Philadelphia Eagles: Trey McBride is a perfect foil for Dallas Goedert

Tight End isn’t particularly high on the Philadelphia Eagles‘ needs list… right?

I mean, sure, the team currently employs one of the best all-around performers at the position in Dallas Goedert, and his contract, which will make him the third-highest paid tight end in the nation this fall, certainly pays him like one too, but behind him? Well, things aren’t looking too good, to put it mildly.

With Zach Ertz now an extended member of the Arizona Cardinals and Tyree Jackson expected to miss much of the forthcoming season thanks to a January ACL tear, the Birds find themselves with just four healthy tight ends heading into camp in Goedert, 2021 UDFA Jack Stoll, 2020 UDFA Noah Togiai, and veteran performer Richard Rodgers, assuming he’s retained for a fifth season.

Can the Philadelphia Eagles survive a whole season with just Dallas Goedert and company? Probably but hey, with 10 picks to play with in the 2022 NFL Draft, why not load up with another marquee performer who can match production with Dallas Goedert for years to come? Especially if said player could be a fantastic foil for Dallas Goedert right out of the gates.

Trey McBride would look very good opposite Goedert on the Philadelphia Eagles.

Trey McBride is a uniquely talented tight end.

He has prototypical size at 6-foot-4, 246 pounds, can block with the best of them, and led the nation in both receptions and yards by a tight end in 2021 at 90 and 1,121, respectively, during his senior season. While he only caught one touchdown in 2021 and 10 overall during his four years at Colorado State, his ability to make plays in the short, medium, and deep segments of the field make him an intriguing prospect, to say the least.

While McBride only did some of the tests at the combine, including a 117-inch performance at the broad jump and a 33-inch vertical, he was able to turn in a solid 40 in the 4.53-4.56 range according to Jim Nagy, the Executive Director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl, and is considered one of the best tight ends in this year’s draft class, even if none of these measurables rise to the level of recent first-round selections like Noah Fant or Kyle Pitts.

Hmm… who does that sound like? Yeah, that’d be Dallas Goedert, another supremely talented tight end who was the focal point of his school’s offense and immediately translated his game from the college ranks to the pros.

Now sure, Goedert is a much better athlete than McBride. While Goedert didn’t run the 40 either at the combine, his broad jump, vertical jump, 3-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, and bench press all rank in the 73rd or higher percentile according to Mockdraftable – with his 20-yard shuttle ranking in the 98th percentile and his 3-cone drill following close behind in the 92nd. If the Eagles want a vertical threat who can split the difference between being a move tight end and a big slot wide receiver – a Zach Ertz-type, if you will – then they should turn their attention to a player like UCLA’s Greg Dulcich, but if they want another tight end who can block in-line or in-space in addition to his duties down the field, then McBride is about as good as any player in this year’s class, even if his game isn’t as predicated on athleticism as some would like.

If the Eagles want to give Goedert a more dynamic role in the offense, securing a second tight end who can make plays down the field in addition to serving as a solid blocker could be a very intriguing proposition on Day 2 of the draft, to say the least.

Will the Philadelphia Eagles secure the services of another tight end on draft weekend? Yes, I have a strong feeling they will; their depth is too shallow, and the prospects of getting anything out of Tyree Jackson this season are too risky to bet on in what should be a step-forward year from a solid maiden voyage under Nick Sirianni. What kind of tight end the Birds opt to target, however, could be very interesting indeed. If Howie Roseman likes Dallas Goedert as a blocker and wants to add an athletic pass-catcher, then Trey McBride probably isn’t his guy, but if he instead wants to give 88 an even bigger role in the offense moving forward, then securing the pride of Colorado State on Day 2 could facilitate such a change in philosophy and give the team their best one-two tight end punch since Zach Ertz called South Philly home.