Philadelphia Eagles: 3 under the radar breakout candidates

Davion Taylor, LB

One of the most criticized moves from last year’s offseason, the selection of linebacker Davion Taylor in the third round made next to zero sense. A player who was projected to go as late as the sixth or seventh round, someone who had barely played organized football, the Philadelphia Eagles took a completely unnecessary stab on the likes of Taylor.

Not only was Taylor already undersized at 228lbs, but he was also being described by draft analysts as being “two years away” from NFL readiness. For a team that was desperate for linebacker help heading into the 2020 offseason, it was an extremely odd draft selection.

However, Taylor is on the roster, and one can only assume that the Eagles are going to begin looking at getting him on the field more frequently in 2021. The front office only added one veteran linebacker in Eric Wilson this offseason, so there’s definitely room for Taylor to earn himself a starting role.

I’m not all that optimistic in Taylor emerging as a longterm piece this season, but eventually the Eagles are going to have to chuck him into the deep end to see if he sinks or swims. If he swims, then just maybe the Eagles have themselves a starting outside linebacker moving forward.