Football
Barrett Brooks, one of the stalwarts on NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Eagles Postgame Live show, and who is as locked into major college football as anyone in the Philadelphia area, sees the Eagles going with an offensive lineman at pick No. 23.
“I see them going for the tackle from Alabama, Kadyn Proctor, at 23, if he still there,” said Brooks, who calls college football games. “He’s 6-foot-7, 355 pounds. If they could get Kenyon Sadiq, the tight end out of Oregon, I really like that pick, but from everything I see, it looks like he may be off the board by then. If they go defense, I like T.J. Parker out of Clemson. I think Proctor reminds the Eagles a lot of what they had before in Mekhi Becton (at right guard during the 2024 Super Bowl season). Proctor is big, and strong, and he would have a chance to develop next to Lane (Johnson), who I don’t see retiring after this season or next.
“When Lane does retire, they kick Proctor out to right tackle. It fits.”
Proctor is projected to go somewhere in the middle to late teens by some respected mock drafts, and as late as the early 20s.
NFL scouting states that: “Proctor is a mass of humanity with rare size and length at his command. He’s capable as a move blocker but shines when rolling downhill as a bona-fide people mover with bulldozing power. However, slants and quick first steps beat him to the spot in the run game. When set and centered, Proctor is a roadblock to speed-to-power charges. He has a stout anchor and strong hands to stall the rush in its track. He struggles to mirror athletes in space and lacks the range to protect deeper pocket drops against speed. Inconsistency in pass protection hasn’t helped his draft standing, but he still has the potential to become a good right tackle or very good guard.”
His strengths are his massive frame, his upper body strength, early quickness to execute move blocks, which is what new Eagles’ offensive line Chris Kuper’s zone blocking scheme is about, and is an area that Proctor may need to address. A weakness is supposed to be “indecisive and inefficient when defender isn’t in front of him.”
“I do see the Eagles going heavy in the trenches,” Brooks said. “I see them going offense again in the second round, looking for a wide receiver or a tight end. I can see them taking KC Concepcion from Texas A&M, if the Eagles are looking to receiver there, or the tight end out Vanderbilt, Eli Stowers.”
The NFL scouting combine book on Concepcion says: “Concepcion offers immediate burst and separation into space. He’s elusive in beating press and getting into breaks with minimum damage from handsy coverage. While he has a one-speed approach, he can snap off routes with alarming suddenness, making him extremely difficult to match at leveraged break points. He’s instinctive against zone. He’s also a nightmare for man coverage on choice routes and near the goal line. He’s quicker than fast, with more value on utility throws utilizing run after catch. Concepcion’s ability to quickly uncover should be very appealing to teams with spotty protection and a young quarterback.”
Concepcion is projected to go in the first round. Stowers is expected to go in the second round.
“I’m 50-50 whether or not A.J. Brown is going to be traded, but I’ve come completely over from where I was a month ago, so my lean is he probably will be traded by how things look now,” Brooks said. “What for this kid out of Louisville, Chris Bell, as a possible sleeper late.”
Bell caught 72 passes for 917 yards and six TDs last season for the Cardinals, before his shut down with a torn ACL in a game against SMU on November 22. Bell is 6-foot-2, 220 pounds. With the Eagles trading for Dontayvion Wicks and signing Hollywood Brown, it appears the Eagles are making sure their receiver group has depth since it most likely not include A.J. Brown next season.
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