Eagles Turn To Toledo Again, This Time For Undrafted Free Agents

Rookie minicamp opens this weekend for the Philadelphia Eagles, and they have a few players from the school that produced Quinyon Mitchell, who are expected to attend.

Sep 17, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Caden Curry (92) goes up against Toledo Rockets safety Maxen Hook (25) and Toledo Rockets cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (27) during a college football game at Ohio Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barbara Perenic-Imagn Images | Columbus Dispatch-Imagn Images

Darius Alexander was one of the Eagles’ top 30 visits during the pre-draft process, so that, along with some other factors, made it a real possibility that Philadelphia would select the Toledo defensive tackle in last weekend’s NFL Draft.

They had the chance but took safety Drew Mukuba with the last selection of the second round. The New York Giants grabbed Alexander with the first pick of the third round.

The Eagles won’t be bereft of Toledo prospects, however, when the team opens rookie minicamp on Friday. The school that produced last year’s first-round pick, Quinyon Mitchell, reportedly will have three players invited from the Ohio-based school on hand this weekend as undrafted free agents.

They are safety Maxen Hook, linebacker Lance Dixon, and running back Jacquez Stuart. There could be a pathway to a roster spot in special teams for possibly one of them.

The Toledo connection makes some sense because Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and the Rockets’ head coach, Jason Candle, were roommates during their time together at Mt. Union and are close friends.

NFL Media predicted Hook would go in the fifth round. That didn’t happen, but he could be a player to watch in an attempt to make the teams as an UDFA.

First, Hook roomed with Mitchell while they were at Toledo. Second, he has good size at 6-0, 202 pounds. Third, he could be a special-teams contributor right away.

“He plays the game with passion and will be an instant contributor on special teams,” was the scouting report from NFL Media. “Hook could develop into a solid backup with the flexibility to play interchangeably at safety.”

Hook was a three-time, first-team All-MAC player. He was a two-time team captain. Last year in 12 starts, he led the Rockets in tackles with 107 with two interceptions.

Dixon could also earn a role on special teams. The linebacker is 6-2, 233 pounds and was USA Today’s Michigan Player of the Year in high school. Toledo was his final stop after beginning his career at Penn State, where he played 12 games in his first two seasons before transferring to West Virginia. At WVU, he played in 19 games over three seasons. He made just two starts and 46 tackles for Toledo last year.

Stuart is just 5-9, 175 pounds, but could be gven an opportunity to be a return man. He was a first-Team All-MAC kickoff returner for the second straight season, averaging 32.7 yards per return on 14 attempts which would have led the country if he had enough attempts to qualify.

He had a kickoff return 98 yards against Massachusetts and three career kickoff returns for a touchdown,

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