Eagles Could Participate in 'Running Back Day' During NFL Draft

NFL Media draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah said there could be a run of running backs taken in the second or third round because six to eight of them have similar grades

PHILADELPHIA – There’s no Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs in this year’s NFL Draft, and that’s a good thing for the Philadelphia Eagles who would never take a running back in the first round, anyway, no matter how badly they need them.

And the Eagles need them. Maybe not as badly as they did earlier in the week when they gave running back Ty Davis-Price $985,000 with $150,000 guaranteed, per overthecap.com, on a futures deal.

Still, the only other runners under contract are Kenny Gainwell, who is on the final year of his rookie deal, and Lew Nichols, who was on the practice squad last year and is being brought back on a futures deal.

The good news for the Eagles is that Day 2 of the draft is, in the words of NFL Media’s lead draft analyst, Daniel Jeremiah, “Running back day.”

USC's MarShawn Lloyd is one of Daniel Jeremiah's top-graded running backs in the 2024 NFL Draft / USA Today

The Eagles have three picks on Day 2 of the draft, April 26, which are rounds two and three. The picks on that day are Nos. 50 and 53 and a compensatory pick between the end of the third round and the start of Friday’s fourth round. The comp picks have not yet officially been revealed by the league, yet.

The Eagles could use one on a slew of running backs that will be available, but who?

“I have about six to eight running backs that are very closely graded,” said Jeremiah during a conference call with national media previewing the NFL Scouting Combine which begins on Monday. “I don't have any of them up to where we had Bijan or Gibbs last year with those types of grades. Six to eight really solid players.”

Jeremiah is interested to see how Day 2 unfolds.

“I wonder if we're going to see a game of chicken in the second round where teams are saying, ‘Well, we have the grade to take this guy here, but we don't want to be the first one in line. We just need to make sure we're not the last one in line.’

“Does that push the running backs down? Maybe we could get to the bottom of the second, maybe even the top of the third round, and then once the first one goes, I think you'll see all these guys come off the board.”

Jeremiah doesn’t have a single running back on his pre-combine top 50 list, but he likes Texas’ Jonathan Brooks a lot. He backed up Robinson and Chicago Bears running back Roschon Johnson in 2022 but tore an ACL this past November.

The analyst’s two favorites though are Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright and USC’s MarShawn Lloyd.

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“Jaylen Wright is just real springy and juicy, stop-start quickness, home run hitter, finishes runs,” said Jeremiah. “He can get skinny through the hole. Really, really quick feet. He is 210 pounds, so he has a little bit of size to him. Enough size to him. He is probably the fastest, the most explosive of all these guys.

“Then MarShawn Lloyd from SC? 217 pounds. Reminded me ironically of DeAndre Swift. That was my comp for him. Patient. Explosive. I think he will run really well in Indianapolis as well. Kind of an aggressive attacking running style.”

Others Jeremiah mentioned include:

Oregon’s Bucky Irving, who Jeremiah said reminds him of Devin Singletary. “Ultra quick. Full speed change of direction stuff,” he said. “Very elusive. He caught 58 balls too, so good in the pass game.

• Kentucky’s Ray Davis

• Notre Dame’s Audric Estime

• Wisconsin’s Brealon Allen

• Florida State’s Trey Benson

Running backs are scheduled to work out and test at the Combine in Indianapolis on March 2 and it will be televised by the NFL Network.