The unofficial eighth round is well underway.
The Eagles drafted nine players in the 2024 NFL Draft but are now working on signing some priority free agents who were not selected in the seven-round draft.
GM Howie Roseman said the Eagles have a seven-man UDFA class this year, which is the smallest of his tenure but this was also the plan.
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"I think a big part of that is because we made a conscious decision after the season to try to get guys from team's practice squads where we had some tape to watch," Roseman said. "We felt like that was just for us kind of a unique opportunity that we wanted to try and take advantage of based on this class and knowing that this was a different class, and so it wouldn't have a ton of the same opportunities in the undrafted market that maybe you'll get next year. We tried to take advantage of that a little earlier. I think it will be back to normal next year."
There have been plenty of UDFA hits in recent years so the Eagles will sometimes get aggressive with signing bonuses and guaranteed money to lure players to Philly.
Entering this draft, the Eagles had 77 players on their roster. They drafted nine players, which means 86 spots of the 90-man roster are occupied so there’s some work to do.
We’ll track all their UDFA signings here:
NFL
Gottlieb Ayedze, OL, Maryland: After four years at Frostburg State, Ayedze finished his career at Maryland, mostly playing right tackle. At 6-4, 308 pounds, Ayedze played right tackle for the Terps but his size might make him more of a guard in the NFL. The 24-year-old started football late in high school so he’s a late-bloomer but has some intriguing traits and upside. (Matt Zenitz)
Anim Dankwah, OT, Howard: The Eagles surprisingly didn’t draft an offensive tackle but they add Dankwah (6-8, 349), who started 25 games at left tackle for Howard. The 23-year-old is an intriguing developmental prospect. (Steve Wyche)
Andre’ Sam, S, LSU: An older prospect at 25, Sam spent time at McNeese State and Marshall before one year at LSU in 2023. He led the Tigers with 3 interceptions in 13 starts last season. (Tom Pelissero)
Kendall Milton, RB, Georgia: Milton (6-1, 225) averaged 6.2 yards per carry in his college career and had his best season in 2023 with 790 yards and 14 rushing touchdowns. He’s not much of a receiving threat but he is a powerful, ground-and-pound back. (Dawg Nation)
Gabe Hall, DT, Baylor: Hall (6-6, 294 pounds) was a three-year starter at Baylor and has some pass rush juice as a 3-technique. He had 12 1/2 sacks in his college career. (Tom Pelissero)
McCallen Castles, TE, Tennessee: The Eagles didn’t draft a tight end so they added one after the draft concluded. Castles began his career at Cal, when to UC Davis and finished up in 2023 at Tennessee. The 6-4, 244-pound tight end had 22 catches for 283 yards and 5 touchdowns last season. (Priority Sports)
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