Eagles draft: Could the Birds go back to the Toledo well for a second straight year?

MOBILE, Ala. — A year ago, the Eagles made an initial connection with Quinyon Mitchell at the Senior Bowl and the cornerback went on to be their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Now, a year later, could the Eagles select another defensive player from Toledo in the early rounds this year?

Defensive lineman Darius Alexander, the Rockets’ standout player at this year’s Senior Bowl, was difficult to block all week for opposing offensive linemen. At 6-foot-3 and 304 pounds, according to Senior Bowl measurements, Alexander has an explosive first step and strong hand usage to disengage run blocks.

In addition to taking snaps as an interior defensive lineman, Alexander showcased an ability to rush the passer as an outside defensive end. One of his best reps of the week came on Thursday during the 11-on-11 team session, beating Oregon left tackle Josh Conerly, one of the early week standouts, with a double-hand swipe-and-swim move to get into the backfield with what would have been a sack in a live-game situation.

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“I just see myself as an underdog,” Alexander said after practice. “I just come here, put my head down, and get ready to go to work. I spent time working on my game [and] also getting in the film. … My D-line coach, Frank Okam, he prepared me for moments like this, too.”

Toledo coach Jason Candle and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni were teammates and roommates at Division III university Mount Union, and Sirianni coached with current Toledo defensive coordinator Vince Kehres at Mount Union as well. The connections to Siranni’s past surely played a part in the Eagles drafting Mitchell last year and could play a part this year, too, with Alexander.

Alexander, from Fort Wayne, Ind., finished his final college season with 7½ tackles for loss, 3½ sacks, and an interception returned for a touchdown in Toledo’s bowl game victory over Pittsburgh. Alexander says he has been talking to Mitchell “all day, every week” and says playing with Mitchell on the Eagles “would be great.”

“We got great coaches, great staff, great people on campus and then throughout the city of Ohio that motivate us to push us to be great,” Alexander said. “And we just want to come out here and show them that [Toledo] got players that could come out here and compete with the best.”

Though Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis have played at a high level, the Eagles could lose defensive tackle Milton Williams to free agency this offseason and could be in the market to add a player to that mix.

The Toledo standout will be in demand this week. After practice, Pittsburgh Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl, who previously worked with the Eagles, introduced himself to Alexander and has another meeting planned with him. The Eagles have also met with Alexander this week.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft: Offensive tackles Josh Conerly and Emery Jones showcase their potential on Day 1 at the Senior Bowl

Alexander is expected to be a Day 2 draft selection, and his performance this week not only strengthened his stock but proved that he can be an every-down player at three-technique, which would replace Williams’ role seamlessly.

No one may have made themselves more money this week than Texas A&M edge rusher Shemar Stewart, whose explosiveness at 6-5, 281 pounds, per Senior Bowl measurements, is unmatched by any player who competed at the Senior Bowl.

Stewart’s production with the Aggies has been underwhelming (4½ sacks in three seasons), but his traits were on full display during practice this week. Though the Miami native opted not to practice on Day 3 of the Senior Bowl, nor play in the game on Saturday, his best rep came during Wednesday’s session for the American team. On the play, Stewart turned the corner on LSU’s Emery Jones before he could lay a finger on him, then knocked the ball out of Mississippi quarterback Jaxson Dart’s hand.

“I’ve been tall, big, all my whole, my whole life, and [living in] South Florida, you had to learn how to move with the best of them. So I feel like that’s where I got my movement skills from,” Stewart said. “During the offseason, I just go and work on seeing the hands. … While I was training with coach Nathan O’Neal, I was working on just seeing the hands, getting my accuracy on hitting hands better.”

The other player who generated plenty of buzz this week was Marshall’s Mike Green, a small-school pass rusher who proved he could back up the production he put out on tape. Green, who finished with 22½ tackles for loss and 17 sacks in a breakout redshirt sophomore season, produced a viral clip on Wednesday when he barreled over Oregon’s Conerly during a one-on-one pass-rushing session.

The native of Williamsburg, Va., opted out of Thursday’s practice, like Stewart, but displayed his upside as a run defender this week as well. Green entered the week in the first-round discussion and will leave the week firmly in that range. Though he may not last until the Eagles’ pick late in the first round, Green should be on their radar with Josh Sweat potentially departing in the offseason.