NFL Draft: What’s been said about Philadelphia Eagles RB Miles Sanders

When it was all said and done, many Philadelphia Eagles fans got their wish. ‘The Birds’ took Miles Sanders with the 53rd pick. Let’s look at what’s been said to this point.

The adrenaline rush Philadelphia Eagles fans got from knowing they got what some felt was a top-15 player in the NFL Draft, tackle Andre Dillard, has been replaced by, well, another intense adrenaline rush. Much of Philly’s fan base got their wish granted on Day 2 of the selection meeting when ‘The Birds’ took Miles Sanders with the 53rd-overall selection.

Eagles great and the team’s official radio color analyst Mike Quick made the pick on behalf of the ‘Bird Gang’.

Take a look:

In an earlier story released on ITI prior to the NFL Draft, we ranked Sanders as the second-best running back available in this class. In ITI’s first-ever all-offensive mock draft, Sanders was also our pick to be the selection at pick 53.

Here’s what was said about him by Lance Zierlein in his draft profile on NFL.com:

"Well-built glider with the instincts, footwork and agility to shake tacklers but the frame and pad level to finish with some authority. He can clearly create yardage for himself, but he has average acceleration and might need to expedite his downhill process as a pro. Sanders is more skilled than explosive, but he has the size and talent to develop into a future starter with every-down potential."

Here’s some of what The Draft Network had to say:

Vision:

"At his best when reading power concepts and working with pullers, or in other slow-developing man-blocking concepts like Iso and Duo. Has some solid flashes when working inside zone, especially when he’s able to quickly hit a backside cut upfield."

Change of direction:

"A joy to watch in this are. Can drop his hips low and jump cut to anywhere the eye can see. Works unorthodox footwork and angles into surprising redirections that catch defenders out of position."

Second-level speed:

"A bit of a question mark given play style: is a patient, pick-at-you runner who likes to vary speeds at all three levels. At times seemingly running at full speed when working to get to the boundary, but still seems to be running with a sense of timing and control. Athletic testing and flashes seem to indicate a great speed profile, but breakaway runs are limited on tape."

You guys love numbers, and we live in a Fantasy Football era, so here they are. Sanders racked up 1,649 yards on 276 attempts, a 6.0 yards-per-carry average, and 12 touchdowns in his career at Penn State. Keep in mind the fact that most of that came in 2018 (his first two years were spent backing up Saquon Barkley).

Philly’s got their guy, and he’ll join a backfield that includes Jordan Howard, Corey Clement, Josh Adams and Wendell Smallwood. That should quiet the concerns and controversy we’ve heard surrounding Philly’s running backs. Duce Staley has a lot of toys to play with.