The weeks leading up to the NFL Draft are filled with noise and possible smokescreens from all over, so it's important to take basically everything with a grain of salt.
And you'll also hear "X team talked to Y player" all the time - because teams are constantly doing due diligence and talking to players. That's how it works!
But if someone says they're hearing a team has been talking to a certain player quite a bit? Alright, yep, I'll listen.
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And that's exactly what Kyle Brandt reported Tuesday morning on NFL Network's Good Morning Football about the Eagles and a very intriguing wide receiver prospect.
Here's what Brandt reported about LSU wideout Terrace Marshall Jr.:
"This guy's 6-3, he catches 10 touchdowns in seven games before opting out for the rest of the season. You think they have all these guys, and they do. This is another one, a big, explosive playmaker they can go after. He's been talking to the Eagles a lot, so we'll see."
Very interesting!
NFL
By trading down out of the No. 6 pick, the Eagles effectively took themselves out of the running for fellow LSU wideout and likely Top 6 pick Ja'Marr Chase. They also at least somewhat hurt their chances at picking one of Alabama's wide receiver duo in Devonta Smith or Jaylen Waddle.
But Marshall is an exciting prospect, and makes a lot of sense as a possible Eagles target. He indeed stands 6-3 and weighs 205 pounds, and he put up very solid numbers with LSU: across 28 games with the Tigers he caught 106 passes for 1,594 yards and 23 TDs, averaging 15 yards per reception.
Marshall ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at his Pro Day, the same time as Chase, and is expected to be selected in the first two rounds, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Former Eagles scout and current NFL Network contributor Daniel Jeremiah has Marshall Jr. as the fifth-best WR in the draft, and here's what NFL.com's Lance Zierlein sees in Marshall as a prospect:
"He looks much more comfortable outside than he does in the slot, and he's a more reliable ball-catcher when he's working the second and third levels. He's a natural ball-tracker with a second gear and the catch radius to go get it, and his size gives him an advantage on 50-50 balls."
Sounds like an ideal fit for an Eagles offense that needs a guy to go up and get 50-50 balls with Alshon Jeffery gone, Jalen Reagor still figuring out his NFL game, and Travis Fulgham's fit in the offense unclear after he was oddly ignored in the second half of the 2020 season.
NBC Sports Philadelphia's Reuben Frank examined the idea of the Birds going after a WR in round two this week:
"Historically, the first round is where you get your cornerbacks and the second round is where you get your skill guys.
"And it would make an awful lot of sense if the Eagles do just that later this month."
If Marshall makes it through the first round, don't be surprised if the Eagles try and pounce in the second round with the No. 37 overall pick.
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