Local QB Prospect Nassib Meets With Eagles, Kelly

MOBILE, Ala. – Ryan Nassib had seen Howie Roseman on TV in the past. But the Syracuse quarterback prospect had never met the Eagles’ general manager.

Until this week – that is.

The Eagles’ brass are at the Senior Bowl, doing their due diligence on a number of prospects, including Nassib, who is from West Chester and attended Malvern Prep.

“I have talked to Coach [Chip] Kelly and a couple other people with the Eagles,” Nassib said. “The offense that he ran at Oregon was kind of similar to the one I ran in my last year with the read zone and stuff. He actually did a study on one of our best plays and knew all about it, so it’s actually pretty cool. Hopefully the opportunity comes. Philly’s my city, so we’ll see.”

Nassib (6-2, 223) was a three-year starter for the Orange. He completed 62.4 percent of his passes for and tossed 26 touchdowns (10 interceptions) last year. He wasn’t much of a runner, carrying 84 times for 142 yards (1.7 YPC) last season.

“We had good conversation,” Nassib said. “It sounds like it’s an awesome offense. It looks fun.”

But would he be a fit?

“It all depends on what type of quarterback he’s looking for. Maybe I fit his mold, maybe not. We’ll see.”

Here’s NFL.com’s scouting report on Nassib:

Nassib doesn’t have exceptional size or athleticism, but the muscle bound thrower has a rifle for an arm and was finally comfortable in the Syracuse offense in 2012, even though his happy feet might suggest differently. The senior might have a tendency to sail targets and force some poor reads, but multiple teams will likely consider adding Nassib as an early starter, not just a backup or developmental prospect as many suspected prior to this season.

He was asked today about needing to improve on the deep ball.

“It’s just something I need to work on,” Nassib said. “It’s a little feel thing with receivers, and once I get to a team, it’s going to take a little extra work getting that done with guys.”

The last time a Syracuse quarterback was drafted was 1999 when the Eagles selected Donovan McNabb. Perhaps you’ve heard of him? Nassib said he’s talked to McNabb a little bit about training and getting ready for the draft.

As for potentially playing for his hometown team, he said, “Your season tickets would definitely go up because all my buddies would be there. You know how they are. It would be a lot of fun.”

But would it be a distraction?

“I don’t have that many friends, so I don’t have to worry about that,” Nassib joked. “I’d probably go out and live in Jersey or something.”

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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