Philadelphia Eagles draft watch: Top 5 offensive tackles not named Sewell

Alijah Vera-Tucker is someone Philadelphia Eagles fans should know.

Throw Penei Sewell out of the discussion, and the Pac-12 still has the best offensive tackle in the country. You can debate that, but it’s true.

1. Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC Trojans

USC’s Alijah Vera-Tucker is like the hero in a lot of those classic kung-fu movies. He possesses so many of the talents of his contemporaries (or his competition). He also lays claim to having very few of what we would call everyone’s weaknesses. Now, he just needs the sensei, a Jeff Stoutland for instance, that can help him put it all together.

Once Austin Jackson left Southern California for the greener pastures of the NFL, Vera-Tucker stepped right in, and there was minimal dropoff at the position if any.

Now, is Vera-Tucker a tackle or a guard at the next level? That will be an interesting dynamic to iron out, but we all know the Birds love versatile offensive lineman, and that’s been the case regardless of who the coach was.

At six-foot-four and 315 pounds, Vera-Tucker, pound for pound (pun intended), is one of the best athletes in the upcoming draft regardless of position. He has the footwork to stand alone on an island and take on some of the game’s pass rushers. He can also kick inside and play guard as he’s equally astute at being a factor in the running game. Think Jack Driscoll but slightly more athletic.

Write his name down if you don’t know it. This may be a guy who goes late in Round 1 or early in Round 2, so if the Philadelphia Eagles don’t go with him early, he probably wouldn’t be there by Round 3.