Eagles Pre-Draft Visit Tracker
Ezekiel Elliott. (USA Today Sports)
Mock-ups are fun, but pre-draft visits typically get us closer to the truth when it comes to a team’s interests.
Six of the Eagles’ seven selections in 2014 were brought in for a meeting. And for just about any Philly pick over the last three seasons, you can find a connection that links player and team pre-draft. A new era is starting obviously, but the bet here is that the pattern will largely hold true, as time is at a premium and there’s little point in using it on a player just for the sake of it. If you’re doing extra homework on a guy, it’s typically for good reason.
The Eagles are permitted to host 30 official visits to the NovaCare Complex, and can hold as many private workouts as they want away from the team’s facility. Additionally, prospects from the Philadelphia area who provide their own transportation to the NovaCare don’t count against the 30.
We’ll keep track of it all in this space.
If we’re missing any, please let us know.
Updated 4/12: The Eagles hosted Florida defensive end Alex McCalister on a pre-draft visit.
Draft round projections are courtesy of CBS Sports, and we called on Walter Football and Bleeding Green Nation among others to help put the list together.
PRE-DRAFT VISITS
DE Alex McCalister, Florida (Alex McCalister)
Height/weight: 6-6, 239
Projected Round: 7-FA
McCalister left school early and declared for the draft after he was suspended for the season opener for violating university policy, before being dismissed from the program due to violating team rules. McCalister is a great athlete, as he finished first in the broad jump, first in the 20-yard shuttle and fourth in the 3-cone drill among defensive linemen at the NFL Combine.
LB Steven Daniels, Boston College (Jared Tokarz)
Height/weight: 5-11, 243
Projected Round: N/A
It’s unclear whether Daniels could actually be drafted, as CBS Sports doesn’t project a round for him while NFL.com’s grade indicates he just has a “better-than-average chance to make [an] NFL roster.” According to Pro Football Focus, Daniels is one of the most underrated prospects in the draft. However, they added that “it is still to be seen whether he can be a three-down linebacker in the NFL.”
QB Paxton Lynch, Memphis (Howard Eskin)
Height/weight: 6-7, 244
Projected Round: 1
Lynch is widely expected to be drafted in the first round, but it’s difficult to peg where that will be. The top ten seems like a reach for Lynch, but some scouts think he’s as good as Wentz or Goff. Because he rarely threw the ball in high school and he didn’t run a pro-style offense in college, he’s considered to be a very raw prospect.
RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State (Albert Breer)
Height/weight: 6-0, 225
Projected Round: 1
Ezekiel Elliott is the fifth overall prospect in our New Top Ten. Considered by some to be the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson, Elliott is most known for his back-to-back-to-back 200 yard efforts at the end of the 2014 season. He ran for 1,821 yards on 289 attempts in 2015.
WR Malcolm Mitchell, Georgia (National Football Post)
Height/weight: 6-0, 198
Projected Round: 4
Mitchell was held back from his star potential in college by two knee injuries. He spent time at cornerback, kick returner and punt returner in his first two seasons. After settling permanently into the wide receiver position, he produced solidly, despite his setbacks, catching 174 passes for 2,350 yards and 16 touchdowns.
DB Daryl Worley, WVU (Greg Madia)
Height/weight: 6-1, 204
Projected Round: 5-6
Worley found himself in hot water after allegations of an assault on a woman in a nightclub during September of 2014. Worley was also suspended for the last game of 2015 for academic reasons. But despite the character concerns Worley was a valuable piece for the Mountaineers, earning First Team All-Big 12 honors in 2015 with a career-high 12 pass breakups and six interceptions.
LB Nick Kwiatkoski, WVU (Tim McManus)
Height/weight: 6-2, 243
Projected Round: 6
A bit on the small side for a linebacker, Kwiatkoski nevertheless remained productive at WVU, racking up 275 tackles in his time there and showing off a cerebral, instinctive style of play.
QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State (Adam Caplan)
Height/weight: 6-5, 237
Projected Round: 1
The Eagles have increasingly been linked to Wentz as a team that could trade up for him in the draft. Peter King mentioned them as a franchise “that might want a quarterback, and might be desperate enough to overpay for the top pick.” The MMQB’s Robert Klemko recently listed Philadelphia as one of four teams “in play to trade up to the No. 1 spot,” and NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote that an NFC executive told him to not be surprised “if a team like the Eagles makes a really strong move up the board to get Wentz.”
QB Jared Goff, Cal (Adam Caplan)
Height/weight: 6-4, 215
Projected Round: 1
According to our consensus rankings, Goff is the top quarterback in the class. With his pre-draft visit set, both he and Wentz will now have privately worked out for the Eagles, and scheduled a second trip to visit them in Philadelphia.
WR Demarcus Robinson, Florida (Mike Kaye)
Height/weight: 6-1, 203
Projected Round: 5-6
A productive receiver plagued by failed drug tests and suspensions during his time at Florida. In his only full season, in 2014, Robinson had 53 catches for 810 yards.
RB Paul Perkins, UCLA (Sirius NFL)
Height/weight: 5-10, 208
Projected Round: 3-4
Perkins led the Pac-12 in rushing as a sophomore with 1,575 yards and was a second-team All-Pac-12 pick as a junior with 1,343 yards and 14 touchdowns.
WR Antwane Grant, Western Kentucky (Draft Diamonds)
Height/weight: 6-1, 201
Projected Round: UFA
Grant recorded 96 receptions for 1,210 yards over his two year career at WKU.
DE Yannick Ngakoue, Maryland (Turon Davenport)
Height/weight: 6-2, 252
Projected Round: 6
Ngakou ranked second into FBS in sacks last year with 13.5, as well as recording 15 tackles for a loss and 7 QB hurries.
LB Deion Jones, LSU (Alex Marvez)
Height/weight: 6-1, 222
Projected Round: 3
Jones did not get a lot of playing time until late in his college career, but made an impact in his senior season with 88 tackles (12.5 for loss), five sacks and a pair of interceptions. Known for his athleticism, Jones ran a 4.38 40 at his pro day. He will likely be an outside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme and can contribute on special teams.
CB Cyrus Jones, Alabama (Aaron Wilson)
Height/weight: 5-10, 197
Projected Round: 3-4
A press corner, Jones had nine pass break-ups and a two interceptions last season. More impressively, he had four punt return touchdowns in ’15. With less than ideal size, he may be looked at as a nickel/special teams ace at the NFL level.
QB Dak Prescott, Mississippi State (NFL.com)
Height/weight: 6-2, 226
Projected Round: 3-4
The dual-threat QB threw for over 3,700 yards last year with 29 TDs and five INTs and rushed for 588 yards and 10 scores last season. Lance Zierlein says “he’s built like Donovan McNabb, but lacks McNabb’s ability and polish.” Prescott was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence two days after his pro day.
WR Kolby Listenbee, TCU (NFL Draft Insider)
Height/weight: 6-0, 197
Projected Round: 3-4
An All-American track star, Listenbee ran a sub-4.40 40 at the Combine and averaged 19.9 yards per catch last season for TCU. He caught 30 balls for 597 yards and five touchdowns in 2015.
CB Rashard Robinson, LSU (Bo Marchionte)
Height/weight: 6-1, 171
Projected Round: 4
Robinson was suspended by Les Miles in November, 2014 for multiple violations of team rules and has not played organized ball since. The former four-star recruit ran a 4.43 40 at his pro day and is thought of as one of the more talented press corners in the draft, but teams will obviously have to get to the bottom of the off-field issues.
WR Mike Thomas, Southern Mississippi (Jason Munz)
Height/weight: 6-1, 197
Projected Round: 6
Had 71 grabs for 1,391 yards and 14 touchdowns last season. Says Zierlein: “Doesn’t have blazing speed but hit explosive play after explosive play. Good leaper with great body control to win high percentage of 50-50 balls. Good hand fighter down the sideline. Will drain every yard he can get out of every catch.”
PRIVATE WORKOUTS
WR Trevor Davis, Cal (Tim McManus)
Height/weight: 6-2, 185
Projected Round: UFA
A return specialist with a thin frame, Davis hauled in 40 passes from Jared Goff for 672 yards in 2015.
QB Christian Hackenberg, Penn State (Adam Caplan)
Height/weight: 6-4, 223
Projected Round: 2-3
Hackenberg earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors under Bill O’Brien but fell off over the next two years under James Franklin. A tough prospect to evaluate. We wrote more about it here.
TE David Morgan, Texas-San Antonio (Jenna Laine)
Height/weight: 6-4, 262
Projected Round: 6
A second-team All-American in 2015, Morgan was one of the more productive tight ends in the country with 45 catches for 566 yards and five scores. Described by Lance Zierlein as a “lunch-pail tight end” that could handle fullback responsibilities.
QB Paxton Lynch, Memphis (Ian Rapoport)
Height/Weight: 6-7, 244
Projected Round: 1
The Eagles continue to look at quarterbacks this week as they’ll work out Lynch on Thursday. According to Rapoport, Jeffrey Lurie has attended each trip.
QB Carson Wentz, North Dakota State (Adam Caplan)
Height/Weight: 6-5, 237
Projected Round: 1
The Roseman/Pederson quarterback tour heads to Fargo, ND. Wentz has been linked to the Eagles via trade rumors twice in the past two weeks. An All-American Academic, as well as winner of two FCS championships, Wentz is seen by many as the best quarterback in the draft. Wentz threw 17 touchdowns and four interceptions and a completion percentage of 62.5%, despite missing 8 games with a wrist injury.
QB Kevin Hogan, Stanford (Tony Pauline)
Height/Weight: 6-3, 218
Projected Round: 6
A cerebral quarterback who needs to work on his mechanics, Hogan could provide the perfect project QB to sit behind Sam Bradford and Chase Daniel for a few years and learn Doug Pederson‘s system.
FS Darian Thompson, Boise State (B.J. Rains)
Height/weight: 6-2, 2o8
Projected Round: 3
Thompson finished with 17 total interceptions in his four seasons at Boise State. He has the size to both cover and play the run and has the smarts to go with it.
QB Jared Goff, Cal (John Middlekauff)
Height/Weight: 6-4, 215
Projected Round: 1
Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson made the trip out west to work out the QB. Considered one of the top quarterback prospects in this draft along with Carson Wentz, he completed 64.5 percent of his throws as a junior last season and threw for over 4,700 yards with 43 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
WR Devon Cajuste, Stanford (NFL Draft Insider)
Height/weight: 6-4, 234
Projected Round: 6
Also reportedly interviewed by the Eagles at the Senior Bowl. The former tight end prospect could serve in an H-back type role in the pros.
FS Justin Simmons, Boston College (NFL Draft Insider)
Height/weight: 6-2, 2o2
Projected Round: 5-6
A safety with some corner experience, Simmons had five interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries last season.
PRO DAY NOTES
QB Dalyn Williams, Dartmouth (Turon Davenport)
Height/weight: 5-11, 210
Projected Round: UFA
Williams is a small school prospect who set numerous career records at Dartmouth while completing 219-of-342 passes for 2,592 yards and 17 touchdowns with just five interceptions
DE Yannick Ngakoue, Maryland (Turon Davenport)
Height/weight: 6-2, 252
Projected Round: 6
Ngakou ranked second into FBS in sacks last year with 13.5, as well as recording 15 tackles for a loss and 7 QB hurries. Has a scheduled visit with Eagles.
DT Javon Hargrave, South Carolina State (Chris Burke)
Height/weight: 6-1, 309
Projected Round: 3
2014 and 2015 Associated Press All-American and MEAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2014 ranked third in Sacks in the FCS with 16 in his junior year.
TE Nick Vannett, Ohio State (Tony Pauline)
Height/weight: 6-6, 257
Projected Round: 3
Zierlein lists his NFL comparison as Zach Ertz. Though not featured as a pass catcher at Ohio State, he is being viewed as a versatile tight end with NFL tools.
WR Reggie Diggs, Richmond (Tony Pauline)
Height/weight: 6-4, 2o2
Projected Round: UFA
Reportedly met with the Eagles and Raiders at his pro day.
OLB Quentin Gause, Rutgers (Tony Pauline)
Height/weight: 6-1, 226
Projected Round: UFA
Per Pauline, Gause “built a buzz about himself with his performance and one local AFC East team told me he was the best player in attendance at the pro day.”
RB Jacobi Green, Richmond (Tony Pauline)
Height/weight: 5-9, 196
Projected Round: UFA
Ran a 4.54 at his pro day. Met with the Eagles and Raiders.
DT Greg Milhouse Jr., Campbell (Tony Pauline)
Height/weight: 6-2, 309
Projected Round: UFA
Milhouse apparently “looked terrific” at his pro day and has official visits set up with the Giants and Lions.