Eagles Checking Out QB Cody Fajardo

The Eagles are doing a good amount of homework on Cody Fajardo.

The former Nevada quarterback  has had one private workout to this point, he said, and that was with Eagles QB coach Ryan Day.

“I felt that he was pretty interested,” Fajardo said in a phone conversation with Birds 24/7. “We had a great lunch together and he asked me some typical questions and then some off-the-wall questions. It was definitely a good time. I got to learn a little bit of the system in the private workout, what types of routes they run and how they do their play-action, so it was kind of an inside look at what the Eagles do.

“He said I threw the ball really well.”

Fajardo (6-1, 223)  played part of his college career under the creator of the Pistol offense, Chris Ault, and then later for Brian Polian, son of former NFL executive Bill Polian. He was the successor to Colin Kaepernick. Interestingly enough, he and Kaepernick are the only two players in FBS history to throw for 9,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards during their careers.

The Wolf Pack ran some tempo schemes with Fajardo as the signal-caller, and the zone read package “was pretty big for us during my college career,” he said.

The system was a fit for Fajardo’s skill set. The two-time captain completed 65 percent of his passes at the collegiate level and threw 57 touchdowns to 29 interceptions. He also ran for close to 3,500 yards (5.5 avg.) and 44 scores.

“I think extending the play is one of my greatest strengths,” he said. “You see Russell Wilson do it all the time and it really helps the Seahawks. When all things break down he kind of scrambles around and makes plays. I think that’s definitely one of my things.”

Skip ahead to the 5:40 mark for an example of what Fajardo is talking about:

He was hampered by injuries for most of 2013. His numbers dipped almost across the board his senior season, as Nevada finished with a 7-6 record.

Fajardo has kept himself in the NFL conversation with strong performances during the pre-draft showcases. He tested well at the Scouting Combine, as the spider chart shows:

And he reportedly had an impressive pro day workout as well. The Eagles have been keeping tabs on him through the whole process. One of their scouts talked to him at the East-West Shrine Game (which Chip Kelly attended), and members of the coaching staff interviewed him in Indianapolis. His private workout with the team happened prior to his pro day.

Fajardo believes he will be a middle-to-late round pick. To this point, the Eagles have been the team paying him the most attention.

“I know that any team that takes a chance on me won’t regret it one bit,” he said.

“The Eagles have shown a lot of interest, so I’m pretty pleased about that. I’ve only been to Philadelphia once in my life but was able to grab a Philly cheesesteak. I wouldn’t mind going back and having another.”