Early Eagles Top-30 Visits Have Familiar Tint

The first reported pre-draft visits for the Eagles will be offensive and defensive linemen

When it comes to building a roster, the Eagles are one of the more predictable teams in the NFL.

The reigning NFC champs believe in what they believe in, and general manager Howie Roseman is honest about it if you take the time to listen to him.

“You know, I'm always going to go [offensive line], [defensive line]. That's how we roll,” Roseman said after taking Cam Jurgens in the second round last April. “That's how we build this thing."

Reports from The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler and independent draft analyst Jared Tokarz have identified three of the Eagles’ scheduled top-30 visits over the previous few days and they are all either offensive or defensive linemen.

Ohio State bookend tackles Paris Johnson and Dawand Jones, as well as Western Kentucky defensive tackle Brodric Martin, are set to visit the NovaCare Complex before the draft.

Johnson is a top-tier player expected to go in the top half of the first round, meaning he’d only be in the conversation for the Eagles at No. 10 overall where the perception is that Philadelphia is more likely to go cornerback or edge rusher: two higher-priority positions.

Johnson, meanwhile, is projected by most as a left tackle but before he played there he was a right guard so there is some versatility.

While the Eagles are set for the foreseeable future with the 25-year-old Jordan Mailata at LT, current RG Isaac Seumalo is scheduled to be a free agent and could be on the verge of a significant deal that Philadelphia would be unlikely to match.

Perhaps the more interesting name is the Buckeyes’ RT, Dawand Jones, a massive 6-foot-8, 375-pound player who could be a classic luxury pick in the second or third rounds as Jurgens was last season as the potential heir apparent to All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson.

Set to turn 33 in May, Johnson has started talking about his post-football path and mentioned perhaps playing two more years to reports late last season. A torn adductor muscle that Johnson suffered and played with through the postseason was taken care of with surgery after Super Bowl LVII as well.

That wear and tear is surely weighing on Johnson and the Eagles need to be proactive when it comes to finding the future at the position.

As for Martin, he’s in the mold of Jordan Davis size-wise at 6-5 and 330 pounds and the Eagles are likely going to be losing a significant portion of their DT rotation with Javon Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, Linval Joseph, and Ndamukong Suh all pending free agents.

New defensive coordinator Sean Desai is expected to keep the multiple defensive fronts Jonathan Gannon favored and that means Philadelphia would need multiple run-stuffers for early downs, and Martin could factor in as a Day 3 pick if Roseman can add back some selections between the third and seventh rounds.

-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