Skip to main content

No Miles times 2

 

The Eagles had an opportunity to add a second Miles to their team yesterday (in addition to Miles Sanders).  Miles Boykin was a 6’4” 25 year old 3rd round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2019, with terrific measurables (His spider chart showed top 21% receiving measurables in 10 of 11 metrics, top 10% for 3 of those).  He was not, however, a productive Raven receiver (over 3 years averaged 11 catches a year for 157 yards and 2 TD’s).  The Ravens cut him recently. 

 He was a physical player when drafted from Notre Dame in 2019.   He was projected to be a receiver that would require time to develop (Sounds like North Dakota receiver Chris Watson, projected to be a raw 2nd or 3rd round pick from North Dakota State).  He got time to develop as a Raven. So why bet on a Boykin that did not succeed:

  • Baltimore has allegedly not been great at developing receivers in recent seasons
  • Baltimore is a run heavy offense
  • Boykin had a 2021 hammy which cost him his first 8 games, allowing others on the roster to pass him

Boykin brings certain traits that might have appealed to the Eagles:

  • Play action- Like Baltimore, the Eagles threat to run can enable designed play action for Boykin.
  • Deep passes- Boykin has the size/speed quotient to get open on a post pattern (Like Quez).
  • Boykin’s size/speed cretes a nice target for Jalen

 The Eagles depth chart has Devonta Smith as the #1, Quez Watkins as the #2, Probably Zach Pascal as the #3, and then Jalen Raegor as the #4, Greg Ward as the #5 and JJ Arcega Whiteside as the #6.  Further depth includes recently signed Olympian Devon Allen and 3rd year player John Hightower. 

 The Pittsburgh Steelers claimed Boykin.  I am assuming the Eagles have a plan, and Boykin did not fit.  They have a roster chock full of young receivers already, and Boykin clearly has upside & flaws.  I just find it interesting the Eagles elected not to either trade with the Ravens before he was cut, or claim Boykin after he was cut.

Eagles Lesson:  With all the rumors circulating around potential Eagle Wide Receiver additions, I’ll be curious to see the next shoe to drop (presumably in the NFL draft).  Boykin appeared an interesting option to at least supplement the “back end” of the Eagle receiver room.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Eagles win 2023 Draft!

  Going into this 2023 draft / RFA (Rookie Free Agency) period, this author felt the greatest needs were, ironically, the Eagles areas of greatest strength… Offensive and Defensive Lines.   Why?   In addition to the loss via 2023 Veteran Free Agency of two Pro Bowlers (Javon Hargrave at DT and Isaac Seumalo at Right Guard), simple… age.   When managing a salary cap, ya can’t keep everybody), DT Fletcher Cox, DE Brandon Graham and C Jason Kelce are likely entering their final seasons in 2023, and RT Lane Johnson appears to have just 2-3 seasons left.    These players have been extraordinary franchise cornerstones: Kelce- future HOF, Johnson can solidify that same stature over his few remaining seasons, Cox has legitimate arguments for the Hall of Fame, starting with being a member of the all-decade team of 2010-2019.   Graham, while not a Hall-Of-Famer, certainly belongs in the “Hall of Very Good” as a franchise icon including owning perhaps the great...
Post a Comment
Read more

Derek Stingley Jr.

  First round draft prospect Derek Stingley Jr. is a paradox.   The LSU cornerback had an incredible freshman season, a clear top of the 1 st round talent even that young.   But since… not so much.   A combination of injuries and COVID have forced his stock down in this year’s NFL draft. Injuries have limited him to 10 games over 2 seasons since the 15 he played his freshman year.   And based upon past performance, opposing offenses have shied away from attacking him, thus yielding less tape to evaluate: The Good (from his freshman tape): He had speed, quickness and recovery speed. He had great coverage technique in breaking with opposing receivers. He brought physicality and proper hand use in coverage. He was a playmaker… He had 6 interceptions. He was an All America cornerback in both 2019 and 2020 He’s the 2 nd highest ranked corner in this draft.   A good performance in his pro day on 4/6 could vault him to #1. The Bad: While he c...
Post a Comment
Read more

Balancing Cap and Roster Management

  Evaluating roster quality is different than evaluating roster longevity (the ability to maintain the status quo, especially with key players).  Understanding where the roster is headed requires diving into Eagles contracts, which can be reviewed on the web site Spotrac .  Looking at the Eagles Salary Cap status exemplifies a quote from Geoff Mosher ( Inside the Birds Podcast done with Adam Caplan ), that “No team borrows against tomorrow like the Philadelphia Eagles.” The Eagles do this advantageously, stealing from tomorrow’s greater salary cap years (where the cap will be higher, so those $ are more plentiful and therefore cheaper to use) to help pay players today.  Concepts like “voidable years,”  “ cap hits, ”   “ roster bonuses,” “prorations,” “option bonuses,” “dead money” and others get leveraged to manipulate future vs. present dollars so the Eagles can seem to endlessly “find money” to sign players.  It’s a team effort spearheaded not onl...
Post a Comment
Read more