The Philadelphia Eagles may have scored an NFL draft steal in second-round pick, Miles Sanders.
The Philadelphia Eagles selected former Penn State running back Miles Sanders in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft in a what was viewed as a logical pick and solid value at the time. But early indications from training camp suggest the former backup to Saquon Barkley is set to emerge as a star.
Sanders’ touchdown run during the Eagles open practice last week nearly went viral on Twitter after he did his best impression of the guy he used to play second-fiddle to at Happy Valley; his jump cut was very Barkley-like and led to a four-yard score.
Sanders’ early success shouldn’t come as much of a shock. Despite struggling with pass protection during the team’s offseason program, his role and potential impact in Philadelphia was never really in doubt. He brings a much more dynamic skill set than Jordan Howard, the former Bear whom the Eagles traded for this offseason, and has a ceiling much higher than the traditional one-year starter coming out of college.
Sanders was a five-star prospect when he committed to Penn State. He just happened to get blocked from playing time by a generational talent.
Once Sanders got his opportunity to play, he didn’t disappoint. He finished last season with 220 carries for 1,274 yards and nine touchdowns (5.8 yards per carry) and proved more than capable of flipping the field in the blink of an eye. He was an effective receiver, too, adding 24 catches for 139 yards.
The Eagles haven’t had a playmaking threat at running back since the prime years of LeSean McCoy, and while a comparison to McCoy would be completely unfair for Sanders, it’s hard not to get excited about his upside playing in a Philadelphia offense that features one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks and a cast of talented pass-catchers.