With the Senior Bowl game fast approaching and all practice sessions now over, here are the 3 linebackers you should look out for as potential targets for the Eagles in April.
Monty Rice – LB – Georgia
Leaving Georgia alongside some of the best defensive prospects this year, Rice has had a great 4-year career for the Bulldogs. He played inside and became an extremely versatile linebacker. This could really benefit an ‘out of position’ Eagles defense.
He is a solid running defender who uses his great agility and general athleticism to chase the ball carrier and bring him down quickly with his decent tackle ability.
Like the ILB for the Bulldogs, Rice was tasked with extensive man coverage in the RBs and showed, over that time, that he had the necessary speed, especially above the 5-10 yard mark, to keep pace and cover running backs no fast routes. Rice had a great shortened 2020 season, with 49 tackles in total, 1 sack, 2 strength fumbles and 1 defended pass.
The only major problem that Rice has now is that he is currently undersized for the job. At 1.80 m tall and 238 pounds, his natural ILB size is a little bit taller, but it’s not like Rice hasn’t proven that he can play at a high level.
Another problem Rice has is that occasionally it can take a while to process what is happening, leading to a delayed reaction. He will have to build on that foundation at the next level.
Paddy Fisher – LB – Northwest
Paddy Fisher has enjoyed an incredible 4 years at Northwestern, where he consistently produced all the games and his line of statistics shows that. Fisher produced 389 tackles in total, 2 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, 4 interceptions and 10 passes saved in those 4 seasons. This is the type of production that the Eagles lacked.
Fisher’s size of 6 feet 4 and 239 pounds combined with his great tackle shape creates one of the best productive finishers I’ve ever seen, with 10 forced fumbles. He has everything you want in the role of ILB, size, strength, production and a high understanding of his role.
Fisher is an expert on big games. Given its size, it is an impressive linebacker that can be really physical with small receivers and even a few tight ends, if applicable.
Only a violent aggressor if requested, physical football is his trademark. However, its size has limitations. He doesn’t have the speed or blast you’d like a linebacker to have and will have a hard time keeping track of running backs and smaller receivers on fast and difficult routes. He will also lose tackles because he cannot get to the place he needs all the time. There is nothing wrong with the way he attacks, only he is not always able to get to the position he needs. Overall, Fisher has great value in the draft and would be a great addition to the linebacker group in Philadelphia.
Charles Snowden – LB – Virginia
If the Eagles want another project linebacker for the new coaching staff to get their hands on, the physical monster that is Charles Snowden is what they will want.
At 1.8 m tall and 232 pounds, Snowden is the size and length you want to play in position, and probably a few extras too! Its length is incredibly useful for repeating pass coverage and it showed some excellent flashes in both man and zone coverage, especially zone coverage.
Another benefit of its height and length is its tackle. It is highly productive and is the perfect size to wrap anyone, from running back to tight end, and bring them to the floor efficiently.
With 2 interceptions and 15 defended passes, Snowden proved his worth in passing coverage, but it was in the passing area of the game that Snowden really took off this year. In a shortened campaign this year, Snowden had 6 bags to go with his 5 from last year, and with his size, he’s basically just another EDGE rusher for Virginia.
However, Snowden is still incredibly raw. He can definitely take advantage of his size superiority in position and really learn how to beat blockers in the racing game. The hip movement can sometimes be a disappointment and is mainly due to his large body, so the man’s coverage against restless route runners would be off the menu for Snowden.
He also observes the backfield well, but he certainly needs to learn how to make the best way to the corridor, in addition to adding more quick passing moves if he really wants to reach his potential.
The Senior Bowl is easily one of the best parts of the draft and the linebacker’s grouping is stacked. There are a few more names I would love to mention with honor, such as Tony Field of West Virginia, Baron Browning of Ohio State, KJ Britt of Auburn, Chazz Surratt of North Carolina, and finally Hamilcar Rashed Jr of Oregon State.
The Eagles have a large group of linebackers to watch on Saturday.
Gregory Fisher / Icon Sportswire photo
