Leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, Philadelphia Eagles fans have turned their attention to who could take the team with their first round, and for good reason. If they had to endure that horror show of a 2020 season, at least the team better get a really good player out with their high pick, right?
But the team also has something of premium choice in Round 2, 37th overall, and it’s important that they add a good player in that spot. During the Jeffrey Lurie era, the Eagles have had many more misses than hits at early second-round prospects. They hit Zach Ertz, but missed Sidney Jones, Nate Allen, Kevin Kolb, Winston Justice, Reggie Brown, Todd Pinkston, and Barry Gardner.
The following is a list of 10 potential customers who are looking forward to the Birds early in Round 2.
• Terrace Marshall, WR, LSU: Of all recipients mentioned in this article, Marshall is the best size (6’2, 205), and would probably make the most sense from a needs standpoint as an X receiver to pair with Jalen Reagor as the Z.
Marshall was the third receiver in the pecking order at LSU behind Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson in LSU’s attack during their 2019 championship run, but he was still productive on his own, catching 13 touchdowns as a sophomore.
In 2020, when Jefferson left for the NFL and Chase signed out of the season, Marshall got the chance to shine, which he did by catching 48 passes for 731 yards (15.2 YPC) and 10 TDs in seven games. He averaged about seven catches for 104 yards and 1.4 TDs per game when he too decided to sign out for the rest of the season to prepare for the NFL draft.
He’s a big, strong receiver with good speed for a man of his stature who can beat press coverage, win disputed catches, and operate from the outside as well as inside the slot. He also has very good hands and rarely lets pass.
• Consumption Bateman, WR, Minnesota: Before the start of the 2020 season, Bateman was a COVID opt-out, who then re-registered and played five games for the Gophers. He was seen at one point not only as a first-round pick, but also a likely target for Eagles in the first round, when, you know, we didn’t know the Eagles were going 4-11-1.
Bateman’s 2020 season was very similar to his first two seasons in Minnesota in that he averaged just under 100 yards per game.
Bateman is no longer consistently spoken of as a first round pick, and part of that is likely because he was listed at 210 pounds by Minnesota, but it turns out he’s only 190. So he doesn’t have the right thing. size we thought he did before. He’s not a burner either, at least in one comparison against some other guys in this class, but he’s a good router runner who creates separation, he makes tough catches with body control, and he’s a competitive post-catch runner.
• Elijah Moore, WR, Ole Miss: Moore had a monster 2020 season, with 86 catches for 1,193 yards and eight TDs in just eight games. He is an explosive slot receiver that can play on the field or on fast hitters as an extension of the run game. This is a version of a loaded slot receiver, and the Eagles could upgrade to Greg Ward, although I don’t know if they would take one.
• Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue: Moore is one of the best players in this draft of a pure perspective to look at. At 5’9, 180 he’s a small receiver, but he breaks an inordinate amount of tackles, and his explosiveness is evident.
In some ways he’s a bit reminiscent of Penn State’s KJ Hamler in that he’s a little speed slot guy with durability concerns, but in my opinion he’s a superior prospect because he has better hands. He was also incredibly prolific in two years at Purdue on a “per game” basis. In 20 career college games, he averaged 8.9 catches for 95.8 yards and 0.7 TD. Note that Moore’s 2019 season was cut short due to a hamstring injury.
• Carlos Basham Jr., DE, Wake ForestAlthough it is not a strong rusher class in the first round, there may be some attractive players left in round 2. Guys like Michigan’s Kwity Paye and Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari go to Round 1, and then there are some guys with questions notice after that, like Miami’s Jaelen Phillips, PSU’s Jayson Oweh and Miami’s Gregory Rousseau. If any of those guys are still available, it’s hard to pass them up. The next level is probably Joe Tryon from Basham and Washington.
In 2019, Basham had 57 tackles (18 for loss), 10 sacks and three forced fumbles for Wake. He followed that up with five sacks and four (!) Forced fumbles in just six games in 2020.
At 6’3, 272, Basham is a fat, powerful rusher who gives off some Brandon Graham vibes, who plays on both sides, can also slide in on clear passing downs, and is a good run-stopper. He also has a good repertoire of pass rush moves, and he’s an energetic player.
Basham would put in a really solid 1-2 punch with Graham on the left, with Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat on the right.
• Joe Tryon, DE, Washington: Tryon is a good size at 6’5, 259. He has more power than speed, with (Andy throwback alert) a great competition bike. He played only two seasons with Washington (and only one as a starter), then retired from his junior year.
As a sophomore in 2019, he had eight sacks and 12.5 TFLs in 12 games. On the one hand, he doesn’t have much work to evaluate, and he might have benefited from playing in 2020. That could put some teams off. On the other hand, had he played well again as a junior, he would probably be a first rounder and could be a bargain for someone in round 2.
• Jamin Davis, LB, Kentucky: Davis has great size (6’3, 234) and speed (4.47 on his pro day), having achieved 102 tackles, 1.5 sacks and three INTs in 2020. He’s gotten some buzz in the first round.
• Nick Bolton, LB, MissouriBolton is a good all-round linebacker prospect, who can cover and tackle well. In 2019, he filled the stat sheet with 103 tackles (8.5 for loss), two INTs and seven PBUs in 12 games. In 10 games in 2020, he had 95 tackles (eight for loss), a few sacks and five PBUs. Some have Bolton as a prospect in the first round. I don’t see that. Too many teams will be size snobs, and at 5’11,237, Bolton should still be there at Choice 37.
• Eric Stokes, CB, Georgia: Stokes is 6’1 and he ran a 4.29 40 on his pro day, so you know, there that is. In 2020 he made four passes, back twice for scores. The knock on Stokes is that he’s not technically a sophisticated player, but if the Eagles appreciate Jonathan Gannon’s track record of getting defensive backs to use their potential, then Stokes could be an interesting player worth considering. because of its advantage.
• Asante Samuel, Jr., CB, Florida StateSamuel had many PBUs in his FSU career (29 in 31 games), and he started to get a knack for handing out passes in his final season in 2020, grabbing three in eight games. But he is only 5’10, 180. That is of course not ideal for an outside corner, but like his father he has no lack of confidence and played outside at FSU. The inside-outside traits could be useful early on if the Eagles let Darius Slay follow the No. 1 receivers, as he did in 2020.
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