Meet The Prospect: Elijah Qualls, Defensive Tackle, Philadelphia Eagles
With their final pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles return to the Washington defense to grab high-motor DT Elijah Qualls.
After the departure of DT Bennie Logan in free agency this offseason, interior DL needed addressing in the draft. Timmy Jernigan, the trade acquisition from Baltimore, only has one year left on his deal–so does incumbent Beau Allen. Having seen the deleterious effect of Logan’s absence on the entire defensive line., replicating his penetrating abilities was a must.
Elijah Qualls may be able to do just that.
Moved around to all sorts of positions on the Washington defensive line, and regularly the object of double teams, Qualls doesn’t have significant production of which to speak. But on tape, he flashes the pass-rush ability to be an effective pocket-pusher at the next level.
On the rare hat-on-hat matchups he saw, Qualls showed the ability to locate his punch with fire. He often won with a push-pull or over technique, as seen here, to force the quarterback to reset his platform in the pocket. While Qualls may not have the sack numbers to reflect his pass-rush effect, his teammates certainly reaped the benefits.
Qualls’ ability to generate internal pressure likely made him an attractive option to Philadelphia. Beau Allen always played better against the run, while Logan belonged in a 2-gap system, with less of a focus on penetration. The acquisition of Timmy Jernigan, a disruptive upfield force, will help create pressure with 4. When he rotates out, expect Qualls to rotate in, along with second-year players Destiny Vaeao and Aziz Shittu.
As a run defender, Qualls certainly struggles. He lacks the lateral movement skills to successfully 2-gap, often getting turned out by angular blocks. Sluggish out of his stance, he regularly allows offensive linemen to win his chest. He often sacrifices gap integrity in an effort to get upfield.
His best reps come in run defense when he stays low and hot out of his stance (which is exceedingly poor). He has the heavy hands to win, if he just arrives earlier. Refining his technique here will help him develop from a pure third-down player to a more consistent rotational piece.
If the name of the game is front-four pressure, as we discussed in our Day 2 recap, Qualls is an essential cog of the defensive line rotation. The starting line of Jernigan, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, and first-rounder Derek Barnett is built for the pass rush. Secondary squad Vinny Curry, Chris Long, and a rotation of Qualls, Allen, Shittu, and Vaeao has plenty of potential to generate significant push as well. With defensive additions of Nate Gerry, Sidney Jones, and Rasul Douglas, the Eagle defense is looking pretty darn good.
Next: Meet The Prospect: Nate Gerry, Linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles
When considering the UDFAs Philadelphia might bring in, keep an eye on offensive linemen. They brought in a ton last year and still need depth at the position. TE and RB competition wouldn’t surprise me either.
Grade: B