Eagles sign all five draft picks, add 10 undrafted players on eve of rookie minicamp
Tackle Andre Dillard, running back Miles Sanders, wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, defensive end Shareef Miller, and quarterback Clayton Thorson reached their deals before taking the field, ensuring that there are no complications or potential holdouts this summer.
The Eagles will open their three-day rookie minicamp Friday after signing all five draft picks to contracts Thursday night, and also officially adding 10 undrafted rookies to the roster.
Tackle Andre Dillard, running back Miles Sanders, wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, defensive end Shareef Miller, and quarterback Clayton Thorson reached their deals before taking the field, ensuring that there are no complications or potential holdouts this summer.
The contracts are slotted based on pick order under the current collective bargaining agreement, limiting the complex negotiations that top picks used to encounter.
The class of undrafted rookies had been in the works since minutes after the draft finished on April 27, but the Eagles waited until the players reported to Philadelphia and signed contracts to announce them.
The 10 undrafted rookies the Eagles signed are: Stanford linebacker Joey Alfieri, Penn State offensive lineman Ryan Bates, Wisconsin linebacker T.J. Edwards, Wyoming running back Nico Evans, Stanford guard Nate Herbing, Weber State guard Sua Operta, Iowa center Keegan Render, UAB defensive tackle Anthony Rush, Penn State wide receiver DeAndre Thompkins, and Rutgers defensive tackle Kevin Wilkins.
The list differs from some of the initial reports, too, because the roster has changed during the last week with veteran additions. The Eagles can still cut players to open up spots.
Bates is a Warrington native who starred at Archbishop Wood before going to Penn State. He went undrafted after being named third-team all-Big Ten the last two seasons while playing left and right tackle for the Nittany Lions. He also has experience at guard.
Thompkins joins Sanders, Miller, and Bates as another Penn Stater on the roster. He will try to make the team as a return threat after returning two punts to the end zone while in Happy Valley.
The Eagles didn’t draft a linebacker, but Edwards would have made sense as a late-round pick after starting 52 games at Wisconsin. He was a first-team all-American as a junior in 2017 and led the Badgers in tackles the last three years. He also had 10 interceptions, which was the most by a linebacker in school history.
The rookies were assigned their new uniform numbers. Sanders, who arrives in Philadelphia with a high profile among fans, will wear No. 26. That was worn by Jay Ajayi last season. Arcega-Whiteside will wear No. 19, which was his college number and was worn by Golden Tate last season.
The undrafted players will have their first chance to impress the coaching staff this weekend before joining the rest of the team when organized team activities begin May 21.