roster. On average, running backs are paid less than every position except punter and long snapper. Even kickers average a higher salary, according to Spotrac. Teams that skimp at running back tend to be rewarded. No Super Bowl–winning team has paid its leading rusher more than $2.5 million since 2013. The average salary of the leading rusher on the past 14 Super Bowl teams is $1.4 million.

Top draft analyst makes his pitch for Eagles to draft Bijan Robinson - NBCSP
So drafting Robinson at No. 10 overall would be quite a philosophical departure. Because of that, Jeremiah doesn’t expect it to happen. But he enjoys thinking about what the Eagles’ offense would look like with Robinson taking handoffs from Jalen Hurts. “I could make a case that if you are the Eagles right now, there should only be one team that you’re concerned with in the NFC and that’s the 49ers,” Jeremiah said. “So you are building your team to compete and beat the 49ers. Those are the two teams who are clearly the class of the NFC and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. And you would have your Christian McCaffrey to offset their Christian McCaffrey. And, man, it would be fun.”

Pre-Draft PC - Iggles Blitz
Bijan Robinson certainly fits the bill. He just happens to play the wrong position. We’d all be shocked if the Eagles took him. It would make for a really dynamic offense. [...] Howie talked about not avoiding the LB and RB positions. He said you get into trouble if you choose position over talent. Some people are taking that to mean Bijan Robinson could be the pick. As I mentioned earlier, I just don’t see that happening.

Eagles add Matt Patricia to defensive coaching staff - BGN
Eagles GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni spoke to reporters on Thursday to talk about the upcoming NFL Draft, and Sirianni said that they were trending toward adding Matt Patricia to the defensive coaching staff — something that has since become official. Patricia was Darius Slay’s head coach in Detroit for two years, 2018 and 2019, before joining the Eagles. Things did not end well for the pair, with Slay admitting he didn’t have much respect for Patricia as a person, and eventually resulted in the CB demanding a trade. Patricia had just one more year as head coach with the Lions before going back to the Patriots in 2021.

At the Podium: Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman on Jalen Hurts contract extension + trending towards Matt Patricia - BGN Radio
Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni and General Manager Howie Roseman spoke with the Philly media on Thursday about the NFL Draft, Jalen Hurts contract extension and trending towards hiring Matt Patricia.

11 takeaways from Howie Roseman’s and Nick Sirianni’s pre-draft press conference - PhillyVoice
I know that a lot of Eagles fans do not like the idea of drafting an offensive lineman with the 10th overall pick, especially when it is likely that that player would likely sit for a year before they could start. In addition to finding a player who can take over long-term for Lane Johnson at an extremely important position in RT, the team’s offensive line depth is very important to them, and it was depleted this offseason. Cam Jurgens is slated for a promotion to the starting lineup with Isaac Seumalo leaving in free agency, Andre Dillard is gone, Josh Sills is on the commissioner’s exempt list, and Jack Driscoll is heading into the final year of his contract. The two recent seasons that went completely sideways and got coaches fired were 2012 and 2020, when the Eagles did not have adequate offensive line depth and couldn’t protect their quarterback. Presently, they do not have ideal offensive line depth. Roseman’s comments above are a reminder that having quality depth is very important, and there’s no greater need for depth on this roster than along the offensive line.

Spadaro: An under-the-radar gem? Olamide Zaccheaus is an ideal fit for the Eagles’ offense - PE.com
The numbers were just fine and, in fact, more than fine for Olamide Zaccheaus in 2022 playing for the Atlanta Falcons – a career-best 40 receptions (on only 61 targets) for 533 yards and three touchdowns. The value of Zaccheaus, however, exceeded the raw numbers. His ability to play multiple wide receiver positions, his dependability, his blocking skills, and the overall attitude he brought to the Falcons were highly praised by the coaching staff and quarterback Marcus Mariota, who teamed with Zaccheaus to create a special connection. Deep into the 2022 campaign, late November to be exact while Mariota was still Atlanta’s starting quarterback, Zaccheaus ranked 10th in the NFL in yards per catch (14.96), 13th in reception percentage, catching the ball on 80.6 percent of his targets, and 20th in yards per target (12.1). Those numbers fell off when rookie Desmond Ridder started the final four games of the season – Zaccheaus had only eight receptions in those weeks – but the overriding imprint was already made: In his fourth NFL season, Zaccheaus was firmly on the rise. That’s what makes him so attractive to the Eagles, who on Thursday announced that Zaccheaus agreed to terms on a one-year contract for the 2023 season.

Things to Do While Waiting for Aaron Rodgers - Football Outsiders
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles Agree to New Contract. As expected, Howie Roseman struck while the Chargers and Bengals front offices were still wrapping dimes, and he built his own peculiar mousetrap. Jason Fitzgerald wrote about the impact of “new money” on Hurts’ deal at OverTheCap.com, and Bryan Knowles speculates about what the Hurts deal means for Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Justin Herbert and others at Underdog Fantasy. Everyone, including me, agrees that the no-trade clause is an eye-opener. Don’t be surprised if such a clause becomes the proxy/consolation prize for a full Deshaun Watson guarantee in franchise quarterback contracts moving forward. A no-trade clause acts as a sort of de-facto guarantee that the team will stick it out for a non-guaranteed year or two if things are going sideways, so it has significant financial and peace-of-mind value.

Eagles’ wide receiver Devon Allen excited to run in the Penn Relays again - Inquirer
It’s the time of year when Devon Allen’s two favorite sports pursuits intersect. Next week, the Eagles practice squad wide receiver will once again run the 110-meter hurdles at the Penn Relays at Franklin Field. Soon after that, he will turn his attention back to football and try to earn a full-time roster spot with the Eagles. After competing in the 2016 and 2021 Olympics, Allen won the 110-meter hurdles Olympic Development race at last year’s Relays in 13.11 seconds — breaking an event record that had stood since 1998. At a news conference Thursday at Franklin Field, he called that day “probably one of the most exciting and memorable competitions in my career.”

5 questions with Bleeding Green Nation: Are Javon Hargrave’s best days behind him? - Niners Nation
From the outside looking in, it appears as though the 49ers struck gold during free agency by signing one of the most productive defensive tackles in the NFL. We can sift through as many numbers and film to see what Javon Hargrave brings to the table, but we still wouldn’t get the entire picture. To help us out, Brandon Lee Gowton of Bleeding Green Nation was kind enough to answer five questions about the Niners prize free agent signing. So, without further ado, here’s Brandon with the assist to tell us more about who Hargrave is as a player, including a nickname that’s new.

No, the Giants should not draft Bijan Robinson - Big Blue View
I think, as the sources I mentioned above indicated, Schoen understands that taking Robinson — especially while he still has Barkley — would be the wrong move. I was fortunate to have NFL Network insider Mike Garafolo on the ‘Valentine’s Views’ podcast this week. Garafolo pointed out that Schoen and the Giants have been more than fair to Barkley, offering him at least double the $6.35 million average annual value Miles Sanders got from the Carolina Panthers in free agency. It really isn’t Schoen’s fault that Barkley and his agent, Kim Miale, appear to have misread the market. Schoen knows he has Barkley for at least 2023, and appears perfectly willing to wait for Barkley’s asking price to drop or simply let him play the upcoming season on the franchise tag. That’s fine. Drafting an obvious replacement while Barkley is still a Giant, though, would be the wrong thing to do.

Report: Cowboys pick up CeeDee Lamb’s fifth-year option - Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys picking up CeeDee Lamb’s fifth-year is what was expected. The two-time Pro Bowler and Second-Team All-Pro is coming off his best season. Last year Lamb had 107 receptions for 1,359 yards with nine touchdowns. Lamb’s option is set to be worth $17.9M for 2024, which means the Cowboys will have Lamb under contract for at least the next two years. This affords the Cowboys more time to not only work out a long-term deal with Lamb, but also allows them to make other contracts a priority, such as the aforementioned Diggs.

Washington Commanders Sale: The NFL has reviewed the Josh Harris group’s bid and there are no major issues - Hogs Haven
There has been a lot of news to catch up on over the last few days, and a lot of distractions that should be ignored(looking at you Brian Davis). The Josh Harris group continues to stay on track as the next owners of the Washington Commanders, and we are getting more details about their bid, and who else will be investing in the franchise. They submitted a bid to Dan Snyder for $6.05 billion that was accepted by the Snyders, but it is non-exclusive, and nothing has been signed. There are several steps that will need to happen before the other NFL owners will be able to vote to approve the sale.

The 12 best offensive tackles in the 2023 NFL Draft, ranked - SB Nation
1. Peter Skoronski, Northwestern. There is little debate Skoronski is a dominant offensive lineman, but there was a debate about where to rate him. He’s the top-rated interior offensive lineman and offensive tackle. Skoronski has really short arms in the fourth percentile at 32.25”. Skoronski’s pro club would be wise to test him at tackle while finding comfort in possessing the fallback option of kicking him inside to guard.

Brett Veach: After a couple more QB deals get done, we’ll assess where we are with Patrick Mahomes - PFT
Once all the figures for those contracts come in, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is likely going to be underpaid relative to the rest of the market. He signed a 10-year extension with the Chiefs in the summer of 2020 that has an average annual value of $45 million. So after Mahomes won his second Super Bowl and second MVP in the 2022 season, an adjustment to the quarterback’s contract could be coming sooner than later. [BLG Note: Another QB contract that could soon top Hurts’ numbers.]

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