NFL Draft notes: Kwity Paye, Caleb Farley, and the QB carousel

Posted on April 28, 2021

Eagles “love” Kwity Paye, and he’s a “possibility” at #12

According to Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline, the Eagles love Michigan defensive end Kwity Paye, and he’s a choice for their selection at twelfth overall.

Pauline isn’t some no name source. He’s been right about a lot of Eagles rumors, such as them signing Byron Maxwell, as well as the team having interest in Nelson Agholor and Eric Rowe.

Plus, it’s not hard to believe at all that Howie Roseman would have interest in a defensive lineman, regardless of who’s saying reporting it. Philadelphia’s motto for years has been “build through the trenches,” and that’s not changing any time soon.

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

I think the key word here is “possibility,” not “favorite” or anything like that. If all of the players that have been connected to the Eagles are gone at twelve (Waddle, Surtain II, Horn, Smith) and the team doesn’t find a trade back that they like, I believe they’ll be taking Paye (probably over a guy like Parsons, too).

The real problem here is if they do take Paye over someone like Waddle or Horn. Sure, the defensive line isn’t without some uncertainty- Brandon Graham is getting up there in age (33), and Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat are both set to be free agents after this season.

Still, the DL hasn’t been the horrendous weakness that WR and CB have been for the Eagles, and numerous players have more potential at their specific positions than Paye does.

Caleb Farley has a lot of injury baggage and could be heading for a big drop

Once a seemingly mid-to-late first round pick, Farley now may be looking a second round selection. Farley has had a fair share of bruises- from injuring his L5 disc and S1 joint, to playing through sciatica in 2019.

Farley also tore his ACL back in 2017, and according to Benjamin Albright, many teams think he will need future surgery.

The cornerback didn’t play in 2020, which contributes to his status as a huge draft question mark. This isn’t to say he can’t play. He’s shown plenty of promise when he has taken the field:

However, the insane amount of injuries Farley has endured, as well as the suspicion he’ll need future work done on his health, is a big enough red flag that the Eagles should stay away. If he drops enough to a certain point in the draft, then he may be worth a pick-up.

But given the Eagles’ relationship with health, this seems like an extremely bad pairing.

What’s Going On With The QBs?

After Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson, the QB rankings are anyone’s guess. The most bizarre story coming out of this is Justin Field’s supposed fall.

According to USA Today’s Cam Marino, teams are souring on Fields due to his “maturity issues,” which is fair. Obviously, you want your QB at a mature-enough level to handle the leadership and responsibilites that come with being a franchise star.

However, there have been some people who think Fields’ drop is going to be hard. Chris Simms released a mock draft that had Fields being the 31st pick in the draft.  If Fields does fall that far, mistakes have been made. He’s a good quarterback with a considerable amount of talent, and if teams think he needs time, then he could sit a year.

If I had to rank the top five quarterbacks in this year’s draft, it would go:

  1. Trevor Lawrence
  2. Zach Wilson
  3. Trey Lance
  4. Justin Fields
  5. Mac Jones

Lance’s dual-threat abilities are really intriguing to me, which is why I would put him over Fields. Of course, I’m sure NFL teams will be thinking very differently. We’ll just have to find out where everyone lands tomorrow night.

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Drew Rhoades

If there’s one thing you need to know about Drew Rhoades, it’s that he knows Philadelphia sports. A graduate from Saint Joseph’s University, Rhoades has previously written about Hawk sports for The Hawk Newspaper and covered baseball at Phillies Nation. In his spare time, he loves to volunteer at his local animal shelter and bike.

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