This would be a surprise for the Eagles in this spring’s draft – selecting Emmanuel McNeil-Warren or Dillon Thieneman with their 23rd overall pick. Either safety would make a lot of sense, though. With the NFL Scouting Combine coming up in two weeks, it would be wise to pay attention to this position regarding the Eagles.
There are three reasons why McNeil-Warren and Thieneman could be in the first-round conversation:
One: The Eagles need safeties if they don’t re-sign Reed Blankenship or Marcus Epps, and Drew Mukuba, who is considered undersized at 5-11, 185, still needs time to recover from the broken fibula he suffered in mid-November that ended his season. Mukuba was still in a walking boot during the team’s locker cleanout day on Jan. 12. Sydney Brown could be a cut candidate.
Two: Waren and Thieneman are both considered first-round talents. Warren is from Toledo, which produced the Eagles’ first-round pick two years ago, Quinyon Mitchell. Warren, who is 6-2, 202, is the No. 19 prospect on the top 50 list of NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, calling him “a bouncy, twitchy athlete with Pro Bowl potential.”
Thieneman, who is 6-0, 205, was a three-year starter at Oregon and is No. 25 on Jeremiah’s top 50 board, a player Jeremiah said, “was a versatile chess piece in Oregon’s defense. He lined up in the box, in the deep half, and over the slot…does a lot of different tasks at a very high level. His skill set is highly coveted around the NFL.”
Versatility Key For Pair Of Safeties