Getty Former Chargers first-round pick D.J. Fluker celebrates a touchdown with Travis Benjamin and Melvin Gordon.
The Philadelphia Eagles are one of seven NFL franchises to show interest in former first-round pick D.J. Fluker. He participated in Alabama’s Pro Day on March 23, with several teams walking away impressed by both his football physique and agility in drills.
Fluker, the 11th overall pick in 2013, has been working hard on a comeback attempt following rehab from meniscus surgery, combined with self-described mental health issues. He hasn’t seen a professional snap since January 16, 2021 while ballooning to 427 pounds last year.
Now the 32-year-old is back to feeling confident and working hard in the gym. He has shed at least 100 pounds. Fluker could be a valuable depth piece for a contending team like the Eagles, a guy with 96 career starts at right guard and right tackle.
He posted the following motivational message on Instagram:
Comin in this week lighter than last week. For everyone that has been in my corner even when I was struggling this hard work is for you. For everyone that disappeared and talkin that I’m taking steroids and PEDs. Thank you. I take it as a compliment. If I can look like this without it then damn. I have no ceiling. Wait til you see this foot work. What ever QB is behind me will not get touched. LFG!!!!!!!!
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is familiar with Fluker, too. He was an offensive quality control coach in San Diego when the Chargers drafted him in the first round. The 6-foot-5, 342-pounder started 15 games at right tackle in 2013 and earned All-Rookie Team honors. Then, Fluker suffered an ankle injury before inking a one-year deal with the New York Giants. He has also played for the Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, Las Vegas Raiders, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Prior to that, Fluker was a three-time BCS national champion at the University of Alabama.
Eagles Selected Lane Johnson over D.J. Fluker
The Eagles took Lane Johnson with the 4th overall pick in the 2013 draft. It was a move that looked good at the time and only looks better now. Johnson is arguably the best right tackle in football and a likely future Hall of Famer.
But, going back in a time machine, there were some critics who thought the Eagles should have taken D.J. Fluker over Johnson that year. Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks pushed the idea out there in a draft re-do article (h/t Bleeding Green Nation):
“There was nothing shabby about the Eagles’ original pick of Lane Johnson, but Fluker looked even better at right tackle for the Chargers,” Banks wrote in 2014. “Though he struggled in a four-game starting stint at left tackle, Fluker proved to be athletic in his pass-blocking and powerful in run-blocking, logging more than 1,000 snaps for a playoff-qualifying San Diego team that was fortunate to see him fall all the way to No. 11.”
Eagles Looking at Drafting New Offensive Tackle?
The D.J. Fluker news comes on the heels of rumors of the Eagles being interested in drafting an offensive tackle in the first round. Remember, the team lost starting right guard Isaac Seumalo in free agency so taking a plug-and-play starter there — a guy who could shift over to right tackle and eventually replace Lane Johnson — does make sense.
Philly Voice’s Jimmy Kempski threw out the idea of the Eagles taking an offensive tackle at pick No. 10 in a recent mailbag: “I’m beginning to lean toward the Eagles’ first pick being used on an offensive tackle who can also play guard in the short-term.”
Possible picks for them in Round 1? Peter Skoronski (Northwestern) or Paris Johnson Jr. (Ohio State) would be the two best available players on the board.