A recent flurry of moves by general manager Howie Roseman has solidified the tight end room of the Philadelphia Eagles for the time being, while long-term stability remains in serious limbo.
Both Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra are back, and blocking tight end Johnny Mundt has arrived via Jacksonville, with each inking one-year deals. Free agent Stone Smartt and developmental piece Cameron Latu round out the current unit, leaving the long-term tight end plan far from certain.
With an eye towards the future, a member of this year's draft class who could learn the ropes for a season before taking flight in year two is Notre Dame tight end Eli Raridon.
Eagles could give Eli Raridon a look at tight end in the draft
Raridon looms large (6-foot-6, 251 pounds) and brings rare athleticism for his stature, with his Combine exploits raising eyebrows. Per Ras.Football, the Des Moines, Iowa native scored 9.66 RAS out of a possible 10.00, ranking him 47th out of 1,356 tight ends since 1987.
Commonly slotted by draft pundits behind several possible Eagles' targets we've already focused on, including Ohio State tight end Max Klare and Stanford's Sam Roush, injuries have robbed Raridon of a far higher projected ranking had he stayed healthy during his time in South Bend.
As the #2 rated tight end prospect in his recruiting class, trailing only Oscar Delp, an ACL tear playing high school basketball first shelved Raridon, with a second tear of the same right knee, hitting the highly regarded prospect once he arrived at Notre Dame. While injuries have derailed him on more than one occasion, the flashes of ability emerged during his final campaign for the Fighting Irish, as he hauled in 32 receptions for 482 yards.
With a 79-inch frame and sound speed to get vertical, the former hoops star (HS All-State) can make contested grabs, all while exhibiting very solid blocking that should only improve as he continues to develop and likely add a bit more weight at the next level.
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Roseman has been blunt in expressing his desire to change the overall look and composition of the tight end room in Philadelphia. Adding a talent like Raridon would further diversify the unit, while bringing in a unique player who could pay dividends before long.
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