Eagles Notes from Mike Mayock’s Marathon Pre-Combine Conference Call

One of the highlights of every pre-NFL draft process is NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock’s conference call with pundits from every corner of the football media world. Les Bowen provides some insight on just how lengthy the 2015 version of the annual event was.

Mayock, a native Philadelphian with decades of experience as a player and evaluator , is as well-respected a voice when it comes to draft analyst as any in the business. Regardless of his track record as far as ‘hits and misses’, there may not be another talking head in the industry who puts in more prep work than Mayock leading up to the draft. His annual conference call is always littered with a handful of fodder that should interest Eagles fans. Here’s what stood out in Monday’s:

ON JAMEIS WINSTON AND MARCUS MARIOTA: 

"Obviously with Jameis Winston, my concern number one is on the field. That is I think he throws too many interceptions. However, I can see everything I want on the field, on tape, beyond that. He’s a pocket aware guy. He throws with anticipation and timing, which is unusual in today’s college football world…I think the bigger concern is whether or not this guy can be the face of your franchise. Let’s face it. He was the face of the Florida State franchise and that didn’t stop him from making a bunch of bad decisions off the field….With the other quarterback, Marcus Mariota, you don’t have any worries off the field, and all the individual components are there. He’s athletic. He’s got a big arm. He’s 6’4″, 215 pounds. He’s got great feet. He’s going to run 4:5, 4:55. All the individual components are available. However, can he put them together in a pro style offense where he has to throw with anticipation, has to go through progressions?"

ON POTENTIAL QB TARGETS AFTER WINSON & MARIOTA: 

"But you get the Bryce Petty and Brett Hundley, both of whom probably have second-round talent. They have good size, good arm strength. Hundley is a good athlete. Petty is a pretty good athlete. They’re both in that 6’3″, 6’4″ range, 220 to 230 pounds. There’s a lot to like about both of those kids. When you watch them within the framework of their offense, they’ve got a long way to go to become pocket quarterbacks. They don’t throw with anticipation. If the first look isn’t there, both of them are hesitant and indec"

ON POTENTIAL CHIP KELLY TARGETS AVAILABLE AT PICK 20 FOR THE EAGLES (NOT MARIOTA): 

"From my perspective, and by the way there could be a safety there also, I’ve got Shaq Thompson, who most people have as a linebacker, I have him as a safety. I have him as my number two safety behind Landon Collins from Alabama, either one of which could be available at 20. However, I’d rather see them get a corner, if a top corner is available. I think Jalen Collins, the underclassman from LSU, is really intriguing. He’s 6’2″. He fits what Philly does to a T. I think Billy Davis would love him. He’s a press corner, not afraid to play in your face, will tackle, understands how to play the game, has some physicality about him. I think he’s going to be a first-round pick. If Trae Waynes is already gone, you have to do your homework on Marcus Peters, the Washington kid, off the field. But I think Jalen Collins really fits what they do."

ON IF MARIOTA CAN HELP/HURT HIS STOCK AT COMBINE: 

"In fact, I don’t think there is anything Marcus Mariota can do this week to elevate him or drop him. The important thing for quarterbacks at combines is rip the ball the day you’re supposed to rip it, but more importantly, it’s all about meeting the coaches and talking to the people for those 15 or 20 minutes you get at night, and the kid is going to shine in that people are going to be intrigued by him and like him and want to buy into him. I think everybody’s going to be impressed. If he’s under 40, it’s going to be 4.55, maybe better, and he’s going to impress people. So it’s going to come down to whether or not you buy into the fact that his individual skillset can turn into an NFL pocket passer."

ON THE TOP CORNERBACKS IN THE DRAFT: 

"Yeah, there are three corners that I really like a lot, (Trae) Waynes, Marcus Peters and Jalen Collins. Now I’ve said repeatedly, Marcus Peters, I don’t know enough yet about him off the field. That might push him out of the conversation anyway. Trae way ans is very comfortable in press coverage. He’s got length. He jumps up there like all the Michigan State corners do. He understands the game. He’s played through the field, he’s played into the boundary. He tackles. I know when you get a Michigan State kid coming off that defense, he’s got a tough kid that will tackle that’s been well-coached. So that appeals to me first and foremost. His length, his competitiveness, and the fact that he can play press and will tackle. Beyond that, I am intrigued by the Jalen Collins kid at LSU who has nine or ten starts in his career. Came out early, but he’s 6’2″ and similar to Waynes in that he will compete in press coverage. They’re the three top guys. P.J. Williams from Florida State is in the conversation, but I think he’s a little later. And I think Trae Waynes make-up, and the fact that I trust that he’ll come in and compete day one is kind of a difference maker for me."

ON THE EAGLES POTENTIALLY PULLING TRIGGER ON TRADE TO DRAFT MARIOTA: 

"I don’t know if Chip Kelly can go from 20 to wherever, that’s a long way to move. But the two quarterbacks are the most logical guys, Tennessee sitting at two. Obviously one of those quarterbacks is going to be sitting there, if not both of them. To me looking at quarterback is the most logical guy. I don’t think it’s going to be a position player somebody moves up to get. It’s probably Marcus Mariota. And I don’t see the market that we had for RG3."

ON FIELD-STRETCHING WIDE RECEIVERS: 

"I’ll give you three of the fastest at the combine, Phillip Dorsett from Miami. He might run sub-4.3. My introduction to him came two years ago at Notre Dame when he dropped two passes on the first series where he was five to ten yards beyond the closest Notre Dame player, and I don’t think Notre Dame had ever seen a guy run that fast. He flies and he’s gotten more consistent with his hands and route running. This kid can play and pick the top off any zone. Devin Smith, very similar from Ohio State. He’s going to run sub-4.35. He tracks the deep ball maybe better than anybody in this draft. And Sammie Cotes from Auburn at 205 pounds is the biggest of the three. The tallest of the three. He’s going to run sub-4.4. He flies I just don’t know if he catches the ball as naturally as those other two guys."

First off, a big thanks to NFL Network for transcribing the entire 2+ hour conference call. Second, Mayock is a machine. How an individual can have so much insight on hundreds of college players is something that I can’t even register. Nevertheless, Mayock has established himself as one of the pre-eminent draft analysts in the media.

I was interested to read Mayock’s mention of Shaq Thompson of Washington as a potential target for the Eagles at 20th overall. It seems as if the majority of draft previews have the Eagles either going after a cornerback or making some sort of radical move to land a quarterback. I happen to fall more into the school of thought that the Eagles will use their first round pick on a player like Thompson. He is a bit of a tweener at this point of his career, but is arguably one of the best athletes in the draft. Thompson could deliver an element to the Eagles defense that only a handful of teams in the league have. It seems as if he’s a prospect that several media members who cover the Eagles will have their eyes on in the upcoming weeks.