Eagles meet with another explosive EDGE Rusher ahead of NFL Draft

The Philadelphia Eagles don’t need to be reminded of what happens when pass rush depth thins out. They’ve lived it. Since the departure of Jaelan Phillips, the conversation has centered on how the organization plans to replace that production. Josh Sweat left last offseason. Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt are good, but neither has gotten as good as this team needs them to be fast enough.

Brandon Graham would like to return, but so far, the Eagles haven't asked him to. Here we are. Free-agent additions like Arnold Ebiketie and Joe Tryon-Shoyinka were made to help stabilize the room, but no one inside the building is pretending the job is finished.

If anything, the pre-draft process has made one thing clear. The Eagles are still searching. That search has led them to R Mason Thomas.

Philadelphia reportedly held a virtual meeting with the First-Team All-SEC pass rusher, a prospect who has quietly built one of the more productive resumes in this draft class. During 42 career NCAA games spanning four seasons, he tallied 65 tackles, 17 sacks, and four forced fumbles. That includes 49 tackles and 15.5 sacks over the past two seasons.

Production isn’t the question, though. The conversation is about how that translates to the next level. Pro Football Focus ranks Thomas as the eighth-best edge rusher in the class and the No. 47 overall prospect. If they're correct in their analysis, that places him squarely in Day 2 territory, and that’s where this gets interesting.