Eagles Scoop: Buyer Beware on Philly's Top-30 Draft Visits, Says Former GM

For the Philadelphia Eagles and many other teams, top-30 visits are an opportunity to gather information, not a declaration of interest, a former NFL GM tell SI.com's Eagles Today.

When it comes to top-30 visits during the pre-draft process in the NFL, always take them with a grain of salt.

“Could be a dozen reasons why [you bring in a player for a pre-draft visit],” a former general manager told SI.com’s Eagles Today, “but the end game is always the same. For whatever reason, you need more information [on a prospect.]

“The need [for information] could be obvious or it could be uneventful like the timing of a pro day.”

The obvious came into play with the publicized Philadelphia Eagles’ pre-draft visits when it was revealed embattled Georgia defensive lineman Jalen Carter, who is arguably the best pure football player in the draft, would be visiting the NovaCare Complex.

Carter’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, is still convinced his client, once thought of as a potential No. 1 overall pick before Chicago traded out, won’t fall out of the top 10 and has limited Carter’s pre-draft visits to teams selecting in that range.

The Eagles just made that cut at No. 10 overall and are certainly in the market for defensive line help after losing Javon Hargrave to a $20 million contract in free agency.

Carter’s visit to the NovaCare Complex could make or break him in the Eagles’ eyes when it comes to keeping him on the organization’s draft board or removing him completely.

An example of a pre-draft visit going wrong is talented former LSU running back Derrius Guice, who ended up going to Washington at No. 59 overall in the 2018 draft.

Rumors of a shouting match between Guice and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and/or then-running backs coach Duce Staley were never confirmed by SI.com’s Eagles Today and Guice himself denied the claim.

That said, an NFL source did confirm that the organization liked Guice’s ability but his combine interview went poorly and the subsequent top-30 visit only reinforced that first impression with the Eagles.

The result was Guice being taken off the team’s draft board perhaps entirely but at least until Day 3, which is what Philadelphia typically does before revisiting if the juice is worth the squeeze with a red flag.

Guice ultimately flamed out after playing just five NFL games due to multiple knee injuries and was released in 2020 after domestic violence allegations arose.

The Eagles, of course, start the 2023 draft process with two first-round picks: Nos. 10 and 30, and Carter is one of a handful of potential first-round picks Philadelphia has met or will be meeting with.

That group includes Texas running back Bijan Robinson, Ohio State offensive tackle Paris Johnson, Iowa edge-rusher Lukas Van Ness, Carter’s teammate, Georgia edge-rusher Nolan Smith, as potential options at No. 10, and Mississippi State cornerback Emmanuel Forbes and Clemson defensive tackle Bryan Breese possible late first-round picks.

Ohio State offensive tackle Dawand Jones, LSU defensive tackle Jaquelin Roy, and lengthy Kansas State defensive back Julius Brents are potential Day 2 picks known to have had visits lined up, and Western Kentucky nose tackle Brodric Martin may be a Day 3 option to back up Jordan Davis.

“I would say anybody you bring in is someone you have some interest in if everything breaks correctly but [the visits are] as much an opportunity to rule someone out as in,” the former GM said.

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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media.

You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube.

John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen