Could Hollin Pierce be the next undrafted free agent to crack the Eagles' roster?

Pierce, the big offensive tackle from Rutgers, has traits that could make him a good fit for 'Stoutland U.'

By Geoff Mosher
PhillyVoice Staff

Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images

Rutgers Scarlet Knights offensive lineman Hollin Pierce (72) against the Kansas State Wildcats during the Rate Bowl at Chase Field.

An undrafted free agent doesn’t make the Eagles roster every year. Some years, like last season, none make it.

But in three of the past five years, at least one undrafted free agent has either made the initial 53-man roster or found his way onto the active roster at some point in his rookie season.

Those names include T.J. Edwards, Jack Stoll, Josh Jobe, Ben VanSumeren, Josh Sills, Eli Ricks, and Reed Blankenship.

VanSumeren, Ricks and Blankenship are still with the team, with Blankenship being the biggest success story as a Super Bowl-winning starting safety who is poised for an extension this offseason.

Blankenship was one of three undrafted rookies from the 2022 class, along with Sills and Jobe, to make the initial 53-man roster.

This year’s undrafted rookie class will have a tough time competing against a roster that might not be as talented as last year’s but shouldn’t be too far away. The Eagles are deep at some key positions and just finished up a 10-player haul in the NFL Draft.

But if there’s one rookie free agent who could stand above all others, both literally and figuratively, it’s gigantic offensive tackle Hollin Pierce.

There’s no question that the Rutgers product has some desirable traits for offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, especially with Pierce’s staggering 6-foot-8, 344-pound frame and 88 1/4-inch wingspan.

If there’s one kind of offensive lineman that Stoutland covets, it’s a humongous one, and Pierce surely fits the bill.

This year’s draft was especially deep at offensive tackle – eight went in the first 55 picks, and five in the first round – which could explain why a prospect like Pierce didn’t get drafted at all.

Teams that wanted offensive tackles made sure to get them early.

The Eagles, who live to draft offensive linemen, feasted on the position on Day 3 after surprisingly passing on both guards, tackles and centers in the first four rounds. They drafted three offensive linemen with their final five picks.

Reasons that Pierce would be an odds-on favorite to make the initial 53 include his aforementioned size – did we mention the 88 1/4-inch wingspan? – and Stoutland’s track record coaching immense human beings in Pierce's weight neighborhood, such as Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, and last year’s surprise right guard, Mekhi Becton, a 350-pounder who parlayed his Eagles success into a free-agent deal with the Chargers.

But Pierce has other admirable traits that make him moldable for Stoutland, including four years starting at Rutgers, which plays in a Power 5 conference. According to PFF, Pierce committed just four penalties in his entire collegiate career covering more than 3,000 snaps, another appealing trait for a position coach.

Some of his weaknesses can be overcome. He’s not the bendiest, most athletic tackle – I mean, if he were bendy and athletic, he’d probably be a first-round pick – and he can struggle with speed rushers.

But he might actually be more refined and more coachable than Eagles sixth-round pick Cameron Williams, a Texas product who’s also a massive human being (6-6, 317 pounds), but a prospect who some NFL personnel folks I spoke to felt needed some extra motivation, which he’ll surely get at "Stoutland U.”

https://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-news-hollin-pierce-undrated-free-agent-rutgers-jeff-stoutland-offensive-line-nfl/

The most likely path for Pierce is the Practice Squad. Spots available on the 53-man roster are going to be hard to come by … especially in the O-Line.

The five starters are locks. Drew Kendall as the backup Center is almost surely a lock. Trevor Keegan as one OG depth piece takes us to 7

That leaves Brett Toth, Matt Pryor, Kenyon Greene, Darian Kinnard, Kendall Lamm, and the three rookie OTs

I believe Toth and Pryor can go to the Practice Squad as depth. Given Lamm’s neck surgery, let’s say he goes to IR for the purposes of discussion. That makes Kinnard the only backup OT, which takes us to 8 with Greene and the three rookie OTs left. If we kept all four that would be 12 O-Linemen on the 53. I just don’t think that is likely, and of the four, I suspect Pierce is low man on the totem pole.

6 hours ago, mattwill said:

The most likely path for Pierce is the Practice Squad. Spots available on the 53-man roster are going to be hard to come by … especially in the O-Line.

The five starters are locks. Drew Kendall as the backup Center is almost surely a lock. Trevor Keegan as one OG depth piece takes us to 7

That leaves Brett Toth, Matt Pryor, Kenyon Greene, Darian Kinnard, Kendall Lamm, and the three rookie OTs

I believe Toth and Pryor can go to the Practice Squad as depth. Given Lamm’s neck surgery, let’s say he goes to IR for the purposes of discussion. That makes Kinnard the only backup OT, which takes us to 8 with Greene and the three rookie OTs left. If we kept all four that would be 12 O-Linemen on the 53. I just don’t think that is likely, and of the four, I suspect Pierce is low man on the totem pole.

Don't forget Tyler Steen too.

The last 2 years, the Eagles have kept 9 OL on the initial 53. If we go by that, the locks are: Mailata, Dickerson, Jurgens, Johnson and Steen. Like you said, I think Kendall will definitely make it. That leaves 3 spots...I think Steen will serve as the backup LG and LT as I think he struggles on the right side.

Pryor is probably the next guy up as he has experience at multiple positions across the line. That said, it's not a good look when a team struggling for OL help doesn't want you.

Green is the most interesting prospect to see if Stout can help him realize the talent that got him drafted in Round 1 and turn him into a serviceable RG.

The OL competition is certainly going to be interesting. As for the article here, Pierce will most likely be a practice squad guy.

2 hours ago, EaglesAddict said:

Don't forget Tyler Steen too.

The last 2 years, the Eagles have kept 9 OL on the initial 53. If we go by that, the locks are: Mailata, Dickerson, Jurgens, Johnson and Steen. Like you said, I think Kendall will definitely make it. That leaves 3 spots...I think Steen will serve as the backup LG and LT as I think he struggles on the right side.

Pryor is probably the next guy up as he has experience at multiple positions across the line. That said, it's not a good look when a team struggling for OL help doesn't want you.

Green is the most interesting prospect to see if Stout can help him realize the talent that got him drafted in Round 1 and turn him into a serviceable RG.

The OL competition is certainly going to be interesting. As for the article here, Pierce will most likely be a practice squad guy.

Steen is in the 5 Starters group.

1 minute ago, mattwill said:

Steen is in the 5 Starters group.

Gotchya...I don't see him as a starter so I glossed right over that, lol.

27 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

Gotchya...I don't see him as a starter so I glossed right over that, lol.

Who do you see as the starting RG?

4 minutes ago, mattwill said:

Who do you see as the starting RG?

Honestly, I don't know...don't even lean a particular way. I don't see a favorite. Last year I thought it was going to be Steen, but he was beat out rather quickly by Becton. I think Steen struggles on the right side.

It's gonna be a battle between Kendall, Green, Pryor and Keegan.

1 minute ago, EaglesAddict said:

Honestly, I don't know...don't even lean a particular way. I don't see a favorite. Last year I thought it was going to be Steen, but he was beat out rather quickly by Becton. I think Steen struggles on the right side.

It's gonna be a battle between Kendall, Green, Pryor and Keegan.

Steen got injured, which caused Becton to move into the starter role. The quality of Steen’s play didn’t lose him the job.

We have a healthy Steen now.

9 minutes ago, mattwill said:

Steen got injured, which caused Becton to move into the starter role. The quality of Steen’s play didn’t lose him the job.

We have a healthy Steen now.

True starters do not lose their starting job due to injury. They obviously felt Becton's quality of play was better than Steen's.

54 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

True starters do not lose their starting job due to injury. They obviously felt Becton's quality of play was better than Steen's.

True Starters is a highly subjective term. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

With that said Becton was a 1st Round pick and Steen a 3rd Round pick. Becton being a better player was no surprise from a conceptual perspective. However, the position change and having been a free agency signing was a wrinkle.

39 minutes ago, mattwill said:

True Starters is a highly subjective term. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

With that said Becton was a 1st Round pick and Steen a 3rd Round pick. Becton being a better player was no surprise from a conceptual perspective. However, the position change and having been a free agency signing was a wrinkle.

Steen was the anticipated starter, he wasn't actually a "starter" before Becton overtook him. He hasn't been a starter so therefore, going back to my original post to you, I don't count him as "1 of the 5 starters"

In any case, I'm actually looking forward to seeing who comes out as the winner of the RG position...and, you know, becomes a "starter". 😃

With Stoutland you just never know! I’m sure he had a big hand in the decision to bring him in and it sounds like there are traits to work with. Plus OT isn’t exactly a loaded position for us in terms of depth so there’s definitely a chance.

On 5/9/2025 at 10:14 AM, EaglesAddict said:

Steen was the anticipated starter, he wasn't actually a "starter" before Becton overtook him. He hasn't been a starter so therefore, going back to my original post to you, I don't count him as "1 of the 5 starters"

In any case, I'm actually looking forward to seeing who comes out as the winner of the RG position...and, you know, becomes a "starter". 😃

And whoever wins that competition will not impact the number of O-Line players on the 53-man roster at all. That competition from a roster count perspective is a zero sum game.

12 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

With Stoutland you just never know! I’m sure he had a big hand in the decision to bring him in and it sounds like there are traits to work with. Plus OT isn’t exactly a loaded position for us in terms of depth so there’s definitely a chance.

Agreed 100%