Eagles Reportedly Meet With Massive NT, What Might It Mean For Jordan Davis?

The Eagles will be tied to several defensive linemen as the offseason ramps up with the start of the NFL Scouting Combine this week, so it’s no surprise that a report from The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler indicated that the team had a formal meeting with Florida defensive tackle Cam Jackson.

General manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni are expected to meet with the media on Tuesday inside Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, site of this year’s combine, on Tuesday.

The on-field drills begin Thursday at 3 p.m. with defensive linemen and linebackers taking center stage first and will be televised on the NFL Network.

Jackson will be one of many on the defensive front to watch. He is an interesting name for a few reasons.

First, he went to Florida, which is where Roseman did his undergraduate work.

Second, and more importantly, he is a massive nose tackle at 6-6, 339 pounds. That is similar size to Jordan Davis, who is far more advanced than Jackson at this stage of his career, but also more expensive.

The Eagles have an important to decision to make this spring on whether to pick up the fifth-year option on Davis’s rookie contract and pay him what is estimated to be more than $11 million for that final season.

Or go the cheaper route and potentially draft Jackson. There’s a long way to go before any of that happens, but still, it’s intriguing.

There’s also a good chance that Davis’s situation has nothing to do with Jackson. The Eagles don’t have a backup nose guard and that is where Jackson plays, so, maybe that is where their interest lies. Perhaps the belief is Jackson can be developed to become a starter when the day comes that Davis leaves perhaps after this season or in two years.

Jackson's productivity in college was minimal and he wasn’t a factor in the pass rush, so he probably isn’t a first-round option, but maybe a late Day 2 or Day 3 candidate at best.

Davis is getting better at rushing the passer and defensive line coach Clint Hurtt said he has been working on his technique to become more of a three-down player and has hardly come close to his ceiling.

This is what NFL Media’s Lance Zierlein wrote about Jackson: “(He) is a complete non-factor as a rusher, so his spot on a draft board will be relative to a team’s willingness to take a two-down player in need of polish. He’s long and plays with extremely heavy hands and an ability to overwhelm single blockers at times.

“When he’s allowed to swap paint and focus on smaller areas of containment, he’s a tough out. He gets knocked off his spot more than he should, but better block take-on and technique should create better consistency. Jackson has freakish size and is a more enticing prospect when tape flashes are prioritized in the evaluation process.”