Getty Former Utah WR Britain Covey was signed by the Eagles as an undrafted rookie free agent.
Britain Covey might be the most interesting undrafted rookie free agent in recent memory. Scouting reports have praised his “scrappiness and talent as a return man” and “reliability as a slot receiver.” If true, the Philadelphia Eagles could sure use both of those things.
Covey even caught the attention of Eagles’ play-by-play man Merrill Reese who called the former Utah standout “absolutely electric.” Reese used to flip on his college games just to watch him return punts and kickoffs. This kid has quite the hype train rolling down the tracks despite not playing a single down in the NFL, including an entire love letter devoted to his greatness.
There’s something special going on in Philly 👀 @Eagles !! #FlyEaglesFly
Utah reporter Bryce Brown called Covey the NFL’s version of Ted Lasso – a reference to the Emmy-award winning show on Apple TV – in an emotionally-charged piece describing everything from his “sneaky athleticism” to his missionary work in Chile. Covey sounds like the real deal.
“Covey stands somewhere between 5’8” and 5’9” depending on how much an inch truly matters to you, and carries every last one of his 170 pounds with pride and not much else,” Brown wrote. “What his big, charming smile and good natured demeanor make it even harder to see is that tied into every pound of muscle on his body was some kind of mutant super twitch fiber that gave Britain elite acceleration and the ability to seemingly disappear in front of tacklers.”
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Carson Strong Named Top UDFA by PFF
Carson Strong has a real shot to make the Eagles’ roster after being signed as an undrafted rookie free agent. Pro Football Focus ranked the former Nevada quarterback as No. 1 in a list of the “100 Best Available UDFAs.”
“No quarterback in this top 100 shouldered a bigger load as a passer,” PFF wrote. “Strong had a six-game stretch toward the end of the 2021 season where he dropped back to pass over 50 times in every game. Still, he finished with a career-high 89.9 passing grade this past season.”
Eagles have signed twelve undrafted free agents.
The Eagles signed seven rookies originally listed in a pre-draft list of PFF’s Top 311 players. Three guys – QB Carson Strong (Nevada), CB Josh Jobe (Alabama), DT Noah Elliss (Idaho) – were ranked in the Top 20. In addition to inking 12 undrafted rookies, the Eagles invited 19 tryout players to rookie minicamp:
- RB Jerry Howard, Towson
- RB Robert Washington, Valparaiso
- WR Tariq Bitson, Tarleton State
- WR Melvin Rouse, Yale
- WR Keric Wheatfall, Fresno State
- WR Gavin Garner, Northwestern Oklahoma State
- WR Bryce Singleton, Florida International
- WR Juwan Green, Albany
- TE John Harrar, Penn State
- LB Damani Staley, South Carolina
- LB Jordan Hill, Harvard
- LB Tuzar Skipper, Toledo
- DB Jordan Happle, Oregon
- DB Jaylan Foster, South Carolina
- DB Omar Hicks Onu, Montana
- DB Tobias Oliver, Georgia Tech
- DB Jacob Springer, Mississippi
- DB Delan Stallworth, Princeton
- DB Carlins Platel, South Carolina
Nick Sirianni Not Picking Any Favorites
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni was asked to pick out a few players who stood out at the first day of rookie minicamp. He wasn’t taking the bait, preferring to express excitement over everyone on the field.
“I’m just happy that we’re all in there together working again. I’m not going to get into who I thought stood out,” Sirianni told reporters on Friday. “We’re excited about every guy that’s here. No matter if it’s a first-round draft pick, second-round draft pick, third-round draft pick, free agent, tryout guys.
“We are excited to get our eyes on these guys and watch them. That’s the first day and they have another day coming up tomorrow and we just look forward to continuing to evaluate them.”
“These guys really are working to connect at this time.” – Coach Sirianni