Eagles Draft Preview: The Off-Ball LBs - Options for Philly's 'Weakest' Spot
PHILADELPHIA - On paper, off-ball linebacker is the weakest position for the Philadelphia Eagles entering the draft.
The Eagles lost 2,136 defensive snaps in free agency when T.J. Edwards returned home to the Chicago Bears, and Kyzir White followed Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis to the Arizona Cardinals.
What was left at off-ball linebacker for Sean Desai, the new defensive coordinator replacing Gannon, and D.J. Eliot, Rallis' successor as the position coach, is a combined 82 reps in mop-up duty between Nakobe Dean (47), Christian Elliss (33), and Shaun Bradley (two).
The most experienced player in the room now is prove-it signing Nicholas Morrow, who started all 17 games and was on the field for 1,086 snaps on a bad Chicago Bears defense last season.
If the Eagles had to play tomorrow and luckily they don’t, it would be Dean and Morrow penciled in as the starters.
If you want some optimism Dean has great promise and both players have Mike/Will versatility so they could essentially be interchangeable parts for Desai but what’s really needed here is a significant upgrade.
In-house Elliss really showed something when getting an opportunity on special teams last season while Davion Taylor is still around and has a history with Eliot dating back to their time together at Colorado. Bradley, meanwhile, seems to be penciled in as a core special teamer.
While undoubtedly one of the better organizations in the NFL when it comes to decision-making one valid criticism you can level against Philadelphia is overdoing it when it comes to the devaluation of this position.
Edwards was a very good player last season and didn’t break the bank with the Bears, getting three years and $19.5 million, less than the independent contract valuations from Overthecap.com, Spotrac.com, and Pro Football Focus yet the Eagles deemed it too much. White, meanwhile, was competent and got two years from the Cards.
Re-setting and assuming the same level of play is specious because it’s been more misses than hits with the Band-Aid approach over recent seasons with players like L.J. Fort, Paul Worrilow, Corey Nelson, and Eric Wilson turning into footnotes and others who overachieve like Alex Singleton, along with Edwards and White last season, are thrown into the recycle bin.
It’s been a damaging cycle and perhaps the most glaring blind spot for the organization.
DRAFT DAY BOTTOM LINE: Significant help is obviously needed but it’s not a great class at off-ball linebacker. Couple with that with no sense of urgency and a general malaise about the position as a whole from the Eagles and any optimism tends to drain.
EAGLES OFF-BALL LINEBACKER DEPTH CHART:
Mike - Nakobe Dean; Christian Elliss
Will - Nicholas Morrow; Shaun Bradley; Davion Taylor
EAGLES TODAY TOP 10 (we asked three former NFL scouts for their top 10 at the position and came up with a cumulative list):
1. Drew Sanders, Arkansas
2. Jack Campbell, Iowa
3. Trenton Simpson, Clemson
4. Nick Herbig, Wisconsin
5. Daiyan Henley, Washington State
6. Dorian Williams, Tulane
7. Henry To’oTo’o, Alabama
8. Demarvion Overshown, Texas
9. Yasir Abdullah, Louisville
10. Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati
Sleeper - Aubrey Miller Jr., Jackson State
Boom-or-Bust - Nick Herbig, Wisconsin
BUILDING THE PERFECT OFF-BALL LINEBACKER
Instincts - Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati - Pace is like a poor man’s Nakobe Dean. He’s short like Dean with a little more weight and you won’t see many false steps finding the football. He’s got a natural feel for the game.
Two-down run support - Ventrell Miller, Florida - Miller’s not athletic enough to be a three-down LB in the modern game but he’s old school when coming downhill and packs a wallop.
Pass coverage - Henry To’oTo’o - To’oTo’o has a natural feel for zone coverage that’s typically lacking even for the best athletes.
Tacking - Jack Campbell, Iowa - If Campbell is in position, he’s wrapping up.
Green dot - Jack Campbell, Iowa - Campbell has everything you need from a communication aspect but he needs to prove he can stay on the field in obvious passing situations.
PRE-DRAFT PROCESS NOTES:
- While hardly a definitive list, I’ve been able to uncover over 40 prospects the Eagles have kicked the tires on and it includes exactly one off-ball linebacker in Cincinnati’s Ivan Pace Jr., who got some virtual face time. Pace is under 6-foot but instinctive and projects as a Day 3 pick but earlier than the Eagles could secure with their two seventh-round picks meaning Roseman would have to maneuver to get him.
EAGLES POTENTIAL PICKS:
Day 1 - None
-Sometimes I get the feeling the Eagles want to fast forward to the positionless player evolution it looks like we’re headed to in the NFL.
Day 2 - Jack Campbell, Iowa; 7. Henry To’Oto’o, Alabama
-I only put Campbell in here because he’s got some size and the Eagles desperately need that right now in their projected back seven. To’oTo’o is the three-down, undersized template that would be an immediate upgrade over Morrow.
Day 3 - Ivan Pace Jr., Cincinnati
-It would be interesting to see Pace lining up next to Dean when the lengthy tight ends arrive.
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-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 "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
