The Eagles traded up in the first round of the NFL Draft to land their franchise left tackle of the future.

While Andre Dillard has earned rave reviews for his athleticism and upside as a pass-blocker, some have questioned his potential as a run-blocker. At Washington State, Dillard wasn’t asked to run block with regularity. His workload was dominated by pass-blocking situations and he shined.

To get a better idea of Dillard’s upside, NJ Advance Media spoke with offensive line guru Duke Manyweather. The offensive line trainer and analyst has worked with the likes of Lane Johnson, Cam Robinson, Jermey Parnell and more. He is also a voter on the Joe Moore Award Committee, which honors the best college offensive line unit in the country every year.

Here is our “Ask the Expert” post-draft Q&A with Manyweather:

Mike Kaye: Former Cleveland Browns left tackle Joe Thomas was really high on Dillard’s technique. What stands out to you about his technique on film?

Duke Manyweather: "I got to watch him quite a bit being on the Joe Moore committee. When it comes to evaluating these guys and being exposed to a lot of these guys, people go crazy about these guys from January until the draft. I’ve already seen like three or four years of tape on them.

“Where I do think he can improve is his strength timing. I think some of his timing just isn’t always there with where it needs to be. A lot of times, when he needs to cover up toward the inside, a lot of times it’s lacking. If the timing can improve with his hands, he’ll be okay. I think it is an area he can improve on.

“Typically, hands aren’t always easy to improve on. But for him, I think they are because his feet are so good.”

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MK: At Washington State, he wasn’t asked to run block often. What do you think of his potential as a run blocker?

DM: "I think he’ll be fine. I think he will be able to be coached up. One of the good things that he does do is he is able to cut off the backside and that’s a really important block in the NFL. You see him able to win the edge, whether it’s an angle-drive block or a reach type of block. That’s all encouraging.

"His hand placement in the run game is actually better than -- or more consistent I should say -- than his pass protection, so that’s encouraging as well. The beautiful thing about Dillard is he is a guy that needs just a little bit of development and refinement in terms of making the transition from what he was asked to do at Washington State to what he’ll be asked to do on Sunday. He’s in a great situation and a great spot for that.

"What I do know about this is when you do get around guys like Lane Johnson and Jason Peters, those are elite performers and elite performers bring guys along with them. If you talk to anyone who played with Joe Thomas, there’s not a shadow of a doubt that Joe Thomas made them better because he sees the game and prepares them differently almost as a player-coach.

"You add into the fold that they have Jeff Stoutland, who is a really well-known developer of offensive linemen, I think Dillard is in a perfect situation, where he’s not going to ‘be thrown into the fire’ immediately. But, you’re probably going to see him play.

“Jason Peters and Lane Johnson are known for their physical style of play, even as smooth as they are, they do miss some games. Peters had quad and knee injuries last year and Johnson played with a double-high ankle sprain and an MCL [injury], so there are going to be some opportunities for Dillard to get live reps. Some real-life, on-the-job training.”

MK: Can Dillard play guard as a rookie?

DM: "Why would you want him to? I don’t think it’s a situation where you need to put him there. I think you groom him to be your next tackle -- I don’t designate left or right tackle -- granted he played on the left side at Washington State. I don’t think you need to fool with him playing guard.

"I think you’ll have guys on that roster who will be very locked-in to compete at guard. You’ll have Brandon Brooks come back eventually. Brooks is one of the best guards in the league. But you’ve got guys you can win with and be very good with on that interior offensive line, especially with Jason Kelce holding it down in the middle.

"The interesting thing is, you’ve got [Halapoulivaati Vaitai]. I like Big V. I kind of knew what he was going to be coming out of college. He’s a guy who can be a stop-gap guy. He’s going to give you some size, especially in run blocking. He can be a bit of a liability in pass protection, especially on the left side. As I said, I don’t really designate left or right side, but things are different when you switch sides. Even in college, Big V’s best tape came at right tackle when he was able to be a bit more aggressive and not have to protect the blindside. He just looked more comfortable on the right side.

“He’s a guy that gives you flexibility. He’s played left tackle, he’s played right tackle and he’s a big SOB. Maybe he’s a guy that could play guard. Maybe Jordan [Mailata] could play guard. [The Eagles] have some options there and Philly is in a good situation.”