March 10, 2020   5 MIN READ

Ask ITB: Hamler or Jefferson Best Fit for Birds?

by

Each week, we’ll take your Eagles and NFL questions from our #AskITB feed on twitter and address them right here:

Question from @WLW_MRL : “So what’s with the (LSU WR) Justin Jefferson disrespect among the fan base? You’d think the number 1 receiver on the nations best team would get some love.”

Adam Caplan: We happened to discuss Jefferson’s scouting report on Monday’s show, so make sure you take listen. The word in scouting circles is he’s more of a 1-A WR than a true #1, so if you draft him, you have to understand what he is as a player. He’s definitely a starter, but how you use him is in question (slot or outside). The team that drafts him will want to have speed on the field opposite him because Jefferson is not a burner. He’s going to be good with RAC yards, but you’re not going to ask him to run deeper route often. He’s a very good player who should go off the board from mid-to-late first round to early second round (20s-40s). There are only two true speed WRs in this draft: K.J. Hamler (Penn St) or Henry Ruggs III (Alabama), and Ruggs won’t make it close to where the Eagles or any team picking in the 20s is selecting.

Question from @cbrice131: “I’ll keep it short and simple! Is it officially too many chefs in the kitchen?

I love all the different ideas and I’m excited because (QB Michael) Vick had a resurgence with (Senior Offensive Consultant) Marty (Mornhinweg) but isn’t this a little overkill how will EVERYONES ideas be heard?”

Adam Caplan: Our first thought was, “how many coaches do they need?”

But because Mornhinweg will be a consultant, he won’t be in the building as much as the every day coaches.

And keep in mind he and Eagles HC Doug Pederson have a relationship that goes back several years, so they’re more than familar with each other.

It’s not a big deal, but it’s worth noting that Pederson has four new offensive coaches (five new coaches overall) and at least five others have new titles, so we may see some subtle scheme changes (not very noticeable, but new ideas from coaches) going forward.

You can hear more on Mornhinweg’s addition and other subjects on the latest Inside the Birds:

https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-book-on-andre-dillard/id1468542488?i=1000467871081"">

Question from @Cranej311: “With (LT Jason) Peters (potentially) not re-signing with the eagles. Do you re-sign big V (Halapoulivaati Vaitai) to fill in as swing tackle if (2nd-year LT Andre) Dillard doesn’t pan out? His $$ seems reasonable for his skills.”

Adam Caplan: As we first reported recently, Big V will be signing elsewhere to play RT, so the Eagles will need another swing tackle. We actually discussed this subject on Monday’s ITB.

Peters was on record saying he’s not going anywhere to be a backup, so we don’t see him coming to the Eagles unless he starts.

Third-year OT Jordan Mailata is recovered from his back injury, we’re told, so he figures to get a shot to be the backup RT/LT this season, but we do expect them to add at least one veteran OL with some versatility.

Question from @outtenbucks: “Seeing as San Fran (49ers) has a star fullback (Kyle Juszczyk) and Denver (Broncos Andy Janovich) had a FB sign an extension while Scangarello was with the team, what are the odds the Eagles find a FB —or at least a move-TE like Cincinnati’s Josiah Deguara— this off-season?”

Adam Caplan: Keep in mind that Scangarello inherited Janovich when he joined the Broncos last season, but you make a good point that he also worked with Juszczyk with the 49ers.

Pederson considered using a FB when he took over in 2016, but has not used one and from checking on that position in their offense, it doesn’t appear that he gave it much consideration, especially now because they’re a “12” personnel team (2-TE sets) due to Dallas Goedert’s addition in 2018.

It’s going to be interesting to see what small changes on offense and defense after the coaching additions and role changes.

Question from @Trocadero_SWE: “Why have the Eagles coaches been so reluctant to try (CB Rasul) Douglas at safety?”

Adam Caplan: If I’m not mistaken, Douglas played in single high formation for a handful of snaps a few years ago.

Word in the scouting community is that Douglas isn’t as fluid of an athlete as you would like to play FS full-time and is better off as a press-man CB.

You can make the argument that Douglas was the Eagles best CB for a majority of the last off-season, but overall, he has had trouble sustaining high level play for a prolonged period of time.

The Eagles did play a high percentage of man coverage, but rarely used press coverage, which might help to explain his inconsistency.

Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) is a veteran NFL Insider and former ESPN NFL Insider and is currently a host on SiriusXM NFL Radio.

Listen to the latest Inside the Birds podcast here:

About The Author

Comments are closed here.