The Eagles already have one of the better tight ends in the league in Dallas Goedert, who will for sure be utilized a lot during the 2021 season. The other tight end remains a little bit of a mystery. Zach Ertz has been rumored to be on his way out of Philly for a while now. The Eagles still have not made a move with that situation yet. Assuming Ertz does leave during the offseason, the Eagles will have another hole to fill in their depth chart. This hole was thought to covered, with the rumors swirling about Kyle Pitts being taken by the Eagles with the 6th overall pick.That has all changed with the big news about the Eagles trading down in the draft from 6th overall to 12th overall. This effectively takes the Eagles out of the running for Pitts. It is now time to start thinking about the other options the Eagles have at the tight end position in the draft. These are three tight ends the Eagles can draft.
Long is a big tight end as he is 6-foot-5 and weighs 253 pounds. The Boston College product has great hands and knows how to get open down field. Not only do defenders have to worry about his catching ability, but also his ability to produce yards after catch. Long has has a big frame, which makes him really hard to tackle in the open field.
Photo Courtesy of Jim Rogash/Getty Image
The Boston College prospect has been fantastic during his last couple years as a college tight end. He racked up 509 yards during his 2019 season, which is when Long started becoming a dominant tight end. He also had two touchdowns during that year. Long only got better during the 2020 season, as he got even more receiving yards and touchdowns. He had 57 receptions for 685 receiving yards. He also had a total of five receiving touchdowns. Long could be the perfect replacement if the Eagles ultimately decide to part ways with Ertz. If the Eagles decide to take Long, they would probably have to use their 4th round draft pick on him.
Freiermuth is a tough and physical tight end. He can produce offense with reliable pass catching ability. He is strong which give him the ability to win the fight of position against the defender. The Nittney Lion tight end is great at running with violent intensity and can run defenders over or hit them with a stiff arm. He played three seasons with Penn State before declaring for the draft. In 2020, Freiermuth had 310 receiving yards along with one touchdown. Freiermuth suffered a season ending injury during the their loss to Ohio State, but was still productive before getting hurt. In 2019, Freiermuth had one of his best years in his college career. He racked up over 500 receiving yards and scored seven touchdowns. This was actually less than his freshmen year touchdown total of eight.
Freiermuth is more than likely the next best option at tight end after Pitts. He will probably go in the 2nd round or maybe in the 3rd. It is unlikely the Eagles will have the chance to draft him because of their other pressing needs in other positions. Then again, the Eagles have surprised us with their decisions in the past, which is why he makes the list.
The final tight end the Eagles can draft on this list is Tony Poljan. Poljan is even bigger than Hunter Long as he is 6-foot-7 and weighs 265 pounds. Poljan played his first three years of college football at Central Michigan. He decided to transfer to Virginia during his senior year. Poljan has great hands and has the ability to catch the ball where no one else can get to it. Poljan had an impressive junior and senior year with Central Michigan and Virginia. During his junior season, he racked up a total of 496 yards and four touchdowns. Poljan mirrored his junior year with a just as impressive senior year. He had 411 receiving yards in 2020 along with six touchdowns. Poljan showed that he can be an effective tight end in a tough power five conference.
Photo courtesy of Micheal Laughlin/ Sun Sentinel
Poljan has shown the ability to produce points and yardage in his time in college. He has also shown that he has the athletic ability to catch the ball in traffic with defenders all over him. Poljan can also help the Eagles out with blocking with his size and strength. The Eagles can draft Poljan in the middle rounds of the draft. He would make a quality replacement for Ertz and would compliment Goedert well.
It is still unknown on what the Eagles will do with Ertz. Ertz still has one more year on his contract with the Eagles. The Eagles could decide to keep Ertz around to provide a good weapon for Hurts and the other Eagle quarterbacks. They also could be waiting for the right deal to come about so the Eagles can sweeten the deal for themselves. There is a lot of tight end talent in this draft class and the Eagles could find their next George Kittle if they look hard enough. The tight ends listed above could help the Eagles out in multiple aspects such as blocking and receiving. They both also have the ability to be a solid tight end in the National Football League.
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