April 5, 2022   2 MIN READ

Top Prospects Visiting Birds

Eagles To Welcome CB, Pass Rusher

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Two of the NFL Draft’s top defensive prospects are slated to visit the Eagles before the draft.

Cincinnati product Ahmad Gardner, considered the top cornerback prospect, is scheduled to visit the Eagles in Philadelphia on Sunday, according to a league source, while former Oregon defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux is also slated to visit the team, per another league source.

Kayvon Thibodeaux

The Eagles are looking at top defensive prospects, including Oregon’s Kayvon Thibodeaux.

NFL teams are allowed to bring in 30 draft prospects from outside their region for interviews at team facilities leading up to the draft.

Gardner and Thibodeaux are viewed as potential top-10 picks, with Gardner potentially going among the top five. The depth of pass rushers could force Thibodeaux to fall out of the top 10.

The Eagles, who once had three first-round picks, have the 15th and 18th overall pick after Monday’s trade with the New Orleans Saints. Last year, the Eagles were slated to pick fifth overall but traded down with the Miami Dolphins weeks before the draft, then moved up to 10 in a trade with the rival Dallas Cowboys to select Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

Gardner, who ran a 4.41 in the 40 at the NFL Scouting Combine, helped lead the Bearcats to a national semifinal game in the college football postseason. The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Detroit native, who goes by the nickname “Sauce,” has ideal size and traits for the position.

The Eagles, who lack depth at corner and have no ideal complement to Pro Bowler Darius Slay, also had Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain in their sights last year, but the Broncos took Surtain ninth overall.

Thibodeaux, a 6-foot-4, 254-pound Los Angeles native, was the consensus No. 1 high school recruit in 2019. Despite missing some time because of an ankle injury in 2021, he made first-team All America and first-team All Pac-12, finishing with 7 sacks and 12 tackles for a loss in 11 games.

– Geoff Mosher (@geoffmoshernfl) is co-host of the “Inside the Birds” podcast and staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.

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About The Author

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Geoff Mosher is an award-winning journalist with more than 20 years experience covering the Eagles, the NFL and other college and pro sports across several different multimedia platforms. He is co-host of the acclaimed Inside the Birds podcast, the leading podcast for intel on the Philadelphia Eagles, and co-host on 97.3 ESPN's drive-time show. He has also hosted on Philadelphia's sports-talk station, 94.1 WIP and 97.5 The Fanatic. Geoff was the lead Eagles Insider from 2012-2015 for NBC Sports Philadelphia, where he wrote for the website and appeared daily on the station's TV shows, including Quick Slants, Philly Sports Talk, Eagles Pregame/Postgame Live and Eagles Extra. Prior to joining NBC Sports, Geoff worked the Eagles beat from 2005-2012 for the Wilmington News Journal, where he broke several major news stories and also won an Associated Press Sports Editors award under the category of Breaking News for his coverage of the sudden death of Phillies play by play broadcaster Harry Kalas. Geoff has appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter, NFL Network, NBC Sports Network, FOX29, 6ABC and has conducted interviews for Sirius/XM NFL radio and countless other radio stations across the country.

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