Eagles draft: With a need behind Dallas Goedert, how early should Birds select a tight end?

When looking at the Eagles’ recent history of drafting tight ends, 28 is the operative number.

It’s how old Zach Ertz was when the team selected Dallas Goedert in the second round of the 2018 NFL draft and, five years earlier, how old Brent Celek was when Ertz joined the Eagles in the same round.

With Goedert now 29 and Jack Stoll, last year’s No. 2 tight end, signing with the New York Giants in free agency, the Eagles have a need and a track record to suggest they’ll address the position at some point in the draft. During the offseason, they re-signed Albert Okwuegbunam and recently added free agent C.J. Ozomah, both on one-year contracts. Grant Calcaterra is also under contract, but the Eagles still have room for a backup tight end with upside to eventually become a starter.

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Here’s a breakdown of the potential fits, from the consensus No. 1 to a potential sleeper:

Brock Bowers, Georgia

Bowers is the rare tight end prospect who bends the rules of positional value enough to be considered worthy of a first-round pick, perhaps even one in the top half of the draft. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder has drawn comparisons to George Kittle for good reason. Bowers has a powerful frame and the playing strength to coincide, using a violent stiff arm with the ball in his hands and contributing in the run game as a blocker.

Bowers, who won the John Mackey Award as the best tight end in college football twice, had three straight years with more than 700 receiving yards and six touchdowns as the focal point in Georgia’s offense. Because of his ability after the catch, Georgia often used Bowers on screen passes where he could fight for extra yards and punish smaller defenders on the perimeter.

In the NFL, he should have the versatility to play out of multiple alignments like he did at Georgia and has enough talent to be featured in an offense. His range starts early in the first round, although it’s hard to peg where he’ll go because of the conventional wisdom against drafting tight ends early. In terms of a potential fit with the Eagles — in the unlikely event he makes it that far — he’d have to be seen as more of a No. 3 wide receiver/No. 2 tight end hybrid rather than a true in-line blocker playing alongside Goedert. His upside, though, is that of an All-Pro, true impact player.

Ja’Tavion Sanders, Texas

It’s only fair to put Bowers in a tier of his own, but Sanders is an intriguing receiving tight end with the size and athleticism to contribute in the run game as well. At 6-4, 245 pounds, Sanders looks and plays more like a supersize wide receiver rather than a stout tight end and was an ideal deep threat for the Longhorns. He lined up in line or as a wing back often, where he could either make contested catches against smaller defensive backs or spring free from bigger, slower linebackers. He ran a 4.69-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine with an 81st percentile 1.59-second 10-yard split, illustrating the acceleration he shows on film.

Sanders doesn’t have the same pop after the catch as others in the class, but he’s physical enough in the run game. He’s especially effective in split zone runs where he can come across the formation and wipe out an edge defender, taking advantage of his explosiveness rather than attempting to uproot someone on a down block. In terms of draft range, Sanders is atop the second tier of tight ends, expected to go somewhere on Day 2.

Cade Stover, Ohio State

Stover went to Ohio State as a defensive end/linebacker before converting to tight end, and his background in the trenches shows up at his new position. At 6-4, 247 pounds, Stover is one of the most well-rounded tight ends in the class with the ability to make an equal impact both as a blocker and a receiver. In the run game, he gets off the ball quickly and uses his hands well to displace defenders. As a receiver, he uses his initial burst to his advantage and can be a handful with the ball in his hands, alternating between lowering his shoulder and attempting to hurdle would-be tacklers who drop their heads.

Although Stover’s film doesn’t suggest he has the same type of top-end speed as others in the class, his athletic testing shows he’s capable of it. He ran a 4.65-second 40-yard dash with a 1.59-second 10-yard split at the scouting combine, so perhaps his late transition to tight end is at play here. Either way, Stover projects as an ideal No. 2 tight end right away with the upside to become a difference-making No. 1 down the road, with the Eagles or elsewhere.

Theo Johnson, Penn State

Aside from Bowers, Johnson has as much upside as anyone in the class, but his middling college production will hurt his stock. He had just 34 catches for 341 receiving yards last season, but he has shown flashes of high-level play to go along with elite athletic testing. At 6-6, 259 pounds, Johnson was 90th percentile or higher in the broad jump, vertical jump, 40-yard dash, and 10-yard split at the combine. He was 87th percentile in the 20-yard shuttle, as well.

Testing like that makes him one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft. The 23-year-old’s lack of production makes him harder to peg, but he showed reliable hands and was even a capable contributor as a blocker in the run game, willing to do the dirty work even between the tackles. Although Johnson’s age and lack of production keep him from being an ideal developmental tight end, his size and athleticism make it likely he’ll hear his name called on Day 2 of the draft. In terms of a fit with the Eagles, he could be a prototypical No. 2 tight end capable of playing in line when necessary.

AJ Barner, Michigan

If the Eagles are after a No. 2 tight end capable of handling the dirty work similar to Stoll, someone like Barner makes sense later in the draft. He’s an old-school in-line tight end whose selling point is primarily as a blocker rather than a downfield threat. The 6-6, 251-pound prospect has long arms (65th percentile) and uses his hands well when taking on defenders.

He doesn’t have the upside to be a difference-making receiving threat because of his limited athleticism, but Barner is the type of No. 2 tight end the Eagles have utilized in the past with a focus on freeing up Goedert as a receiver rather than contributing in the passing game alongside him. If the Eagles miss out on the first waves of tight end prospects, Barner would make sense as a mid-round addition.