Philadelphia Eagles: Curtis Weaver just feels like a Howie Roseman guy

With insane college production, weird measurables, and a knack for sacks, Curtis Weaver feels like a lock to be high on the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2020 NFL Draft board.

What does the ideal modern 4-3 defensive end look like – specifically in the Philadelphia Eagles‘ attacking wide nine front?

Well, you’d think they’d have to be fast enough to get off the edge, with long arms to contend with offensive linemen, and enough wiggle to bend around would-be blockers, right? While height and weight aren’t super set in stone, as everyone from Shaquem Griffin to Calais Campbell found success coming off the edge in 2019, for argument’s sake, let’s say the ideal player is roughly 6-foot-4, 265 pounds give or take.

And historically speaking, that prototype tracks for pure edge rushers.

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Since becoming a defensive coordinator in 2001, Schwartz has had six defensive ends who have recorded at least 10 sacks in a season under his tutelage. Of the six, three – Jerry Hughes, Cliff Avril, and Jevon Kearse – fit perfectly into that prototype give or take two inches and 10 pounds, whereas the other three – Mario Williams, Kevin Carter, and Kyle Vanden Bosch – were throwback ‘base’ ends weighing in at over 280 pounds who would all but certainly play on the inside in the modern NFL.

Hughes, Avril, and Kearse all used their sub-4.7 speed to breeze past offensive tackles on a direct path to the quarterback thanks to the super, duper wide alignment Schwartz likes to deploy.

So if the Eagles want to address edge rusher in this albeit less than formidable draft class, one would have to assume the team would look for a player with roughly those measurements, right? Try to find the next Danielle Hunter in the third round?

I guess you don’t know Howie Roseman.

While sure, the Eagles’ once, current, and future GM will take flyers on ‘prototypical’ edge rushers like Shareef Miller and Josh Sweat on Day 3, he’s been more inclined to prioritize run defense, power, and production when picking a defensive end with a premium pick – even if said player comes in a less than conventional package.

From Brandon Graham, to Vinny Curry, and even his most recent top-50 edge rusher, Derek Barnett, Roseman has a thing for stout edge rushers with Energizer Bunny motors even if they’re a tad short, ran slow-ish 40s, or played their college ball at a smaller school.

In that regard, Curtis Weaver just feels like Howie Roseman’s kind of guy.

Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 265 pounds with 32.375-inch arms and 10-inch hands. Weaver looks more like the bizarro version of Sterling Shepard than an NFL-level edge rusher. And yet, through only three seasons of action at Boise State, Weaver stands alone as the Mountain West Conference’s all-time sacks leader with 34 in only 40 games.

Granted, the Mountain West isn’t the SEC, but you don’t average .85 sacks a game without having some talent.

Fortunately, Weaver does have a ton of talent and knows how to use it, if you will.

Lining up mostly as a stand-up edge rusher in the Broncos’ 4-3 scheme – a role similar to Chris Long‘s in 2017-18 – Weaver looks like a Turkish oil wrestler when the ball is snapped, as opposing tackles just can’t seem to bring him down or hold him up at the line of scrimmage. With expert dip, good burst, and an uncanny ability to remain engaged until the whistler, um whistles, Weaver just finds a way to take down quarterbacks, and typically, it’s a lot of fun to watch.

In a lot of ways, Weaver looks like the second coming of Brandon Graham, as the duo both have unconventional body types and an uncanny ability to dip under would-be blockers.

If selected by the Eagles in either the second or *gulp* the first round – hopefully after trading down – Weaver could immediately slot in as a situational pass rusher, and potentially even push Barnett for his starting spot as a rookie. His ability to get around contact is maybe the best in this year’s draft class outside of Chase Young – as he himself declared to Trib Live’s Joe Rutter before his formal visit with the Pittsburgh Steelers – and that defensive machismo would only be magnified on a line also featuring pocket collapsers like Fletcher Cox, Malik Jackson, Javon Hargrave, and Graham.

Heck, Weaver lined up more like an outside linebacker than a pure defensive end playing the ‘stud’ position in the Broncos’ defensive scheme, so Weaver has experience lining up further off the line than a traditional five-technique.

Should the Philadelphia Eagles use their first-round pick – 21st overall – on a defensive end from a small school with weird measurables? I mean, there will probably be higher value players on the board when the team goes on the clock, like Jalen Reagor, Jeff Gladney, and maybe even Justin Jefferson, but after 10 years of watching Howie Roseman GM the team, adding a flashy player at a position of need just isn’t his style. No, Roseman likes to build through the trenches, and at 21, there won’t be a more productive defensive end on the board than Curtis Weaver.