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In Roob’s Observations: An under-rated position of need heading into the draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
An under-rated position of need, why DeVante Parker has a chance to help and the remarkable roster turnover over the past couple months headline this week’s Roob’s 10 Random Eagles Offseason Observations.
1. With Jack Driscoll now in Miami, offensive tackle is suddenly quite an underrated need heading into the draft. The Eagles are set with Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson as elite starters, but they’re very thin behind them. As it stands now, Fred Johnson is the top backup. He made the team last year after an outstanding training camp but only played two snaps on offense other than the second half of the season-ending loss to the Giants. Johnson isn’t a kid. He’ll be 27 in June and he’s bounced around the league – Steelers, Bengals, Bucs – before joining the Eagles’ practice squad in the middle of 2022. He’s started eight games – all with the Bengals from 2019 through 2021 – and has played both left tackle (414 career snaps) and right tackle (167 snaps) as well as some right guard (144 snaps), so he’s got some versatility. He might be OK? He sure looks the part at 6-7, 325 pounds, but he’s essentially an undrafted journeyman who hasn’t played extensively the last three years. Who else? Tyler Steen played exclusively guard as a rookie – 68 snaps at right guard, three at left guard – but played tackle in college, mainly right tackle at Vanderbilt and left tackle at Alabama. But he’s also very inexperienced and has yet to play in a regular-season game at tackle. Veteran Le’Raven Clark spent last year on the practice squad and is here on a futures deal. He’s started games at both tackle spots (and right guard) in his eight-year career – 445 snaps at left tackle, 415 at right tackle, 318 at right guard – but it’s hard to imagine a 31-year-old practice squadder serving as anything more than an emergency. Brett…
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Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia
Publish date : 2024-03-31 14:31:18
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