An undrafted free agent doesn\u2019t make the Eagles roster every year. Some years, like last season, none make it.<\/p>\n
But in three of the past five years, at least one undrafted free agent has either made the initial 53-man roster or found his way onto the active roster at some point in his rookie season.<\/p>\n
Those names include T.J. Edwards, Jack Stoll, Josh Jobe, Ben VanSumeren, Josh Sills, Eli Ricks, and Reed Blankenship.<\/p>\n
VanSumeren, Ricks and Blankenship are still with the team, with Blankenship being the biggest success story as a Super Bowl-winning starting safety who is poised for an extension this offseason.<\/p>\n
Blankenship was one of three undrafted rookies from the 2022 class, along with Sills and Jobe, to make the initial 53-man roster.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s undrafted rookie class will have a tough time competing against a roster that might not be as talented as last year\u2019s but shouldn\u2019t be too far away. The Eagles are deep at some key positions and just finished up a 10-player haul in the NFL Draft.<\/p>\n
But if there\u2019s one rookie free agent who could stand above all others, both literally and figuratively, it\u2019s gigantic offensive tackle Hollin Pierce.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no question that the Rutgers product has some desirable traits for offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, especially with Pierce\u2019s staggering 6-foot-8, 344-pound frame and 88 1\/4-inch wingspan.<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s one kind of offensive lineman that Stoutland covets, it\u2019s a humongous one, and Pierce surely fits the bill.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s draft was especially deep at offensive tackle \u2013 eight went in the first 55 picks, and five in the first round \u2013 which could explain why a prospect like Pierce didn\u2019t get drafted at all. <\/p>\n
Teams that wanted offensive tackles made sure to get them early.<\/p>\n
The Eagles, who live to draft offensive linemen, feasted on the position on Day 3 after surprisingly passing on both guards, tackles and centers in the first four rounds. They drafted three offensive linemen with their final five picks. <\/p>\n
Reasons that Pierce would be an odds-on favorite to make the initial 53 include his aforementioned size \u2013 did we mention the 88 1\/4-inch wingspan? \u2013 and Stoutland\u2019s track record coaching immense human beings in Pierce’s weight neighborhood, such as Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, and last year\u2019s surprise right guard, Mekhi Becton, a 350-pounder who parlayed his Eagles success into a free-agent deal with the Chargers.<\/p>\n
But Pierce has other admirable traits that make him moldable for Stoutland, including four years starting at Rutgers, which plays in a Power 5 conference. According to PFF, Pierce committed just four penalties in his entire collegiate career<\/a> covering more than 3,000 snaps, another appealing trait for a position coach.<\/p>\n Some of his weaknesses can be overcome. He\u2019s not the bendiest, most athletic tackle \u2013 I mean, if he were bendy and athletic, he\u2019d probably be a first-round pick \u2013 and he can struggle with speed rushers. <\/p>\n But he might actually be more refined and more coachable than Eagles sixth-round pick Cameron Williams, a Texas product who\u2019s also a massive human being (6-6, 317 pounds), but a prospect who some NFL personnel folks I spoke to felt needed some extra motivation, which he\u2019ll surely get at \u201cStoutland U.\u201d <\/p>\n Follow Geoff on Twitter\/X: @itssnick<\/a><\/p>\n