Six Senior Bowl players the Eagles should monitor

The NFL draft process will kick into high gear Jan. 30 when the 2024 Senior Bowl practices kick off in Mobile, Ala. The top seniors, and, thanks to a new rule, underclassmen who are draft-eligible, will compete in front of NFL personnel.

Last Tuesday’s Senior Bowl reveal show on NFL Network gave insight into where the all-star game’s roster stands.

While the roster mostly is composed of senior players, 15 players participating in the Senior Bowl will be underclassmen, including seven defensive backs, a unit the Eagles could look to upgrade during the offseason.

Of the players revealed, six prospects stand out for their skill set and versatility, which could help upgrade the Birds’ roster.

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A tight end just a few years ago at TCU, Oklahoma right tackle Tyler Guyton, a redshirt junior, has alluring traits that boost his stock down in Mobile. With excellent size (6-foot-7, 328 pounds), Guyton is an active hand fighter in pass protection and works to keep his hands inside the frame of edge rushers, playing with incredible balance and foot quickness.

Jim Nagy, the Senior Bowl executive director, believes Guyton is the most physically gifted tackle in the 2024 draft class, adding his team had Guyton as the No. 1-rated tackle on their board last summer.

“He is a really unique athlete, being a former tight end at TCU, he just does things you can’t coach, and when you’re drafting players up high, you’re trying to find those things,” Nagy told The Inquirer by phone. “I think he’s going to be one of a handful of guys coming out of Senior Bowl week that everyone’s buzzing about.”

Guyton made 14 starts in 20 appearances over the last two seasons at Oklahoma and would be an excellent player to develop under Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland’s tutelage.

A towering presence on Miami’s defense, safety James Williams, listed at 6-5, 215, is an exciting combination of speed, power, and athleticism. A bruising secondary player who flies downhill, Williams is expected to play multiple positions at the Senior Bowl, including linebacker.

“It’s hard to watch James’ tape and not envision him as a linebacker,” Nagy said. “He’s going to split time, but he’s not going to be there exclusively at linebacker. He’s probably going to play some safety, too. There’s a good chunk of the league right now that sees him in his best future at the linebacker position.”

According to Pro Football Focus, Williams registered 300 snaps as a free safety and 254 in the box at linebacker, so the junior isn’t a stranger to playing alongside linebackers. His versatility could be a much-needed upgrade for a struggling Eagles linebacker corps.

Potentially the most intriguing player heading to the Senior Bowl, BYU left tackle Kingsley Suamataia, the cousin of Detroit Lions right tackle Penei Sewell, is a massive, nimble-footed offensive linemen with endless upside. Set to be just 21 years old on draft day, Suamataia (6-6, 325) is an aggressive run blocker with the athleticism to block in space. Still growing as a pass protector while relying on a strong inside hand to ward off edge rushers, Suamataia has played both tackle spots in his short college career.

“When the junior rule was passed, that’s a guy we were excited about potentially adding, because I think when the process is all said and done, I do think he’ll be a first-round pick,” Nagy said of Suamataia. “It’s hard to find guys that size that can move their feet and stay in front of people like he can.”

The Eagles have a dearth of depth at tackle, and Suamataia certainly would be an upgrade for a room that could look a lot different next season. Although he was listed as an interior offensive linemen by NFL Network, Nagy confirmed that Suamataia will be playing tackle in Mobile.

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Going into the season, Penn State’s Kalen King was in the discussion for the top defensive back in the 2024 draft class following a breakout 2022 season. However, a tough performance against Philly native and Ohio State wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. left evaluators with questions about how King would hold up in the NFL.

Now, the 5-11, 190-pound junior has a chance to recoup some of his preseason draft hype after finishing with 29 tackles and two pass breakups in 12 starts in 2023.

“The tape wasn’t quite the same this year,” Nagy said. “He didn’t make as many plays, and this is a really good opportunity for him to come down here against a talented receiver group, lock these guys up, and make up some ground that he maybe lost here in the fall. ... He’s a talented guy.”

An underrated player and one of the rare seniors on this list, Troy edge rusher Javon Solomon was the nation’s sack leader this season (16). He has a chance to put NFL teams on notice with his closing speed and relentless pursuit of the quarterback. A natural speed rusher who can threaten tackles with speed-to-power conversions, Solomon isn’t getting enough love nationally, despite winning 15% of his pass rush reps, according to PFF.

Nagy says the undersized pass rusher (6-2, 249) has a skill set similar to that of New York Jets outside linebacker Bryce Huff, who finished with a career-high 10 sacks this season.

“Javon led the country in sacks this year, and he did it from a position that’s really hard to get sacks from, and that’s the 4i spot in Troy’s defense,” Nagy said. “The coaching staff there gives him a lot of credit. He’s a selfless guy. He’s a team guy. I say Bryce’s name because, you know, similar body type, kind of a tweener, really rocked up, muscled up guy, really similar that way.”

While edge rusher isn’t a top need for the Eagles, adding more juice to their rotation would be worth taking Solomon as a mid-round pick in April.

» READ MORE: Reports: NFL will allow underclassmen to play in college all-star games leading up to the draft

Javon Bullard’s presence in Mobile should interest the Eagles because of the Birds’ affinity for drafting Georgia players, but also because of his versatility. Playing safety and nickel over the last two seasons for the Bulldogs, the 5-11, 195-pound Bullard has excellent range and ball skills, and finished with two interceptions and five pass breakups in 2023.

In a wide-open safety class with no true top player, Bullard is one of six safety underclassmen set to participate at the Senior Bowl. Bullard, Utah safeties Cole Bishop and Sione Vaki, Miami’s Kamren Kinchens and Williams, and Washington State’s Jaden Hicks bring diverse body types and skill sets that should garner plenty of interest from NFL personnel, including the Eagles. Nagy believes all six prospects could be top-100 picks in April.