Casey Toohill Could be Eagles Sleeper Pick

Philly's seventh-round pick has the traits that could lead to success in the NFL

There is something called the pendulum theory in politics.

Too far left and the country will swing back and vice versa when things tip in the other direction. In the NFL draft, the pendulum swung from the far right of college production for the Eagles - think Donnel Pumphrey or J.J. Arcega-Whiteside - to the extreme left of trait-based athleticism.

According to the NextGenStats, Howie Rosman and Andy Weidl prioritized athleticism more than anyone else in the league with each of their first four picks scoring 80-plus by its NGS athleticism score.

The entire Eagles draft class averaged an NFL-best 85 athleticism score, excluding the two offensive linemen taken.

The last selection by Philadelphia over the three-day process was the most physically gifted of all. Stanford edge rusher Casey Toohill, who was selected 233rd overall, earned a max athleticism score of 99 per NGS.

At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds Toohill is regarded as a tweener by a number of NFL scouts, a little too light to hold the edge in run support against top-tier offensive tackle and a little too big to be chasing running backs and flex tight ends in the modern spread-and-shred passing game.

That’s the bad news. 

The good news is that Toohill is so athletic that when he hits camp and focuses on one aspect, he’s got all the physical tools in the world to accomplish it. More so as evidenced by the university on his resume and his introductory video conference call with the media after being selected, the San Diego native has all the smarts he needs.

“I think you're going to get an athletic, versatile player that will give it his all every play,"said Toohil when asked what kind of player the Eagles were getting. "I just want to just come in, work hard, and be relentless. I think whether or not fans have watched me, I just want to come in and learn and help the team win in any way possible.”

As far as the position that’s already been decided with Jim Schwartz looking at Toohill as an edge rusher just the latest undersized project in Philadelphia alongside Joe Ostman, a fast-rising player derailed by a torn ACL last season, and Genard Avery, an in-season trade pickup from Cleveland last season who has plenty of athleticism is his own right but not the length Toohill possesses.

“He's a high-motor defensive end,” said Weidl, the Eagles VP of player personnel, said. “And the thing that jumps off is his effort on tape. His ability in the pass rush, to win, to get home, and in the run game, his pursuit to the ball and his effort. Just a high-motor guy.”

Unlike some of the others in the draft class, Toohill also married his athletic traits with high-level production on the field, earning All-Pac-12 second-team honors after starting all 12 games and totaling 60 tackles (third on the team), 11.5 TFLs (tops on the team) and eight sacks, also a team-high.

Another piece of the puzzle as far as the Eagles were concerned was Toohill's high character. He was one of 12 finalists for the William V. Campbell Trophy last season, which recognizes the top college football player for his combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance

“In terms of community service, I think homelessness is an area that's pretty interesting to me,” said Toohill. “For the Combine, I was able to pair with an organization where I had people pledge a certain amount of money to every inch that I vertically leaped for a homeless shelter called Hospitality House in the Tenderloin area in San Francisco.”

Toohill’s transition from west coast kid to the Type-A east coast also figures to be eased a bit by former Cardinal teammates Arcega-Whiteside and Nate Herbig, who beat Toohill to the Eagles by a year. Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz remains very invested in the Stanford community as well and already knows Toohill.

“I think one of the things about Stanford that's so unique is just that brotherhood that's just like nowhere else,” said Toohill. “So just to have those people that – J.J. and Nate, I played with – J.J. was in my class, one of my good friends. So, I'm excited to see him again and excited to learn from Zach.

“So just kind of having that foundation built-in for when I get there is definitely (is) very comforting,”

When you’re talking about traits - athleticism, coupled with intelligence and character, isn’t a bad start.

“Plays with Eagle wiring and Eagle mentality. Great kid, too,” said Weidl. “He's someone we're proud of and excited to bring in here, and for everybody to get to know and watch him perform.”

John McMullen covers the Eagles for SI.com and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every day on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, Every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio, and every weekday on ESPN 97.3 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen