Eagles' Best Rookie Through Two Weeks Isn't Anyone They Drafted

PHILADELPHIA – The Eagles’ best rookie through the first two games isn’t Makai Lemon, Eli Stowers, or Markel Bell, the first three players general manager Howie Roseman took on the first two days of April’s draft.

Nope, it’s long snapper Rocco Underwood.

As soon as the draft ended on April 25, Underwood agreed to sign with the Eagles. The undrafted free agent wasted little time renting a U-Haul and driving 17 hours from Gainesville, Fla., where he had spent five years at the University of Florida and had just earned a bachelor’s degree in Sports Management.

“I think we left at like 6 a.m., got here like 11 or 12 or something like that, and made it safely,” Underwood said. “Definitely had a positive mindset about it all. Came up here a little bit early just to get settled in and figure everything out, figure out the area.”

Underwood, 24, walked into a kicking operation that had veterans Braden Mann and Jake Elliott.

He was 18 when Mann launched his first NFL punt.

He was 15 when Elliott nailed his first field goal.

He blended seamlessly.

“I think Rocco's done a really good job of just integrating with the veterans, with the rookies, with the punt team, with the field goal team,” said special teams coordinator Michael Clay. “He's been a pleasure to be around, and he's going to continuously get better and better as we move forward. The more times I'm around Rocco, the funnier he is, the more charismatic that he is.”

Rocco Underwood Got What He Hoped For - A Shot With The Eagles

There never seems to be enough love for long snappers. Only a die-hard NFL fan can probably name more than one, but probably no more than two. Nobody is looking to interview a long snapper after a game when he snaps the ball perfectly. People only want to ask them questions when they misfire.

“I know my role,” he said. “I know my role isn't to always just to go down there and make a tackle – I snap the ball and protect, and then I can go cover. That’s a big emphasis is just to make sure that I'm not thinking too far ahead and just staying moment by moment.”

Underwood had an idea his moment would come with the Eagles when special teams assistant coach, Tyler Brown, showed up at his pro day.

“They were kind of the main people looking for a long snapper, so if you’re a long snapper at that point, I feel like that’s kind of the spot you want to go. This is what I was hoping for.”

Underwood has football in his genes. His dad, David, played guard for Central Florida and was an All-American. His cousin, Johnny Underwood, is Florida’s all-time leading punter and was a fifth-round pick by the Oakland Raiders in 2018. Another cousin, Tommy Townsend, is the Titans’ punter, and the two had a mini-reunion on the field in Nashville in Week 2.

“He's had family members in the NFL, and, obviously, it was a cool moment for him going against his cousin (Tommy Townsend)," said Clay. "I'm sure he's leaned into him asking questions about the NFL, but I don't know if there are two better veterans he could be around than Braden and Jake, in terms of just mentoring him and just letting him be who he is.

“We're never going to be one to change who you are because you're in our room. We want you to be who you are. We want you to be Rocco Underwood from North Florida, the Orlando area. We want him to be like that every week, every day of his life. He's done a really good job, and we'll adapt to him as he adapts to us.”

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