PHLY Philadelphia Eagles Podcast - PHLY Eagles Podcast | 2025 NFL Draft: Eagles’ priority positions, top prospects, Penn State LB/Philly native Abdul Carter

Episode Date: July 12, 2024

It’s never too early to discuss the NFL Draft. Zach Berman and The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Devin Jackson get an early start on 2025 NFL Draft prospects, going through top players at each position and looking closely at the spots that the Philadelphia Eagles might prioritize. Plus, one of the draft’s stars is Philly native Abdul Carter. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Welcome to a Friday edition of the PHLY Eagles show. I'm Zach Berman. I'm going to be joined shortly by Devin Jackson from the Philadelphia Inquirer. And our topic today is going to be the NFL draft. It is never too early to talk NFL draft. We will be discussing the priority positions for the Eagles, the prospects to know at each position. We will be discussing Philadelphia Native and LaSalle graduate Penn State

edge rusher, Abdul Carter, who's one of the top edge rushers in the draft. And frankly, this could even help you get prepared for the NCAA football 25 video game that's coming out next week. So I'm eager to speak to Devin about all of these topics. Before we get into it, just want to give everyone an update on some Eagles news or tangential Eagles news. You might remember Jake Rosenberg. Jake Rosenberg, the former Eagles executive, Jake was, was,

He left the team at the end of the after the draft, and he's in consulting now, and he joined University of Oklahoma as an advisor as they kind of go into this next stage of college football, this next era of college football. So you'll be paying close attention to Jake Rosenberg there, and I point this out too, because Hallie Roseman and J. Allen Hertz both gave statements about Jake Rosenberg, speaking about kind of the relationship. had with him and how he can help the Sooners as they transition here to kind of the salary cap era of college football. So that's something to keep in mind. And also the Sooners have some top prospects on their team as well who we will get into. And joining me now in studio is Devin Jackson from the Philadelphia Inquirer. I was excited to have Devin on today's show because Devin knows well these draft prospects. People might say it's too soon to talk about this. Devin, Thanks for coming in.

Yeah, thanks for having me again, Zach. Sorry. No, I'm trying to catch my breath here. But no, it's always a great time to talk NFL draft prospects. And this is a good time year to do it. You know, NFL's kind of, we're kind of kind of waiting and waiting for training camp to arrive. So it's always good to kind of get familiar with drive prospects as we're getting ready to ramp up the season. College football season will be here and games will be played like a week or two before the NFL season starts.

so it's good to get familiar with them. So while you catch your breath, I'm just going to let the audience know here. A kind of a little disclaimer. I understand it's premature. Like, this is going to evolve throughout the season. The players we talk about today, the way the board looks in January and February and March and April, it's going to be different, right? Like, that's the reality that we don't know how the NFL season is going to go.

So we don't know what the context, well, A, the draft order, but kind of what teams needs are going to be. I have a three-round mock draft up now in all p.hly.com for our diehards that you can see. And my focus there was, was, A, looking at kind of the position priorities that I expect the Eagles to do. The Eagles always look ahead. You know what contracts are coming up. You know what positions they emphasize.

And it's based on some of the top prospects now. But what we're doing now is, frankly, it's what NFL teams are doing. They take the summer and kind of the late summer before the college football season starts to put their plan of attack, to know what schools they are going to kind of hit and emphasize to kind of do these early draft boards. And it's a growing board. It's an evolving board. But the players we're discussing today, these are players that will be discussed in 32 NFL facilities around the country during these next few weeks and next few months. So we're going to go quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, offensive tackle,

interior offensive line, edge rusher, de-tackle, linebacker, cornerback, and safety. We can always start with quarterbacks because those are kind of the sexy names. But the positions that I expect the Eagles to really prioritize are edge rusher, offensive tackle, potentially even tight end. So we'll kind of go heavy on that. And like I said, at the top of the show, one of the top prospects in the draft, someone you've gotten to know fairly well here. Abdul Carter from Penn State went to LaSalle,

so we'll spend extra time on him. So let's start at the top with quarterbacks. We don't expect the Eagles to be heavy in the quarterback market or at least high above it, but those are the premier names. Who's your favorite quarterback going into the college and draft season? Yeah, this one's a tough one because I think you're kind of, this is going to be a class that you're kind of like,

all right, do you want to bet on the show? sure things or do you want to bet on kind of outside? But for me, it'll be Jalen Mill Road from Alabama, I would say, is my favorite quarterback prospect. And mostly because you've seen how he grew up over the course of the season. You know, at the beginning, it was kind of like a revolving door. Alabama wasn't quite sold on him. They kind of went back and forth at the quarterback position. But really on the back half of the season, he took over the quarterback position. And he's a dynamic runner first and foremost his arm is very live he can hit all areas of the field but i think he grew even more and more confident especially in the deep ball area um you know the one play that kind of

continues to stick in my mind um is when he played against arbor um that final drive that he had to to give them the lead and uh the eventual win uh it's fourth and i want to say it was like fourth and 30 and he threw a 32-yard touchdown pass. It was pretty much had to have it. You know, he took a bad sack a couple of plays before, but to show the resilience and then show the ability to hit his man in the back of the end zone, I think it was Isaiah Bond, who is now at Texas. It just showed me how fast he grew up over the course of the season.

So I love Jaylon Mill Road skill set. We've seen that type of quarterback really emerge, you know, in the draft discussion, we saw Jane Daniels this past class have, I wouldn't say, a similar type of skill set, but the ability to run the football, be a dynamic runner, I think Jaylon Miller brings that. In the NFL, where you're looking to have that plus number against the defense, I think Jaylon Miller will fit those characteristics. Two quarterbacks who are sure to get a lot of attention will be Carson Beck at Georgia,

Shador Sanders, at Colorado. No short of attention for either player. Where do you stand on both those guys going into the season? Yeah, I think they're both for me personally. I have high second round grades on them. I think they're guys right now that have really good baselines, but can they continue to elevate everything around them? And I think Shadur did a good bit at the beginning of the season,

but as injury started to pile up, obviously Travis Hunter, one of his biggest targets got banged over the course of the season, the offensive line wasn't great, and he was constantly under duress. You didn't really see the best version of Shredor to close out the season, but you saw the body of the word the first four or five weeks of the season on the national scale and what he was able to do. So you kind of get a glimpse of what he can be. The accuracy is there, the ability, the touch downfield on long passes.

But him navigating pressure, I think, is going to be the biggest question mark as he enters this season. And then Carson Beck is really kind of your prototypical accurate, move the chains type of quarterback, really nice accuracy in between the numbers and how he's able to push the ball down the field as well with his weapons at Georgia. But I think with him, are you getting a guy that maybe he's capped out on his ceiling? Is he just what he is, you know, in terms of who move the chains, you know, kind of an every down player that is dependable. is he going to elevate to a point where he's a superstar or he's the best player on the field? I don't think he's quite gotten there yet, which kind of, you know, you want to see more, especially, you know, in kind of his struggles against Alabama and the SEC championship game.

So I want to see more from Beck and kind of take that next step. So I think both Sanders and Beck have certainly the skill set and the baseline to be really good quarterbacks of the NFL love. But are they going to be in that average area or are they going to be in that very good to elite era? So I think right now they're both like really good college quarterbacks, but can they take that next step? I think it's going to be the biggest question mark. And it's probably fair to say this is not a Caleb Williams, Trevor Lawrence type draft where you have almost that no doubt number one quarterback going into the season. Is that fair? Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

I think that's kind of where we are right now. And really is kind of choose your flavor. There's, I mean, there's a few other guys that could be. in the mix. I like Cam Ward's skill set down in Miami. But is he going to put it all together? You know, like the highs are really high with Ward, but the lows are, you know, not great. Day 3 quarterback type of player. So there's a big range of outcomes with him and then several other quarterback prospects in his class. In the chat, Tracer and Claire are saying the last position they want to think about for 2025 is quarterback. I get that. The first position they might

want to think about as offensive tackle. And I say that because the Eagles, we know this, were quite interested in offensive tackles at the top of this year's draft. Six went in the top 20. There wasn't kind of that no-doubt player to take when they were on the board at 22. It kind of worked out that the corners fell for them. But Lane Johnson is not getting younger. This is a position of priority for the franchise, and it's a position where they continue to kind of look for that long-term replacement for Lane Johnson. So, maybe. Maybe it's Mackay Beckton, but if the Eagles go into next year's draft saying, all right, this is a premium position, we're looking for that player in the first round. Who are your favorite offensive tackles in this draft?

Yeah, so, you know, I think the first couple of names that come to mind when people talk about tackles are Will Campbell and Kelvin Banks. Will Campbell be in LSU, Calvin Banks at Texas. But Emery Jones, right tackle from LSU, I think, is a guy that I could see the Eagles really liking through this problem. process. A big, strong player, stout. And, you know, we've really seen, you know, the Eagles kind of go after maybe a little bit heavier tackles, you know, heavier guys. And I think Emery Jones kind of fits that, that moniker. He has strong physical hands, very physical in the run game, can move bodies, you know, down the line of scrimmage. I just really love the tenacity and the nastiness that he plays with.

I think it goes, you know, hand in hand with what the Eagles do on the offensive line and how they like to use their tackles out in space. I think Henry Jones has those skill sets, and I think he's kind of flying a little bit under the radar just because his teammate Will Campbell is a big-time athlete, a big-time player, five-star recruit. But I really like Emery Jones.

And I remember when I was working at Nola.com, I did a profile of him after he signed with LSU, and he plays exactly like he did in high school, you know, like just physical mauler moving guys at the line of scrimmage, very physical and pass protection. So that part of his skills hit is translated. And I guess the unique thing is, you know, with these two particular LSU tackles is that they started as freshman.

You know, you don't really see that anymore in college, football, kind of like guys develop and, you know, kind of maybe take that red shirt year before they're ready to play. But they were throwing Ryan to the fire right away against some really talented SEC pass rushers. Think about Will Anderson, Dallas Turner at Alabama over the last two draft cycles, and they held their home against both of those guys. Yeah, I'm glad you brought up Emery Jones. In today's mock draft on all p.hly.com, I had the Eagles taking him in the first round For the reasons you said, I think he fits kind of the range potentially that the Eagles might draft, but really the profile that the Eagles look at.

He's a younger prospect, but with significant starting experience, like you said, Will Campbell, he gets a lot of the attention, right, and rightfully so. I don't think the Eagles would frankly hold the right tackle part against Emery Jones because they're probably drafting a right tackle. And I should say, too, J.C. Layton this year, top 10 pick played right tackle at Alabama. It's kind of sometimes you hear, well, he hasn't proven himself on the left side, so a prospect might drop. But Emery Jones, if Campbell wasn't there, I think the discussion about Jones would be like a top 10, top 15 type player going into the season. So I'm glad you highlighted him.

One other guy I want to ask you about, or it could even be two guys, like similar to LSU. Oregon has two standout offensive tackles. Josh Connolly, Jr., he was a former top overall recruit there or top prospect there. He's their left tackle, really athletic. You've seen him catch passes in games, for instance. What are your view on those Oregon tackles, him and Cornelius going into the season? Yeah, I think they're both rock-solid players. I have them both on what day two grades.

I think they showed their ability to, you know, pass protect at a high level. You look at Oregon's offense last year and how much time Bo Nix had the time to throw and move down field and how stout they were. you know, in keeping bone-nakes clean. I think they're both rock-solid and pass protection. You know, I think Conner Lee is probably the little bit of a better run-blocker right now, but I think both of those guys right now, I could see them, you know, at least one of them sneaking in maybe the back half of the first round at this point. But I think, you know, it's early to kind of try and slot these guys,

but I think the Oregon duo is a solid pairing, and I think there are two guys to keep an eye on on day two of the draft. We don't need to spend too much time on the interior offensive line. It seems Tyler Poker from Alabama's the top player going into the draft season. Do you view it that way as well? Yeah, yeah. I think he's a player that, you know, again, you saw kind of grow up over the course of season in Alabama. You know, I think the beautiful thing about what Alabama's been able to do,

you know, obviously in their run with Nick Saban, but just even last year, you know, on paper, that team probably shouldn't have made the college football playoff. But, you know, it was kind of a reloading year. And Booker was another guy that, you know, had some struggles earlier in a year. But you saw him pass off stunts a little bit better in the interior be a nasty run blocker. To me, I think, you know, his game against Georgia in a SEC championship game was probably the best view of his skill set, you know, has an up and down game against Michigan. and their stout interior defensive line.

I'm sure we'll talk about Mason Graham here in a bit. But yeah, I like Booker. I think he's the top guy in the interior right now. And I think right now, you probably have Booker and kind of everyone else right now. I want to get to the edge rushers. We're going to kind of bounce around here. Before we do, let me tell everyone about right aid refreshery. Because right-ed refreshery, this line of beverages ranges

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Exclusively for our listener, Shady Raise is giving out their best deal of the season. Head to ShadyRase.com and use code PHLY for 35% off polarized sunglasses. Try for yourself the Shades rated five stars by over 300,000 people. So I mentioned edge rushers and we'll get to the skill spots. Don't worry. But I really want to hit on kind of the spots that are. our sweet spots for the Eagles, the positional priorities. And of course, this has one of my favorite guys in the draft, Abdul Carter. So Edge Rush, the Eagles, if you just look at their roster picture

next year, they obviously have Bryce Huff in 2025. They have Nolan Smith in 2025. In 2025. They drafted J. Alex Hunt, but Josh Sweats entering a contract year for the Eagles. Brandon Graham, this is the last season of his story career. And the other important part about Edge Rusher is it might be the strength of this draft, right? Is that last year was not a particularly good year for defensive players. You saw the run on offensive players early in the draft. I think when you look at next year's draft, you see a load of edge rush. Some of the guys who might have been first-round players this year went back to college.

So let's take a look. Who are the players who jumped to you? And let's hold the Abdul-Carter conversation because we can go in depth on him next. Yeah, I think the first name that kind of has been floating around right after the draft was James Pierce, Jr. from Tennessee. Long, athletic, just an absolute amazing athlete with an amazing first step. Several times over the course of the year, he's beating the snap count and is in the backfield immediately. There was a game or a play against Texas A&M where he beat the tackle out of his stance and he was on top of Brad Johnson, Max Johnson, not Brad Johnson. I'm thinking about

his father's Brad Johnson. Yeah. His father's Brad Johnson. Yeah. So on the the family. But he got into the backfill immediately and forced him to throw the ball away. So Pierce is probably the first name that came to mind when you start, but to me, probably my favorite non-Adual

Carter, edge rusher. It's probably Payton. Yeah, Patrick Payton from Florida State. Patrick Payton from Florida State. I'm impressed you're doing this without notes. I got my laptop in front of me. You're your rat on this off. This is good. Yeah, Patrick Payton from Florida State.

is a really, really talented, loose edge rusher that, you know, when you were watching Jerry Verst, he kept making plays. Yep. And to me, that's always a good sign of a guy that could be a future star in the NFL. I really think Patrick Payton has the good size, the length, the athleticism. He's starting to kind of build that pass rush plan as well. He's not just a guy that's going to win with a speed rush or a long arm, but is able to use a swim move, work on the inside and outside path of offensive tackle.

So he's really kind of emerged from me. He's a guy that I really like, but to me, Pierce is probably the, I don't say the consensus top edge, but a guy that a lot of people see is at the top. And then you've got Mikel Williams from Georgia that is that ball of clay that you typically get from Georgia, a guy that has all the tools in the world, has all the athleticism in the world now is about can he put it together on a down-and-a-down basis. He started as an off-ball linebacker. He moved him to edge rusher and he's kind of continued to over the course, you know, of last season, much like we talked about some of the Alabama guys. He got better and better as

the year went on, probably his best showing was against Florida State in that bowl game. Granted, Florida State had a lot of opt-outs, but for what Williams was able to do against Florida State and kind of put that statement and built that moment to go into next year. It seemed like preparing for the show. I only need to watch Ohio State over and over again. Both their edge rushers seem like first round caliber players. J.T. T. T. T. T. T. T. T. I hope I pronounced it correctly. Sorry, J.T. if I didn't. I remember him when he was the top prospect coming out of the Seattle area. And then Jack Sawyer, both of those guys, J.T. in particular, could have come out last year, decided to stay. And I think if you're looking in like the 20s, that's probably a potential.

range for those two guys. Yeah, Sawyer, to me, is probably, I would say, the, I won't say better overall, but probably the more consistent as a run defender and pass rush. You know where you're going to get from Sawyer down to down. But JT is more of the flashy, has a really devastating spin move, had a big game against Penn State and Olu Fashtonu, you know, who went first round. Great you out with the pronunciation. Thank you.

But yeah, he had a great game against. Olu and but you know for him it was again kind of like an up and down thing like there'll be games where he'll be dominant like Penn State and Maryland he was extremely dominant and then games where

you didn't see too much of him like against Missouri in the bowl game against Michigan to end the season so I think it's really about for JT for him to solidify himself as the first rounder is show that he can be a really dominant force on every single snap, but also like kind of having that discipline, not just running up field,

but also redirecting and putting himself in position to make plays. I found too many times he was, you wanted to win on that outside path, but as an edge rusher, you know, I know they're taught different things, but you want to still be in position to make the play. And I think, you know, for him, it's about continuing to, you know, not allow himself to get run out of the play. it's 1224 so we've spent 24 minutes here and I teased it like three four times the thumbnail for today's show had Abdul Carter people who who've watched this show for a long time know I have a soft spot for Philly players even if I did not have a soft spot for Philly players

this guy's just awesome to watch when you were here leading up to the draft I asked you about him you had a good piece in the Philadelphia Inquirer from his football camp here and he's someone who I imagine going into the season. Like the hype on him, if we have this conversation in December, will be far greater than it is now. So that's my preamble. This is the topic of conversation when you and I were messaging. I was excited to get into. Give me the Abdul Carter scoop. What do people need to know about Carter? Well, I think with Carter, the first thing is that, you know, he is only a junior. And I think it's kind of hard to believe when you like kind of watch and you talk to people that have watched Penn State and talk to people within the program.

Like, he came ready made to play from day one. Now, he wasn't a starter immediately, but they had packages for him early on. And they would put him in kind of these bliss packages, you know, alongside, you know, Chopp Robinson and Adita Isaac and players of that nature. And really from there, it's continued to progress where, you know, it's been clear that he is at his best when he's going after the course. especially on third downs. You know, they tried him at offball linebacker,

and to me, I think he can still be an offball linebacker if you want him to be. But I think the move to the edge rusher, and when talking to, I talked to his dad, you know, this past weekend at his camp, and he told me that, you know, James Franklin wanted him as an edge rusher to begin with. But they stuck with him at linebacker the first two years because as we played in high school, we was most comfortable with. But the move to edge rusher before the spring was Abdul Carter saying, I want to move to edge rusher. So what Carter, you get an explosive player, a player that gets to the ball first, wherever he's lined up.

It could be the opposite side of the field. The play could be going towards the sideline. He's always that first player there. And while he needs to kind of clean up and finish, I would say, at a more higher rate when he's in the back field that constantly, I think the move to edge rusher is going to suit what he does allow him to get after the quarterback on every down basis and not just on third downs and on blitzes. It's going to allow him to show that explosiveness, that quick first step and that ability to turn the corner on tackles. And I'm excited to see kind of his transition. I mean, he's a guy that came in college around 240, 2.45.

He's almost up to 260. So he's really filling out his frame nicely. And it's really kind of different, I would say, from some of the Penn State passers you've seen. You know, like you look at Chau Robinson, Bisa Isaac, they're more quick-twitch, you know, athletic guys not trying to take on blocks. But, you know, with Carter's background as a linebacker, you have that ability to take on blocks and disengage at the line of scrimmage. And I really think he's going to thrive in that role. Maybe it's just seeing number 11 and all the great number 11s I've seen. But when I was watching Penn State last year during the season and then leave,

leading up to the draft, I kept saying he was the best player on their defense. Like, even if he wasn't the highest profile, even if the snaps maybe not have been like at the level of like a Chop Robinson. But I thought down and down out, like he was the best player on their defense. Yeah, he just, I mean, I got to, so last year I got to watch Penn State twice in person. And it wasn't like for any coverage or anything. My girlfriend is a Penn State alum. We go to Penn State.

Lex, my wife's a Penn State alum. You and I are thinking similarly there. Yeah, so we went to the Illinois game last year because we were around that area and it was in Illinois. And he had an interception in that game. But every play, he was in the backfield. Every play he was beating guys to the spot, beating offensive lineman at the second level. And then again, against Michigan, he forced a fumble, I want to say on the second

or third drive of the game. And he's just everywhere. You know, every time you watch Penn State, he's like, oh, well, who's this number 11? And just like, it's kind of crazy to see, like, you know, it gets a lot of comparisons to Michael Parsons. I do think they're a bit of a different player. But, I mean, he's worked out with Parsons this summer. And it's clear, like, his trajectory is very similar to Parsons, though Parsons only played one full year at Penn State. But every time you watch Penn State, you can't get your eyes off of them and seeing him.

come off the edge, I think, is not only going to maximize this Penn State defense, but he could really have a big year and cataple himself into the top 10-15 discussion. And, you know, from the Philly perspective, Marvin Harrison Jr. last year, of course, we recall Kyle Pitts a few years ago, Phillies produced, like, top of the draft players, and I think Abdul Carter has the potential to be one of those guys who's a top 10, top 15 pick. I should say, by the way, the chat's loving your shirt right now. There's people who are listening who can't see it. But for the YouTube viewers, they're enjoying that Monday night football shirt.

Yeah, it's a nice little homage to what it was in early 2000s. Got on eBay a couple years ago. And, you know, I love pulling it out when football season is near. Well, the crowd's enjoying it. I spoke about seeing number 11 in Penn State and just thinking he's good. Maybe I do the same thing with Michigan in 55, right? You think of like Brandon Graham, but then when you see literally 55 Graham, we're obviously transitioning over to defensive linemen now. You mentioned Mason Graham.

Mason Graham, we saw it in the college football playoff, just like an awesome player. Who jumps out to you among the defensive lineman in this draft? Yeah, it's definitely Graham at the top, but Dionne Walker from Kentucky is just kind of a... He is huge, by the way, like 350 pounds. Yeah. He's like Jordan Davis-esque in terms of the athletic system. Yeah, but he's even more uniquely gifted, I would say, than Davis was even coming out. You know, like Walker, you know, there were a lot of discussion with Davis, like, you know, is he in shape?

Is he going to be able to play a certain amount of snaps? You don't really have those concerns with Walker, even at probably a much bigger size than Davis. So Walker is just kind of like, it reminds me so much of Don Terry Poe, you know, back in the day. just fills up the gap, can rush the passer from the interior. They threw him out at edge rusher and he still was able to get after the quarterback. You know, to me it's a one-two horse race between Graham and Walker right now in the interior defense-align class. But those two guys are just stellar athletes, guys that wreck the play, can wreck plays

on every downs, pass rush upside. You know, when you're looking for guys that are interior defense alignment, that can go in the first round. You need to have that pass, rush prowess, and I think both of those guys possess that ability. Sure. And then, yeah, those are kind of my top names there. My question for you mentioned, you mentioned

Williams, Michael Williams, as an edge do you see him more as an edge? Do you see him playing inside? Yeah, I think he's a 3-4 outside backer. Okay. I think that fits him a little bit more. You allow him to drop in the coverage a little bit too, which the Eagles, obviously, would really like in the

Vangio scheme. So, I I think he's a 3-4 outsidebacker. We speak about the Eagles on the defensive line. Obviously, they spent two first-round picks in recent years on Jalen Carter and on Jordan Davis. We'll continue to see what type of player Jordan Davis is. Milton Williams, though, is entering the last year of his contract. This is a position where the Eagles kind of lack immediate depth, but it's a position that they'll watch. And I think there is some depth in this year's class, like one guy to watch.

maybe he as as as as as we said at the top of the show draft draft grades are fluid so maybe this guy pushes his his his way up but on day two walter nolan who's at o'em miss now was a you know he was a transfer from texas an m previous top recruits so there's there's definitely a lot of guys there to pay attention to before we swing back to the skill players i did want to ask you about offball linebackers because abdul carter's kind of my my favorite story you know philly guy my favorite just prospect in this draft is Harold Perkins. I said this yesterday. You said the Micah Parsons comparisons are they might be kind of unfair for Carter and I agree different styles of play. I think the Micah Parsons comparisons are fair for Harold Perkins because Parsons was an offball linebacker at Penn State and he was kind of

evaluated like that going into the draft. The Cowboys draft him as a linebacker moving to edge rusher. If teams knew he could rush the quarterback like that, he would have been a top five pick, right? Harold Perkins, to me, obviously, LSU's using him there as an off-ballbacker. I've seen him rush to quarterback during these past two years. I think it's in his body. And I think he's just like the most unique special player outside of Deon Walker in terms of unique. But I think he's someone who I just love watching him and you put him on the field and he'll make plays. Yeah, Harold Perkins has been an interesting kind of case study in what do you do with an

athlete of his caliber. You know, like LSU, and you saw like early on, LSU wanted him strictly as like a inside backer where, you know, he's just reading, diagnosing plays. And you could tell that wasn't really what his skill set lended to. So they put him more in like a versatile off ball, backer roll, rushed him on third downs. And you saw the results. You know, he's a really dynamic pass rusher can win on that outside corner really, really excellently. And we look at Perkins and what he's best at, he's best at coming

downhill and working downhill either as a pass rusher or, you know, in space. So I think what Perkins is going to be interesting, the discussion around him, and how teams are going to value, you know, would they make him a

three, four outside backer? You know, he's a little bit small at like 6-1, 21, 21, 2, 15, 2, 20. I believe he's listed at. Do you put him as more of a Sandbacker role? Do you put him more in that Micah Parsons role that we just discussed? So I think the skill set in what he brings to table is unquestioned.

But I think now it's going to be about finding and slotting kind of his fit. Where exactly does he fit at the NFL level? What defenses does he fit with? I think that's going to be the big question with him. But I really like Perkins. He's a player that you turn on the tape. I mean, you're going to find him pretty quickly, you know. And I thought, you know, I should give him more credit as kind of an inside backer.

He did a pretty good job in kind of getting the passing lanes, too, on passing down. So I don't think it's completely lost on him being a interior backer, but I do think him as an offball is more kind of versatile role, I think, fits more. I recall Mike Mayock used to do these marathon draft teleconferences where he wouldn't have notes, he would just kind of be sitting there and, like, he would just take questions all over the place on every player for hours upon hours and just rattle it off. That's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, I'm going, like, I've been prepped you for

what players I'm asking you about, and you got, you got examples from games, examples from seasons, that's awesome here. Uh, the Eagles with linebacker, fans are always clamoring for that. It can, it will likely continue to be a need next to, uh, off season. We'll see what happens with Devin White this year, but he's on a one-year deal. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is a player they're developing. We got to see, I mean, Nicobie Dean hasn't proven himself yet. I don't think the Eagles are going to kind of swim in the expensive waters, if you will, at linebacker.

That's just not their organizational philosophy. Outside of Perkins, it seems the linebacker getting the most attention is Barrett Carter, Jeremiah Trotter Jr's former running mate at Clemson. He came back this year. Would you say he's like the other first round caliber lineback in this draft? Yeah, I would say he would, I think, Smile, Bondon as well from Georgia to someone in that discussion. But yeah, Carter, I think, I should say Barrett Carter,

because we've been talking about Dual Carter so much. But Barry Carter, you know, when you kind of look back at, you know, kind of Clemson, you watch Clemson's tape, you know, is that tandem him and Jeremiah Trader Jr. working together. And it was almost like kind of a yin and yang effect. Like, you know, Trotter was more of the stout, you know, make the play be there. Carter is more of the flashy all over the place.

Can cover, can defend, can move out in space, can rush to quarterback. You know, he's kind of more of that modern linebacker type that you look for in the early rounds in Barrett Carter. I think, you know, his best, you know, his best football came over the last stretch of the season. You know, I think the bowl game against Kentucky is probably the kind of the top game, for him that last season. But even against Florida State, he made some big plays and some of Clemson's other big matchups over the course of season, North Carolina, another game that he played really

well against a really top, you know, a really good running back in Amari Hampton that we'll probably talk about and touch on at the running back position in the 2025 class. But Barrett Carter, I think, you know, when you look at the two between him and Jeremiah Tri-Jrude, I think Carter is the better athlete, a guy that's probably going to go much higher than the draft.

But I do think he needs to clean up his, is tackling a little bit, open space. I think that was kind of the big, you know, thing that I was looking at as like, all right, again, it's kind of the same thing with the dual card. Like, you are there to make the play, like, just you need to make the play at a higher clip, you know, more consistently. So I think Barrick Carter can improve on that as well. We focused on the big body guys.

We're kind of saving these skill players and the secondary for dessert here because that's me the last third of the show. We're going to have fun discussing them. Before we do, I want to tell everyone about game time. And I'm not just sitting here reading an ad about game time. I'm a user of game time. I'm going to a game with my son this weekend with tickets purchased on game time. And the reason that I feel so strongly about game time is that they have killer last minute deals

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Download game time today. Last minute tickets, lowest price, guaranteed. I also want to tell you about all our great coverage. on all-P-H-L-Y.com. I am obviously partial to it. We have a mock draft up now for the Eagles. We've had coverage all week on the Eagles. I have a number of stories planned next week.

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you don't just get the premium written content, which is awesome. You get the members-only Discord. I was on it today where you're part of the PHLY Lounge. I asked everyone what they want to know about the draft class. They mentioned Abdul-Carter. They mentioned the tight ends. You also get a free shirt when you become a member in 20% off events, like we have this great golf event this weekend.

People always ask me how you can support PHLY, Well, the best way to do it, in addition to watching our shows, is becoming a diehard member at all p.hly.com where you join the best sports fans in the city. So I tease that, Devon, let's get to it. The skill position players on offense, you mentioned running back. I don't think the Eagles are going to be high in the running back draft class.

They have Sequin, at least for two seasons, it seems like, but you always need to kind of be thinking about roster planning. This is an eventual need for the Eagles. and there are some interesting running backs in this class. Who jumps out to you? Yeah, Jada, Ott, to me, is kind of the interesting one. From Cal, right? Yeah, from Cal.

Ali Gore and too, which I'll get to him in a minute. But Jay and Ott is more of a taller back, and we kind of seen taller backs, you know, kind of, you know, go either way. Like, they've either panned out really good careers in NFL or have really short careers. But I think with Ott, like, he doesn't run as high. high as some of those guys that have come before him that are a bit of a taller running back.

But, you know, he's so explosive, his ability to get downhill, hit the hole quickly, and gets the second and third level and make guys miss in the open field. Makes him incredibly fun to watch. He kind of carried that cow offense on his shoulders.

And I remember watching him against USC and just breaking long run after long run. Granted, USC's defense wasn't necessarily great in the pack 12, but they knew the ball was going to him. He still found ways to find creases and hit the hole and make things happen. So I would say probably the most intriguing running back is probably Oat because of his size. And you typically don't see guys that tall, you know, be able to be that explosive and, you know,

not run as high through the hole. And yeah, yeah, so he's your favorite player there. You mentioned a few other guys, and you can get to them. I did want to ask you, though, about Junkins, the transfer from Ole Miss to Ohio State, and then Sanders, the transfer from Arkansas to South Carolina. Yeah, I'll start with Sanders because I think he is much better than people think. He just was banged up last year. Sure. But the year before, he was tremendous.

He's a former receiver in high school. I actually know his high school coach because he used to coach me in college. Really? Look at that. So that was a connection there. I like that. So he told me about, they call him Rocket Sanders, but Rahim Sanders. And yeah, he started a receiver in high school. They wanted him at running back because they wanted him to get the ball.

At Arkansas, he's gained probably like 15, 20 pounds since high school to kind of fill out his frame. But the receiving profile is there already because he has a background as a receiver. but he's just a really tough stout runner. I don't think he's a guy that is going to really top out and be kind of that explosive runaway type of player. But as a guy like that can keep the chains moving, that can offer receiving outside of the backfield. 242 pounds.

He's huge. Yeah, I mean, he's like a bowling ball out there. But he's very physical and such a dynamic player. And, you know, unfortunately, it was banged up last year, amidst the final six games of the season, I believe. So he didn't really get to showcase truly his skill set, but at South Carolina, I'm excited how they use them. They've used kind of those types of players really interestingly at South Carolina.

I think about Jaheim Bell, who ended up going to Florida State and then get drafted, I think, seventh round by the Patriots, this past class, Debo Samuel, obviously, too. So I think he has that type of usage where you can move around a little bit. Probably don't want him running routes every down, but if you can line him out with a linebacker, I think he can win that matchup. And we know he's well-coached. Yeah, well-coach. I would be remiss not to say that. I'm sure my former coach out there is probably like, yes.

There we go. And then Judkins, who, it's Quinn John Jenkins, was a really productive player at Ole Miss. I thought he was the best back in the SEC. transfers to Ohio State, a roster that's like a pro team this year. Is he up there for top backs in the draft? Yeah, he's certainly in discussion. I think the big thing with him is how much receiving, of a receiving profile you're getting from him?

You know, like, Ole Miss had kind of that such dynamic office. He didn't really need to involve him in the passing game as much. You know, I also think about like pass protection-wise. I want to see him kind of improve in that area. But as a runner, you know, as a guy that, you know, bounces off people, you know, that can make guys missing open field that has some bursts in open field, too. I think he's certainly in the discussion. I mean, it's going to form a nice two-headed monster duo at Ohio State with Trayvion and Henderson. You mentioned Ollie Gordon.

That was, if you want to hit on on Gordon quickly and then we'll get the wide receivers. Yeah, Ali Gordon, you know, another guy that is kind of. It kind of reminds me a little bit of LaShawn McCoy. That's a good comparison. It's actually it's Shady's birthday today, I believe. So happy birthday to Shady. But he reminds me of kind of the movements of LaShawn McCoy in the open field where it looks like he's like crossing over people in open field and making the miss. So to me, he's probably the most elusive back, I would say, in this draft class, Ali Gorn is,

and how he's able to, you know, hit the gas in the second and third level and just go. So I really like what he brings. And I think he's a guy. We're going to have that kind of wait and see. I know he's, you know, he had kind of a DUI pop up over the last week. So we'll see how that shakes out. But I think he, as on the field, he's a really good player and will compliment an offense nicely. At wide receiver, the Eagles, they obviously have their top two guys entrenched.

Wide receiver three, it remains a question this year and beyond this season. They drafted obviously Anaya Smith in the fifth round, Johnny Wilson in the sixth round. But this is a team that has not taken receiver in the top three rounds since making that AJ Brown trade rights. Well, they haven't drafted one since Devante Smith. And there was that period of time there when they had Devante, Joan Rager, J.J.Rthago, White side. So maybe more youth in that room is coming. My favorite receiver in this draft class is Luther Burden. He doesn't have the size that I look for, but he's productive all day long.

jumps out to you. Yeah, Burden is probably my top receiver going into this. And he's from Missouri, by the way. Yeah, from Missouri. He's probably my top receiver going in this class. And just another guy, again, that, you know, you're watching other people on tape, like watching Darius Robinson's tape last year at Missouri. And then you flip on the offensive side of the ball and you see what Lutherberg can do in open field. You know, the LSU game was incredibly dynamic in its ability to catch the football and make people miss in the open field. They throw swing passes out to him. You know, they throw a ball of the middle of the field.

You can win vertically. So you have all three areas cover with him. The yak ability. That's always a big player for first round receivers. So despite the size, I think NFL teams have kind of started to come around on like, okay, like the size isn't as big of an issue as long as you're a dynamic and dynamic player and can impact all three levels. So Burden is probably at the top.

I mentioned Isaiah Bond earlier in the show talking about Jalen Milro. But Bond now at Texas, I think he's going to kind of slide seamlessly into that Xavier worthy role and the ability to stretch the field with Quinn Ewers, who we didn't even mention. Yeah, he's up there as show. That just shows how, you know, how expansive this class is already. But, yeah, so those are two guys that kind of stick out to me in a receiver class. I know there's a ton of others, like a Mecca Agbuka from Ohio State. I like him, yeah.

Yeah, it was a really solid player. I think he's just somewhere in between, like, you know, we look at the Ohio State receivers recently. I think somewhere in between, like, a Chris Olave type. Like, I think he kind of leads more towards him. Nothing wrong with that. Yeah. Where he's a little bit more dependable, smooth, not going to blow you away,

but it's very dependable at the point of the catch. And then McMillan at Arizona gives you that size, It's hard to find. Yeah, another unique guy that runs routes like he's 511, you know, like he's at 6'5 and he's very fluid. I wouldn't know what that's like, yeah. Yeah. It's very fluid, you know, just gets in-outs, breaks cleanly. And, again, provides that yak ability that the teams look for, especially at that size.

I mean, you know, he runs anywhere in the 4-4-4-5 area. I mean, that's an automatic first-rounder. Tight-end is a spot that in that Montraught that I mentioned the three-row. rounds that I have on all phtly.com. I have the Eagles looking at at tight end there. It's a position that they have not spent draft resources on other than Grant Calcutera in recent years. Dallas Goddard is he turns 30 in January. There's no guaranteed money on his contract beyond 2025. The Eagles have have liked to, I'm sorry, beyond 2024. The Eagles have liked to think ahead at this position. You saw that when they drafted Goddard. You saw that when they drafted Ertz. The

tight end draft class this year. I didn't love it after Brock Bowers. If you look at the class coming up in 2025, it seems Colston Loveland is the top player. Would you agree there?

Yeah, Colston Loveland is probably the top guy. And really, it's, you know, I think it's a close race, you know, between him and a few other players. And by the way, Loveland's from Michigan.

He's from the national champs last year. Yeah, but we watch it. I mean, he was, he was our best pass catcher last year. You know, like, and you think about, they had a few guys drafted from that receiver room.

But he immediately, you know, was, I mean, even as a freshman, he was making big time plays. You know, I think of a – and I posted a clip earlier this summer, you know, where he had a touchdown catch as a freshman in the Big Ten championship game against Purdue, where he just went up and caught the ball over two players. So you have that ability, the size, the ability to stretch the scene. And you've just seen what the Eagles like to do with Godder, and you can imagine what Colson could do. you know, an offense that was sure to feature tight ends with Kellamore. So Colson Loveland, you know, is the top guy. But I think the guy that I'm looking forward to probably most, not even Oscar Delp, but I would look at Benjamin Eurosec.

Okay, from Georgia as well. From Georgia as well, a guy that as Stanford was such a dynamic player, but Stanford's offense still kind of stuck in the past. Not very good, yeah. Being a heavy run offense. He's not a guy that. it's going to be a big-time blocker either, but the receiving profile, his ability to make plays down the field, you know, and just what he does after the catch

too, I think, is going to be so valuable. And I wouldn't be surprised if Eurosek kind of pops back onto radar us because I think he's being a little undervalue with what we saw with Oscar Delp did. Yeah, that's the player I like this year is Oscar Delp. Yeah, he's a really good player. But I think EuroSec is going to be that guy that, you know, kind of emerges, you know, while dealt with, you know, it's going to get a lot of the attention, especially during the end season. Do you think this is a good tight end class? You think it's mediocre? How would you evaluate that going into the year?

I would say it's a good tight end class. You know, I also think about Mitchell Evans from Noradame, that a guy that, you know, you're watching Noradame. You're like, all right, who is this another tight end that they're going to go on produce? You know, one-handed catches, you know, behind him. I would say he's probably, you know, one of the more natural pass catchers, you know, in this this potential class, you know, when you're looking at the tight end class. But yeah, I think this is a really good class. Probably better than what we've seen and probably since 2023s class, which was really, really good. But this has a chance to have a few first rounders this year. And shifting over to the – in shifting over to the other side of the ball, the Eagles spent their first round pick

and their second round pick this year on a cornerback. So cornerback's not high on the list, but if it was, or if it were, there are some real good corners. Will Johnson from Michigan, Benjamin Morrison from Underdame. And then we can be talking about this as a wide receiver as well. Travis Hunter from Colorado,

kind of one of the most high-profile players in college football. He's a highly rated player on both sides of the ball. What jumps out to you about this cornerback class? Yeah, I think it's kind of the, differences and kind of style in how they approach the game. Like Benjamin Morrison wants to kind of beat you up at the line of scrimmage, be a little bit more physical, you know, really tight man coverage. But Nordaum also plays quite a bit of zone as well.

We look at Hunter, though. I mean, that guy just is special. You know, like we look at him and see what he does. Like you don't even take an account that he played both sides of the ball last year. but simply as a corner, he bates quarterbacks. You know, in zone coverage, he bates him, and man coverage, he bates him. Like, he's extremely smart in how he's able to, you know,

course quarterbacks to throw his way and throw his side of the ball. You know, and kind of his style kind of reminds me, you know, I kind of go back. So, you know, I was thinking about this yesterday, but I think about the class with Derek Steenly. Sure. Salt Gardner. Yeah.

And I kind of feel like we might get. get that type of feel in this class? Top five guys, yeah. Where we get Stingley's more like Hunter's kind of style play in terms of like he wants to just take the ball away. He wants to lock down his side of the ball and just really dynamic fluid, loose athlete. You look at Will Johnson. I think he fits a little bit more what Soss Gardner is.

I don't think he's as fluid as Travis Hunter is in an hour breaks. But he is just sticky. and there in your hip pocket, obviously made a great interception with Marva Harrison last year too. So I really think we're kind of setting ourselves up to get kind of a two or three person race within possibly the top 10 with Travis Hunter and Will Johnson. And Benjamin Morrison too, I think he can make a claim as well. And then at safety, you might see some early mock drafts,

some way to early mocks that have Eagles going with Malachi Stark's from Georgia. The Eagles haven't really shown an inclination to taking early safeties. But this is a position, right? We'll see obviously C.J. Garner Johnson's under contract. But that's a, if C.J. struggles this year, he's not the player they want. That's there. There's some flexibility there. Sidney Brown's coming back from injury, read Blankenship. They signed him to a new deal, but they'll kind of see what type of player he is.

That's a long way of saying that safety's always a position. They need to look at it. Is Stark to clear a top player here? Yeah, I would say he's kind of separate himself. with this play over the last two years, even, you know, day and back as a freshman. When you think about Georgia's like safeties and what they typically are, you typically see guys that are more versatile types that can play kind of the nickel and safety role. And while I think Starks can do that, he's really, I feel like, their first true safety that

can play, you know, center field, can go from one side of the field to the other and disrupt passes that can come down to the box and make plays when need to. to. So I think Malachi is probably the first guy like that we've seen with the last couple of years for Kirby Smart where he's actually a true safety, you know, through and through. He's not a guy that you can just move around or need to move around. He's, he's effective from the deep safety spot. But another guy that I really like in this class is Kevin Winston Jr. from Penn State. Has a nice size, nice build. More of a thumper, downhill thumper, a guy that wants to be physical and come down to the box and make plays. but show some ball skills as well during the season and then during the spring game in April.

He made some nice plays there as well. The player who excites me to watch this year is Sunny Stiles from Ohio State just because of the size of the player. I think he's someone who can emerge up the draft board. Yeah, he's going to be really good. And I look at the Ohio State secondary in general. They're going to be really good this year, getting returners back and really getting comfortable.

But Sonny Stiles is a really good player too. This has been so much fun. I want to ask you, what's the life of a, I mean, you do more than being a draft analyst, but you cover the NFL draft or the Philadelphia Inquirer. What's like the life of a draft analyst like this time of year? Yeah, it's kind of compiling notes, you know, compiling players that are interesting, that you take note of. You want to watch all the top players that everyone's already discussing

and kind of get a baseline of what the class will be. you kind of want to get that work kind of done early. Sure. So you watch kind of to the top guys. For me, like I watch like, so I'll go out and like make a list of guys I want to watch and like I'll kind of like pick them off one by one. Like in between like I'll watch like some of the top players, like some of the top prospects, go back and take a closer look in guys that maybe I watched out of the core of my eye versus like as a true evaluation.

So it's all about like kind of like whittling down those lists. list a little bit, kind of getting to feel like who you think are going to be the top names to watch. But then like during the season, even during the season, you know, it's kind of like checking in on those different players. So maybe like it's a few off-insel, top offensive line and how they fare this week if they had, you know, some really good opponents coming up. You know, maybe so the edge rusher class that you want to take a look at. So for me, like, I kind of fine-tuned it last year and where like, you know, I kind of got late starting last summer just because, like, I was kind of burnt out from the coverage.

But this year, like, I started a little bit earlier so I can give myself some time to, you know, watch, you know, four or five guys here and there, you know, kind of get the names and the notes that you have ready for them. And just see if they match, you know, once the games actually start. But there's always other names that pops up. There's always those guys that you have, like, circle. Like, I have a few guys circle. Like, I want to see, like, you know, there's always. They're draft eligible, but they're not necessarily seniors, so they don't have to go into a draft. So you always have that kind of differentiate that list so you don't, like, do all this work on a player.

And then he comes back to school. So it's really kind of a balancing act. And, like, you know, I want to, when I come and watch these players, I want to have kind of a fresh mindset and open mind. So, like, I'm not just, you know, seeing exactly what everyone else is seeing. And, like, I just try it to, I guess, approach it without my mind. Two topics from Rohit Verma. I want to hit on real quickly. First off, are we sure?

And we have Rohit in the chat. We appreciate this. Are we sure Travis Hunter is not playing wide receiver in the NFL? Right now, I would say probably he's a defensive back. Like, I see the fascination with him playing receiver. And I can see a possibility where that's an option. But I just think when you have a chance to get a chance. a lockdown potential top corner like you don't pass on that versus like a guy like yeah maybe they

end up using some packages for him later on but I think right now he's he's a defensive back you know probably in most info for office's minds and I think I think that won't change and then the last one here I mentioned this at the top of the show NCAA 25 comes out next week are you excited like are you me playing NCAA 25 is is this something that that kind of gets your juices flowing as well. Yeah, it's going to be a fun release. I actually working on a story where I'm going to be playing with some Temple players. Oh, that's awesome.

Okay. We can find that in the Inquirer, right? Yeah. So I'll be playing with some Temple players that are actually in the game. That's a good idea. Yeah. So I'm excited about that. So I will be playing a game and get in it personally too.

You know, I really enjoyed NCAA football 14. Yeah. I've been kind of waiting. It's been a long time since until college. Football 25 here. Yeah. Yeah, it's been a while. So, yeah, I'll be definitely playing.

I think my first rebuild team is going to be Nebraska. Okay. Because of Matt Rule or just because you? Yeah, like. Memorial Stadium. You like the way it looks there? Yeah, Memorial Stadium, the history that Nebraska has and just what they've done and when you kind of bring them back to that prominence.

You know, I think it's a cool atmosphere that they have. Matt Rule, I think, is just kind of the perfect coach for the to, to lead. that program and I mean he's already getting the best out of them with far superior or far and superior players than he probably even has this year and they have a young quarterback that they could be playing too so it seems like it's all lying up for him I covered a game in Nebraska back in 2008 it was my first time there and awesome place to see a game but I just remember coming up from the locker after after after the game looking out and you see this line of cars just like to the horizon it was like

from the field of dream scene. I think it becomes the second biggest city in Nebraska on game. It's just a stadium alone. Now, the cool thing is if you're playing college football 25 next week, you now know about like 50 names, right? Players who you might not have, you only knew tangentially or just knew their name, that Devin came in here, okay, fresh off parking, walks in, sits down, and just rattles it off. It wasn't like I was saying, I'm going to be asking you about Oscar Delph.

It's not like I was going to be saying, tell me about Deion Walker. You were just rolling through it. So we appreciate it. Can you let everyone know where they can find your work right now in this coming season? Yeah. So you can find me on X at Real D underscore Jackson, all my work on TheInquirer.com. We'll see when I, you know, write that first draft piece. You know, right now it's kind of a dead time a little bit and, you know, some football camps here and there are popping up.

But yeah, you can find all my work on. the Inquirer.com. You know, I do some draft work on the substack as well. You know, I did a kind of went through the edge draft class and probably towards more towards like middle of August. I'll probably have like a top 20 top 25 top 50 prospects. We appreciate Devin joining us today. If you tune in on Monday at noon, Les Bowen is going to be in this seat. I'll be with Les and we'll be talking about Nick Siriani. I have a story coming out Monday morning about Nick Siriani with some thoughts of his entering a critical season

and there's some really good insight that I'm eager to share. Until then, thank you, Devin, for joining us. Thank you, Andrew, for producing. And we hope everyone has a great summer weekend. If Bo was here, he would say, as always, we love you. I would say, we'll do better tomorrow. We're not on tomorrow, so we'll do better on Monday.

Until then, thank you for watching. like the mayor