Eagles Looking for ‘Tough Guys’ & ‘Dynamic Playmakers’ in NFL Draft

Breshad Perriman Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em WRs Week 16

Getty Breshad Perriman of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Eagles stand at a crossroads on their quest for a second Lombardi. GM Howie Roseman called it a “retool” and predicted a three-year window.

That quest for another championship begins, in earnest, on March 18 when free agency opens up. It will hit a crescendo on April 23 when the Eagles decide what to do with their 10 draft picks.

Trade up for Jerry Jeudy or Henry Ruggs? Or stay put and take Justin Jefferson?

Roseman has hinted at being aggressive throughout the process. But the person pulling the trigger on these decisions may be new vice-president of player personnel Andy Weidl.

Weidl is entering his fifth season in Philadelphia but this will mark his first year in charge of the personnel department. It’s his job to set the draft board and oversee free-agent evaluations, the same role Joe Douglas held for the Eagles before he left to become Jets GM. Weidl has an unenviable task ahead of him.

What goes into Weidl’s thinking? How does he handle scouting and evaluation? His former boss tried to peel back the curtain in a recent interview with The Athletic. Biggest takeaway: he wants “tough guys” and “dynamic playmakers.”

“Andy is as consistent of an evaluator as you’ll find,” said Douglas, who hired Weidl in Philadelphia in 2016 and worked with him in Baltimore. “He’s looking for tough guys. He’s looking for guys that are dynamic playmakers, explosive playmakers. He’s one of the best evaluators in the NFL.”

What that says of the current makeup on the Eagles’ roster is open to interpretation. It certainly hints at the team needing a few more guys willing to take that extra hit and crank into that extra gear.


ESPN Insider Hypes Up CeeDee Lamb to Eagles

Everyone wants to know what the Eagles are going to do in April’s draft. And everyone has an opinion on it. Names like Tee Higgins and Laviska Shenault and Justin Jefferson keep gaining traction for them at pick No. 21.

Of course, there is also a growing theory that the Eagles may trade up for one of the so-called “Top 3 Receivers.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter dropped an interesting nugget on Wednesday morning when he told 97.5 The Fanatic that Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb would “look good in midnight green.” Lamb really impressed Schefter at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Schefter seemed less sold on the Eagles possibly trading up to grab Alabama speedster Henry Ruggs III. Remember, this was all speculation and he was answering hypothetical questions.


Philly Interested in Signing Breshad Perriman?

Another rumor that keeps going around is the Eagles signing Breshad Perriman. The 26-year-old is a free agent who can absolutely pop the top off a defense.

Perriman, who ran a 4.24 40-yard dash at the 2015 Combine, finished fourth last year in yards-per-reception (17.9) as a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has hauled in 95 catches for 1,561 yards and 11 touchdowns in four NFL seasons.

Perriman doesn’t have a lot of tread on the tires — 10 starts and 51 games played — and could be had relatively cheap. The former first-round pick could be looking at a four-year deal worth around $48 million, or maybe a shorter incentive-laden deal for two years and $15 million.

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