Jameson Williams, George Pickens Among the Latest Top-30 Visits

It worked with DeVonta Smith so what not try again?

The latest reported Eagles' Top-30 visit is with star Alabama receiver Jameson Williams, who may be the most talented player at the position in the 2022 draft class but is rehabbing from a torn ACL suffered during the College Football Playoff National Championship game on Jan. 10.

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Alabama WR Jameson Williams is visiting the #Eagles today pic.twitter.com/GT8g7gBlNY
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) April 12, 2022

The Eagles, of course, hit on a wideout from the Crimson Tide in last year's draft when Smith went from Heisman Trophy-winner at Alabama to Eagles' franchise rookie receiving record with 916 yards on 64 receptions.

Despite his injury, Williams is expected to be selected in the first round of this month's draft and could be in play for Philadelphia at No. 18 overall.

Williams headlines the list of latest prospects confirmed to be visiting the Eagles, a list which includes another star receiver coming off a torn ACL in Georgia's George Pickens, we well as a pair of edge rushers in Penn State's Arnold Ebiketie and DeAngelo Malone of Western Kentucky.

Both receiver and edge rusher are obvious need positions for the Eagles entering the draft later this month.

Of the three others, Ebiketie is expected to go the highest as a potential bridge pick (late first-round or early second) and that might not be a fit for Philadelphia, which starts the process with picks Nos. 15 and 18 in the opening round (likely a little too rich for Ebiketie) and No. 51 overall in the second round (probably a little too low for the 6-foot-2, 250-pounder).

With Michigan's David Ojabo expected to drop after tearing an Achilles' during his pro day, more than a few scouts have Ebiketie graded as the sixth-best pass-rusher behind the big five of Aidan Hutchinson, Travon Walker, Kayvon Thibodeaux, Jermaine Johnson, and George Karlaftis,

Malone is undersized as well at 6-3, 243 and expected to be a potential late Day 2 pick with a natural fit as Haason Reddick's potential backup at the hybrid SAM/edge position for the Eagles.

Pickens is a lengthy potential X receiver at 6-3 and 195 pounds, who could fit in nicely as a complement to Smith and Quez Watkins as a potential second-round pick with value. He missed the majority of the 2021 national championship season with Georgia due to a torn ACL and may have projected as a first-round pick had he been healthy.

While Top-30 visits are interesting to fans, for most teams they don't necessarily indicate specific draft interest.

"Typically the top-30 visits are about gathering information you weren't able to get through the process to date," a former league executive told SI.com's Eagles Today. "You want to get as complete a picture as you can before draft day. I'd pay more attention to positions than prospects if you see patterns developing."

The latest Eagles' reported visits bring their total to 15 of 30 allowed visits:

TRADE-UP CANDIDATES

Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, cornerback, Cincinnati. They missed out on Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain last year, so maybe this time the Eagles make a big move up to make sure they don’t whiff again on the top corner prospect in the draft.

Kayvon Thibodeaux, edge, Oregon. At one time, he was considered to be a candidate to be the first player taken overall, but some inconsistent tape squashed that. Still, he won’t fall outside the top 10, and if he does it won’t be much further.

Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia. At 6-6, 341, he would make Fletcher Cox look small. No easy feat. Asked at the Maxwell Football Awards banquet about potentially and eventually replacing one of the franchise’s best-ever players, Davis said:

“Fletcher is an amazing person, he's an amazing individual and amazing player. So, to be able to follow in his footsteps and do my own thing and you know, like, create my own name wherever I go, whether that's with the Eagles or not - just to be able to create my own legacy and create my own name is an honor."

STAY PUT

Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama. The issue might be a bit of redundancy with Smith as both he and Williams are undersized, natural Z receivers but you can never be disappointed about adding talent.

Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia. This is a name linked to the Eagles in many mock drafts, and Wyatt makes sense if they stay where they are with the 15th overall pick.

Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson. The Eagles have a plethora of possible CB2s, but Booth could rise to the top of the heap.

Kenyon Green, IOL, Texas A&M. The versatile offensive lineman is projected by most to play inside at the pro level and could be the long-term replacement for Brandon Brooks at right guard.

TRADE-DOWN OPTIONS:

Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss - The Eagles likely kicked the QB can down the road to 2023 after their recent trade with New Orleans but are still doing their due diligence on the much-maligned top prospects in this class.

Arnold Ebiketie, Edge, Penn State. Began his career at Temple before moving on to Happy Valley and exploded with 9.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss in 2021.

Tyler Smith, OT, Tulsa. Could the Eagles be looking for Lane Johnson’s eventual replacement?

SECOND-ROUND OPTIONS

Perrion Winfrey, DT, Oklahoma. The Senior Bowl MVP could be a solid choice should the Eagles go in a different direction in the first round.

George Pickens, WR, Georgia. A first-round talent who might slide a pit after tearing his ACL in 2021.

LATE DAY 2 OPTIONS

DeAngelo Malone, Edge, Western Kentucky. A big producer at WKU with 32.5 sacks. Another hybrid SAM/edge player.

DAY 3 OPTIONS

Jesse Luketa, Edge/SAM, Penn State. Not that the Eagles have seemingly defined the hybrid Edge/SAM role with Haason Reddick. In theory, you need a capable backup, and Luketa could be in the mix to push second-year option Patrick Johnson.

Marcus Jones, CB/KR, Houston. The Eagles have a need for a kickoff/punt returner and Jones can do both very well and could even develop into a solid backup slot corner despite his 5-8 frame.

-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