2015 Draft Sleepers Who'd Fit Perfectly with the Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles roster is not without its share of question marks or outright holes, and they aren’t all going to get solved with early draft picks. Head coach Chip Kelly and his personnel department will need to hit on some sleepers in the later rounds to fix everything in one offseason.
Fortunately, 2015 is shaping up to be a deep draft, at least on paper, and there are some great fits for the Eagles in the middle and latter portions of the draft. In some cases, we’re talking about prospects who could potentially come in and contribute right away.
To be clear, we’re describing any player who’s projected to be taken on Day 3—that’s the fourth round or later—as a sleeper. As for fits, we’re focusing on players the Eagles have hosted for predraft visits or held private workouts for, which means one or two of these young men may be wearing midnight green less than two weeks from now.
Adrian Amos, S, Penn State
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Philadelphia has plenty of holes, but none more glaring than the one at safety. The problem is that the class of 2015 lacks many blue-chip prospects, which means the Eagles may have to look for solutions later in the draft than most would like.
One such talent Philadelphia has been doing its homework on is Adrian Amos. Amos is keeping a draft diary for The Baltimore Sun, where the Penn State safety details a film session with the Eagles after his pro day and later an official visit at the Birds’ facility.
What undoubtedly appeals to the Eagles is Amos’ ability in coverage. He spent some time going man-to-man against slot receivers, which will be expected of any safety in Philly. A three-year starter, Amos wound up finishing his college career with seven interceptions and 22 pass breakups.
Amos possesses good size at 6’0”, 218 pounds, although he isn’t the greatest athlete, posting middling times in the 40-yard dash and three-cone drill at the combine. He’s projected as a fourth- or fifth-round pick yet could wind up starting right away for the Eagles because he’s such an excellent fit.
Jesse James, TE, Penn State
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Brent Celek is one of the best blocking tight ends in the league—plus he epitomizes Philadelphia. However, Celek is also 30 years old, and his contract runs through 2016, which means it might be time to start planning for a future without him.
The Eagles may feel the same way, as they are kicking the tires on a few tight ends heading into the draft. One of those is Jesse James, an intriguing prospect out of Penn State. According to DraftInsider.net's Tony Pauline, the Birds had a private workout with James.
James immediately stands out due to his freakish size, measuring at 6’7”, 261 pounds. He should have little trouble developing into a solid blocker at the next level, but with 4.8-second speed, he is still athletic enough to provide a legitimate threat in the passing attack, particularly inside the red zone, where his height and catch radius come into play.
That being said, James was underutilized in college, registering just 78 receptions for 1,005 yards and 11 touchdowns over three seasons. For that reason, he could easily slip into the fifth round of the draft. If he falls far enough, James could be a genuine steal for the Eagles, which like to stockpile tight ends.
Chris Conley, WR, Georgia
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After losing a feature receiver for the second offseason in a row, Philadelphia has some questions on the outside. Can second-year players Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff step into full-time roles? Can Riley Cooper and Miles Austin be more than just guys?
Either way, the Eagles will want to add one or two wideouts during the draft, which means they may be looking later. One name to keep an eye on beginning on Day 3 is Chris Conley out of Georgia. Alex Marvez of Fox Sports reports that Conley had an official predraft visit in Philly.
Conley was underutilized in four seasons of college ball. He never once recorded more than 657 yards in a season, finishing his career with 177 catches for 1,938 yards and 20 touchdowns. Those numbers will keep him from coming off the board too early.
That being said, Conley has the potential to be much more. He has ideal size to play on the outside, measuring at 6’2”, 213 pounds, and wowed at the combine by clocking in at 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash. If he slips to Round 4 or Round 5, Conley is worth taking a flier on.
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Tony Washington, OLB, Oregon
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As we examined in depth last week, outside linebacker is an extremely underrated need for Philadelphia. It’s not an area the team necessarily needs to address in Round 1—not with Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham holding down starting jobs—but there is nothing in the way of established depth behind them.
Obviously, a rookie isn’t going to be established, either. Then again, the Eagles have the rare opportunity to get a player they already know a lot about in Tony Washington, who played under Kelly at Oregon.
Washington is a tad undersized at 6’4”, 247 pounds. He also gave an underwhelming performance at the combine, putting his athletic ability in question. However, Washington was productive in college, racking up 25.5 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks and eight forced fumbles in his last two seasons.
Washington’s NFL credentials are questionable at best, and he’ll either be a late-round pick or perhaps go undrafted entirely. Nobody around the league is going to know him better than the Eagles do, though, and if they believe he can become a situational pass-rusher, Washington could be a solid pick.
Cody Fajardo, QB, Nevada
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Now that the Eagles have signed Tim Tebow, as Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reports, their problems at quarterback are solved, right? OK, not exactly. Tebow isn’t even a lock to make the team at this point. He could be anything from competition for Matt Barkley for the third-string quarterback job to an extra camp arm while Sam Bradford is rehabbing from a torn ACL.
If Kelly wants to bring in some real competition for Barkley, he may have to do better than a career 47.9 percent passer. Tim McManus of Philadelphia Magazine did report an individual workout was held with Cody Fajardo out of Nevada, so it’s possible that another signal-caller will enter the fray yet.
Fajardo has accuracy issues of his own. After completing 67 percent or better during his first three seasons, he regressed to 59 percent in 2014. However, he is an outstanding rusher as well, gaining over 1,000 yards on the ground twice in his collegiate career. If the Eagles want a developmental quarterback who fits their system, Fajardo might be worth a look.
Tebow enjoys a cult-like following, but there’s a reason he’s been out of the league for two years. He’s not going to make it as an NFL quarterback. Maybe Fajardo never will, either—he may not even have his name called at the draft—but at least we haven’t already seen that experiment fail at multiple destinations.
All combine results via NFL.com.
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