The Next Reed Blankenship? Ranking Eagles' 2024 UDFAs

PHILADELPHIA – The Philadelphia Eagles have the smallest undrafted free agency class of the Howie Roseman era, a nod to the organization’s aggressiveness in free agency, the futures market, as well as the organization’s nine-member draft class, and the in-house perception that the Eagles remain a legitimate contender on the NFC side of the bracket despite last season’s confounding collapse.

Moments after the draft ended, GM Howie Roseman was on the stage at the NovaCare Complex for an organizational team picture as a thank you to everyone who contributed to the process behind the scenes.

In a typical year, it might have taken a little bit longer because Roseman would be on the phones trying to put the finishing touches on the UDFA class.

“That’s why we’re down here. It’s the smallest undrafted group I’ve ever been a part of,” Roseman said, “ How many? Seven? Seven guys? Yeah, different.”

Eagles rookie DT Gabe Hall John McMullen/Eagles Today

It turned out to be six (in alphabetical order) – Maryland offensive tackle Gottlieb Ayedze, Tennessee tight end McCallan Castles, Howard OT Anim Dankwah, Baylor defensive tackle Gabe Hall, Georgia running back Kendall Milton, and LSU Defensive back Andre Sam’.

The seventh was Australian OT Laekin Vakalahi, who has an international player exemption as the Eagles try to see if lightning can strike twice. Vakalahi kicks off his professional career in the shadow of the best IPP player to date in Jordan Mailata.

The lighter haul was part of the Eagles’ strategy heading into the weekend due to the impact of NIL and the transfer portal in college resulting in fewer underclassmen declaring for the draft, which helped thin the talent pool.

“I think a big part of that is because we made a conscious decision after the season to try to get guys from team’s practice squads where we had some tape to watch,” Roseman said, noting players like edge rushers Julian Okwara and Terrell Lewis, as well as RB Ty Davis-Price. “We felt like that was just for us kind of a unique opportunity that we wanted to try and take advantage of based on this class and knowing that this was a different class, and so it wouldn’t have a ton of the same opportunities in the undrafted market that maybe you’ll get next year.

“We tried to take advantage of that a little earlier. I think it will be back to normal next year.”

Despite the lack of volume, the Eagles have had a solid recent history of unearthing UDFA players, most notably Super Bowl LII hero Corey Clement at running back, off-ball linebacker T.J. Edwards, starting safety Reed Blankenship, and a coverage cornerback with upside last year in Eli Ricks.

The organization is typically in on some of the better-undrafted prospects and that part of the equation held with Baylor’s Hall regarded as a draftable commodity by many.

Here’s our annual ranking with the help of a former NFC scout. (Note: The rankings are from Eagles Today and the personnel source just offered thoughts on each player):

1. Baylor DT Gabe Hall, 6-6, 291 – Hall got an early Day 3 grade from many media draft analysts and the knock seems to be the tweener aspect of his game. His length screams DE but he’s a disruptor inside.

“I had an early Day 3 grade on him,” the scout said. “I don’t know if it’s the end/tackle thing as much as consistency. He’s a flash player and needs to bring it down-to-down although with his height you have to be disciplined to keep the pads low. He’s athletic enough to play 3 (technique) out to 5 (technique) at an NFL level.”

2. Maryland OL Gottlieb Ayedze, 6-4, 308 – The Eagles announced Ayedze as an OT and he played 47 of 48 games (all starts) outside, 37 at LT for tiny Frostburg State before finishing with 10 starts at Maryland (9 at RT and 1 at RG). The projection at the pro level is likely inside, however. Jeff Stoutland was at his pro day which is not all that eye-opening because Maryland is so close but two sources on the ground said the Eagles’ O-Line coach was invested in Ayedze.

“Yeah, I had him at guard and a late-round pick,” the NFC personnel man said. “He’s pretty sound from a technique standpoint when you consider where he played in college but needs to get stronger especially if he’s moving inside. To me, this is the kind of player the practice squad is for.”

3. Tennessee TE McCallan Castles, 6-5, 252 – It wasn’t the best TE draft so it wouldn’t have been surprising if Castles snuck into the later rounds. He bounced around in college from Cal to UC Davis before finishing in the SEC with Tennessee where he caught he was a backup. Castles is a pure flex TE with a basketball background at this stage so there is an upside when it comes to body control.

“He’s an intriguing guy from an upside perspective but I would say he’s not ready from a route-running perspective and the blocking obviously isn’t there yet,” the scout surmised. “I’d start him on the practice squad and see what a year in an NFL strength program can do.”

4. Howard OT Anim Dankwah, 6-8, 353 – Dankwah is a massive man who isn’t overweight at 350. He’s got everything a left tackle needs when it comes to wingspan and arm length. He was strictly a LT at Howard so he lacks the versatility NFL backups need and is untested for the most part against top-tier competition.

“You are just trying to tap into the God-given stuff with Dankwah and no one does that better than Stoutland,” the scout said. “I would say the first order of business is getting him to understand the advantages of his frame and how it relates to leverage.”

5. Georgia RB Kendall Milton, 6-1, 225 – Milton is a big one-cut runner that the Eagles don’t have if you project Saquon Barkley, Kenny Gainwell, and rookie fourth-round pick Will Shipley as the top three. He never developed into the starter at talent-heavy Georgia but finished with an exclamation point in the form of 14 touchdowns.

“He’s a big back who can move the chains if the blocking is there and that’s where Philly is a fit,” the scout said. “He’s not the well-rounded guy they typically look for. He’s also good in pass pro but that’s a catch-22 because he’s not a receiver and not gonna help as an outlet.”

6. LSU S Andre’ Sam, 5-11, 191 – Sam is an older rookie at 25 and has been in college since 2017, starting at McNeese State with a pit stop at Marshall before playing his final season in the SEC at LSU where he was a 13-game starter and led the Tigers in interceptions. He’s physical for his size and proved to have solid ball skills but lacks range in coverage.

“He’s a good college player but the range might not be there to handle coverage on a consistent basis in the NF,” the scout noted. “He will have to bring in on special teams. He’s overcome a lot (has battled a stutter and the death of a brother) so you know he’s menatlly tough. He’s the kind kid you root for.”

*Australian OT Laekin Vakalahi, 6-5, 318 – Vakalahi is a 21-year-old prospect from Brisbane, Australia, who has never played a down of American football. Sound familiar? He reportedly has a 35-inch arm length and an 83-inch wingspan and honed his athletic gifts on the rugby field like Mailata.