Ranking potential Eagles offensive linemen prospects by their 40 times
The Eagles and their O-line coach love athleticism, and there's plenty of it in the 2024 NFL Draft class.
Three yards and a cloud of dust... If you're an older football fan, you know exactly what that means as you've heard the phrase forever. Suppose you're a tad younger and your first memories of Philadelphia Eagles football begin with the Andy Reid coaching era. In that case, you're more accustomed to seeing pro football as a passing league.
The game has evolved. So have the guys who play. Quarterbacks look like small forwards, and 300-pound men run the 40-yard dash in less than 5.5 seconds. Running backs catch the ball like wide receivers and run routes like A.J. Brown.
It has long been Philly's business model to build its roster by way of strengthening the trenches, No one would shocked to see the Birds select an offensive lineman early during the coming NFL Draft. They have been linked to Amarius Mims. They have hosted everyone from Travis Glover, Zak Zinter, and Christian Mahogany to Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, and Brandon Coleman for pre-draft visits.
The Birds employ the game's best O-line coach, Jeff Stoutland. They have recently extended Landon Dickerson and given Jordan Mailata another payday. Depth, however, is still needed along the offensive front.
Here's a look at 20 popular Eagles offensive linemen prospects, ranked by their respective 40 times.
It's amazing that men can carry 300 pounds of body mass and run 40 yards in less than five seconds. That is, however, the case with the following prospects: Roger Rosengarten, Washington (4.92 seconds), Tanor Bortolini, Wisconsin (4.94 seconds), Frank Crum, Wyoming (4.94 seconds), Tylan Grable, UCF (4.96 seconds), Brandon Coleman, TCU (4.99 seconds).
Coleman, as mentioned earlier, visited the NovaCare Complex recently, so we can assure ourselves that there's a genuine interest in him. Other 2024 draft prospects turned in lightning-quick 40 times. Here are a few of the top prospects ranked by their results.
- Troy Fautanu, Washington Huskies - 5.01
- Gottlieb Ayedza, Maryland Terrapins - 5.01
- Jarrett Kingston, USC Trojans - 5.02
- Cooper Beebe, Kansas State Wildcats - 5.03
- Matt Lee, Miami Hurricanes - 5.04
- Kingsley Suamataia, BYU Cougars - 5.04
- Jordan Morgan, Arizona Wildcats - 5.05
- Christian Jones, Texas Longhorns - 5.05
- Joe Alt, Notre Dame Fighting Irish - 5.05
- Amarius Mims, Georgia Bulldogs - 5.07
- Mason McCormick, South Dakota State Jackrabbits - 5.08
- Jacob Monk, Duke Blue Devils - 5.09
- Dylan McMahon, NC State Wolf Pack - 5.10
- Olu Fashanu, Penn State Nittany Lions - 5.11
- Patrick Paul, Houston Cougars - 5.14
- Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State Beavers – 5.14
- Christian Mahogany, Boston College Eagles - 5.14
- Caedan Wallace, Penn State – 5.16 seconds
- Trente Jones, Michigan – 5.17 seconds
- Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma – 5.19 seconds
While speed is a nice trait for a football player to have, it isn't the only thing that they're measured by. The Birds value versatility, and in all honesty, if your offense is consistently seeing its linemen run 40 yards downfield, there may be other issues with scheme that need to be repaired.
Might there be future Eagles on this list? It's honestly too early to tell, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to add a succession plan for Lane Johnson and insurance just in case one of the starters endures an injury.
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