Philadelphia Eagles: Don’t discount Jack Driscoll at right guard
Don’t discount Jack Driscoll as the Philadelphia Eagles’ right guard.
When news broke that Brandon Brooks would miss the entirety of the 2020 NFL season with an Achillies tear late Monday night, it sent fans of the Philadelphia Eagles the world over into a tailspin.
‘Are the Eagles screwed? Could Jason Peters transition over to right guard? Should we try to make a trade?’
And I’ll admit, I got in on it too. After racking my brain and surveying the remaining stragglers left on the free agency landscape, I settled on ex-New Orleans Saints’ guard Larry Warford. Like Brooks, Warford is a three-time Pro Bowler with a ton of post-season experience (more on that here). If he was willing to take a one-year deal to serve as a stop-gap, there is virtually no downside to at least giving Warford a chance to keep the Eagles’ offensive line among the best units in the NFL, right?
More from Section 215
- 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
- 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
- Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
- Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles
Well, according to Doug Pederson in his media availability, it would appear the Eagles are going to go a different route.
Now granted, any comments made by a head coach during the pre-preseason should be taken with a grain of salt, but per Pederson’s own words, the team wants to first attempt to fill Brooks’ shoes with an internal option, before turning their eyes to external options.
Okay, fair. While this probably isn’t the easy answer many fans wanted to hear, Howie Roseman has consistently shown a willingness to add external pieces to help his team out when it clearly has a deficiency in any one area – just ask Ronald Darby, Golden Tate, Rudy Ford, Marcus Epps, and Genard Avery.
So with that being said, the Eagles’ best internal option is pretty obvious, right? I mean of the four reserve linemen they have under contract, only one, Matt Pryor, has a single NFL snap to his name. Granted, Pryor has only played 141 snaps if you count the playoffs, but his performances against the Seahawks, the Giants, and the Seahawks once more were encouraging, especially when compared to Andre Dillards’ efforts to kick it to the right side in reprieve of an ailing Lane Johnson.
If Pryor starts out training camp as the Eagles’ starting right guard going into training camp it really shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but that alone doesn’t mean he’s guaranteed to keep the spot come Week 1, let alone Week 17.
You see, the Eagles actually drafted a player in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft that many outside observers viewed as a potential Day-1 starter at guard who actually fits the Eagles’ scheme much better than Pryor: Jack Driscoll.
Driscoll, a four-year college player who split his time between UMass and Auburn alongside future Eagles’ teammate Prince Tega Wanogho, made waves at the 2020 NFL Draft Combine with one of the better performances of any lineman who worked out, recording a 5.02 40 yard dash, a 29.5 vertical jump, and a 114.0 broad jump – all of which ranked at the top, or near the top of this year’s testees. This plus athleticism, when coupled with a strong season playing left guard, and a trio of even better campaigns at right tackle made Driscoll one of the more intriguing pass-blocking specialists in the draft who could come in and wear a number of hats for a team with an already proven starting line.
Heck, Driscoll even used his time between the 2019 NCAA season and the combine to teach himself to play center, now that is the kind of player Philly fans will grow to love if I’ve ever seen one.
With only Pryor and 2019 UDFA guard-turned-center Nate Herbig returning to reserve roles going into the draft, the addition of Driscoll eased the minds of fans the world over, as the Eagles had finally secured a versatile, swing guard/tackle reserve the likes of which they haven’t had since Big V signed his monster deal with the Detroit Lions back in March.
I doubt Roseman was planning on cashing in on Driscoll’s versatility so soon, but hey, beggars can’t be choosers.
While Pryor certainly has more in-game experience playing guard than Driscoll, he’s also one of the slower linemen in the NFL, which could severely limit his ability to pick up blockers as a lead blocker when the Eagles call a pull play in the zone running game. Driscoll, by contrast, is a great athlete who could thrive in a zone scheme, where his lack of elite strength and short arms are less of an issue.
Measuring in at 6-foot-3, 306 pounds, Driscoll also looks more like a guard than Pryor, who at 6-foot-7, 332 pounds is more ‘living mountain’ than NFL guard.
To me, Driscoll projects a lot like Vaitai’s current teammate Joe Dahl. Like Dahl, Driscoll came into the NFL as an athletic tackle with experience playing in a zone-centric college scheme but fell due to average-at-best core strength and less than desirable arm length. Dahl bided his time as a mostly-reserve player for the Lions for his first three professional seasons, before taking over for Kenny Wiggins in 2019 to become the Lions’ full-time starting left guard before a pair of injuries ended his season prematurely with a trip to IR. Sure, the Lions drafted a pair fo solid mid-round guard options in Jonah Jackson and Logan Stenberg who could give Dahl a run for his money for a starting role, but for a little over $1.8 million a year what can you really ask for?
If Driscoll can perform at a similar level to Dahl in 2020, an average value of 6 according to Pro Football Reference, it would go a long way to helping replace Brooks’ pass-blocking prowess in 2020, even if no one on the roster or the open market for that matter is as impactful as a mover of men in the run game.
Next. Philadelphia Eagles: Bryce Harper would make a great… free safety?. dark
Clearly, the Philadelphia Eagles have a choice to make going into 2020. With no player on the open market, on their 90 man roster, or available via trade who can replace Brandon Brooks one-for-one, Doug Pederson and company are going to have to compromise somewhere to get serviceable play on the right side this fall. If they opt to go with Matt Pryor, they get experience, size, and a body move in the power run game. However, if the team instead chooses to kick Jack Driscoll inside, they could have a plus-pass block with the athleticism to keep any pulling zone-run play in the game plan. To me, the choice is rather obvious unless proven otherwise.