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Philadelphia Eagles: Which 2015 NFL Draft Prospects Can Replace Chris Polk?

By Anthony DiBona

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According to a report by Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com, the Philadelphia Eagles have rescinded their restricted free agent tender for running back Chris Polk, making him an unrestricted free agent. This isn’t surprising news considering the Eagles spent a good chunk of money this offseason at running back between DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews.

Although Polk didn’t have a big role in the Eagles’ offense in 2014, he was a solid special teams contributor and did get some work as the team’s goal line running back at times. But paying him nearly $2 million to be the fourth running back on the depth chart just didn’t make sense. It’s best for both sides to go their separate ways and Polk may get a bigger role with a different team now. But which draft prospects could the Eagles target to take that spot on the depth chart?

The team already has Matthew Tucker and Kenjon Barner on the roster, so they could be options for that fourth spot…if head coach Chip Kelly even decides to keep four running backs on the roster in 2015, which he may not. Neither of those players have really done much in the NFL so bringing in a rookie to compete with them certainly makes sense. The Eagles haven’t shown much pre-draft interests in any running back prospects but that doesn’t mean they won’t draft one.

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Alabama running back T.J. Yeldon is the only running back out of 67 prospects that WalterFootball.com has the Eagles meeting with, working out or hosting for a visit during the draft process. That makes him the clear front runner as a potential replacement for Polk. At 6’1″, 226 lbs., Yeldon certainly fits the build at running back that the Eagles have been focusing on.

Both Murray and Mathews are considered “bigger” running backs and Yeldon falls into that same category. He’s a decisive, one-cut runner and would make plenty of sense for the Eagles. But is it worth using a day two pick on a fourth running back? That’s where Yeldon is projected to go and that may be too rich for the Eagles, considering all of the other holes the team’s roster has.

There are quite a few running back prospects projected to go on day three that could grab the Eagles’ attention. Considering the bigger build the team has been focusing on this offseason, players such as Florida’s Matt Jones, Florida State’s Karlos Williams and North Dakota State’s John Crockett could all fit in Philadelphia’s backfield.

Jones actually reminds me quite a bit of Polk, he’s a very powerful runner but may be too limited for the Eagles’ taste. He’s 6’2″, 230 lbs., so he’s a very big boy that runs with bad intentions. Jones has shown potential as a receiver out of the back-field as well but still has a long way to go before he’s considered a “complete” running back.

Williams is 6’1″, 230 lbs. but ran a 4.48 40-yard dash and has a ton of potential. But he’s raw at the position since he converted from safety to running back and is still learning the position. He also got into some trouble off the field which may keep him off the Eagles’ board. Williams was a dominant player on special teams which just might be enough to keep him on the Eagles’ radar but only time will tell.

Crockett is the most intriguing of the three names mentioned above. He’s a small school prospect but was downright dominant against the lower level of competition. He finished the 2014 season with ridiculous totals of 2,419 all-purpose yards, 1,994 rushing yards and 21 rushing touchdowns. Crockett has good size at 6’0″, 217 lbs. but is criticized for running too upright at times. That’s teachable though, especially with such a talented running back coach as the Eagles have in Duce Staley. Crockett is also a charismatic, good energy guy that fit well in Kelly’s locker room. He could be a steal at the end of day three or as an undrafted free agent.

While Chris Polk didn’t have the biggest or most important role on the Philadelphia Eagles, it would make sense for the Eagles to add a running back at some point during the 2015 NFL Draft. This year’s class is considered very deep at the position so Kelly and the team should be able to find a prospect that fits what they’re looking for at some point in the draft. It’s just up to them to find out who exactly that is and where to draft them.

Next: Philadelphia Eagles: Draft Thoughts And Rankings

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