Philadelphia Eagles Draft: 5 Combine Prospects To Watch

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Cyrus Jones jumps up to stretch before running the 40 yard dash during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports” width=”3239″ height=”2110″ /> Feb 29, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Cyrus Jones jumps up to stretch before running the 40 yard dash during the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports /

The NFL Combine will begin next week. What prospects and drills should the Philadelphia Eagles’ fans be watching?

The Combine. Increasingly a televised, PR event, draft experts debate the value of the drills and what they reveal about prospects. Count me firmly among the Combine’s proponents. Getting measurements and precipitating athletic scores on all of the prospects comprises a significant part of each individual grade. Ultra-productive players must prove they have the physical traits to compete at the next level; natural athletes must demonstrate their football talent in positional drills.

Of course, you can also get a solid feel for a prospect’s athleticism from his tape. On-field chase downs correlate to 40 yard dashes; forklift blocks correspond to bench press reps; change of direction, to three-cone times.

And undoubtedly, play speed and athleticism matter far more than Combine speed and athleticism. Mind-blowing 40 times mean very little if a player can’t replicate that speed with shoulder pads and a helmet. But the Combine can help you identify those projects that can develop into football players with time and coaching.

However, in investigating a player’s athleticism on tape, an evaluator is more often than not left with a question or two. And, specifically in my process, that’s where the Combine is most valuable. It helps me answer those nagging athletic questions.

Each NFL staff will arrive at the Combine already armed with grades and notes on the prospects. They’ll be looking for players at certain positions to reach measurement benchmarks, like 33″ arms for tackles or 9″ hands for wideouts. They’ll keep an eye out for athletic diamonds in the late-round rough, to snag and develop. But they’ll also take an extra long look at those prospects who have desirable tape, but serious athletic questions to answer.

In this post, I’ll highlight 5 prospects in which I think the Philadelphia Eagles have a distinct interest, and who have questions to answer at the Combine this year.

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