Eagles strike deal to land South Dakota State TE
THE EAGLES SELECT ...
PHILADELPHIA » The Eagles didn’t just get the long, rangy tight end they needed Friday. They snapped him up beneath the noses of the hated Dallas Cowboys, who suddently find themselves in the unenviable position of having to replace tight end Jason Witten.
The Eagles got the Colts to take their fifth-round and second-round picks to move up three spots — one ahead of the Cowboys — and select Dallas Goedert. The 6-5, 260-pound product of South Dakota State fills a big need in the wake of the transition away from Brent Celek, who was released, and Trey Burton, who signed with the Bears.
Goedert also is a buddy of Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, who texted him shortly after the pick. Wentz, who attended SDSU rival North Dakota State, shares the same sports agency with Goedert. If that isn’t a LOL.
“The first text was ‘let’s go Homie’ with sunglasses and a palm fist,” Goedert said on a conference call. “Then he said something about ‘get ready’ and then ‘we’ve got some business to do.’ And I said I’m excited and I can’t wait to get out there and play with you.”
Second round, 49th overall:
Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State. 6-5, 260.
Upside:
Rangy receiver with back-toback 1,000-yard receiving seasons. Seven TD catches, six 100-yard receiving games last year as second most productive pass catcher on team. Fifth-year senior. Walter Payton Award finalist. Physical player, decent blocker, threat on all three levels of the passing tree, a factor in the trenches blocking and the top tight end prospect in the draft per Ourlad’s Scouting Services.
Played against FCS competition,
Downside:
Goedert is the top-rated tight end in the draft according to Ourlad’s Scouting Services and other draft publications. The 23-yearold senior averaged 82 receptions, 1,202 receiving yards and nine touchdowns the last two seasons. His career yards-per-catch average is 15.1.
Eagles player personnel chief Joe Douglas was impressed with Goedert’s size and agility for a big man.
“Just on the tape, you see a guy that can separate at the top of routes, and a guy that’s going to be the friend to the quarterback,” Douglas said. “Dallas is a bluecollar kid that works extremely hard. This is a guy we felt dominated at that level of play the last two years. Excellent production. as Carson Wentz did. Jump to NFL is significant. Didn’t run the 40yard dash at scouting combine due to a hamstring strain sustained at Senior Bowl. Didn’t run the 40 at his pro day, disappointing scouts. Needs to work on core strength and has concentration lapses resulting in drops, per Ourlad’s.
A matchup nightmare for the defense. He and Wentz already are familiar as they’re represented by the Bruce Tollner sports agency. Eagles get a late first-round value 16 picks into the second round.
Summary:
Then he had an opportunity to go to the Senior Bowl. Got hurt early but before he got hurt he showed a lot of promising traits.”
The FCS competition wasn’t an issue for Wentz, who evolved into an MVP candidate. Goedert, on the other hand, injured a hamstring during Senior Bowl practices and didn’t run a 40-yard dash at the scouting combine or during his pro day, the latter with Eagles tight ends coach Justin Peele on hand. That said, Goedert is confident he can make a relatively seamless transition to the NFL. And he figured it would be the Eagles.
“After I saw a couple of people retire and another guy get picked up by a different team I knew there was a need there,” Goedert said. “And I was kind of hoping I could go there and play for the Eagles. I met with them at the combine. I went there on a top 30 visit and Coach Peele was handling my pro day. I had quite a bit of contact with them.”
Peele said he patterns his game after NFL tight ends Travis Kelce and Zach Ertz. If Goedert is as advertised, Eagles coach Doug Pederson won’t have any trouble finding a role for him.
“He’s going to add some depth and competition to the position, obviously,” Pederson said. “He’s a tremendous player, a tremendous asset, a weapon for us that I think we can utilize with some of the things you saw with Trey Burton and having him on the field as well with Zach.”
Goedert said the hamstring is 100 percent and that his 40-yard dash times are in the range of 4.6 seconds.
Goedert figured the Cowboys, who had the 50th pick, might take him off the board before the Eagles because of the expected retirement of Witten. Ending up with the Eagles wasn’t nearly as symbolic as it will be for Philly fans; i.e. Birds beat Cowboys to Dallas, on the day of a draft just outside of Dallas. The Cowboys settled for offensive tackle Connor Williams, but not before being taunted by David Akers, the former Eagles kicker who before announcing the selection of Goedert, hit the fans attending the draft with some trash talk.
“World champs!” Akers shouted, referencing the Eagles. “Hey Dallas, the last time you were in the Super Bowl these draft picks weren’t born!”
About the only area where Goedert came up short was history. He was unaware that Pete Retzlaff, the tight end whose No. 44 was retired by the Eagles, starred at South Dakota State.