Will Miles Sanders be on the board for the Eagles in the second round?

The Philadelphia Eagles are expected to draft a running back in the 2019 NFL Draft. Could Miles Sanders be their selection in the second round?

Last month, the Philadelphia Eagles took a trip up to Penn State to evaluate some of their future NFL prospects. Although they went in with zero expectations for finding a guy to fit their backfield there, they were left blown away by the Nittany Lions’ 21-year-old running back, Miles Sanders.

For the last couple of years, Penn State had all eyes on them because of their backfield, but it had nothing to do with Sanders. Instead, scouts were raving about New York Giants’ running back Saquon Barkley. Before the 2018 season, not many knew about Miles Sanders.

With the NFL Draft coming up in a week, Sanders won’t be expecting a call on the first night. But as a guy who was once viewed as a mid-round pick, Sanders shouldn’t be surprised if he gets a call early on in the second round. There were talks about the Eagles being interested in snagging the elusive back with one of their paired second-round picks, but the chance of him falling past pick number 50 is becoming quite slim.

Could Miles Sanders be a Top-50 selection?

During his first two seasons in the NCAA, Sanders only accounted for 375 rushing yards behind the future second-overall pick, Barkley. Just this past year, Sanders had the opportunity to take over Penn State’s backfield, and he served them well on the ground by taking on 220 carries for 1,274 yards and nine total touchdowns. Although he’s got a year left on his eligibility, he wasted no time declaring for the NFL Draft where he eventually shot up the charts.

Before, the idea of getting Sanders in Philly with the 53rd overall pick seemed like a real possibility. Now, it’s becoming a sort of longshot. NFL Network Draft Analyst Daniel Jerimiah recently held a conference, where he discussed the upcoming draft and the prospects involved. While he believes the Eagles could look to add to their backfield during the seven-round selection process, he doesn’t think Sanders will be the Eagles’ choice. And it’s not because they don’t want him – it’s more like because they won’t be able to get him.

NJ Advanced Media’s Mike Kaye reported that Jerimiah states there’s too much buzz surrounding Sanders’ name right now. Too many teams are trying to get the Penn State back, and there’s a good chance he will be off the board by the time the Eagles are picking. While trading up in the second round could be a possibility, it’s more likely the Eagles stay put and wait to take a guy later on in the middle rounds. They like Sanders, a lot apparently, but the running back position isn’t quite the priority it once was before the Jordan Howard trade.