This is a continuation of looking at the undrafted rookie free agents that the Eagles have signed after the 2022 NFL Draft. Here are the following players that will be looked at: Ali Fayad, William Dunkle, Reed Blankenship and Josh Sills. If you missed part one you can check it out here!
Fayad played five seasons at Western Michigan because he got one more year of eligibility because of the shortened 2020 season due to COVID. The former Broncos linebacker has been known for his pass-rushing abilities. He is not the fastest, but he can move off the line scrimmage quick enough to where he can be a terror to opposing quarterbacks. He does this mostly through strength and pushing offensive linemen back toward the quarterback. Furthermore, he finished the 2021 season with 39 tackles and an impressive 12 sacks. This was good enough to lead the MAC in sacks in 2021. He ended his college career being the MAC Defensive player of the year.
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The Eagles did fill in a checkmark signing Ali Fayad. Philadelphia needs players who can rack up sacks, as they were ranked at the bottom of the league in that category in 2021. Hopefully, Fayad will show enough to get some playing time this season and maybe get a few sacks for this Eagles’ defense.
Dunkle was one of the best guards in the west coast during his time as an Aztec. In 2021, he started 14 games. Dunkle only allowed ten pressures during the 2021 season and was not responsible for a single sack. Dunkle won many awards before and after his last campaign. He was selected as a preseason first-team All-Mountain West player. He was also named in all American by Pro Football Network. Dunkle was a great addition to this Eagles team after he went undrafted. If he can keep the pressure off the quarterback and protect him then he should do just fine within this Eagles offense.
Blankenship was another player who took advantage of playing an extra season because of COVID. The Blue Raiders’ safety was a tackling machine. In 2020, he had 76 total tackles. He only got better in 2021 as he had a career-high 110 total tackles. Furthermore, he was ranked first in the category of solo tackles in 2018 and 2021. He can also force turnovers. He had 9 interceptions over his five-year career at Middle Tennessee. Blankenship was really a force to reckoned with in Conference USA for a lot of his career.
The depth chart on ESPN shows Blankenship at the free safety position. However, he spent arguably the best year of his college career at strong safety. Really, he can play both roles for the Eagles, which makes him more valuable. Right now, he is behind Anthony Harris and Jared Mayden according to the depth chart. He has a serious chance to be at least second-string safety when the NFL season begins. Watch out for Blankenship, he could turn out to be a very smart signing for this Eagles defense.
Sills was a first-team All-Big 12 player in 2020 and did it again for the second year in a row in 2021. He was also one of the leaders at Oklahoma State as he was one of the team captains which was voted on by his teammates. In 2021, he had 41 knockdowns and 21 pancakes. He led the team in knockdowns but tied for first in pancakes. Sills has a lot of experience as he got a lot of playing time at Oklahoma State. He was on the field for 986 plays, which is the second most for an offensive lineman on the team. He also recovered the fumble that sealed their big win over Oklahoma this past season. As for the NFL, Sills, should be able to do some great things. Furthermore, his strength and size really makes him a standout. He should eventually get some playing time on the Eagles.
This Concludes part two of looking at who the Philadelphia Eagles signed as undrafted free agents after the 2022 NFL Draft.
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