NFL Network expert Brian Baldinger, who possesses one of the keenest eyes when it comes to the NFL Draft and interior line play, recently took a few minutes to discuss where potentially the Eagles could look in Thursday\u2019s NFL Draft.<\/p>\n
With an aging, mending offensive line, Baldinger sees the Eagles taking a developmental offensive tackle like Utah\u2019s Caleb Lomu with the 23rd overall pick. Lomu is only 19. He\u2019s listed at 6-foot-6\u00bc, 313 pounds.<\/p>\n
The NFL Combine scouting report projects Lomu to go in the first round and says: \u201cTwo-year starting left tackle who is still in the early stages of his development. Utah\u2019s run game leaned heavily on movement and misdirection, preventing Lomu from firing out and showing his power. His run blocking trails his pass protection, but improved pad level and a nastier demeanor could close the gap. In protection, he shows good balance with adequate foot quickness, landing quick, well-timed punches and using a firm grip to control rushers once he\u2019s in. His anchor was rarely stressed by power and his athletic recoveries are average. Lomu flashes but is still under construction. His play could improve rapidly with strength gains and additional coaching.\u201d<\/p>\n
The NFL Combine report compares Lomu to Tennessee Titans\u2019 tackle Dan Moore Jr.<\/p>\n
Another possibility is Derrick Michigan\u2019s Derrick Moore, a 6-foot-3, 255-pound edge rusher, with the 54th pick in the second round.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither of those guys would be projected to start, though through time, they could start for you,\u201d Baldinger said. \u201cYou would be looking at Lane Johnson\u2019s possible replacement in Lomu, but I don\u2019t see lane\u2019s possible replacement in this draft. I don\u2019t think (Eagles\u2019 general manager) Howe Roseman is going to sit still. The Eagles will probably lose A.J. Brown after June 1st. It looks like it. The Eagles will have two years to get A.J.\u2019s money off the books. If you unload A.J., with a new offensive coordinator in Sean Mannion from the Green Bay system, which is very tight end-centric, maybe Howie makes a huge splash and goes after Kenyon Sadiq, the tight end out of Oregon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Eagles don\u2019t have tight end on contract for 2027. Why not help Jalen Hurts with a tight end that helps you in the middle of the field. Sadiq can go somewhere around 15. Some people have him higher. He had one great year of production. He could go somewhere between 15 to 20. Carolina is someplace where Sadiq can go. I can see them going tight end at 19. Look at Howie\u2019s track record. My gut feeling says he will look at the trenches. Lane will be coming into his 14th year. Howie knows the Eagles have to start beginning on the offensive line.\u201d<\/p>\n
In general, Baldinger likes 6-foot-3 5\/8, 316-pound Georgia Tech guard Keylan Rutledge as a possible third-round pick and is someone Baldinger feels could start quickly in the NFL. Another interesting selection Baldinger likes is former Penn State quarterback Drew Allar. Allar has a plus arm, played in a pro system and would have a top five, maybe a top 10 arm in the NFL. With a year of quality coaching, Allar could develop into an NFL starter.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a lot to like about Allar,\u201d Baldinger said. \u201cAnother real steal for someone would be Josiah Trotter, who looks like his dad (former Eagle great Jeremiah Trotter). Josiah is a great kid, who has a great work ethic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Josiah Trotter, out of Missouri, is projected to be a second or third-round pick.<\/p>\n
The NFL Combine scouting report says: \u201cAscending inside linebacker with NFL bloodlines and alpha energy. Trotter\u2019s heavy hands allow him to fit and choke off gaps, but he\u2019s inconsistent in doing so. Block collisions need to be balanced with efficient play-arounds to create more tackle tries. Pursuit speed to the flanks is average, but he is quick to cut and accelerate so he stays close to runs bouncing wide. He stacks backfield production with well-timed run blitzes and crafty rush work. Coverage is the concern, with spotty zone awareness\/spacing and the risk of being mismatched in man. Trotter\u2019s wiring and disruptive qualities make him easy to project as a productive, long-time starter in the middle but a defense might need to protect him in coverage.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NFL Network expert Brian Baldinger, who possesses one of the keenest eyes when it comes to the NFL…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":600498,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[204793,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-600497","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports","8":"tag-philadelphia-eagles-draft","9":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600497","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=600497"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600497\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/600498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=600497"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=600497"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=600497"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}