Three Senior Bowl linebackers for the Philadelphia Eagles

The 2024 Senior Bowl will be held this Saturday in Mobile, Alabama. Here are three linebacker prospects the Eagles should have their eyes on.

Jaylan Ford, Texas

Ford had three sacks, three forced fumbles and six interceptions along with 220 tackles in his last two seasons with the Longhorns. His four interceptions in 2023 led all FBS linebackers.

In four years with the team, Ford proved to have good instincts while being used in multiple alignments. He’s particularly good with zone coverage, which can’t be said for any of Philadelphia’s current linebackers. 

Among the team’s starters, only LB Zach Cunningham received a top-50 coverage score (49th) from Pro Football Focus. The seven-year veteran joined the team last August but will be a free agent in 2024. 

At 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, Ford is roughly the same size as Cunningham but is four inches taller than linebacker Nakobe Dean, the Eagles’ third-round pick in 2022. Ford is projected as a sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and could be a steal for Philadelphia on Day 3.    

Cedric Gray, North Carolina

Gray was one of four Tar Heels named to ESPN’s list of the top 100 college football players for the 2023 season (67). He had 367 tackles (29 for loss), 8.5 sacks, five interceptions, 13 passes defended and five forced fumbles over his last three seasons. His 121 tackles in 2023 were the second-most in the ACC.

Gray was named second-team All-American in 2022 and earned first-team All-ACC honors in each of his last two seasons. Considered a solid all-around linebacker and sound tackler, Gray isn’t exceptional in one particular area but is athletic enough to become a three-down linebacker and could go in the second round of the draft.