Draft Nuggets

Posted:April 22nd, 2025 |Author:Tommy Lawlor

As the draft draws closer, we are getting bombarded with information. Some is useful, some isn’t. It is always fun to try to figure out what is good intel and what is just noise or something put out by someone with an agenda. Agents and college coaches are pumping up their players. The higher those players go, the better the agents and coaches look.

Let’s look at some things that caught my eye.

Here is your hot rumor from Monday.

Tony Pauline says that UCLA edge rusher Femi Oladejo could sneak into the end of the first round. He mentions the Niners as liking him and the Eagles also being a possibility. Most draft analysts and sites have Oladejo rated as a second or third round prospect. This could be Oladejo’s agent leaking something to Tony to drum up interest. It could also be Tony catching wind of a player that teams like more than the media and analysts.

Oladejo makes sense for the Eagles. He is a former ILB who moved to edge rusher. He is 6-3, 261 and a good athlete. Oladejo had 4.5 sacks and 13.5 TFLs last season, showing good playmaking ability. He reminds me of Jalyx Hunt, in terms of size and having a different background. Oladejo wasn’t at a small school, but he’s still new to playing on the edge.

I was impressed by him at the Senior Bowl. While I say he fits the Eagles, 32 would be rich for my taste. If they got him at 64, I’d be happy. At the very least, trade back from 32. I don’t think he’s likely to be picked there, but the rumor was too good not to mention.

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Adam Schefter had a nugget on the Eagles.

Speaking of trades, no team is in a better position to make them this week than the Eagles. They own 20 selections over the next two drafts — more than the actual number of players who can make their team. Therefore, they have added bargaining power should they try to trade for available veterans — a certain possibility during the draft — or if they decide in a less-likely scenario that they want to move up.

Moving up is what they’ve consistently done in the past. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman traded up in 2019 to get offensive tackle Andre Dillard, in 2021 to get wide receiver DeVonta Smith, in 2022 to get defensive lineman Jordan Davis and in 2023 to get Jalen Carter, Davis’ college teammate. With the added pick firepower, Philadelphia is armed to make more trades, but deals for veterans instead of moving up in Round 1 are considered more likely.

Nothing groundbreaking to be sure. More common knowledge than anything else, but Adam is so connected that it made sense to share this.

If the Eagles make a deal, it won’t be for a star. The Eagles don’t want to spend big money. They might add a veteran who could help a weak spot, but wouldn’t cost a lot. TE Michael Mayer makes the most sense. He’s still under contract for a couple of years and is the kind of complete TE the Eagles could use to replace Dallas Goedert. This is purely speculation.

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The Eagles have shown interest in some OT prospects. Here are a couple of nuggets on guys who could be of interest.

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Simmons got hurt during the season. He is an excellent prospect. If completely healthy, he would be in the mix to be the top OT. The knee injury has lowered his value. He is still in the mix to be a first round pick. If his medicals are good (as noted above), he could be a Top 20 pick. If Simmons is on the board at 32, the Eagles might take a chance on him. I like Simmons quite a bit.

One of the biggest OT prospects is Aireontae Ersery from Minnesota. Most people have him rated as a second round prospect. Mike Mayock was on Rich Eisen’s show and mentioned that he’s heard there are character issues that will affect his value.

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Howie Roseman rewarded another draft pick.

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I don’t know why Howie keeps giving out these deals. Jerry Jones has shown that you can wait til the last possible moment and only have to overpay by $10M a year. When is Howie going to learn?

It looks like the offense will probably be good for a few more years.

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The Eagles should be a top flight team for a few more years.

http://igglesblitz.com/2025/04/draft-nuggets/

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4 hours ago, time2rock said:

I don’t know why Howie keeps giving out these deals. Jerry Jones has shown that you can wait til the last possible moment and only have to overpay by $10M a year. When is Howie going to learn?

TTR - are you kidding? This is a core principle in the Eagles playbook - reward your top players, do it early. No muss, no fuss, and no drama. BTW - I don't thinkn Howie overpaid Jurgens at all, not many better centers than him. Humphrey gets paid more and when Linderbaum;s deal with the Ravens comes due he'll get more than Cam.

23 minutes ago, Rob331 said:

TTR - are you kidding? This is a core principle in the Eagles playbook - reward your top players, do it early. No muss, no fuss, and no drama. BTW - I don't thinkn Howie overpaid Jurgens at all, not many better centers than him. Humphrey gets paid more and when Linderbaum;s deal with the Ravens comes due he'll get more than Cam.

Not my comment … that was in the article by Lawlor. And Tommy has a knack for being sarcastic.