We’re less than two weeks away from the start of the 2025 NFL draft, which means we’re about to get more rumors about the futures of draft prospects than we could ever hope or dream of. They’ll mostly end up just being rumors, but some of them might be true.
If you’re looking to think about which ones have some veil of truth, a good spot to start is by seeing which guys have official pre-draft visits to which teams. Each team has 30 of these visits, and so far (as of Monday, April 14th, at 1 pm), the Philadelphia Eagles have used 23 of them.
Some big names have made their way to Philadelphia before the draft
These are the 14 players with a consensus first or second-round draft grade that have visited the Eagles. Something to keep in mind here (this is thinking in the future) is that these pre-draft visits might play a role down the line.
A great example is the 2019 draft class: The Eagles had pre-draft visits with A.J. Brown, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Olamide Zaccheaus, and Parris Campbell. All four of those guys were drafted by other teams but eventually came to Philadelphia for at least a season.
The point is that maybe the Eagles don’t draft these high-profile guys, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the door is shut on their future with the Eagles. It’s just something to keep an eye out for.
Josh Conerly Jr., Offensive Tackle, Oregon
Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. is currently rated the consensus No. 35 draft prospect. That means, in theory, if the Eagles stick at the 32nd pick, there’s an opportunity for them to grab Conerly to be Lane Johnson’s future replacement. In the meantime, he could compete for the starting spot at right guard.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote his draft profile, and he says, “...Conerly is proportionally built but lacks ideal play strength. He strains at the point of attack but needs to get his hips and hands synced to improve as a finisher. He moves easily in space and gets to his angles to help spring the run. Conerly sets with smooth slides and ready hands but gets caught over-setting. He has anchor troubles against power that might be challenging to correct. He sees twists and blitzes developing and recovers with athleticism when beaten. Conerly is young and needs more development, but he should become a good starter at tackle or guard.”
Those aren’t necessarily overwhelming deficiencies in his game, especially when he would be attending Stoutland University for his rookie season.
Maxwell Hairston, Cornerback, Kentucky
Maxwell Hairston is the consensus No. 36 draft prospect. It doesn’t necessarily seem like the Eagles would go with another early cornerback, but the fact that they’re having cornerbacks come into the building might mean that they’re going to grab one at some point in the draft.
That’d be smart because right now, there's a cornerback competition for the spot opposite Quinyon Mitchell between Kelee Ringo, Adoree’ Jackson, and possibly Cooper DeJean (if he doesn’t stay at Nickel).
In Zierlein’s draft profile about Hairston, he says: “Slender outside cornerback with long arms and impressive ball production. Hairston is capable of playing all forms of zone and man coverage. He anticipates well with his eyes forward and has the burst to take the ball away, posting six interceptions (three returned for TDs) over his last 20 games… He will struggle to contest big wideouts and his run support will turn off some teams. Hairston has the athleticism and on-ball talent to become a starter, but he needs to prove he can hold up to the rigors and physicality of the NFL game.”
Donovan Ezeiruaku, Edge, Boston College
Donovan Ezeiruaku is the consensus No. 32 draft prospect, which makes sense because he’s not one of the elite edge rusher prospects in this draft, but he’s still really good. With the Eagles picking at 32, it feels like Ezeiruaku would be a good panic order, and that’s not an indictment on either him or the team.
If the draft falls in a way where all, or most of, the Eagles' first-round graded prospects get picked, going edge rusher at the end of the first round is hardly ever going to be a bad idea. If Ezeiruaku is still on the board, he’d be a good pick.
About Donovan Ezeiruaku, Zierlein says, “Slightly undersized outside linebacker for a 3-4 front with long arms and plus athleticism. Ezeiruaku uses every bit of his length paired with aggression to mitigate size differences at the point of attack. He gets engulfed at times but typically separates from or slips blocks cleanly. He’s quick off the snap, using bend and agility to win at the top of the rush or make stops in the backfield. His hands exploit small advantages to turn them into big ones and he has a variety of ways to challenge protection, though he’s still learning to craft his plans. Ezeiruaku’s play demeanor, skill and athletic talent are the underpinnings of a productive starter with three-down value.”
Yeah, I’d say that’ll do it.
Donovan Jackson, Guard, Ohio State
Donovan Jackson is the consensus No. 37 draft prospect. It’s not uncommon for the Eagles to look at guys who played on National Championship winning teams, and Donovan Jackson is no different.
He was primarily a guard in college, but he can play tackle. Just like with Josh Conerly Jr., any rookie who gets to spend time with Jeff Stoutland is going to grow big-time.
Zierlien says, “He can stick and sustain in-line or on the second level and is a plus finisher. Jackson has the athleticism for all tasks as an outside-zone blocker. He is also able to accelerate and lead the way on long pulls or counters. He leans against stunting/slanting fronts, and he can be tardy in opening his hips and activating his feet for recoveries. He’s long but punches with wider hands and struggles to consistently maintain his edges when mirroring. Overall, Jackson has the measurables, power and movement for any scheme as a starting guard.”
He’s another guy who could take that starting right guard spot as a rookie, and he’d probably need a little less work
Nic Scourton, Edge, Texas A&M
Scourton is the consensus No. 39 draft prospect. It’s abundantly clear with the Eagles' infatuation with higher-end edge rushers in the draft that they’re still looking to add some depth/playmakers to the defensive line.
Zierlien’s draft profile on Scourton says, “Physical edge presence with the potential for creating havoc on all three downs. Scourton can power across the blocker’s face and into gaps but is an average ‘set-and-contain’ run defender. He plays with adequate hustle and range in pursuit and hits runners with heavy pads. He’s an eclectic rusher with a mature rush plan and rarely shows opponents the same look on consecutive plays. He won’t outrace or bulldoze tackles, but he utilizes tempo alterations and a bag full of moves and counters. Teams threw chips and double-teams his way out of concern and respect. Scourton’s size, demeanor and rush talent give him a chance to become a productive three-down starter off the edge.”
It’s hard to complain about an edge rusher who is tenacious and can win in a whole bunch of different ways.
Trey Amos, Cornerback, Ole Miss
Trey Amos is the consensus No. 40 overall draft prospect and a top-ten, maybe even top-five cornerback prospect this year. Again, it wouldn’t be the best use of resources to go after another early-round corner, but it would shore up the position.
His draft profile says, “Long press cornerback who proved he could make the jump from the Sun Belt to the SEC without a hitch. Amos can disrupt the release and plays with good short-area movement in man coverage. He can get a little lost at the top of the route and needs occasional safety nets over the top. He has twitchy feet to close and sees the action clearly from zone but can be hampered by indecisiveness, despite favorable instincts. Amos uses physicality and length to shrink the 50/50 odds in his favor. He can play in multiple coverage but is most consistent in zone. Amos needs to ramp up his run support and trust his eyes in space, but he has the goods to become a solid starting outside corner.”
A cornerback who went from the Sun Belt to the SEC and then played well in the bigger conference? That sounds like the kind of guy that would give Howie Roseman goosebumps.
T.J. Sanders, Defensive Tackle, South Carolina
T.J. Sanders is the consensus No. 61 draft prospect. The Eagles have not replaced Milton Williams yet, and they’ve drafted either an edge rusher or defensive tackle in the first three rounds of every draft for the past four seasons. It wouldn’t necessarily be surprising if Sanders is a guy they target on the second day of the draft.
Zierlein’s draft profile says: “Sanders is a powerful road block with heavy hands and a strong core. He rarely touches the ground. Despite a lack of knee bend, he usually gives better than he gets and blockers have a hard time keeping him sealed. He punches and locks out quickly with a twitchy shed to tackle a gap over. His rush features average first-step quickness, but sudden hand swipes and play-through power in his lower half open pathways to the pocket. Sanders' blend of power and pressure should put him on the board for both odd- and even-front defenses as a potential three-down solution.”
Tyleik Williams, Defensive Tackle, Ohio State
Tyleik Williams is the consensus No. 42 draft prospect. If the Eagles went after him, it would be very telling for what they’re planning on doing with Jordan Davis. Williams is a gigantic (six-feet and three-inches tall and 334 pounds) nose tackle. He’s built to stop the run, and he does it really well.
It’d be kind of crazy for the Eagles to double down on long-term nose tackles, so if they do pick Williams, it means Jordan Davis probably isn’t going to get that fifth-year option or a competitively priced extension.
Zierlein’s draft profile for Tyleik Williams says, “Drain-clogging run defender with violent first contact and nimble feet for impressive tackle production. Williams flashes an ability to play through or around the block. He physically dominates man-on-man matchups but inconsistent pad level and shorter arms hinder his double-team take-ons. He needs to focus on developing his hands to keep longer NFL guards from getting into him and neutralizing his power. Williams should pressure the pocket from time to time but might not win on his own enough to see many third-down reps. The knock-back pop and ability to eat up runners in his general vicinity could help him become an impactful, run-stuffing three-technique.”
Malaki Starks, Safety, Georgia
Malaki Starks is the consensus No. 21 draft prospect. Now that the Eagles have a relatively big roster at safety and they weren’t able to sign Justin Reid in free agency, every safety prospect is super important.
Starks is the highest graded player that the Eagles have met with, and he’s the highest graded safety in the draft, so the Eagles would more than likely have to trade up for him. If he starts to slip, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if we saw the Eagles trade up into the mid to late-20s to grab him.
Starks’ draft profile says, “Three-year starter with reams of high-leverage games on his résumé. Starks is a versatile safety with the size and athleticism to eliminate contested catches and the speed and ball skills to shine when the action travels deep. Connection to the route is inconsistent in man and he’s baited out of position by misdirection, but better discipline and anticipation should clean that up. He’s not a true force player near the line and his pursuit angles can be raggedy but he gets guys down when he’s in position. Starks has feast-or-famine moments on tape and disappointed with his short-area testing at the NFL Scouting Combine. He ran well in Indianapolis, though, and was impressive in interviews with teams. He is a future starter as a movable back-end piece whose consistency will determine his floor/ceiling.”
Howie Roseman has never drafted a safety in the first round. So, having to trade up for one when he has the option to trade back or sit and draft players at other positions makes it seem pretty unlikely that he’d make this move — but who knows? Howie SZN has looked over the last couple of years. Maybe he throws a curve ball made to make us all look like idiots.