Fullbacks have become nearly extinct in today’s NFL. Many teams in the league don’t even carry a fullback, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has made it clear that he likes to utilize a fullback in his offense.
They already had Trey Burton on the roster and he may be able to play the fullback position, but the Eagles signed another prospective fullback and his name is Ryan Mueller. He was a defensive tackle at Kansas State, then was converted into a linebacker during his first two years in the NFL, while San Diego after his rookie season.
I see him as a long shot because he has no experience playing fullback at the NFL level. Will he be able to block the big athletic NFL linebackers, defensive ends and tackles? Will he be able to pick up the audibles at the line of scrimmage? He’s never had to run a route of the backfield and catch a pass when knowing he was going to get hammered.
“I like the fullback position,” said Pederson. “It’s a position that we want to evaluate this spring. I know there’s not necessarily a ‘fullback’ on the roster right now. We had one in Kansas City. [We’re] sort of on assignment to find one. I like the fullback position and if we can add one on the roster that can also be a four-core special teams guy. That’s probably his primary role.”
They will likely only be 4-5-6 FB’s even Drafted so there should be ample FB’s to contact and sign after the Draft .. I think Trey Burton at 6-2 245lbs could make the transition and be a nice asset to Pederson’s New Offense then Eagles could Draft a more traditional, in line TE who can Block and be groomed to replace Celek in 2 years time
Beautiful position that should not be forgotten. Kind of makes sense that we are going to go in the direction of Ezekial Elliot in the draft with this signing. Put a big body to open up some holes for the star RB.
Of course there is always the bogus argument a lot would make on here about not drafting a dynamic offensive weapon that can run, catch, and block in the first round because “Running backs are all over the draft and can be found in any round” crap.
If there is ONE thing Philly needs, its weapons on the offensive side of the ball. Would be nice to give Sam a legit rushing threat for the first time in his career that is consistent. And pls don’t tell me Steven Jackson. Who was old, and done.
Do not forget Sam was 7-1 as a starter with a 100 yard rusher. Only loss coming against Carolina where we had 12 drops, with 3 of those being dropped touchdowns.
There were plenty of Qbs with 100 yard rushers that did not have great records in the win/loss column last season.
Round 1 RB Elliot
Round 3 Oline
Round 3 Oline
Every star running back in the league
Forte, , Mccoy, Adrian, Gurley, etc were all top picks
Alfred Morris, Arian Foster, And Jamall Charles only happen here and there and cannot be relied upon to find a gem in the later rounds of the draft. Nearly all top Running backs were taken in top 2 rounds.
Every star running back in the league
Forte, , Mccoy, Adrian, Gurley, etc were all top picks
Alfred Morris, Arian Foster, And Jamall Charles only happen here and there and cannot be relied upon to find a gem in the later rounds of the draft. Nearly all top Running backs were taken in top 2 rounds.
M. Lynch (1)
A Peterson(1)
S. Alexander(1)
L. McCoy (2)
M. Forte (2)
C. Johnson(1)
L. Tomlinson (1)
And none of them win a SB for the team that drafted them. First round backs are a waste. Most of those guys typically don’t make the playoffs much.
That’s cause most of them have not been on a great team. The coaches try to rely on them, and them alone to get them to the promise land.
Without marshawn lynch that team does not win a superbowl. Ask anybody who watches there games. They got their by playing great defense and running the ball and the qb being a game manager who takes care of the ball.
Dallas did not win it all with demarco..but if dez makes that catch or if the call goes the other way, who knows?
You need either a great defense, qb or all around team to get the chip.
Philly has a stud defense with talent all over, and even more coming with this draft. They very well can be a top 7 defense under Jim S. Add a beast running game to go along with ghat and sam bradford will make plays by not turning to ball over.
New England doesn’t need a great rb. Neither did Peyton his whole career because they are the top notch elite qbs of our generations with great coaching and defense. Big Ben would have probably got his 3rd ring if leveon and brown stayed healthy considering that is his top weapons on offense.
Take those away, and look what happened in the postseason.
U have to.be able to run the ball in December/January. Pass blocking and catching out of the backfield is a rare talent to add to the list..and it is hard to find a back that can do it consistent
The teams aren’t great because they wasting their 1st round picks on RBs!
“Philly has a stud defense with talent all over, and even more coming with this draft.”
Umm….can we slow down with the hyperbole??
2105 30th
2014 28th
2013 29th
Now granted they’re going to automatically move to the middle of the pack simply by not having to play 2 extra games every season now that the moronic offensive system has been tossed, but I’d like to see the new D actually perform on the field before I go pronouncing it a “stud defense”
CT I’ve never seen so many ‘ifs’ and excuses in a post since the last time fraud man posted.
RB’s do come in all rounds… and every year…
Frank Gore (3)
Devonta Freeman (4)
Jamaal Charles (3)
Brian Westbrook (3)
DeMarco Murray (3)
Justin Forsett (7)
Darren Sproles (4)
And the list goes on….
What’s more, I could put a list of recent 1st and 2nd round RB picks that have been total bust…. Like Trent Richardson, Isaiah Pead, Eric Shelton, LaMichael James, David Wilson.
the only thing we could do wrong with that 8th pick in the draft is draft a third string QB-like Goff or Wentz…short of that if they think Elliot is a legitimate game changing weapon like Gurley for the Rams last year…snatch him up.
We need bonafide weapons on the team…the question is Elliot that kind of weapon?
“the only thing we could do wrong with that 8th pick in the draft is draft a third string QB”
Especially with 2 third string QBs already on the roster!
The only thing we could do wrong with that 8th pick in the draft is draft a third string QB-like Goff or Wentz…short of that if they think Elliot is a legitimate game changing weapon like Gurley for the Rams last year…
Yeah Gurley changed a lot of games for the 7-9 Rams…LOL But he was outplayed by the 4th rounder Devonta Freeman – who also changed very few games…. You need a franchise QB – unless you’re happy with 7-9.
We already have a RB picked high in the first round…. Ryan Mathews went 12th overall in the first round…. A lot of dimwits saw Mathews as a legitimate game changing weapon too…
Running backs are complimentary players in today’s NFL… We had the best running back in the NFL in McCoy… The only time he went to the playoffs was with McNabb as the QB…. Oh, and when Foles played out of his head….
Quarterbacks a difference makers.
Quarterbacks ARE difference makers.
The right QB – Is a difference maker….
I agree gmcliff – it has to be the right quarterback. Maybe it’s not one of the quarterbacks that are projected as 1st round talents in this draft… That’s for the Eagles to decide on draft day… I’m not like you – I don’t have a strong sense of how talented college kids are… But I know that there is no elite quarterback on the Eagles roster today, and we should try to find one.
“Yeah Gurley changed a lot of games for the 7-9 Rams…LOL But he was outplayed by the 4th rounder Devonta Freeman – who also changed very few games…. You need a franchise QB – unless you’re happy with 7-9”
Ridiculous! Sometimes I wonder if you guys ever actually watch football games. Do you have the slightest clue. The Rams losing 9 games had nothing to do with Gurley and everything to do with the atrocious play of Nick Foles. Gurley spectacular play kept them in games as the Quarterback was missing open receivers, failing to read the defense, chucking it off of his back foot…and turning the ball over…they benched him to give themselves a chance to win.
If it wasn’t for Gurley, the Rams would have Won 3-4 Games with their Crappy QB Play & Receiver Play and Jeff Fishers Offensive Philosophy…
Jeff Fisher is a QB Killer
Ridiculous! Sometimes I wonder if you guys ever actually watch football games. Do you have the slightest clue. The Rams losing 9 games had nothing to do with Gurley and everything to do with the atrocious play of Nick Foles. Gurley spectacular play kept them in games as the Quarterback was missing open receivers, failing to read the defense, chucking it off of his back foot…and turning the ball over…they benched him to give themselves a chance to win.
Thank you – you made my point for me… Gurley played great but he couldn’t overcome Foles’ shitty quarterback play…. Just as Ezekial Elliot could never push the Eagles over the hump until they have a franchise quarterback.
Not so fast Irish… Who said the Rams needed a Franchise. QB with Gurley to Win? Even a decent QB could make themselves Playoff Team with Gurley and their good Defense.. Is Tedy Bridgewater Elite? or Andrew Dalton of the Bengals??was Peyton Manning or Osweilers Play anywhere need an Elite QB or Alex Smith’s Play..
Every quarterback you mentioned with the exception of Osweiler is an established franchise quarterback. Andy Dalton and Alex Smith are much better than people give them credit for… But I don’t expect either will ever win a super bowl.
I’m sorry that I have higher hopes than a lot of people on this board… Making it to the playoffs with a lucky 9-7 record only to lose in the first round is not my idea of a successful season.
The Eagles need to find the quarterback that will lead them to a super bowl. That quarterback is not on the team now. The owner and coaches know that and they are searching for the franchise quarterback. That franchise quarterback might not be in this draft…. but maybe he is.
“I’m sorry that I have higher hopes than a lot of people on this board… ”
High hopes cant replace sound football decisions. Drafting one of these QB’s with the 8th pick in the draft may satisfy your “hopes” but do absolutely nothing to put the Eagles on the path to a Super Bowl.
The Eagles signed the best available QB to them…Sam Bradford
When you talk about shitty QB play your not talking about the Eagles QB play last year. Bradford got a shitty defense, shitty running back play and shitty wide receiver play…..yet still completed 65% of his passes…
We need to improve the other aspects of the team…give Bradford a running game, give him receivers that get open and catch the ball, give him a defense that will keep us in games…and then lets see how it works out!
High hopes cant replace sound football decisions. Drafting one of these QB’s with the 8th pick in the draft may satisfy your “hopes” but do absolutely nothing to put the Eagles on the path to a Super Bowl.
That’s a matter of opinion koolbreeze…. There are quite a few well versed football people who see Goff or Wentz as top level 1st round quarterbacks…. It’s not like these guys are being questioned by experts like Mike Mayock, and Charley Casserly.
Plus, we don’t need a guy to come in and start, that’s why they have Bradford.
I be happy to see what the Eagles brass think is the right move to make with the 1st round pick…
“It’s not like these guys are being questioned by experts like Mike Mayock, and Charley Casserly.”
Two overrated experts who feed the hype machine.
Again…it makes absolutely no sense…if the Eagles rated these guys as franchise QB’s that can lead them to the Super Bowl, why tie up over $34 million dollars in guaranteed money to Bradford and Daniels? Why tie up the cap space with these guys when you could have just kept one of them and makke a play with other free agents in other areas of need?
In the Eagles situation…the Money has told us all we need to know!
Phillys defensive has alot of flawed statistics. As alot of us know. Our defense has been on the field more then any team in the league.
In terms of takeaways, sacks, and bending but don’t breaking our defense played good enough to win in every single game this season minus the first half of atl, and the games sanchez started. Can’t imagine what a coach will bring to the table with a proven track record.
As for the rb position. Every position in the nfl has players who are bust in the first and elite in the mid to later rounds. That logic goes all over the board with “u can find rb talent in every round”
If u can say that about Rbs, then u can say that about DBS, qbs, dline men etc.
If our staff believes he’s gonna be a star, grab His ass. If not go vernon, jalen, or Alexander.
Draft ur qb in the 4th if we realay plan on drafting on this year.
Eagles Defense can be Average but not a Shutdown, Top 10 Defense
Lots of ?? at the DE in my opinion, (Barwin,Curry,Graham,MS2 & Braman) will all start out listed as DE’s) there is little to no depth up the middle behind DT’s Cox, Logan and MLB Hicks .. And the OLB’s are Kendricks/Bradham with little depth behind them too…
CB is still a big ? Carroll, Rowe, McKelvin, Brooks & Shepard should be better Unit but are not a shutdown group by any means..
Safety is the best,most solid Position for 2016 with Jenkins/McLeod
But need to develop Depth (Maybe Couplin or Draft Pick)
They will be improved because Schwartz and his Staff are a better Coaching Staff than Billy Davis ever was and they won’t be on the field as much like they were under Chip Kelly,but to say the Eagles D will become the Seahawks, Panthers, Cardinals type of D is a bit of a stretch..
Eagles need a CB, OLB, DE & DT this Draft and Next Off-Season to further improve ..
I agree Paul. I still feel they need a better Pass Rush from the DE, and OLB Positions.
This is why I lean toward hoping they draft a Buckner, or Myles Jack – who may slide due to his unwillingness to run, and test his knee at his Pro Day – Noah Spence, and Jaylon Smith by creating those opportunities to draft those prospects by trading down a little….Instant upgrades.
There are also some good potential in the later rounds for OT’s, CB’s, DE, and OLB
OT – LeRaven Clark – 3rd Round, Willie Beavers – 4th Round
CB – Maurice Canady – 3rd-4th Round, Eric Murray 5th-6th Round
DE – Ronald Blair – 4th-5th Round
ILB/OLB – Antoine Williams 5th – 6th Round
KR/PR/WR – Thomas Carter III – Portland State – 6th – UDFA
OG/C – Jonah Austin 6-5 332lb – Nicholls State
All Excellent Prospects Cliff,
I am not familiar with the last 2 Players in Carter & Austin
Some other Mid to Late Round Picks that I like
OT/RT – Joe Haeg – N Dakota St (3rd/4th Rd) – Brandon Shell – South Carolina (5th Rd) & Pearce Slater – San Diego State (6th/7th Rd)
CB – Harlan Miller – Southeastern Louisiana (4th Rd) James Bradberry – Samford (5th Rd) & Daryl Worley – West Virginia (5th/6th Rd) & Delondra Hall – Northern Iowa (6th Rd)
DE – Bronson Kaufusi – BYU (3rd/4th Rd), Jihad Ward – Illinois (4th/5th Rd), James Cowser – Southern Utah – (5th/6th Rd)
ILB – Nick Vigil – Utah State (3rd/4th Rd) Josh Forrest – Kentucky (6th/7th Rd)
OLB – Kyler Fackrell – Utah State (3rd Rd) Jordan Jenkins – Georgia (4th Rd) Devondre Campbell – Minnesota (5th Rd) Curt Maggitt – Tennessee (6th/7th Rd)
Guard – Sebastian Tretola – Arkansas (3rd Rd) Spencer Drango – Baylor (4th Rd) Denver Kirkland – Arkansas (5th Rd) Parer Ehringer – Cincinnati (6th Rd)