While the NFL Draft has ended, the new players will still keep coming. The Eagles signed a number of undrafted free agents following the conclusion of the draft on Saturday, and some have enough talent to warrant a roster spot. Let’s dive in and see who could be here to stay.
QB Jamie Newman, Wake Forest
By far the most talked-about UDFA signing by the Eagles is Wake Forest’s Jamie Newman. In 2020, Newman threw for 26 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, and walked away with a 145.3 QBR.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein gives a brief scouting report on Newman:
“Newman has raw traits and potential to work with but lacks the experience and consistency to command a team right now. He has the size and athletic ability that many teams are looking for in a quarterback. However, he doesn’t respond well when additional points of pressure are added to the box. While he has some dual-threat capabilities, his rushing stats were garnered more through volume than explosiveness.”
Newman has a pretty solid chance of making the roster as the #3 QB. After all, Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco are the only two QBs on the roster right now, and the Eagles do like to keep three quarterbacks during the season.
It’d be great to see Newman grow and become a capable backup who could keep the team in games if anything happened to Hurts. Nate Sudfeld never really seemed to development like the Eagles thought he would, so hopefully it’ll be different this time around.
WR Trevon Grimes, Florida
Grimes is sizable, standing at 6’4″ and clocking in at around 218 pounds. I always love to see the Eagles add bigger guys like this. While Grimes hasn’t had the most eye-catching stats throughout his college career, he did come away with nine touchdowns last season.
Zierlein points out that while Grimes does have good handwork and length, there are things he needs to work on. These kinks include establishing himself as more of a deep-threat guy, while also coming down with contested catches.
I do think Grimes has the potential to stand out in camp and be a productive fourth or fifth option for the Eagles in 2021. If he plays like this, that goal shouldn’t be a problem:
New #Eagles wide receiver Trevon Grimes beating Patrick Surtain in the 2020 SEC Championship game.
Might have found an absolute steal in UDFA’s… pic.twitter.com/z6wLHZ8EsE
— Justin Bradley (@JustinJBradley) May 2, 2021
OL Harry Crider, Indiana
At Indiana, Crider had experience at both center and left guard and earned honorable All-Big Ten honors in 2020.
Zierlein says that while Crider has average size and length, he does have good feet, awareness, and maintaining balance.
If the Eagles are looking at Crider solely as a center, it’s gonna be tough for him to crack the roster. With Landon Dickerson, Nate Herbig, Luke Juriga in hand as backups, there’s a ton of stiff competition. Seems like a warm body more than anything else.
OL Kayode Awosika, Buffalo
Awosika started 32 games during his Buffalo career. He was a right tackle until he moved over to left tackle last season. He was also a team captain, which should say something about his leadership capabilities.
Bleacher Report’s scouting report on Awosika praises his strong shoulders, his balanced steps, and the ability to bump defenders into guards on double teams, but they also note his inconsistencies and stiffness.
Like Crider, Awosika is looking at an up-hill battle to make the final roster. Currently, the Eagles have Jordan Mailata and Andre Dillard at left, who will be battling it out for the starting spot.
Maybe the Eagles trade Dillard if he loses (which would open things up more for Awosika), but there hasn’t been much trade talk regarding him. Awosika’s ability to play both right and left could help him in the long run, though.
WR Jhamon Ausbon, Texas A&M
Another wide receiver to add to the pile. Ausbon opted out in 2020, but he was one of the Aggies’ most-targeted receivers in 2019. That year, Ausbon totaled 66 receptions, 872 yards, and five touchdowns.
Zierlein says that while Ausbon has good size (6’2″, 217 pounds), he lacks speed. Zierlein notes that Ausbon needs to be able to create more separation physically, and also mentions that Ausbon can be sluggish and doesn’t give much in the way of YAC.
Of the two UDFA receivers, I’d say Grimes has the much better shot of making the team than Ausbon does. They both seem to have similar qualities- big, decent hands, lack of speed- so it seems pointless to carry both.
TE Jack Stoll, Nebraska
With the Zach Ertz situation seemingly up in the air, it doesn’t hurt to add more tight ends to the roster. In three games played in 2020, Stoll had seven receptions for 89 yards and no touchdowns.
In FanNation’s scouting report on Stoll, his handwork is labeled as a strength of his, as well as his blocking abilities. However, he does lack speed and has trouble creating separation from defenders.
Stoll’s clearly a work in progress, although with the iffy TE players that currently sit on the depth chart (Jason Croom, Caleb Wilson), he might have a chance to make the roster if he performs well enough in the summer.
DE JaQuan Bailey, Iowa State
Bailey is the fourth defensive lineman the Eagles have added during the draft and post-draft period. Bailey is actually ISU’s all-time leader in sacks (25.5) and tackles for loss (44.5). Bailey was also an AP third-team All-American. Not a shabby resume!
Zierlein goes over some of Bailey’s positives, which include his acceleration, quickness, and instincts. Some of Bailey’s weaknesses include his short arms and “unimpressive take-off speed.” It’ll be interesting to see if Bailey could break his way into the DE rotation.
