Eagles rookie is a diamond in the rough who isn't getting enough recognition

"The traits are the critical factors. When there's players that are there at that part of the draft and they're still checking some of the boxes that are on there, that's unique. We have draft meetings, and we go through all these guys... You can't imagine the amount of time that's put in..." Those were the words of the best offensive line coach walking the planet, the Philadelphia Eagles' own Jeff Stoutland.

The Dean of Stoutland University was recently asked about the addition of two rookies who were added to Philly's nest on Day 3 of the most recent NFL Draft. Why is that important? It's simple. We can't take our eyes off one of them.

Trevor Keegan was the 172nd player taken during Round 5 of the 2024 NFL Draft. He might have gone sooner had the crop of potentially elite O-linemen not been so deep. He definitely would have done the same any other year.

Words like 'steal' are being tossed around. There's a good reason for that. This could be a star in the making.

Trevor Keegan is a damn good football player that we may not be talking about enough.

Sometimes, we just take things for granted. We just assumed that, once Jack Driscoll and Sua Opeta were allowed to walk and Jason Kelce retired, Cam Jurgens would slide over from right guard to the center and Tyler Steen and Matt Hennessy would battle it out to be the new starter at RG. That may happen, but no one should count out Trevor Keegan. He's fully capable of winning a starting job.

A six-foot-five and 310-pounder, he was a captain for John Harbaugh on the Michigan Wolverines' College Football Playoff National Championship-winning team from last season. That says a ton. He was also a First-Team All-Big Ten nod in 2022 before earning Second-Team honors in 2023.

In his pre-draft profile, NFL.com's Lance Zierlein names Cordell Volson as his comparison. He gives the former Wolverine a grade of 5.98, meaning he should start out as an 'average backup or special teamer, but here's where the rubber meets the road. Something hadn't been worked out yet when the always-reliable Zierlein wrote his take.

Keegan hadn't become the responsibility of Jeff Stoutland.

We have seen Stout's brilliance on display time and time again. We also watched Michigan run over Penn State last season during the second half. The Wolverines lined up and dared the Nittany Lions to stop them. James Franklin's guys couldn't, and Michigan racked up 227 yards rushing and 4.9 yards per rush.

Keegan isn't solely responsible for that, but he did play a large part. It was also the Wolverines' O-line that also helped tailback Blake Corum, now with the L.A. Rams, to two First-Team All-Big Ten nods (2022,2023) a First-team All-American mention in 2023, Big Ten Running Back of the Year Awards in 2022 and 2023, a First-Team All-American nod (2023), and the most recent CFP National Championship Game Offensive MVP trophy.

Say what you will. We aren't finding much to dislike here. The feedback on Keegan is mixed, and that's okay. He's a rookie, but we trust Stoutland University will get him where he needs to be.

Read more Eagles news and notes