11 Players The Eagles Should Target On Day 3 Of The Draft

Day 3 of the draft is here. The Eagles spent the first two days rebuilding their defense. In particular, their secondary. They not only saw Quinyon Mitchell fall into their laps at pick 22, but then when Cooper DeJean was falling on day 2, they moved up to grab him as well.

Thats two Cornerbacks, with a 1st round grade, the Eagles took with their first two picks. It is reminiscent of 2002 when they drafted Lito Shepard, Michael Lewis, and Sheldon Brown with their first 3 picks. And now Mitchell and DeJean have a chance to be the Shepard and Brown of the modern era.

It was a while though until they made their next selection. Pick 53 turned into pick 78 when they traded up for Cooper Dejean. But that eventually turned into pick 86 when they traded down with the Texans to add a 4th round pick. Then that turned into pick 94 when they added a 3rd 4th round pick.

They did finally make that pick, and took a guy not many fans knew before draft night. Edge Rusher Jalyx Hunt out of Houston Christian. Someone Howie Roseman describes as having “freaky tools”.

Which brings us to day 3. Thanks to Howie trading down multiple times, they now have ALOT of picks today.

It is hard to see them taking a player with all of these picks. Don’t be surprised if they package some together to trade up. They could also turn them into future picks. Or, they can do what they did last year, and trade them away for current players, see D’Andre Swift last year.

But if they do keep the picks, who might they take with them? There are many interesting names left on the board. Another Rugby player from overseas, a Center who broke a record set by Jason Kelce, and a linebacker with a legacy connection to the Eagles.

The name that will have the most buzz, perhaps mostly because of familial connections, is Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Obviously his dad was a legendary LB here. He is not his dad though. For one, he is smaller. And there is a reason he fell to day 3. That said, there is a lot to like about him.

He has great football IQ, can rush the pass rusher, and is steady. The floor is high with him, but the ceiling may be limited.

Some people had Sanders going in the 2nd round. But he will still be there at the start of day 3. He has great hands, is big, and moves well. And yet he fell because there is definitely some work for him to do before he reaches his potential. He is also not much of a blocker.

But the Eagles have Dallas Goedert and could let him ease into the NFl for a couple of years before needing to count on him.

Gray is a tackling machine. He led all Power 5 players with 279 tackles over the past two seasons. Some Big Boards had him as a top 50 player.

Why did he fall? Who knows? Linebackers in general seemed to slip this draft. But for a 4th round pick, the guy would be a bargain. And this kind of rangy tackling machine is the Eagles biggest remaining need after the first 3 rounds.

As a converted RB, Stover knows how to operate in space. He is the most similar TE prospect to Dallas Goedert in that regard. Stover also played DE, and LB. They took a while to figure out how to best utilize his athleticism, and settled in on TE.

When someone has, broke a record set by Jason Kelce, on their resume, it gets my attention. Before Tanor Bortolini, Jason Kelce had the record for the best 3-Cone time by a Lineman. Now Bortolini has it.

Jeff Stoutland likes freaky athletes, and Bortolini fits that description. For a 311 lb man, he moves better than some linebackers.

On day 3, I like taking chances on high upside guys. And despite modest College production, Guerendo has big upside. The Eagles need some depth behind Saquon Barkley and Kenny Gainwell. Why not make it someone who has the ability to break open a game?

I have mentioned Cowing a few times now, and I am going to keep bringing him up. I like the idea of a Slot WR with blazing speed.

The production was never there for Quez Watkins, but having the 3rd guy behind AJ Brown and Devonta Smith be someone who can go deep at any moment in a game makes sense. And with Cowing’s 4.38 speed, he can beat you deep, but can also make teams pay catching a screen pass.

Of all the linebackers in the draft, Magee recieved the bets total athleticism score at the combine. He was a tackle machine for Temple, and has Special Teams experience. Add on the fact he was a team captain, and he fits a lot of boxes the Eagles like to check with day 3 picks.

He is a great athlete, who at the very least could contribute on special teams like another former Temple LB, Shaun Bradley, did whenever he was healthy.

Walker is another guy with blazing speed. Some people had a 2nd round grade on him, but a lack oif a real route tree caused him to fall to day 3.

Walker is a true vertical threat. He is either beating someone deep or not beating them at all. You prefer a WR to be capable of more than that. But with Brown and Smith locked up long-term, they don't need to worry about possession WRs. In the slot, they can afford to have a boom or bust guy. And there is a lot of Boom to Walker’s game.

Grable has played a bit all over the line. Like Lane Johnson, he is a former QB, which speaks to why his athleticism stands out among other OTs. Grable could come in and compete for the RG spot. If he loses it, you still have a guy capable of playing anywhere along the line. He even has trained at center.

Stop me if you have heard this player. A Rugby player, with freaky athleticism for his size, went into the NFL’s International Player Pathway to become an NFL Offensive Lineman. I am not talking about Jordan Mailata, I am talking about Travis Clayton.

Clayton is 6 foot 7 and over 300 lbs. He blew NFL Scouts away in his workouts with his power and agility. All he now needs is a beautiful singing voice and he would be just like Mailata. Sounds like another perfect project for Jeff Stoutland.