With college football barreling towards its halfway point, and two teams (shout-out Miami, Fla. and Indiana) already reaching bowl eligibility, it’s as good a time as any to write thousands and thousands of words on players who the Philadelphia Eagles might not even be scouting!
BGN’s Ben Natan has been keeping you abreast of prospects to watch every week, so some of these names may already be familiar to you, but it never hurts to talk again about all of the future Pro Bowlers that Howie Roseman is going to draft in 2025.
First up, here are what I see as the needs for the Birds if the draft were to happen this weekend.
Team Needs
DE/EDGE
OT
CB
ILB
RB
DT
S
TE
Next, here are the first three (of seven total) picks that the Eagles are projected to have. I will have a second post later this week (???) that discusses the fourth and fifth round picks that Philadelphia has and players who might be good fits in that range.
Projected Draft Picks (as of Oct. 7 on Tankathon)
1st round; No. 15 (PHI)
2nd round; No. 48 (PHI)
3rd round; No. 79 (worse of PHI or MIA)
Potential 1st/2nd/3rd Players (heights/weights from school websites)
Defensive end/Edge rusher
Abdul Carter, Penn State, junior, 6-foot-3, 252 pounds: the Philadelphia native would, I’m assuming, love to be drafted by his hometown team so all of his friends and family can watch him play. Carter is tracking towards having a career-year for the Nittany Lions this year, despite opposing offenses keying in on stopping him AND him changing positions. In five games this season, Carter has 22 tackles (14 solo), three sacks, one forced fumble, and two passes defended. An athletic freak, Carter has been improving his pass rushing technique with each passing week and could easily be a first round pick.
Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter vs. UCLA
The transition to DE is slowly starting to come together. Generated plenty of pressure. Also playing some stacked LB. pic.twitter.com/zVAyXEj2h8
— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) October 7, 2024
Nic Scourton, Texas A&M, junior, 6-foot-4, 285 pounds: with his impressive size, Scourton could be a versatile piece in the Eagles front seven. He can set the edge on running plays while also being quick enough to rush the passer from the interior on third downs. After two seasons at Purdue, Scourton transferred to A&M and has 17 tackles (13 solo), 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and two passes defended in five games.
Offensive tackle
Emery Jones, Jr., LSU, junior, 6-foot-6, 315 pounds: Jones has started 29 games (31 appearances) at LSU and was named to the 2022 Freshman All-SEC team as well as the 2023 Second Team All-SEC. The Tigers were also a finalist for the 2023 Joe Moore Award, given to the best offensive line in the country annually. Everything I’ve read about him says he’s a smart, strong dude and I think that’s exactly what you want out of an offensive tackle prospect.
Shavon Revel, Jr., ECU, senior, 6-foot-3, 193 pounds: the fast-rising prospect tore his ACL on Sept. 20 in practice and will miss the rest of the season. I still think he’s worth a look early in the draft and so does ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid who tweeted “if you’re looking for this year’s Quinyon Mitchell, [Revel’s] a worthy candidate.” In three games this year, Revel had eight tackles (four solo), 0.5 TFL, four passes defended, and two interceptions. He has top-tier length for a defensive back and he embraces the physical aspect of the position, both in jamming wideouts at the line and in making tackles.
Photo by Ric Tapia/Getty Images
Cornerback
Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon, redshirt senior, 5-foot-10, 185 pounds: the well traveled Muhammad (previously of Oklahoma State and Washington) is having another great season, but this time for the Ducks. He has 15 tackles (seven solo), 0.5 TFL, and six passes defended in five games. Muhammad has superior instincts and ball skills which will serve him well at the next level. He’s a bit undersized and could be utilized as a nickelback in the NFL. His primetime matchup coming up on Saturday against Ohio State’s freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith is appointment viewing in my humble opinion.
Inside linebacker
Jay Higgins, Iowa, redshirt senior, 6-foot-2, 232 pounds: this man is a legitimate tackling machine. In his first season as a full-time starter in 2023, Higgins recorded 171 total tackles in 14 games. He’s averaging just under 10 tackles per game this season (48 in five games) and has forced two fumbles, picked off two passes, and notched a sack. This past week Higgins had 14 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery against Ohio State. He won’t go in the first round, but he might end up returning first round results.
