Philadelphia Eagles: Once upon a time, Le’Raven Clark looked can’t-miss

Once upon a time, Le’Raven Clark looked can’t-miss.

He was a big, long, athletic lineman who shined in Texas Tech’s air raid offensive system under then-head coach Kliff Kingsbury and doubled down on those efforts at the NFL combine with a fantastic showing highlighted by arm length and hand size in the 95th percentile. Though he wasn’t a can’t miss prospect, as he’d seldom placed a hand in the ground before the start of a play, many expected Clark to be a starter sooner than later and one day anchor an offensive line for a decade-plus.

But hey, don’t just take my word for it; let’s see what an NFC personnel director told Lance Zierlein during the pre-draft process in 2016.

"“He’s going to end up being big time in our league. He’s got elite foot quickness, he’s long and he’s smart. He’ll keep getting better once he gets to a pro offense and away from that stuff Texas Tech does and he’ll become one of the top five tackles in our league.”"

Big words from an anonymous scout.

Well, in an unfortunate turn of fate for one of the coolest named linemen in the NFL, becoming a top-5 offensive tackle just wasn’t meant to be. Clark started 15 games for the Indianapolis Colts over four seasons, was thoroughly beaten out for the team’s starting right tackle spot by fellow rookie -and Carson Wentz’s college teammate- Joe Haeg in 2016, and just signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on a one-year contract to maybe, just maybe extend his NFL career one season more under his former offensive coordinator.

So how did Le’Raven Clark get here, what can he bring to the Eagles, and what can his incredibly inaccurate pre-draft evaluation teach us about the crapshoot that is the NFL Draft? Let’s take a look.

On Le’Raven Clark, the Philadelphia Eagles, and the volatility of the NFL Draft.

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As things presently stand, the Philadelphia Eagles have a pretty darn deep offensive line.

Boasting viable backups with starting experience at virtually every position across the line – plus highly-touted second-round pick Landon Dickerson – the Eagles can comfortably roll 10 deep across the board with little issue and feel confident if an injury crops up.

I mean hey, for all of the undeserved misery the 2020 season brought upon our fair city, one of the few bright spots was giving young offensive linemen like Nate Herbig, Jack Driscoll, and Jordan Mailata valuable snaps against real-life NFL defenses. Factor in Devonta Smith, and maybe 2020 wasn’t so bad after all.

With Mailata and Andre Dillard set to duke it out for the team’s left tackle spot and Driscoll in place as viable swing guard/tackle on the right side behind Lane Johnson, adding Le’Raven Clark is a bit of a luxury… unless either Mailata or Dillard gets traded.

Considering the Eagles reportedly tried to trade Dillard last spring and have been presumably open to the idea of moving the former Washington State Couger ever since, if some unfortunate team suffers a season-ending injury at left tackle, it’s entirely possible the Eagles’ 2019 first-round pick – a player they literally traded up to acquire – could be in a different colored uniform before opening day.

If that happens, Clark will likely be on a fast track to the 53 man roster, and Dillard will be regarded as one of the more unfortunate misevaluations in franchise history.

You see, like Clark, Dillard came up in an Air Raid offense, playing under the system’s originator, Mike Leech at WSU from 2015-18. He seldom placed a hand in the ground pre-snap, especially on obvious passing downs, and anchored the left side of an offensive line predicated on quick ball movement. While Dillards’ production and athletic testing numbers were incredibly impressive, as no one can take away that he only allowed one sack on 722 pass-blocking snaps as a senior, he simply struggled to transition to the NFL from the college ranks for reasons both predictable and not.

Despite his pass blocking pedigree, foot quickness, and developmental traits, Dillard faired poorly against power rushers during his rookie season with the team. Had he been given a full offseason to work on that deficiency, maybe, just maybe, he would have been the player many expected coming out of college, but alas, it just wasn’t meant to be. Dillard suffered a bicep injury during camp and missed the entirety of his sophomore season, which, in turn, opened the doors for Mailata to have a near-full season starting at left tackle with good results.

While Dillard could potentially beat out Mailata for the starting spot this summer and remain a fixture of the Eagles’ offensive line for years to come, he’ll have to do so at a deficit against a feel-good story who is just scratching the surface of his potential at the NFL level. Considering Dillard was drafted to replace franchise stalwart Jason Peters, his current plight is hardly what many expected only two years ago.

I guess that’s why scouting, player evaluation, and the NFL Draft as a whole is considered such a crapshoot; you truly can’t project a player from college to the pros until they actually take the practice field.

So Le’Raven Clark, welcome to the Philadelphia Eagles. Even if your NFL career didn’t quite start off as many expected, it’s nice to have an additional offensive lineman with positional versatility to compete with the likes of Matt Pryor and Casey Tucker for a roster spot on one of the deepest offensive lines in the NFL. If you can beat out the odds and flash some of that college potential, maybe Howie Roseman will have unearthed a diamond in the rough. But if not, at least the team ends up with a veteran tackle with 1,036 snaps under new head coach Nick Sirianni. Either way, good signing.