Over the past few years, the Philadelphia Eagles have placed a real emphasis on acquiring the cream of the UDFA crop. Not only that, but they’ve invested more than most teams when doing so. In 2019, players like Alex Singleton and T.J Edwards burst onto the scene, while Nate Herbig and Sua Opeta all received at least $80K in guaranteed money. Michael Jacquet, Grayland Arnold, and Luke Juriga all received at least $90K in 2020. We can trace this all the way back past Corey Clement’s rise in 2017, to Trey Burton’s arrival on the roster back in 2014. The player who has drawn the most investment from the Eagles this year, Jack Stoll, just so happens to play the same position as Burton.
The Eagles find themselves in murky waters when it comes to the tight end position. Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert are both entering their final contracted years and face drastically different scenarios. One has been dangled in trade talks all offseason and the other is working on an extension with the team. Beneath the duo is very little in the way of proven depth. Jason Croom and his 100% TD record are joined by names like Caleb Wilson and former Bills QB Tyree Jackson. This presents a huge opportunity for the Eagles’ highest-paid UDFA to not only make the roster, but make some noise while doing so as a TE3.
Jack Stoll is coming off of a disappointing season as a Senior. After deciding to opt-in and play the 2020 season, the carpet was ripped from under him after he picked up an injury against Ohio State in the opening game of the year. He appeared in only 3 games, catching 7 passes and averaging 12.7 yards per catch.
What’s left on his resume is a career that isn’t statistically outstanding, but one that encourages intrigue. The 6’4, 260 lbs, TE picked up 245 yards as a sophomore and 234 yards as a junior. But in a run-heavy offense, Stoll’s real development and impact came as a blocker. Not only that, but it’s not like Nebraska were blessed with great quarterback play, further limiting his ceiling.
However, this presented an opportunity for Howie Roseman to snag an enticing athlete who hasn’t had the exposure as many of the top names in the class. Stoll ran a 4.68 40-yard dash and a 2.66 20-yard split. His 6.86 3-cone drill time was also exceptional, painting the picture of yet another freakishly athletic body who plays well beyond his frame, aligning with a recent trend in Philadelphia.
What the Eagles saw in Stoll was a strong and versatile athlete who could impact what will now likely be a run-first offense under Nick Sirianni. With a strong committee of backs behind Miles Sanders, the weight should be taken off of the shoulders of Jalen Hurts, and plenty of wham and trap concepts utilizing tight ends should take center stage once again.
Both Philadelphia and Indianapolis have previously placed a hefty focus on using their tight ends and there’s no reason why Stoll shouldn’t factor into Sirianni’s equation. Let’s also not forget that the team paid Noah Togiai handsomely last year only to lose him to the Colts of all teams, dashing their TE development dreams.
We know that there isn’t much in the way of a long-term picture at the position and there is a real need to start developing future TE2 candidates. It’s a tall order to expect recent positional converts like Tyree Jackson to be ready by the start of the year, and with Stoll’s blocking prowess and impressive athletic profile, there’s a strong chance he can carve himself out a nice role in Sirianni’s new-look offense.
Photo by Zach Bolinger/Icon Sportswire
