Eagles

Eagles Trade Back, Draft Defensive Lineman Milton Williams

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Apr 30th, 2021 · 10:14 PM EDT

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Eagles trade back:

Trade: #Eagles have traded No. 70 overall to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for picks No. 73 and No. 191.@LifeBrand_AI | #EaglesDraft pic.twitter.com/uKpCaeAppt

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) May 1, 2021

And they drafted Milton Williams, a defensive tackle/end out of Louisiana Tech. He’s 6’3″, 284 pounds, and played basically two seasons in Ruston, logging 104 tackles and four sacks. The NFL announced him as an end, but the Birds are calling him a DT.

Here’s his draft profile from NFL.com:

Pound for pound, Williams can match his toughness and strength with many of the interior defenders in this draft. Determining his best positional fit will be up to the team that drafts him, but he’s a good football player who understands leverage and knows how to use his hands. He’ll have some bumpy snaps from time to time due to a lack of length and overall mass, but it shouldn’t be debilitating for his NFL career. Williams possesses twitchy power and short-area athleticism, but needs to continue the development of working the hands and feet as one to unlock his potential. His pass rush is relatively pedestrian at this time and will need to be upgraded to become more than just a good backup. Teams will weigh the tape and testing against subpar physical traits, but the end result could land him in the middle rounds as an upside talent.

I guess this pick isn’t surprising. We know the Eagles value the defensive line. It’s going to be fine this year, but that unit is aging quickly and has guys out of contract in 2022. The Birds need a corner and didn’t use one of their top three picks on one, with the pickings a little slim in the 3rd round. They could still go for a linebacker at some point.

Here are some nuggets to digest:

Milton Williams tested very similar to Aaron Donald in 2014. pic.twitter.com/8OMdRq2Bxk

— Brenden Deeg (@BrendenDeeg_) May 1, 2021

Eagles third-round pick Milton Williams had a beastly performance at his pro day. He's undersized but has the raw tools.

— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) May 1, 2021

The NFL announced Milton Williams as a DE. The Eagles are calling him a DT. He’s a versatile player.

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) May 1, 2021

RD 3 | PICK 73 – Eagles: Milton Williams EDGE, Louisiana Tech

Williams is one of the more intriguing size-speed-power prospects on the defensive line in this year's class. Williams is 1 of 2 edge defenders in this year's class to earn a 99 athleticism score (Other: Jayson Oweh). pic.twitter.com/g6ywT9lH60

— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) May 1, 2021