With college football barreling towards its halfway point, and two teams (shout-out Miami, Fla. and Indiana) already reaching bowl eligibility, it’s as good a time as any to write thousands and thousands of words on players who the Philadelphia Eagles might not even be scouting!

BGN’s Ben Natan has been keeping you abreast of prospects to watch every week, so some of these names may already be familiar to you, but it never hurts to talk again about all of the future Pro Bowlers that Howie Roseman is going to draft in 2025.

First up, here are what I see as the needs for the Birds if the draft were to happen this weekend.

Team Needs

• DE/EDGE
• OT
• CB
• ILB
• RB
• DT
• S
• TE

Next, here are the first three (of seven total) picks that the Eagles are projected to have. I will have a second post later this week (???) that discusses the fourth and fifth round picks that Philadelphia has and players who might be good fits in that range.

Projected Draft Picks (as of Oct. 7 on Tankathon)

• 1st round; No. 15 (PHI)
• 2nd round; No. 48 (PHI)
• 3rd round; No. 79 (worse of PHI or MIA)

Potential 1st/2nd/3rd Players (heights/weights from school websites)

Defensive end/Edge rusher

• Abdul Carter, Penn State, junior, 6-foot-3, 252 pounds: the Philadelphia native would, I’m assuming, love to be drafted by his hometown team so all of his friends and family can watch him play. Carter is tracking towards having a career-year for the Nittany Lions this year, despite opposing offenses keying in on stopping him AND him changing positions. In five games this season, Carter has 22 tackles (14 solo), three sacks, one forced fumble, and two passes defended. An athletic freak, Carter has been improving his pass rushing technique with each passing week and could easily be a first round pick.

• Nic Scourton, Texas A&M, junior, 6-foot-4, 285 pounds: with his impressive size, Scourton could be a versatile piece in the Eagles front seven. He can set the edge on running plays while also being quick enough to rush the passer from the interior on third downs. After two seasons at Purdue, Scourton transferred to A&M and has 17 tackles (13 solo), 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and two passes defended in five games.

Offensive tackle

• Emery Jones, Jr., LSU, junior, 6-foot-6, 315 pounds: Jones has started 29 games (31 appearances) at LSU and was named to the 2022 Freshman All-SEC team as well as the 2023 Second Team All-SEC. The Tigers were also a finalist for the 2023 Joe Moore Award, given to the best offensive line in the country annually. Everything I’ve read about him says he’s a smart, strong dude and I think that’s exactly what you want out of an offensive tackle prospect.
• Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota, redshirt senior, 6-foot-6, 330 pounds: having only played organized football since his junior year of high school, Ersery probably still has some untapped upside. The massive (I stood next to him at the Minnesota State Fair this summer so I can confirm this) Golden Gophers left tackle has played, and started, in 33 games for his career. He was First Team All-Big Ten (AP) last year and also earned All-Big Ten Honorable Mention in 2022. He has great length and is able to get latched on to defensive players quickly in the running game.

Cornerback

• Shavon Revel, Jr., ECU, senior, 6-foot-3, 193 pounds: the fast-rising prospect tore his ACL on Sept. 20 in practice and will miss the rest of the season. I still think he’s worth a look early in the draft and so does ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid who tweeted “if you’re looking for this year’s Quinyon Mitchell, [Revel’s] a worthy candidate.” In three games this year, Revel had eight tackles (four solo), 0.5 TFL, four passes defended, and two interceptions. He has top-tier length for a defensive back and he embraces the physical aspect of the position, both in jamming wideouts at the line and in making tackles.

• Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon, redshirt senior, 5-foot-10, 185 pounds: the well traveled Muhammad (previously of Oklahoma State and Washington) is having another great season, but this time for the Ducks. He has 15 tackles (seven solo), 0.5 TFL, and six passes defended in five games. Muhammad has superior instincts and ball skills which will serve him well at the next level. He’s a bit undersized and could be utilized as a nickelback in the NFL. His primetime matchup coming up on Saturday against Ohio State’s freshman sensation Jeremiah Smith is appointment viewing in my humble opinion.

Inside linebacker

• Jay Higgins, Iowa, redshirt senior, 6-foot-2, 232 pounds: this man is a legitimate tackling machine. In his first season as a full-time starter in 2023, Higgins recorded 171 total tackles in 14 games. He’s averaging just under 10 tackles per game this season (48 in five games) and has forced two fumbles, picked off two passes, and notched a sack. This past week Higgins had 14 tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery against Ohio State, but he has Cade McNamara playing QB so obviously the Hawkeyes got blown out. Most (all?) Iowa players enter the league with questions about their athletic ability, and to be fair Higgins isn’t the most athletic dude on the field, but most (all?) of them still end up producing. Higgins is smart, physical, and has been a team captain for the past three seasons. He won’t go in the first round, but he might end up returning first round results.
• Jihaad Campbell, Alabama, junior, 6-foot-3, 244 pounds: coming out of high school, Campbell was the second-ranked edge rusher in the 2022 class and a consensus top-25 player overall. He has since transitioned into more of a traditional inside linebacker role without losing his athletic edge. While I wasn’t there in a scouting capacity, I did see Campbell live against Wisconsin this season and he was all over the field (team-high eight tackles) making plays. He has 44 tackles (25 solo), 4.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, one interception, and two passes defended in five games in 2024.

Running back

• Ashton Jeanty, Boise State, junior, 5-foot-9, 215 pounds: easily the breakout star of this college football season (for those who don’t follow Mountain West football closely), Jeanty has rushed for 1,031 yards on 95 carries (10.9 ypc LMAOOOOO) while scoring 16 touchdowns. Last year he was named First Team All-America (College Football Network, ESPN, USA Today) and Mountain West Offensive Player of the Year after leading the nation in yards from scrimmage per game (159.7). He was third in the nation in all-purpose yards (1,916), fifth in total TDs (19), and 11th in rushing yards (1,347) while leading all running backs in receiving yards (569) too. Jeanty did all that while splitting carries between another RB and a mobile QB, by the way. For the non-mathematicians reading this…he is on pace to absolutely smash all of those records (except for the receiving yards one) this year. His highlights are insane as well. He is consistently bouncing off, running over, shimmying past multiple defenders on his way to long touchdowns. He’s built like a bowling ball and has terrific vision. In a league that appears to be trending back to Running The Damn Ball more, Jeanty could be a top-10 pick.
• Omarion Hampton, UNC, junior, 6-foot-0, 220 pounds: speaking of guys who are incredibly productive, allow Omarion Hampton to enter the chat. The Tar Heels bell cow has rushed for 764 yards on 137 carries (5.6 ypc) this year while scoring seven times. He has also hauled in 16 passes for 123 yards (7.7 ypc) as a safety valve out of the backfield. Hampton was named a First Team All-American by Walter Camp last year (and a Second Team All-American by everyone else) on his way to being a Doak Walker Award finalist. Per PFF, he led the nation in yards after contact (1,072) last year. His highlights are VERY fun to watch. Hampton seems to relish contact and is never brought down by the first tackler. He doesn’t waste any time behind the line of scrimmage before hitting the hole and exploding into the second level. I’m going to go watch this again.

Defensive tackle

• Tyleik Williams, Ohio State, senior, 6-foot-3, 327 pounds: Williams has been a steady, disruptive force in the middle of OSU’s defense for going on four years now. As a freshman he had five sacks and a forced fumble on his way to being named a Freshman All-American and then as a junior last year, he had 54 tackles (10 TFL), three sacks, five passes defended, and a fumble recovery while being named a Second Team All-American by Walter Camp. Williams is strong, can occupy multiple blockers, and is solid against the run. He won’t cause a ton of pressure on opposing QBs yet, but that skill can certainly be developed.
• Deone Walker, Kentucky, junior, 6-foot-6, 345 pounds: on the other side of the coin from Williams, this behemoth for the Wildcats is an excellent pass rusher from the interior defensive line and actually struggles a bit with run defense. The athleticism displayed by Walker on a regular basis would be impressive for a man 100 pounds lighter, but to drop back in coverage (!!!) and force an interception at 345 pounds is basically unheard of. UK will also line him up on the edge or have him rush the passer up the middle from a standing position, showing how versatile he can be. Walker has had a slow start to the 2024 season (15 tackles, two TFL, 0.5 sacks, five games played) but his sophomore year (55 tackles, 12.5 TFL, 7.5 sacks, 13 games played) shows what he can do at peak performance.

Safety

• Xavier Watts, Notre Dame, redshirt senior, 6-foot-0, 203 pounds: a 2023 unanimous First Team All-American, Watts also won the Bronko Nagurski Award (best defensive player in nation) for the Fighting Irish. He led the country in interceptions last year (seven) and already has two in five games this season. Clearly Watts has superior ball skills, but he’s also physical in run support and can cover tight ends just as well as he can play center field. He doesn’t have ideal size, but his impressive production should belay any concerns about that.
• Nick Emmanwori, South Carolina, junior, 6-foot-3, 227 pounds: on the other hand, Emmanwori has the size to play linebacker as well as safety. The Gamecocks use him as a hybrid player and line him up all over the field. He had 71 tackles last season to go along with 10 passes defended, two interceptions, and one QB hurry. This year he’s already matched his interception total (and added a touchdown) while defending four passes and racking up 29 tackles. Emmanwori may not find a permanent positional home in the NFL, but his versatility makes him enticing to defensive coordinators who could use him in all sorts of special packages.

Tight end

• Jake Briningstool, Clemson, senior, 6-foot-6, 240 pounds: last year, his first full season as a starter, Briningstool was named Third Team All-ACC by the coaches and Phil Steele after bringing in 50 catches for 498 yards and five touchdowns. He has great positional size, which he uses to make catches over smaller defensive backs, and he can line up out wide or with his hand in the dirt to run routes. While he isn’t some sort of game-breaker, he can make big plays by finding soft spots in the zone or by beating linebackers up the seam. I’m not entirely certain how good of a blocker he is, but he’s certainly big enough to be, at worst, average at it.
• Terrance Ferguson, Oregon, senior, 6-foot-5, 255 pounds: Ferguson was First Team All-Pac-12 last year after catching 42 passes for 414 yards (9.9 ypc) and six touchdowns. He’s having an even better season so far in 2024, catching 16 passes for 259 yards (16.2 ypc) but no touchdowns yet through five games. He’s a prime red zone target due to his size, ability to high-point the ball, and willingness to make catches with defenders draped all over him. The Ducks run a tight end screen to Ferguson that allows him to get a head of steam behind some blockers and gain chunks of yardage.