Eagles Select OT Tyler Steen and S Sydney Brown in 3rd Round

Author and Dylan MacKinnon

April 28th, 2023 10:02 PM

After making us wait two hours, and a little bit longer, the Eagles got their whole day 2 out of the way in one fell swoop. They selected Alabama Offensive Lineman Tyler Steen, followed immediately by Illinois Safety Sydney Brown.

Steen started his career as  DT at Vanderbilt. But after playing just 4 games there, he made the switch to playing Right Tackle and started all 4 games there the next season. The following year he swapped over to the left side and started all 12 games there for them. But last year he transferred to Alabama where he continued to start at LT and earned All-SEC honors giving up just 2 sacks in 13 starts. Expect him to serve as a swing backup tackle for the Eagles this season. They lost Andre Dillard this off-season, and lack backups capable of playing Tackle besides Jack Driscoll. He could slide over to RG in the future as well.

As for Sydney Brown, he was a leader in the secondary at Illinois and a serious playmaker. 6 interceptions and 9 pass deflections this past season, both numbers near the top of the league. And what Eagles fans will really love, is that scouts say he is a hard-hitting Safety. He was the leader of a defense that ranked 1st in points allowed (12.3) and second in yards allowed per game (263.8). Brown also has special teams experience. He could have a chance to compete for a starting rule over Reed Blankenship or Terrell Edmunds.

The Eagles were originally supposed to pick at 62 and 66. But they traded back to 65, in exchange for a 6th and 7th-round pick. After these two picks, the Eagles are not on the clock again until that 188th pick they received for the trade back. Many expected another trade back, but evidently, Howie and Co liked these two players too much to risk that.

They join a draft class that already included Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith.

The 7 Holes The Eagles Could Still Address After the First Round

• Safety

  Terrell Edmunds was a solid signing. He is no star and is probably a downgrade from CJ Gardner Johnson. But he has been a reliable starter at the position for years with the Steelers. He can hold down one of the two Safety spots well enough. B

  But can we trust Reed Blankenship to immediately step into the other spot? He did well as a backup last year. And held up somewhat well when filling in for CJ. But even if he is good enough to start, they want someone behind the two of them in case of injury. Outside those two, they have no one you could trust to play significant time at Safety.

  Fans are all about trading for Budda Baker. That may be a bit too pricey for the Eagles. Though after they did the same thing for CJ last year you can’t rule it out. Brian Branch is still on the board too. So is Antonio Johnson from Texas A&M. Both could represent upgrades to the team, and allow Reed to be the backup. Short of that, they could find another sleeper they like the way they did Blankenship to at least have a backup. Because K’Von Wallace is not going to cut it if he has to come in and play.

• Punter

  You know you are in good shape if you ask what one of the biggest issues on the team is, and you say, punter.

  Arryn Siposs did not do a good job last year. Even before the injury. He was 26th in average punt distance with 45.6 yards per punt. And he was 26th with punts that landed inside the 20. Special Teams outside of Jake Elliott was the Eagles’ biggest weakness last year.

  You won’t address punter tonight obviously. But with one of their two 7th-round picks, or as a UDFA? I think they need to. Punter is a position that does not get a ton of love. And the Eagles don’t punt very much, to begin with. But field position is important. Having a good punter does not only put your defense in a good position but can in turn get you a better field position when you get the ball back.

  And as a Rutgers alum, there is one guy I am dying to see in an Eagles jersey. Adam Korsack. The Australian has been the only thing my school’s Football team has consistently done well over the last few years. He pinned the other team behind their own 20 52.7% of the time. 32 in total. He won the Ray Guy Award this year, given to the best Punter in the Nation. Adding him in the 7th round, or as a UDFA, could take the Eagles from having the worst punter in the league, to one of the best. 

• A Young Cornerback

  For the sake of just 2023, the Eagles have a great cornerback room. James Bradberry is an All-Pro, and Darius Slay is not far off of one. Not to mention Avonte Maddux who has been very reliable in the slot. They also added Greedy Williams as a good project behind those 3. For this year, they should be in very good shape. But Slay and Bradberry are in their 30’s. Eventually, they will need a young corner who can play outside.

  Joey Porter Jr and Kelee Ringo are still there. They would not be as immediate of impact players in the draft as either of the safeties, just because there won’t be much playing time for them. But Howie has shown he is willing to draft people to stash them for future years. They could also wait another year to get this. They have been putting it off to the next year for a long time. It is just something they eventually need to do. Howie has struggled to draft corners more than any other position.

• OL Depth

  The Eagles’ starters on the Line are great. The only thing that is even a small question there is Cam Jurgens, who will be playing RG for the first time. But otherwise, you have two All-Pros, and two guys you could see being future All-Pros. Where it gets a bit more sketchy, is the backups. They lost Andre Dillard. Without him, the only backup Tackle with any experience is Jack Driscoll. And Sua Opeta is the only other backup period with experience.

  They definitely need to bring someone in that could be a potential backup in the case of an injury. Whether that be later in this draft, as a UDFA, or just as a normal free agent.

   

• Linebacker

  If they go into the season with Nakobe Dean and Nicholas Morrow, they should be fine. Dean has a huge upside, and Morrow is a passable starter. But Morrow is also on just a one-year deal. And it’s unclear if anyone beyond those two can be trusted if there is an injury.

  Whether it is for depth this year, or to have someone who can replace Morrow when he likely leaves next year. They need linebackers. Howie has shown a willingness to spend 3rd round picks on them. Jordan Hicks, Davion Taylor, and Nakobe Dean are all 3rd round picks. Only one off-ball linebacker has been taken so far. But Trenton Simspon and Drew Sanders are still available. If they lasted to the Eagles picks, it could be worth considering.

  Even if not there, it would help to add another LB somewhere.

• Running Back

  You may be noticing a trend. This is not a huge need that they will be in trouble if there don’t fill. They can do pretty well with a rotation of Rashaad Penny, Kenny Gainwell, and Boston Scott. But… it would behoove them to add someone else too. Gainwell played great in the playoffs, but we don’t know if he is capable of being the guy. Penny is great when healthy, but very rarely is.

  Miles Sanders had his issues, but he was a big reason why the offense was so damn productive. Adding a Tank Bigsby, Devon Achane, Zach Charbonnet, or any of these remaining backs in rounds 2 or 3 may not be the worst idea. They have also had some success signing UDFA backs over the years.

• Second TE

  Dallas Goedert is an elite TE. He was one of the more productive Tight Ends when healthy last year. Not to mention he is a great blocker. But none of the guys behind him stood out. Grant Calcaterra has some potential as a pass catcher, but he didn’t show enough to lock him onto the roster. Stoll is a good blocker but doesn’t give you much as a pass catcher. And Tyree Jackson has yet to live up to his hype after switching to TE.

  Them going with a Michael Mayer if he falls would be a little surprising. It would certainly add another dimension to the offense, but it feels unlikely.  But taking another flyer on a guy in the late rounds, or bringing in a UDFA, not the worst idea.

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Author and Dylan MacKinnon

Category:

• 97.5 The Fanatic
• Eagles // NFL

Tags:

NFL,NFL Draft,Philadelphia Eagles