Philadelphia Eagles: Grant Calcaterra unlocks the 12 personnel

The Philadelphia Eagles entered the 2022 NFL Draft with a consensus top-10 tight end – at the very least – and a whole lot of question marks behind him.

With Tyree Jackson likely to land on IR once the regular season opens up, the UDFA duo of Jack Stoll and Noah Togiai having ten career games combined to their credit as pros, and JJ Arcega-Whiteside the most questionable question mark on the entire roster, the Eagles’ ability to field a competent 12 personnel package was called into question by more than a few folks around the league.

Sure, the team could have always re-signed Richard Rodgers, a player they have employed one way or another one each of their last four seasons but can that Band-Aid hold up for another season, especially in an expanded role?

Fortunately, fans can rest easy tonight, as the Philadelphia Eagles used their final pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, pick 198, on Grant Calcaterra, a tight end who has a few red flags but could be a dynamic impact player if he can stay healthy long-term.

Grant Calcaterra is a Day 2 talent for the Philadelphia Eagles if healthy.

In 2020, Grant Calcaterra wasn’t a football player – literally.

Before he took his talents to SMU for a dynamic season headlined by catching 38 passes for 465 yards and four touchdowns, Calcaterra retired from football after suffering multiple concussions during his time at Oklahoma at the end of the 2019 season.

Sidebar: Wait, who was OSU’s quarterback in 2019? Hmm…

After less than a year away from the game, Calcaterra announced his intentions to enroll at Auburn to continue with his football career after spending the year preparing to become a firefighter before ultimately changing his mind and committing to SMU in order to play with his former OSU teammate, Tanner Mordecai. While he didn’t put up elite numbers with the Mustangs, Mordecai proved he was healthy, which is all most teams asked for after his successful run in Oklahoma, and after a successful stint at the Senior Bowl, Calcaterra proved he could play against top talent.

And now? Now he’s the favorite to play opposite Dallas Goedert in 12 personnel, where his ability to stretch the field as a vertical weapon in the slot will surely come in handy when the Philadelphia Eagles take their slot receiver off the field.

Measuring in at 6-foot-4, 241 pounds, Calcaterra has an above average wingspan, bench press, and hand size and ran a 4.62 40 times with a 1.62s 10-yard split, which ranked in the 83rd and 73rd percentile according to Mockdraftable. While he isn’t going to make folks forget about the blocking tight ends of yore, he is more than capable of running a complete route tree and playing that big, “move” tight end role opposite Goedert.

If Calcaterra can just live up to his 2021 tape, he’ll be a solid TE2 over the options the Eagles already have under contract. But if he can do more and look more like the player PFF described as “a potential top tight end in the 2020 draft,” the Eagles might have uncovered a gem with their final pick in the sixth round.

How do you feel the Philadelphia Eagles did in the 2022 NFL Draft? I know they didn’t sign a cornerback or a safety but goodness, they secured a lot of talent for a team that only picked six times. Let us know!