DL Isaac Remington – Oregon – 6-6, 298

* Classic camp body. Has good size and has played for Chip Kelly for 2 years. Racked up 25 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 3 batted passes. Didn’t stand out when I watched tape on him. Think of him as the DL version of Evan Mathis. Remington is a DL with long hair and a good personality. If only he had the athleticism and talent that Mathis does. Longshot even for the practice squad

OL Matt Tobin – Iowa – 6-6, 300

* Played LG in 2011. Started off at LG in 2012 and then shifted to LT. Didn’t particularly stand out at either spot. Has a good build, but isn’t all that athletic. Didn’t get much movement in the run game. Good interior pass blocker. Excellent effort. Lacks the footwork to handle edge rushers in the NFL. Must get stronger. Can get moved back in pass pro at times. Limited upside, but is an experienced blocker coming from an NFL system. Longshot.

WR Russell Shepard – LSU – 6-1, 196

* Really interesting addition. Shepard went to LSU as a big time football star. He was going to be a 2-way QB for them and make the Tiger offense explosive. Didn’t exactly pan out as hoped. Shepard never came close to living up to the hype, but I was impressed by the fact he stuck it out there and carved out a role for himself as a WR/RB/STer. You see some star QBs get to a school and then leave to chase their dreams elsewhere, but most fail at the new school just like the old one. Shepard made something of himself. Finished his LSU career 104-716-5 as runner. 58-570-5 as receiver. He even helped on STs. Shepard covered KOs and punts.

Shepard is a good fit for the Chip Kelly offense. If he can develop his receiver skills, he could be a slot receiver and offensive weapon. Shepard is very good on end arounds and gadget running plays. Kelly loves to do that type of stuff with receivers. I assume Shepard will bust his butt on STs in the NFL since he did that in college. If he can become a backup RS as well, that could help. Shepard is ideal for the practice squad. I don’t think it is likely he makes a strong run at the roster this year, but never say never. The guy has NFL athleticism (4.46 in the 40 and a 38.5 inch VJ).

DL Damion Square – Alabama – 6-2, 293

* Square is an interesting prospect. He started 31 games for Alabama. That tells you that Nick Saban thinks he can play and trusts him on the field. Square has average size and is maybe an average athlete. He has short arms for a DL. Those factors won’t help his transition to the NFL. If you watch his 2012 tape, Square isn’t all that impressive. I need to go back and study 2010 & 2011. Square racked up 7 TFLs in each of those years, showing him to be more of a playmaker. What changed (only 4 as a Senior)?

Square is more than a camp body, but he has an uphill battle. He uses his hands pretty well. He’s got some quickness off the ball, but nothing special. You just don’t see anything special from him on tape. Solid college player, but limited pro prospect. The Eagles want guys that are versatile and Square can play 5-tech, 1-tech, or 3-tech. He’s got experience in a hybrid defense from his time at Bama.

P Brad Wing – LSU – 6-2, 205

* Let’s start with the punting first. Wing is a gifted Punter. He finished 11th in the nation with 44.8 yards per punt this year. LSU was 8th in net punting, and consider that Wing was 2nd in the nation with 11 touchbacks. Returners averaged just over 3 yards per return. Wing has a very strong leg. He can boom the ball. He has the 2 longest punts in the history of the SEC Championship Game. The longest was 67 yards and he had a total of 6 punts go more than 50 yards in that game. Wing easily could have been worth a mid-round pick based on his punting ability.

But Wing isn’t a typical Punter. Rather than tell you the story, go read this great piece from Bob McGinn and you’ll understand that Wing is a handful, on and off the field. If Wing can get his act together, he is talented enough to be the Eagles Punter for the next decade.

ILB Jake Knott – Iowa State – 6-2, 243

* Knott is sorta like the Iowa State version of Dan Connor. He’s the guy who was a star LB in college and did all kinds of amazing things and then the NFL picked apart his game and said “you really weren’t that good”. I see Knott as the ultimate tweener LB. He isn’t physical enough to be the thumper inside. He’s not fast/athletic enough to be the playmaker. Make him just a tad faster and he’d have a chance. I think he could make it in the NFL, but only if he adjusts his game. In college Knott didn’t use good form in dealing with blockers. He would go around them. Or he’s use his shoulder to try and scrape off them. Some players can get away with that, but he lacks the athleticism to be that guy in the NFL. Knott must learn to use his hands. He must stay square and aggressively engage blockers. No more trying to get by. Take them on, defeat the block, and go get the ball.

Knott was a big time playmaker at ISU. He picked off 8 passes and had 10 career FFs. He broke up 15 passes. He had 224 solo tackles and 18 TFLs. Knott has good instincts. He is a wrap-up tackler. He has moments where he is a very impressive player. I just don’t know how he’ll adjust to the NFL game.

RB Miguel Maysonet – Stony Brook – 5-9, 209

* Highly productive I-AA runner. Ran for 4,725 yards and 48 TDs in college. Unfortunately, has average size and average speed. Limited athlete. And he only caught 18 career passes. These factors made him a lesser NFL prospect. I do think Maysonet has NFL potential. He is a downhill runner. He shows a good feel for how to run. There are plays when he attacks upfield. Other times he is patient and lets his blockers do their job. Maysonet might not be big, but he runs strong. He doesn’t go down on first contact. He has good balance, allowing him to take hits and continue going. Maysonet isn’t a dancer. He is always moving forward. He’s not a daylight runner. He goes where the play is supposed to. I have no idea how good a blocker or receiver Maysonet is.

I do think Maysonet is a good fit in Kelly’s offense. Kelly loves his RBs to get upfield. His goal is to spread the defense and attack seams with quick hitters. Maysonet has the style of running to fit this. He lacks the speed that Kelly prefers, but at least runs hard. You know that Maysonte will maximize every run he can. And he does have some big play ability. Against Syracuse, Maysonet hurdled a tackler and then raced 60 yards down the sideline for a TD.

RB Matthew Tucker – TCU – 6-0, 221

* Tucker is bigger than Maysonet. He is faster, stronger, and more athletic. I don’t think Tucker has as good a feel for being a RB as Maysonet. I didn’t see anything special in terms of vision or instincts. Tucker is a N-S runner with good burst. Runs with good strength. He’s definitely not going down on first contact. TCU believes in using a group of RBs and that was true in Tucker’s time there. Only twice in his 4-year career did he have 20 or more carries in a game. Tucker finished with 2,602 yards and 33 TDs. He caught 29 passes. I’ve seen a couple of grabs from him and he looked okay.

Tucker could be a good #3 RB for an NFL team. He has NFL size and speed (4.50). He isn’t a guy that was used to tons of carries in college so being part of a group of RBs isn’t an adjustment for him. He will need to show that he can be good at covering kicks/punts. Tucker has the size and physicality to do that.

C Kyle Quinn – Arizona – 6-4, 297

* 2-year starter for the Wildcats. Not a flashy player in any way, but a good, solid C. Put on the Utah game and watch Quinn vs Star Lotulelei and you’ll be impressed. There were a few times when Star body-slammed Quinn to the ground, but Arizona ran for 320 yards that day, much of it up the middle. Quinn was a big part of that. He would handle a DT on his own at times. He double-teamed on others. Quinn was able to get to the second level and take on LBs. Good game. Quinn is quick off the ball. He uses his hands well and has pretty good agility. He isn’t going to overpower anyone. He shows good awareness and always seems to be in the right spot to block the right guy. Quinn is very good with shotgun snaps.

That last point helps his cause with trying to make the Eagles. Dallas Reynolds is the backup C for now, but he had some real troubles with shotgun snaps last year, especially down the stretch. I’m sure he’s worked on that religiously since, but he can’t afford to have any problems in practice. Quinn has a chance to challenge for the backup C spot. If not, he could be an excellent practice squad candidate. Quinn only started at C in college, but did play some G early on. Teams want backup OL to be versatile.

* * * * *

This isn’t a great UDFA class. If I had to put them in order of most likely to make the team, it would go like this:

1 – Brad Wing

2 – Kyle Quinn

3 – Matt Tucker

4 – Miguel Maysonet

5 – Russell Shepard

6 – Jake Knott

7 – Damion Square

8 – Matt Tobin

9 – Isaac Remington

Knott is the guy I’m most fascinated by. I love playmakers. Can he play in the NFL? Shepard is a close second. He’s just such a Chip Kelly player.

* * * * *

I’ll post more on the draft and Matt Barkley tonight. I know Matt is the hot topic. We’ve got a few months to cover every angle with him. I will also talk about the lack of trades and things like that.

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