3 Small-School Steals the Eagles Can Draft in Late Rounds

2. Khristian Boyd, DL, Northern Iowa

One area where we know the Philadelphia Eagles are always going to be looking for upgrades is on the defensive line. This is a team that is never satisfied with "enough" in the trenches either offensively or defensively, and Howie Roseman might be able to find himself a gem in Northern Iowa's Khristian Boyd.

Boyd is a shade under 6-foot-3, 329 pounds, and has generated some attention as a possible late Day 3 selection thanks to some eye-catching numbers posted at his pre-draft workouts. The first thing that stands out about Boyd? He's got some otherworldly strength.

He put up 38 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press, and you see that strength come across in the way that he plays. He's quick off the snap and that tremendous upper-body strength gives him a great initial punch. He had 21 pressures in 2022 and 40 pressures in 2023, a sign not only of his improved pass rush skills but of the fact that this big man simply doesn't need to come off the field a whole lot.

He played nearly 60 snaps per game last year at UNI.

A big man with that kind of strength, tenacity, and availability will endear himself to Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. This guy would be tremendous on Day 3 of the NFL Draft for the Eagles.

3. Just About Anyone From South Dakota State

The Philadelphia Eagles already have one of the best South Dakota State prospects of all-time in tight end Dallas Goedert on their roster. Perhaps they could add another former Jackrabbit to the roster here in 2024.

There are plenty to choose from.

We know the Eagles like to build in the trenches, and a couple of SDSU offensive linemen could make sense for Philly in this draft class. Offensive guard Mason McCormick had an incredible offseason and blew people away with his athletic traits at the NFL Combine. Those traits pop on tape when you watch the SDSU offense go to work. His teammate, offensive tackle Garrett Greenfield, set an NFL Combine record among offensive linemen with a 38.5-inch vertical jump.

That kind of explosiveness for a 311-pound offensive tackle will turn heads, and beyond that, Greenfield has started at both left tackle and right tackle and was a back-to-back All-American in 2022-23.

Running back Isaiah Davis is another Day 3 option from SDSU who could draw attention from a team that might need depth at the position like the Eagles. He led all FCS runners last year with 1,578 yards and a whopping 18 touchdowns.

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