Eagles Send Brian Johnson to Kenny Pickett Pro Day
With any Russell Wilson- or Deshaun Watson-envy officially in the rear-view mirror, Eagles fans can settle in and comfortably assume Jalen Hurts will be the starter come September for a second straight season.
That doesn't mean the fluid nature of the personnel process grinds to a halt at the game's most important position, however. Perhaps that sentiment is best highlighted by a big Pro Day week when it comes to the top-rated signal-callers in the 2022 draft class, an often-disparaged lot compared against recent years.
Arguably four of the top five QB prospects in the 2022 draft have their pro days scheduled for this week, starting with Pitt's Kenny Pickett on Monday.
A host of personnel executives and coaches are in Western Pennsylvania to put Pickett under the microscope with quarterbacks coach Brian Johnson representing the Eagles.
Pickett and Liberty's Malik Willis are the two prospects considered by most NFL scouts as dueling back-and-forth to be the first QB selected on April 28 with the former considered to be the most pro-ready option and the latter having the highest ceiling.
Willis has his pro day at Liberty University on Tuesday and will be followed by Ole Miss' Matt Corral on Wednesday and Desmond Ridder of Cincinnati. North Carolina's Sam Howell will have his pro day on March 28.
The Eagles have been gathering information on Pickett for quite a while dating back to the college season when GM Howie Roseman traveled to Pittsburgh to watch UNC and Pitt square off, getting a two-for-one special by evaluating both Pickett and Howell during the same game.
Roseman and coach Nick Sirianni also got a closer look at Pickett during Senior Bowl week back in February.
Pickett is considered a high-floor prospect by most which some can misconstrue as a game manager-like insult and his much-discussed hand size could be an issue for some teams who over-emphasize measurables.
NFL.com's Lance Zierlein comped Pickett to Andy Dalton in his prime years with the following scouting report:
"He’s a fairly toolsy pocket passer with good mobility. He operated in a passing scheme featuring vertical concepts that created big-play opportunities but left food on the plate when he failed to play chess against the back-end of the coverage. Pickett works with average anticipation but drives the ball with good velocity, which should help him shine in pre-draft passing drills. Pickett’s touch and placement need work, but his accuracy stats were damaged by an inordinate amount of drops throughout his career. The top indicator for future success or failure will likely rest in a team’s ability to build Pickett’s trust, poise and discipline from the pocket. He can make all the throws, but he’ll only be able to execute against disguised fronts and NFL pressure if he’s willing to hang in and win with his eyes first. He carries a boom/bust label, but the 2021 tape and productivity showed off his potential to become a good starter in time."
The Eagles start the draft process with three first-round picks (Nos. 15, 16, and 19) and that kind of capital could open up a so-called luxury pick, especially at No. 19 if Roseman is forced to use all three first-round picks.
The Eagles have penciled in Gardner Minshew as the backup to Hurts with Reid Sinnett around as a developmental prospect.
Minshew would like an opportunity to be a starter and there is at least a small chance an organization looking for a QB1 who strikes out on bigger names could come calling for Minshew or consider moving up to one of the Eagles' spots to draft the likely second QB off the board.
With all those options in play, the Eagles want to make sure they have the best handle possible on the QB class as a whole.
In other draft intel garnered from the Maxwell Football Club's annual awards banquet, Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis confirmed to SI.com's Eagles Today that he will be one of Philadelphia's top-30 draft visits.
The massive 6-foot-6, 350-pound Davis, who was honored with the Chuck Bednarik Award as the best defensive player in college football, is an amazing athlete for his size and may not even reach No. 15 after wowing scouts as the NFL's scouting combine.
Baylor coach Dave Aranda, in Atlantic City as the MFC's George Munger Award winner as the college coach of the year, noted that the Eagles have shown interest in two of his star players at need positions: safety Jalen Pitre and speedy receiver Tyquan Thornton, who set the NFL ablaze with a 4.28 40-yard dash at the combine.
Pitre would be in the mix as a potential Day 2 selection while Thornton would be a Day 3 option.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
