Welcome to part 3 and the final part of my series where I take an in-depth look at the group of UDFA’s brought in by the Eagles right after the draft. The finale sees us round off with a pair of running back prospects, a potential heir to Kelce’s spot, a defensive tackle and an athletic QB prospect who we have decided to turn into Greg Ward 2.0, find out more below!
Luke Juriga, C, Western Michigan
Juriga has a really interesting way of playing. He’s fantastic at watching the play unfold and instantly hitting his assignment. In the tape that I watched, it seemed Western Michigan was more focussed on running the ball and Juriga was fantastic at creating the holes for his teammate to run through. Standing at 6-foot-4 and weighing 298 pounds, Juriga moves pretty well for his size and he’s really good at moving downfield for blocks on screens. He latches onto his matchup pretty well at the line of scrimmage, which allows his QB to have as much time as he’d want to find a guy to throw to.
Perhaps it was just the tape I watched or a general occurrence for Juriga, I didn’t really see many 1v1 situations so I can’t fully say he’s a solid and consistent pass blocker who dominates defensive tackles from the off. Overall, I really like the prospect the Eagles have in Juriga, he could be a really key asset for them in the future, at a position where they’re set to lose one of the best ever in the coming season or two.
It’s also worth noting that the Eagles met with him before the NFL Draft.
Michael Warren, RB, Cincinatti
I think the Eagles got a serious steal here in Warren. The running back out of Cincinnati is like a fast bowling ball coming out of the backfield, his agility and speed, once he gets going, are impressive. One thing that the Eagles will love with Warren is his blocking. It’s brilliant for a running back and I don’t think I saw a botched block from him once in the tape I watched.
His motor never stops running and he is always looking to get every single yard he can out of every play, he takes hits well and is quite tough to get to the floor. I was impressed with his overall game considering, in my opinion, he didn’t have a good offensive line giving him holes to run through.
His 2019 stat line is pretty impressive, he had 261 attempts for 1,265 yards and 14 touchdowns. Warren also has a receiving game in his locker, amassing 21 receptions for 153 yards and 2 touchdowns. The production was also just as strong in 2018.
There was a trait that I saw when watching Michael that I didn’t like. His decision-making is a little too ‘all or nothing’ This could honestly be down to the fact he didn’t play behind a great offensive line, so Michael took what he could get. Another thing is, he doesn’t have elite acceleration. He has great speed when he gets going but it takes him a little longer to get to that position. Between him and Holyfield, the Eagles have a couple of really interesting prospects that could add another dimension to their run game.
Adrian Killins, RB, UCF
Good God almighty, the Eagles have themselves a little firecracker with Killins. This kid is fast. I mean, F A S T. If you run a stretch and get the right blocks, no one is ever catching Killins. He also offers an interesting dimension to the passing game and could be a real threat on screen plays where he has open space to play with.
Considering how small he is, 5-foot-8 and 164 pounds, he does really well when taking a hit and keeps the ball pretty well. Killins will also make a very good returner with the right coaching. In 2019 Killins had 206 yards off 11 returns. I can’t state enough times how quick this kid is, genuinely go and treat yourself by watching his tape, it’s some of the most fun I’ve ever had.
Killins isn’t a north-south back to take on a three-down load and his size doesn’t exactly project an easy transition. Killins has great upside and if you give him the top-class coaching, he needs to refine his game and Duce Staley may be able to provide that.
Raequan Williams, DT, Michigan State
We now take a trip to the other end of Michigan for a defensive tackle prospect in Raequan Williams, who lost lot of draft stock last year before he decided to go back and do his senior year in Michigan State, a decision that came back to haunt him this year.
WIlliams is a big guy, standing at 6-foot-4 and 308 pounds. From the tape I watched, it seemed teams would double team Williams a lot, which speaks to how much they feared him and his skill set. The Michigan State prospect is very active with his hands when he’s in battle with offensive linemen and that helps him dictate where he attacks from.
Williams, in general, doesn’t have great twitch or bend when attacking, he’s strictly a guy who will collapse the pocket rather than bringing the QB down. I’d like to see Cox or Jackson take him under their wing and teach him some more moves when he’s attacking. He doesn’t seem to have much in the locker bar pushing a bull-rush. I’d also like to see Williams have some patience on some plays and change it up, if he waits for a second and then engages, there’s a good chance the center has gone into another double team and then it’s just Williams versus his guy, 1-on-1.
Khalil Tate, QB, Arizona
I’m not going to fully evaluate Tate like I have with the other 12 UDFA’s, mainly because he was a quarterback in college and the Eagles have made the decision to turn him into a wide receiver and it’s pointless breaking down his QB tape as it has no relevance. Either way, Tate had one of the most storied college years in 2018, he was phenomenal at both passing and rushing in Arizona and then 2019 came around and he never got anywhere near that level again.
He’s not the only former QB to make this transition…just ask Greg Ward Jr.
Tate is a really interesting prospect that I would have loved to see as a developmental quarterback in this so-called QB Factory, if the Eagles got him back to his 2018 form, they’d have the steal of the draft and possibly more than that.
Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports
