Ability and Versatility

The Philadelphia Eagles addressed big needs on Friday night with the selections of Tyler Steen and Sydney Brown.

Following day two of the 2023 NFL Draft, Adam Caplan and Geoff Mosher of “Inside The Birds” reacted and provided early intel on the Eagles’ picks.

New Eagles safety Sydney Brown is hard-hitting and high character.

Sydney Brown

Adam Caplan: “This is a guy that had second and third round grades from teams. The Eagles were somewhere in that area. He’s not a slot corner, he can play strong or free, split safety we’re told.”

Geoff Mosher: “The Eagles made a point to say that while he played at Illinois as mostly a box safety, he showed he can hit and tackle and then at the Senior Bowl, he played a lot more post and was able to show his range and athleticism. What you really get with Sydney Brown is a tremendous leader, high-character, really smart and instinctive. Usually, those guys translate well into the NFL.”

Caplan: [From a coaching source] “Notes on what he can do in terms of coverage: he can match tight ends but he is not a nickel. He’s close to the ball, functional on the hash, smart and never out of position. He’ll make plays on the ball when he has a chance.”

Tyler Steen

Mosher: “Nick Sirianni made it clear that you have a nice little three-man competition at right guard to replace Isaac Seumalo: Steen, Jack Driscoll, and Cam Jurgens. They have some good options here.”

Caplan: “If you look at how tall he is, you ask how in the world can he play inside? It is very rare for a guy 6’6 to have arms short of 33 inches, that’s a big reason why. The coaches I spoke with said: he’s a guard, he’s enough of an athlete. He’s smart enough and athletic enough to get you through a couple game stretch to play at left tackle, but his limitations in arm length and overall strength and footwork are why you move him inside.”

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.