The Linc – Daniel Jeremiah talks Eagles draft targets

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 2/26/22.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

2022 NFL Draft: Daniel Jeremiah identifies team fits for prospects – NFL.com
The Eagles have drafted wide receivers in consecutive first rounds. The early returns suggest they hit on one (DeVonta Smith) and missed on the other (Jalen Reagor). With three first-round selections in the 2022 draft, Jeremiah expects two of those picks to be used on shoring up the trenches. But he won’t rule out Philadelphia taking another wideout early, as well. “I would love Garrett Wilson (of Ohio State) in there. I think he’s the best receiver in the draft, in my opinion. He can do everything. He is a complete wide receiver. … From just a pure size, skill set standpoint, you’d say Drake London (of USC) would be the power forward they don’t necessarily have there opposite of DeVonta. I think he’s exceptional.” Two edge rushers Jeremiah likes for the Eagles in the teens: Purdue’s George Karlaftis and Michigan’s David Ojabo. Minnesota’s Boye Mafe is another option should the Eagles trade down, or perhaps Oklahoma’s Nik Bonitto in the second round.

NFL Mock Draft Simulation: Eagles add edge rusher with their top pick – BGN
Pick 15: David Ojabo, Edge, Michigan. The Eagles are lucky to have many resources in a draft class so stacked with defensive line talent. David Ojabo is exactly the type of dynamic athlete Philadelphia needs on its defensive line as they look for a pass rusher to replace Derek Barnett and eventually Brandon Graham.

Odds and End Zones #18: Eagles, James Harden and Euphoria Recap – BGN Radio
Shamus and Zo discuss the newest ongoings in Philly sports and recap the latest episode of HBO’s Euphoria.

Will Commanders Ever Find a QB? – Football Outsiders
Philadelphia Eagles. Biggest Need: Wide receiver. You can blame some of this on Jalen Hurts, and though he played hurt, the Tampa Bay playoff game was not a ringing endorsement of his chances to be a star in this league. But the Eagles had to play DeVonta Smith as a No. 1 receiver from the jump because they had literally no one else. Former sixth-rounder Quez Watkins became the No. 2 receiver by default as Jalen Reagor continued to disappoint. JJ Arcega-Whiteside got hurt yet again. The Eagles didn’t have a single wideout finish higher than 32nd in DVOA among qualified receivers. The NFL draft brings a bevy of first-round wideouts that should be available near the Eagles’ three mid-round selections. Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson, Arkansas’ Treylon Burks, USC’s Drake London, Alabama’s Jameson Williams, and (also) Ohio State’s Chris Olave would be reasonable picks. We have never seen Hurts work with real receiving talent yet outside of Smith, and adding another wideout in the first while bringing in a veteran free agent could be the best way to fully understand how good Hurts could be.

Eagles mailbag: Finding a free agent WR to pair with DeVonta Smith – NBCSP
There are two guys who come to mind: Allen Robinson and Mike Williams. And if I have to pick just one, I’ll zero in on Williams. Williams (6-4, 218) was a first-round pick back in 2017 and he’s still just 27 years old. So if they get Williams, we’re talking about a long-term deal, where Robinson might take a one-year prove-it deal after a down year in 2021. So it would likely be a more significant investment for Williams, but he’s worth it. In 2021, he had his second-career 1,000-yard season and has always been a big-play threat. He averaged 15.1 yards per reception in 2021 and has averaged 16.1 over his five-year NFL career. I like the idea of pairing DeVonta Smith with a target like Williams or Robinson, a guy who can make a huge impact without feeling the need to feed them play after play. Williams can have a five-catch game and still be a huge difference-maker. Of course, he won’t be cheap. We’re talking about a contract that’s well over $15 million per season. But Smith is cheap on his rookie deal and if the Eagles run it back with Hurts, he’s still cheap too. So they can afford the luxury of paying a receiver a bit more if they choose.

The long road for Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson could lead him to the Eagles – Inquirer
Jermaine Johnson II was asked to explain his long, collegiate road to top NFL prospect: from junior college anonymity to Georgia bottleneck, from senior-year transfer to Florida State All-American.“It’s almost like bamboo,” Johnson said. “When you plant bamboo, you don’t see anything for a long, long, long time. And out of nowhere it explodes.” While the defensive end’s metaphor was the opposite of what he meant — bamboo is one of the fastest-growing plants on earth — his definition could have described the onerous pursuit for pass-rushers.

2022 NFL Scouting Preview: Defensive End – PE.com
Boye Mafe, Minnesota – Mafe is a freak athlete who flashed from the moment he stepped on campus in Minneapolis. A two-year starter for the Gophers, Mafe boasts a crazy first step and explosiveness in the open field. He should test well across the board in Indianapolis.

2022 NFL Combine Preview: 10 Players Who Must Test Well and 20 Freak Athletes – The 33rd Team
OL: Tyler Linderbaum, Iowa – Linderbaum likely could have been a top-40 pick if he had come out last season. However, he elected to stay and continued to grow his game, showing why he is one of the best center prospects of the last decade. Linderbaum is not the biggest player, but he is so quick and technically sound, leading to him being very effective on the interior. His foot speed allows him to get on the defender quickly. Plus, he has the athleticism, once engaged, to get himself in excellent blocking position. He should test well across the board in all agility drills, as there are even rumors that he could run a short shuttle as fast as a low 4.2, which would be rare for someone his size.

Jaguars hire Ryan Paganetti as director of coaching analytics – PFT
A member of Doug Pederson‘s coaching staff with the Eagles will be joining him in Jacksonville. Seth Walder of ESPN reports that Paganetti will be joining the Jaguars as their director of coaching analytics. He was most recently an assistant linebackers and game management coach under Pederson with the Eagles.

Sixers Bell Ringer: James Harden smashes Timberwolves, and his 76ers debut – Liberty Ballers
James Harden, who is a Sixer: 27 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds, game high +35, 5 of 7 from 3, 8-9 from the line, in 35 minutes. There was so much buzz heading into this game, and Harden’s jersey was even the top selling uni in the league following the trade. His first game was unreal. Harden’s first bucket as a Sixer was thrilling. James put a Tim Hardaway Sr. style killer cross-over on 20 year-old athletic phenom Anthony Edwards, displaying just enough of that burst you kept hearing had left his legs. Then the ASU product finished the and-one over a former teammate in Pat Beverley. [BLG Note: So excited for the Harden-era Sixers. So glad the Ben Simmons gaslighting is gone.]

Ranking ten viable veteran QB options for Washington – Hogs Haven
Jimmy Garoppolo – Garoppolo himself expects to be traded this off-season and wants to go to a winning situation. With a 33-14 career record as a starting quarterback, wanting to go to a winning situation makes sense for Garoppolo, and I am sure the 49ers will honor that request when fielding offers. We know that Garoppolo is not a superstar talent and has flaws in his game. But let’s reanalyze what Rivera has said multiple times this off-season; he believes that Washington has the pieces in place to win now, and he’s willing to pay. Though I think the 49ers will ultimately choose an AFC team to deal with, Washington will be in the mix.

The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver group went from top of the league to full of questions in a hurry – Blogging The Boys
Even if the Cowboys somehow managed to bring Gallup back and kept Cooper, there would be a ton of questions about this group entering 2022 which goes to show how far they have fallen in just two years. Obviously the likelihood of that is extremely low which means there are going to be some serious questions surrounding the wide receiver corps as a whole. It is time for the Cowboys to find some answers.

New Giants assistant GM Brandon Brown preaches ‘progressive’ approach – Big Blue View
“The biggest thing is… the sense of responsibility,” said Brown. “This is one of the flagship franchises in the league. The fan base hols you accountable and it means so much more than just football. A lot of people depend on this and I feel like being a part of this organization, I don’t want to let anyone down. We have a collective effort to get back where we all want to be.” Brown, 33, spent the previous five seasons with the Eagles, earning a promotion to the team’s director of player personnel in 2021. He was asked how familiar he is with Giants GM Joe Schoen.

49ers’ Rich Scangarello to be new Kentucky football OC – A Sea Of Blue
Scangarello, 49, was the 49ers’ QBs coach from 2017-18, then again in 2021. He was the Denver Broncos’ OC in 2019, then a senior offensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020.

A 2022 MLS season preview by the experts who know their teams best – SB Nation
T2. Philadelphia Union. The Union has the potential to be a really exciting team to watch. They’re a team of hot and cold periods, and when they’re hot, Philadelphia is so fun to watch. The defense is impeccable and the offense can break down teams on the sides and down the center. There’s also no ignoring the Union’s academy. Want to watch the next starts of Serie A or the Austrian Bundesliga? Jack McGlynn, Paxten Aaronson, and Quinn Sullivan are the big three of the Union’s academy, but they have plenty of kids on the back-burner. Jack de Vries is getting minutes in Italy, and Nathan Harriel is due for more minutes back home. Keep an eye on the youths. – Joe Lister, Brotherly Game

NFL Reacts #29: Healthy path in Pittsburgh for Mitch Trubisky + Blaine Gabbert as starting QB for Bucs?! – The SB Nation NFL Show
On the latest episode of NFL Reacts, Kate Magdziuk, and Justis Mosqueda unpack various storylines surrounding QBs in the league and share their thoughts on the NFL Combine. Thoughts on Mitch Trubisky in Pittsburgh, there’s no way Blaine Gabbert can secure a starting QB role for Tampa Bay and what do we make of Deshaun Watson at this point?

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