EAGLES NFL DRAFT PREVIEW: Offensive Tackles
There is a changing of the guard at left tackle in Philadelphia where the Eagles have seemingly made the difficult decision to move on from future Hall of Fame tackle Jason Peters and hand the baton to 2019 first-round pick Andre Dillard.
The qualifier of “seemingly” will remain until the 38-year-old Peters, who has confirmed he wants to continue playing, signs elsewhere. The door may be open a crack for Peters to return because Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has such respect for him that if a viable deal isn’t out there for the veteran elsewhere there might be a mandate to bring him back.
From general manager Howie Roseman’s perspective, it’s time to move on, and the Eagles need to get younger and more cost-effective with quarterback Carson Wentz entering his second contract.
Dillard, meanwhile, stuck his toes in the pool a little bit in his rookie season and while things were rocky at times, especially an ill-fated two-quarter try at right tackle when Lane Johnson was dinged up, he’s got tremendous natural ability as a pass protector.
It’s fair to say Dillard needs to get better in the run game, an expected path because Washington State barely ran the ball when he was there, and it would be nice if Dillard developed a little bit of an edge to him.
Dillard also needs to get stronger as the bull-rushes of top-tier edge rushers like Everson Griffen and Robert Quinn gave him fits.
In the short term, the Eagles will likely take a step back at LT but Roseman is banking on the old axiom that it’s better to give up on a player a year early than a year late.
On the opposite side, Philadelphia obviously has no concerns with Johnson, who remains arguably the best right tackle in football. The hope in 2020 is a healthier season, however, when Johnson again teams with his close friend Brandon Brooks to provide coach Doug Pederson with the best right side in football.
When it comes to the draft the real issue is at swing tackle where Halapoulivaati Vaitai played well enough during his rookie deal with the Eagles to get five years and $45 million from the Detroit Lions to be a starting right tackle.
Vaitai was often the brunt of criticism from Eagles fans when he was forced into action but by definition, he proved good enough to win a Super Bowl when Peters missed half of the 2017-18 campaign with a torn ACL.
In truth, Vaitai was in the conversation for best swing tackle in the NFL and replacing him will not be easy. The top in-house candidate is Jordan Mailata, always a long-term project after making the switch from Australian rugby to pro football as a seventh-round pick in 2018.
A physical freak from a size and athleticism standpoint, Mailata was unable to practice much last season when placed on injured reserve with a balky back. He’s completely healthy and was champing at the bit to get back in the mix at the end of last season but the Eagles simply couldn’t afford the roster spot due to so many injuries elsewhere.
Another option is the 6-foot-7 Matt Pryor, who held up pretty well inside at RG when forced into action in his sophomore season. Pryor, though, is looked at by Philadelphia as a player that should remain on the right side as essentially a backup to both Brooks and Johnson.
It’s always been tough to piecemeal on game days but the new NFL CBA is adding an additional roster spot for an O-lineman so the thought process of having an interior backup and a swing tackle could be revisited.
The tackle class in the 2020 draft is both talented and deep and could reach toward five or even six taken in the first round. It's likely, though, that Philly will only consider the position on Day Three if they see a big upside and OL coach Jeff Stoutland starts pounding the table.
It’s tough to connect the dots this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic uprooting the typical due-diligence cycle, but the Eagles have shown some cursory interest at least in Charlotte’s Cameron Clark and West Virginia’s Colton McKivitz.
Of those two, Clark is projected by most to be moving inside at the pro level. The 6-6 McKivitz played both right and left tackle in college and the WVU to Philly pipeline has been a strong one in recent years.
BUILDING THE PERFECT OFFENSIVE TACKLE
Pass blocking - Mekhi Becton, Louisville - Becton is this year’s Andre Dillard. Amazing natural gifts as a pass protector.
Run blocking - Jedrick Wills, Alabama - Ahead of the curve from a power perspective and you should be able to pencil in power footfall from Day 1 with Wills.
Pulling/trapping - Saahdiq Charles, LSU - Charles may not have the physical gifts of some others in this class but he’s the best from a technique standpoint and understanding angles he's at the top.
Get Off- Josh Jones, Houston - The first step isn’t a question. It’s what happens from there with Jones.
Downfield - Austin Jackson, Southen Cal - Jackson moves the most effortlessly to the second level in what is a very talented class.
Toughness - Jon Runyan, Jr., Michigan - He damn well better be tough, right?
EAGLES MAVEN TOP 10:
1. Tristin Wirfs, Iowa
2. Jedrick Willis, Alabama
3. Andrew Thomas, Georgia
4. Josh Jones, Houston
5. Austin Jackson, Southern Cal
6. Mekhi Becton, Lousiville
7. Prince Tega Wanagho, Auburn
8. Lucas Niang, TCU
9. Trey Adams, Washington
10. Isaiah Wilson, Georgia
Sleeper - Alex Taylor, South Carolina State
Boom or Bust - Josh Jones, Houston
John McMullen covers the Eagles for SI.com. You can listen to John every day on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes and on ESPN 97.3 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
