Ranking Eagles top 20 EDGE prospects following 2022 NFL Combine
It seems likely and expected that the Philadelphia Eagles‘ plan is to hang on to Brandon Graham once he returns from injury. We can live with that. We all know what he brings to the table in the locker room and on the football field, and the last time we saw him play a full season, he earned his first Pro Bowl nod.
B.G. has truly gotten better with age, much like Jason Kelce, and let’s face it. This isn’t a team that can afford to let its best players get out of the door.
A quick glance at the rest of Philadelphia’s defensive end room looks like this. They have young guys to get excited about (Josh Sweat and Tarron Jackson). They have a few guys they’ll work with through training camp (Cameron Malveaux and Matt Leo). They’ll most certainly move on from Derek Barnett and Ryan Kerrigan in free agency.
It appears that it’s time to talk about the EDGE position again seeing as how it’s probably one of the three positions they need to upgrade the most.
Here’s how the Eagles’ top 20 EDGE prospects rank following the NFL Combine.
It’s a familiar phrase in football lore. In the current NFL, you have to have your quarterback position figured out if you hope to have a chance at Super Bowl glory. The days of loading up on defense and riding Trent Dilfer to a Super Bowl are, more than likely, over.
While that’s true, we’d like to add to the theory. Once you get your quarterback, make sure you go get some guys to plant him into the turf, legally of course, and make his life miserable. Here are the top 20 EDGE prospects in the next NFL Draft that fit Philly’s 4-3 defensive scheme.
- Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan Wolverines
- David Ojabo, Michigan Wolverines
- Travon Walker, Georgia Bulldogs
- Jermaine Johnson, Florida State Seminoles
- George Karlaftis, Purdue Boilermakers
- Kayvon Thibodeaux, Oregon Ducks
- Arnold Ebiketie, Penn State Nittany Lions
- Logan Hall, Houston Cougars
- Drake Jackson, USC Trojans
- Boye Mafe, Minnesota Golden Gophers
- Kingsley Engabare, South Carolina Gamecocks
- Cameron Thomas, San Diego State Aztecs
- Myjai Sanders, Cincinnati Bearcats
- Michael Clemons, Texas A&M Aggies
- Joshua Paschal, Kentucky Wildcats
- Amare Barno, Virginia Tech Hokies
- Jeffrey Gunter, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
- Tyreke Smith, Ohio State Buckeyes
- DeAngelo Malone, Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
- Zach VanValkenburg, Iowa Hawkeyes
Now, while this class is deep, the top guys at the position will get snatched up quickly. The Eagles, in all likelihood, will have no shot at Aidan Hutchinson, Kayvon Thibodeaux, David Ojabo, or maybe even Travon Walker, but they could land a star at 15 or 16 if they go with an EDGE star with one of their first two choices.
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Some mock drafts value George Karlaftis higher than Jermaine Johnson, and that’s fine. We could be talking about whether or not we like apples or oranges there. The Eagles will have a nice consolation prize with either one of them once the top four guys are off of everyone’s draft board though. If both guys are available at 15 or 16, the Eagles MUST snatch whichever one is higher on their draft board.
Kayvon Thibodeaux could have easily been the second-ranked player on this list, but questions are starting to arise, the most recent being his decision to skip combine workouts because it had been a “long day”. What???