Getty Prince Tega Wanogho could wind up being the biggest steal of the 2020 NFL Draft and a future left tackle for the Eagles.
The Eagles made 10 exciting selections in April’s draft. The first one to sign his rookie deal was the Nigerian prince.
Prince Tega Wanogho, a sixth-round pick out of Auburn, agreed to terms on Tuesday with Philadelphia. It’s a four-year rookie deal reportedly worth $3.4 million, with a signing bonus of almost $150,000, per Spotrac.
The announcement comes on the heels of a raging debate about what the team might do at left tackle. Second-year player Andre Dillard is the front-runner to start on the blindside but the Eagles have been in talks to bring Jason Peters back.
Meanwhile, Wanogho is an intriguing left tackle prospect who started 32 games at Auburn. He saw his draft stock plummet due to a right knee injury and minor scope procedure that forced him to miss both his Pro Day and the NFL Scouting Combine. The 22-year-old had been considered a higher-round pick, maybe even a future franchise left tackle, prior to the injury.
“I’m not going to lie. It was frustrating,” Wanagho told reporters on draft day. “For my knee, just getting there, just rehabbing, trying to get back to 100 percent. I could say I’m alright now. I’m about 90 to 95 percent, so just a work in progress and just trying to get better and get back to 100 percent.”
Roster Move: #Eagles have signed T Prince Tega Wanogho.
The Eagles have nine more draft picks to officially sign to rookie contracts, including first-rounder Jalen Reagor and second-rounder Jalen Hurts. The remaining players are Davion Taylor, Jack Driscoll, K’Von Wallace, John Hightower, Shaun Bradley, Quez Watkins and Casey Toohill.
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Eagles’ Hightower Determined to Prove Critics Wrong
One of the best ways to learn about the Eagles’ newcomers is by following them on Twitter. Looking at his timeline, John Hightower is in the early running for rookie of the year. The Boise State speedster went viral on draft day when he shared an NSFW moment with his grandmother. He has since posted highlight-reel catches and teased his jersey number before it became official.
Hightower has also taken multiple shots at the scouting reports that criticized his ability to make contested catches and failure to properly track deep balls. The 6-foot-2 receiver seems to be recording names, with the intention of proving them wrong. On Monday, he used the hashtag “NotMadJustMotivated” as he quoted commentary from Sports Illustrated.
“Despite having the speed to consistently create separation, Hightower doesn’t track the deep ball particularly well either and isn’t a good enough route-runner to beat tight coverage consistently” -SI.com #MotivationMonday #MM #NotMadJustMotivated #FlyEaglesFly
He did the same thing to an NFL.com report questioning him.
“Poor contested catch ability”
– @NFL .com
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😴 #MotivationMonday
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Peep Cheerleaders reactions 😱🤣
Hightower was the 200th overall pick after getting selected in the fifth round. Despite saying all the right things, the youngster clearly felt slighted and may use it as motivation all year long in Philadelphia.
“As far as rankings and all that, I was never a guy that paid attention to that,” Hightower said on draft day. “I’m just thankful for the opportunity. I just need to get my foot in the door, prove what I can do, and from there I’ve always been successful.”
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