Philadelphia Eagles Draft | 10 Senior Bowl Players to Watch
Some of the best college prospects from across the nation meet in Mobile, Alabama to showcase their talent. Who could interest the Philadelphia Eagles?
This week is Senior Bowl week. One of the highlights of the NFL Draft season and a fantastic tie-over in the two-week spell between the Conference Championship Games and the Super Bowl, the Senior Bowl gives the nation’s top college football prospects an opportunity to strut their stuff in front of scouts from all 32 NFL teams and draftniks from every corner of the earth. Coached by the Bears and the Browns respectively, the North and the South teams showcase some potential Round 1 players, including Alabama TE O.J. Howard, Western Kentucky OT Forrest Lamp, and LSU CB Tre’Davious White.
One of the most notable Senior Bowl alums of recent memory is, of course, Philadelphia Eagles QB Carson Wentz. An unheralded, raw projection coming out of North Dakota State, Wentz’s stock skyrocketed after a strong performance against the nation’s top competition in Mobile. Many of the smaller school prospects that earned an invite will have a similar opportunity this week.
Several players chose to deny the Senior Bowl invite, for various reasons. Some are injured: UCLA DE Takkarist McKinley’s denial revealed a torn right labrum, upon which he’ll delay surgery until after the Combine. Some don’t disclose: Alabama stud DL Jonathan Allen, after a long and grueling season, likely felt he needed the rest–and he probably couldn’t increase his draft stock much anyway.
To much debate, Clemson QB Deshaun Watson also denied his invitation after an equally strenuous campaign, even after Cleveland (one of the teams coaching at Mobile) personally asked him to come. Those impressed by Watson’s physical tools may believe he’s wasting an opportunity to show off for two QB-needy teams; those, like me, who see some big question marks with Watson, may find his avoidance of closer scrutiny suspicious, but a wily move for his draft stock. It may help him; it may hurt him. Only time will tell.
The Philadelphia Eagles will keep tabs on many prospects–reports regarding who they’re interviewing have already begun to surface. In this post, we’ll highlight ten players–five offense, five defense–the Eagles will keep a closer eye on throughout the draft process. These players intersect positional need and the likely round the Eagles will target them.
Weigh-ins start bright and early Tuesday morning, practices run through Thursday, and the game kicks off at 1:30 CST on Saturday. Throughout the week, these are the players to watch.