Just a few days ago, Daniel Jeremiah was convinced the Eagles were going to trade up in the first round and draft a corner.
“If I was going to lean in one direction, I’m leaning toward corner,” the former NFL scout and long-time NFL Network draft analyst said on the most recent Takeoff podcast with John Clark. “If I was going to put my guess on the Eagles, it is one of the Alabama corners.”
The two Alabama 1st-round cornerback prospects are Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry.
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That was just a few days ago.
On Wednesday, Clark caught up with Jeremiah again, this time at a community event in Detroit associated with the draft, and Jeremiah’s tune has changed.
Dramatically.
“Changed my mind,” Jeremiah said with a laugh. “And I’ve got the right to do that.”
Philadelphia Eagles
Jeremiah spent 10 years as an NFL scout, including 2010 through 2012 with the Eagles under general manager Howie Roseman. He’s been with NFL Network since 2012.
He’s still convinced Roseman is going to trade out of 22.
Just not for a corner.
“I know they’re talking like crazy about moving up so you’re trying to put the puzzle pieces together and when I look at the teams that they were calling and who they were trying to get ahead of those teams, these are tackle teams, these are not corner teams,” he said.
“So to me - and it’s just a theory here, nothing in gospel - but it feels to me like they could go back to the old formula, go with an offensive lineman, go with one that could play right guard as a rookie and then eventually when Lane (Johnson) decides to hang it up that you’ve got someone who could take over at right tackle.”
The Eagles have an opening at right guard with Cam Jurgens moving to center following Jason Kelce’s retirement. Tyler Steen is in the mix, but if the Eagles have a chance to land a top offensive lineman, it’s hard to imagine Roseman choosing not to.
Among the offensive tackles expected to be taken before the Eagles are scheduled to pick who could play guard are Oregon’s Taliese Fuaga, Washington’s Troy Fuatanu, Alabama’s J.C. Latham and possibly Penn State’s Olu Fashanu.
The Eagles have drafted three offensive linemen in the first round under Roseman – Fireman Danny with the 23rd pick in 2011, Johnson with the fourth pick in 2013 and Andre Dillard with the 22nd pick in 2019. Johnson is a five-time Pro Bowler and still considered one of the top offensive tackles in the game, but he does turn 34 in two weeks.
In all, Roseman has drafted 13 players in the first round and 10 have been either offensive or defensive linemen.
“I do this every year,” Jeremiah said. “We flirt with it. We say they’re going to take a running back one year, we talk about off-ball linebackers, now we’re talking about corners, and then … it’s like, what is it, Thanos or whatever? ‘It all comes back to me,’ and we’re back on offensive and defensive linemen.”
This isn’t just Jeremiah guessing. This is based on numerous conversations he’s had with NFL scouts, coaches and officials as well as agents who represent some of the potential 1st-round picks
He explained his methodology to Clark Wednesday.
“It’s like a little peek behind the curtain,” he said. “People ask, ‘How can you say this team’s going to do this, this team’s going to do that?’
“It’s not like Howie’s telling me what they’re doing, but other teams that I talk to tell me who’s calling them and who’s talking to them and all that kind of jazz, and then I find out on the agent side of things who’s doing last-minute homework on players, and I’m like, ‘Well, wait a second, there’s no chance that guy’s going to be there where they pick, so why are they doing all this late homework on this kid?’ So then that’s when you start thinking, ‘OK, they’re coming up.’”
It all makes sense. But what about that interview just a few days ago where Jeremiah was convinced the Eagles were going cornerback?
“Can you un-air the video that we did last time?” Jeremiah said. “Go offensive lineman.”
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