The Philadelphia Eagles were wheeling and dealing Saturday afternoon on day three of the NFL Draft. In the fourth round, they selected Clemson safety K’Von Wallace. The last time the Eagles took a safety out of Clemson was in the second round of the 1996 Draft picking Brian Dawkins.
The 5’11, 250lb safety is a tackling machine. In his four years at Clemson, Wallace has tallied 108 tackles, 48 assisted tackles, two sacks, and five interceptions with one being returned for a touchdown, and two forced fumbles.
This is a good pick by the Eagles who desperately needed safety help and haven’t had a good one since Dawkins left the Eagles in 2009. Wallace’s speed, agility, and ability to adapt will only help the Eagles’ secondary in the long run.
Also, in the fourth round, the Eagles had back-to-back picks at 145 and 146. With the 145th pick, the Eagles took offensive lineman Jack Driscoll out of Auburn. The six-foot-four three-hundred- and six-pound lineman does need some work and could be a backup lineman for a couple of years before getting his shot.
The Eagles needed to take an offensive lineman after losing Big V to the Lions and provide a backup who can step in if any of the starters get hurt. Not a bad pick, let’s see how Driscoll handles the defensive line. The Eagles ended up trading pick 146 to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for the Cowboys’ pick of 164 and a 2021 5th-round pick. The Eagles also ended up trading pick 146 to the Miami Dolphins in exchange for picks 173 and 227.
The Eagles were done dealing as they struck a deal with the San Francisco 49ers to acquire wide receiver Marquise Goodwin and a sixth-round pick (210) in exchange for the Eagles’ sixth-round pick (190). After trading back, the Eagles finally settled in on another wide receiver taking Boise State’s John Hightower in the fifth round.
The six-foot-one, one hundred and eighty-nine pounder is another speedy receiver; he spent two years at a Mississippi Community College competing in track and playing football 31 catches for 509 yards, and seven TDs over two years. He then transferred to Boise State, where he had 82 receptions for 1,447 yards (17.6 per) and 14 touchdowns. He also had 24 carries for 317-yards (13.2 per) and two touchdowns. He can also play special teams as he recorded one kickoff return for a touchdown.
Acquiring Goodwin, who has had injury issues, and drafting Hightower, gives the Eagles more speed at wide receiver. I like the Hightower pick; he can be another target for Wentz or Hurts. Along with, Reagor, Goodwin (if healthy), Jackson, Ward, Ertz, Goedert, and J.J Arcega-Whiteside, could give the other teams trouble in trying to cover all of them. Following those moves, the Eagles dealt picks 173 and 227 to the Chicago Bears for picks 196, 200, and 223.
The Eagles then used pick 196 to draft linebacker Shaun Bradley from Temple. The six-foot-one, two hundred-and-thirty-pounder, is a fast player. In his four years at Temple, Bradley tallied 167 tackles, 88 assisted tackles, two sacks, and three interceptions with one of them returned for a touchdown, and one forced fumble.
One of his best traits is his speed; thus, he needs to use his speed to get ahead of the plays on the field. If he can work on his footing, and tackling to go along with his speed, he can become a good linebacker. It’s always nice to see a local kid get drafted by the hometown team.
The Eagles then took another wide receiver with the 200-pick drafting Quez Watkins out of Southern Mississippi. The six-foot-two, one hundred and eighty-five pounder, is another speedy receiver that can give defensive backs problems.
In his three years in Southern Miss, Watkins had 159 receptions for 2404-yards (15.1 per) and 17 touchdowns. Roseman went all-in on receivers this year, and the question now is who’s out. Roseman made another good pick and is someone who could be a factor in the passing game.
The Eagles then shifted back on the offensive line taking another Auburn player in Prince Tega Wanogho. The six-foot-five, three hundred- and five-pound lineman started twelve games for the Tigers and was named to the second-team All-SEC.
To draft a couple of offensive linemen from the same school will benefit the Eagles in a big way.
The final pick for the Eagles came at 233 with the selection of linebacker Casey Tootill from Stanford. In his collegiate career at Stanford, Tootill had 71 tackles, 53 assisted tackles, 14.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. Tootill has been described as someone who needs a lot of work on building a foundation from which to grow.
According to the scouting combine by NFL’s Lance Zierlein. He said, “If he can become bigger, stronger, and more polished as a rusher, he might make sense as a backup edge with sub-package talent as a wide-9 technique.” Having an extra linebacker doesn’t hurt, and if he can work on his game, he can be a good player.
Overall, the Eagles addressed the wide receiver position and got a new backup quarterback, a couple of offensive linemen, a safety, and linebackers. I would say the Eagles had a good draft, and I can’t wait to watch these guys play.
