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Eagles taking a close look at deep running back class at scouting combine

The last time the Eagles used a top 60 pick on a running back was 2009, when they selected LeSean McCoy.

Ohio State linebacker Tuf Borland (32) tackles Penn State running back Miles Sanders (8) during a game at Penn State University's Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018.
Ohio State linebacker Tuf Borland (32) tackles Penn State running back Miles Sanders (8) during a game at Penn State University's Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2018.Read moreTIM TAI / Staff Photographer

INDIANAPOLIS – The running backs will go through on-field workouts at the annual NFL scouting combine on Friday, and Eagles officials will watch all of them, as they do each year. But, for the last eight drafts, the Eagles waited until the third day of the draft to select any of them. That might be the reason they’re still searching for a stable starter.

The last time the Eagles used a top-60 pick on a running back was 2009, when they selected LeSean McCoy. He became the franchise’s all-time leading rusher. Armed with three draft picks in the first two rounds (Nos. 25, 53, and 57) and with a clear need in the backfield, this could be the year the Eagles take the plunge to find a running back. Top executive Howie Roseman said there are different ways to fill the position, and they’re “not going to force any particular position just because it’s a perceived need,” although the value could be present.

This is not considered as strong a class as two years ago, which has produced 11 starters, and it doesn’t have a Saquon Barkley or Ezekiel Elliott, but there’s depth for the Eagles to find a starter. The top running back is considered Alabama’s Josh Jacobs. The Eagles would likely need to use a first-round pick to bring him to Philadelphia. Jacobs, who wasn’t a full-time starter in college, would be the ideal fit for the Eagles, considering his skills as a runner and versatility in the passing game.

Possible second-round picks are Florida Atlantic’s Devin Singletary, Alabama’s Damien Harris, and Iowa State’s David Montgomery, while others could push their way into the mix, including Penn State’s Miles Sanders and Memphis’ Darrell Henderson.

Singletary, who met with the Eagles at the combine, is compared to McCoy.

“How he makes people miss in the open field,” Singletary said of the comparisons.

The 5-foot-7, 203-pound back topped 1,000 yards in each of his three seasons in college. He excelled as a sophomore, with 1,920 yards and 32 touchdowns, and followed that last season with 1,348 yards and 22 touchdowns.

“I’m versatile. I’m a game-changing [player], I can do it all,” Singletary said. “I can run. I can make you miss. I can catch.”

Singletary’s production, though, came in the smaller Conference USA, while Harris was a major contributor at Alabama, where he played in four consecutive national championships. Although he split a backfield with Jacobs – Harris was the starter, but Jacobs is viewed as the better NFL prospect – his talent was apparent. The former top running-back recruit is 5-foot-10 and 216 pounds and topped 3,000 yards during his career with the Crimson Tide.

“However we had to do that, whether that was splitting carries or a certain guy getting a certain number of touches week in and week out, that was the challenge we were facing,” Harris said. “We’re competing against NFL-caliber guys at every single position, so I want to be drafted as high as possible so that level of playing up to the competition at Alabama ... will definitely benefit us here.”

Sanders arrived at Penn State expecting to split carries, but Barkley was too good to take off the field. That kept Sanders as the No. 2 until last season, when Barkley was in the NFL. In one season, Sanders established himself, rushing for 1,274 yards and nine touchdowns and catching 24 passes. He averaged six yards per carry during his three years with the Nittany Lions, and his track background might boost his stock at the combine.

Eagles officials asked him about being a three-down running back. With limited wear-and-tear at Penn State, he might not have shown his full potential.

“It’s not his fault he was stuck behind Saquon Barkley,” NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said. “He’s a really, really good player. ... The burst, he’s got lateral quickness, he’s loose. You see him in pass protection, which is nice to see. He can anchor down. … He’s just got some real burst, 215 pounds, and he can scoot. Ceiling wise, it wouldn’t shock me if he fought his way into the second round if he kind of aced the tests from here to the draft.”

Before the season, Stanford’s Bryce Love was expected to be among the top running backs in the draft. He followed a 2,118-yard junior season with only 739 yards last year, in an injury-shortened season capped with a torn ACL in his final game. That dropped his stock, but some team might land a talented player at a discounted price. If the Eagles are that team, he’ll give Philadelphia another Bryce – and the first one with a discount.