Less-mentioned LBs Eagles can target during every round of NFL Draft

Damone Clark and Arnold Ebiketie could start for the Eagles on day one.

Depending on where you’re from, Damone Clark is far from under-the-radar. Playing at one of the better-known farm systems for NFL talent will do that for you. Still, it feels like we should be discussing him more often than we do.

The argument can be made that he’s potentially just as good as Nakobe Dean or Devin Lloyd. He’s a tackling machine, and in 2021, his final year with the LSU Tigers, he notched 136 tackles, two forced fumbles, 5.5 sacks, two pass breakups, and an interception. He was all over the field for the Bayou Bengals and would be an immediate upgrade for the Eagles if they gave him a look.

At six-foot-three and 239 pounds, Brandon Smith looks every bit the part of an NFL linebacker. The question is will he play like one if given the opportunity?

Smith grades lower among most draft pundits than guys like Christian Harris of the Alabama Crimson Tide or his former Penn State Nittany Lions teammate Arnold Ebiketie, but Ebiketie probably winds up being an outside linebacker in the 3-4 or a defensive end in the 4-3.

Smith can play inside and outside at the second level. He missed tackles from time to time, but he’s decent in coverage. Something tells us Philly probably won’t draft Clark or Smith, but both are solid and should be available in rounds one and two respectively.