Philadelphia Eagles: Adrian Killins is a human cheat code

Adrian Killins can continue to quelch the Philadelphia Eagles’ need for speed.

Adrian Killins is fast. Runs a 4.3, loves Nascar, and even grew up miles away from arguably the most famous racetrack pre-Ricky Bobby, Daytona Beach. During his time at UCF, Killins routinely made college football highlight reels thanks to his uncanny ability to weave through traffic while maintaining his full speed – not to mention his fair share of college football’s best haircut lists for his forwardly fashionable updo with a splash of blonde for good measure.

And as of April, Killins is a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Now I know Killins may not be the most intriguing player added to the Eagles’ roster on draft weekend, a household name outside of Central Florida, or even a lock to make the team’s initial roster assuming the league opts to enter camp with a 75 man roster as opposed to the traditional 90 man roster, but that doesn’t necessarily mean Killins is a marginal NFL prospect.

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Well, technically, Killins is a marginal NFL prospect, unless, of course, he’s used correctly.

Measuring in at 5-foot-8, 164 pounds, Killins is a running back in the same way DeSean Jackson is a wide receiver. Technically that’s the correct signifier based on where each player, well, plays down-in and down-out, but it’s a rather unfortunate catch-all that downplays their individual strengths and may give false assumptions about their overall games.

Like Jackson, Killins is a finesse player. He’s best when deployed in space and has an uncanny ability to weave through traffic and burst past would-be tacklers who just can’t seem to land a clean blow on an open-field tackle. In theory, you could ask Killins to run power between the tackles in a single back set, but that’s about as wise as running Jackson on short crossing routes across the middle of a stacked box: It’s a woeful misuse of a player’s natural skills.

That being said, Killins isn’t your standard would-be Darren Sproles clone scatback that seemingly every cleaver offensive play-caller hopes can catch a few passes here, run the ball there, and all-around feast on mismatches when paired up with a savvy signal-caller. The Eagles already have that player in Boston Scott and honestly, that isn’t even a role Killins would excel in, as he’s rail-thin and probably couldn’t hold up to the punishment associated with catching the ball in traffic.

No, the best way to utilize Killins, and why he very well should be considered a dark horse to make the Eagles opening day roster – or practice squad – is as a backfield speedster in Pederson’s new-look, speed-focused Air Raid offensive sets.

With four legitimate speedsters on the roster in Jackson, Jalen Reagor, John Hightower, and Quez Watkins, Howie Roseman and company have signified a concerted effort to put speed all over the Eagles’ offense and subsequently force defensive coordinators to sub out typically talented linebackers for a fifth, sixth, potentially even seventh defensive back. Swapping out a player like Leighton Vander Esch for, say, Chris Westry or our old pal Daryl Worley is always going to give the offense an advantage, as it’ll clear up the box and open up running lanes, but when you do some while also deploying a running back like Killins who can burn a defense with a yard or two of open space, then, my friends, you find yourself with one seriously explosive offensive set that very, very few teams have the personnel to match up with one-on-one.

Killins’ biggest problem is his lack of size. He’s not particularly hard to take down within, say, three yards of the line of scrimmage, as he’s just not built to take on contact like his UDFA classmate Michael Warren. That being said, if an offensive coordinator can meditate the threat of contact within a few yards of scrimmage, then they’re pretty much left with yet another 4.3 YAC specialist who can turn a five-year swing pass into a 50 yard gain.

At the East-West Shrine Game, Killins led all players in receiving yards with 97 on seven catches with a long of 37. Do you know who else was at that game? His future teammate John Hightower, who turned in a far less impressive performance and still ended up getting drafted in the fifth round above surer things like Donovan Peoples-Jones and Binjimen Victor. In the NFL, speed kills, and for much of his football career in Orlando, Killins was affectionately known as the ‘the fastest man in college football‘.

Would the Philadelphia Eagles be able to reliably rely on Killins as a straight-up backup for Miles Sanders if he should miss time for any reason? No. Scott and Corey Clement would surely get the nod for any traditional between the tackles work or even as a run, pass, block, ‘traditional’ perimeter back. That being said, the Eagles really only have three RBs guaranteed a spot on their roster this fall, and none of them have the exact skill set Killins brings to the table.

Heck, even if the Eagles opted to exclusively use Killins on special teams as their dedicated return man in 2020 – a role filled by Miles Sanders and Boston Scott last fall – it would help to mitigate any wear and tear on their starters and probably deliver the best results on any of the team’s internal options, as his open-field speed is virtually tailor-made for that sort of role.

Is a handful of returns and a few tricky plays a game worthy of a roster spot? Maybe, maybe not, but the Eagles certainly owe it to themselves to find out before the season opens up in (hopefully) September.

dark. Next. DeSean Jackson can ease Jalen Hurts’ NFL transition

Five years ago, Adrian Killins probably would have been drafted in the mid-to-late rounds and dubbed the next LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner, or De’Anthony Thomas due to his speed, elusivity, and prowess as a kick returner. But as the NFL transitions away from that particular line of offensive playing style, it’s become increasingly rare to find a sub-170 pound runner employed by an NFL team regardless of skill set. That being said, if Doug Pederson can formulate a handful of packages that correctly capitalize on Killins’ speed without forcing him into a less-than advantageous spot, then the Philadelphia Eagles may have found their next gadget toy to pair up with Jalen Hurts and Boston Scott this fall.

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