Sub-radar, late-round NFL Draft prospects worth the Eagles attention

Pierre Strong could add more speed to the Philadelphia Eagles’ stable of tailbacks.

South Dakota State running back Pierre Strong Jr. could pay huge dividends for an NFL team looking for depth options at a position where injury occurs frequently. The Eagles know about halfback injuries all too well.

The starter, Miles Sanders, has only played in 24 games during the last two seasons. The injury bug has bitten him often, so adding another solid prospect at the position could give the offense more juice.

Strong Jr’s body type is similar to Sanders’ as the Jackrabbit running back is five-foot-eleven and 207 pounds, making him the same height as Miles and about four pounds lighter. He ended his career at South Dakota State with 4,527 rushing yards and 40 touchdowns on the ground. Ten of those scores came on runs of 50 yards or more.

Strong is consistent. In three of his four seasons, he surpassed 1,000 yards. The only outlier was the shortened season, and he still accumulated 400 rushing yards in that one.

This young man also put some impressive single-game statistical performances together. He eclipsed 200 yards rushing twice in his career, once in 2018 when he rushed for 253 yards on 17 carries in a 49-27 onslaught by South Dakota. The second time came in 2019. He notched 229 yards on 20 carries in a 28-10 win over Southern Illinois.

Strong also can throw the ball if need be. He tossed five touchdowns on 86 yards passing at SDS. It would be fun to see him do that in short goal-line opportunities for the Eagles to catch the defenders off guard.

Strong also tied for the fastest 40-yard time among running backs with a mark of 4.37. He’s been given third-round grades, so Philly should take a look there or if he slides.