Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 4/29/24.
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Ezekiel Elliott returning to Dallas Cowboys, ‘wheels in motion’ last week with no running back drafted – Blogging The Boys
There is no question that Zeke is a beloved member of Cowboys franchise history, but he was not exactly a productive player last season. We will see how big of a role he will command with the team but he enters a running back room currently occupied by Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn and Royce Freeman. Tom Pelissero, who broke the news with NFL Network, makes it seem like in his initial tweet that the Cowboys at least partly… strategically did not draft a running back this past weekend based on preliminary talks with Elliott. If that is indeed the case that is quite the choice of process.
Mekhi Becton, Eagles reportedly agree to one-year contract – BGN
The Eagles didn’t end up drafting an offensive tackle, opting instead to stick to their board and get defensive players early, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t still looking for one. A day after the end of the 2024 NFL Draft, Howie Roseman decided to sign a former first-round pick (No. 11 overall) in Mekhi Becton. Becton will sign a one-year deal worth up to $5.5 million, all pending a physical. He will give the Eagles some depth as a swing tackle behind starters Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson.
Analyzing the Eagles’ reported 2024 undrafted free agent class – PhillyVoice
Kendall Milton, RB, Georgia (6’2, 225). Milton is a big, one-cut-and-go sledgehammer-type back who runs through contact and usually falls forward. One out of every 8.6 of Milton’s carries in 2023 resulted in a touchdown. He also finished off his college career on a hot streak, rushing 64 times for 495 yards (7.7 YPC) and 9 TDs in Georgia’s final five games in 2023. He wasn’t much of a threat as a receiver out of the backfield at Georgia, as he had just 12 career receptions. At running back, the Eagles have Saquon Barkley, Kenny Gainwell, and Will Shipley, who are all locks to make the roster. Otherwise, if the Eagles keep four running backs, Milton will compete with guys like Tyrion Davis-Price, Lew Nichols, and any further additions for a roster spot.
UDFAs – Iggles Blitz
SAF Andre Sam – LSU – 5-11, 193. Interesting prospect. Turned 25 in February. Began his college career in 2017 (the pre-Super Bowl champ dark ages). Played at McNeese State, Marshall and LSU. Started 51 games. A bit undersized, but a solid hitter. Ran 4.59 and had a 36-inch vertical. Picked off 9 passes in his career and showed good ball skills. Could be a good practice squad candidate. Doesn’t have much upside, but has a ton of experience and that could help him adjust to the NFL.
Biggest 2024 NFL post-draft questions for all 32 teams – ESPN
Did the Eagles do enough to turn the tide on defense? The Eagles were aggressive in addressing their secondary, using a first-round pick on CB Quinyon Mitchell before trading up in the second to take multidimensional DB Cooper DeJean. That gives the Eagles a much-needed boost of youth and speed into a defensive backfield that surrendered 35 passing touchdowns last season. To address another weakness — linebacker — they made a legacy pick in the fifth round by bringing in Jeremiah Trotter Jr. This unit will have to rely on a number of young players, especially after losing Fletcher Cox and Haason Reddick this offseason, but there is a good amount of talent with which to work.
Sorry Nick Saban — Why Eagles’ top draft pick was so loyal to Toledo – NBCSP
Eagles’ first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell is from Toledo — but he didn’t have to be. In the modern age of college athletics, where the transfer portal has changed all the rules, Mitchell could have left the MAC to join a Power Five school. Just about any of the top programs would have had him. But Mitchell stayed at Toledo. It apparently wasn’t even a thought to leave, much to the dismay of recently retired Alabama head coach Nick Saban. “He was our No. 1 guy in the portal last year to try to get him to come out of the portal,” Saban said on the NFL Draft broadcast Thursday night, “and he would never get in the portal.” Why did Mitchell stay? Loyalty. “Money and other opportunities, they’re just not bigger than relationships,” Mitchell said to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark on Thursday night in Detroit after he was drafted. “The relationships I had at Toledo were so strong. That’s why I stayed. I love those guys, I love everybody in the organization. It’s just the relationships.”
Gottlieb Ayedze signs with Philadelphia Eagles as undrafted free agent – Testudo Times
Maryland offensive lineman Gottlieb Ayedze signed Saturday with the Philadelphia as an undrafted free agent. Ayedze, a native of Germantown, Md., transferred to Maryland from Frostburg State (Division II) last offseason and made an instant impact. Despite battling injury early in the season, he played right tackle in 11 games, starting the team’s final 10. He was the sixth-highest rated pass blocking tackle in the Big Ten, earning an all-conference honorable mention.
2024 NFL Draft: How did the rest of the NFC East do? – Big Blue View
Quinyon Mitchell, out of Toledo, was one of my favorite players in the draft class. He will become quite familiar with Malik Nabers. The selection of Iowa’s Cooper DeJean via trade-up in Round 2 was frustrating, to say the least. Philadelphia’s secondary woes were an inflammatory concern for the Eagles, but Howie found multiple highly efficacious antihistamines to rectify the situation in the top 40 picks of the draft. So, with that reality looming, Roseman spent his first two picks of the draft on two of the best defensive backs in the class. In the third round, he added a long, explosive pass rusher from Houston Christian in Jalyx Hunt before spending two Day 3 picks on the offensive line, two at wide receiver, one on a receiving running back, and another on a legacy pick in Clemson’s Jeremiah Trotter Jr. What made Roseman’s draft haul even more impressive was the future assets he acquired through trading back. The Eagles acquired a 2025 third-round pick from Miami, a 2025 fourth-round pick from Detroit, and a 2025 fifth-round pick from Houston, all while selecting nine players in the 2024 draft. Roseman tied an NFL record with eight draft day trades.
DraftBot’s Instant Grades for the Commanders’ 2024 Draft – Day 2, 3 and Final Grade – Hogs Haven
There is an issue with this trade. At the time it was made, CB Cooper DeJean had fallen to the Commanders’ pick. DeJean was another player with a first-round grade on most analysts boards (Consensus Rank: 24, DraftBot: 19). We don’t know how he ranked on the Commanders’ board, which is most critical. However, Peters acknowledged that DeJean is a good player, whom the Commanders will have to face twice a year. With the Day 2 picks exchanged in this trade, the Eagles selected DeJean and safety Calen Bullock, and the Commanders selected CB Mike Sainristil and TE Ben Sinnott. As of this writing, it is not possible to judge which team came out ahead. Allowing a premium talent to go to a division rival, instead of adding him to the Commanders roster, could be viewed as violating the corollary of the Third Directive (Pick the Best Player Available). However, the trade may eventually fulfill the main principle of the Third Directive (Raise the Talent Ceiling) if Sainristil and Sinnott both turn out as premium players.
NFL mock draft 2025: Early projection is light on franchise QBs, heavy on defense – SB Nation
The 2024 NFL Draft has wrapped up, which means we can finally do what we all love: get ready for the 2025 class! The NFL Draft cycle never stops, and with the bow on top of 2024 we can get right into 2025. The 2024 NFL Draft set a record with 23 offensive players coming off the board in round one, and 14 of them consecutively. In 2025, that might not be the case. This draft class is defense heavy, with the top five guys in my early big board all on the defensive side of the ball and 9 (10 if you count Travis Hunter as a DB) in the top 15. If you need an impact defender, this is the draft you’re going to want to get one. Meanwhile, this draft doesn’t have a QB in the top-15 picks, at least for now. Here’s our way-too-early look at the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
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