2012 Eagles UDFA signings.(Undrafted Free Agents)

Chris Polk, RB, Washington
On a personal level we got 2 RBs in this draft that I feel will compete with Dion Lewis for the backup job. Bryce Brown and this kid. At one time he was rated as the #5 RB in the draft prior to a shoulder injury and also hip injury (hip turned out to be a fake report). Because of that he slipped down on the drat boards and even went un-drafted. 5’11” 215lbs and clocking a 4.46 time. Give you a quick one on him. I fully expect him to be on the team personally. Great inside runner that doesn’t have east-west speed. Great a breaking tackles I would say this is his best ability, just making people miss. Along with that he has some GREAT hands and will be a thorn for DE’s / LB’s that cover him not an amazing route runner but for the ones that will be covering him good luck. He is known for being a much better then average pass blocker as well.
More on his injury. In 2008 his freshmen year he dislocated his shoulder and underwent season ending shoulder surgery which granted him a “medical red-shirt” and allowed him to play as a freshmen in 2009. Also in 2010 he underwent ANOTHER shoulder surgery. The big question on him is his shoulder(S) if they are fine medically he will be a great addition. There was a false rumor about him having a degenerative hip injury which he quickly put to bed when the Eagles signed him. Again on a complete personal level I like him a lot and never pegged him to land on the Eagles because of the fact he would be a 2-3-4 rounder.

I’m not one of those people that get pumped up for Highlight Reels, I mean after all its called a HIGHLIGHT REEL. But for this kid sometimes you just know when someone has “it”. I would say this kid has a lot of “it” not all of it, but a lot. Watch this.

Demaris Johnson, WR, Tulsa
This kid is one to keep an eye on. Poor mans DeSean Jackson right here. 5’7″ and 171 soaking wet but very quick with a 4.41 time in the 40. He has made a career already in college as a PR / KR (see a theme here?). He ranks as the NCAA’s career record-holder for all-purpose yards (7, 796) as well as the NCAA’s all-time leader for kickoff return yards with 3,417 yards. Known as more of a crafty WR with not amazing hands but good enough to get the job done. He can burn you in the slot. One of those players that are described as “slippery” and “hard to wrap up”. What he lacks for in his route running he makes up for in speed. Although tiny and does not take well to hits. This kid has a good chance to replace Chad Hall.

He was suspended in the 2012 season for embezzlement after paying only $12.91 on his girlfriends debit card for over $1,238.75 worth of merchandise. Sounds like a deal to me! For real tough, no character issues just a kid getting one heck of a deal but still breaking rules and the law.

He is BLAZING quick and keep your eye on him.

Cliff Harris, CB, Oregon
Cliff is an interesting pickup here. Someone that very likely could stay on the roster with his skills and ball hawking abilities. Dismissed from school due to a lot of off the field issues he’s typical high risk high reward. At 5’11” and 175lbs hes surprisingly “on the field” fast. 4.50 time in the 40 and with a surprising 34″ vertical to say he can get up is an understatement. A good Punt Returner as well which adds to his value in 2010 he returned 4 punts for TDs which led the country. He also led the country with 23 passes defended and notched that off with 6 interceptions that same year. His coverage skills are better then average. Think of him as more of a zone CB as he wasnt in a scheme that asked him to cover man that often. He is also known for being a pretty good tackler as well. But take all of this with a grain of salt. In 2011 Harris was cut loose from the Ducks for violating the team rules, he BROKE the rules WHILE already being suspended. The big huge question mark here is not IF he will do well in the NFL it is more if he has GROWN UP enough to play in the NFL.

Again take it with a grain of salt, but if he can stay out of trouble expect this kid to be on the team for sure!

Highlight Reel –

Elvis Akpla, WR, Montana State
Not really much on this kid as I searched around. While people mainly know him for his circus catch that I will attach at the end of this review he is most commonly referenced to a Victor Cruz style. He just has a knack for getting open. Not amazing route runner, but a great cutter and hes not BLAZING fast but he can separate. Listed at just a tab above 6ft and weighing in at 193lbs. Runs a upper 4.56 in the 40.

Something about this kid. He is very athletic he won state titles in the long jump and triple jump and also played Basketball as a shooting guard.

The catch that made him famous –

Here is his highlight reel

Chase Ford, TE, Miami
Again on UDFA’s its hard to find many “GREAT” ones that slip through the cracks. For that reason it makes it hard to find film / tape on them and give any type of write up unless you actually watch them play first hand. This kid here is a TREE and I mean a TREE. He is 6’7″ and 255lbs. He runs a very high 40 in around 4.70. He is strong and has 33″ long arms with 10 1/4 inch hands. Has above average hands and of course has great upside after the catch. His huge downside is for such a big strong guy, he cant block for a lick. Very bad blocker but then again all we need him to do is catch TD’s. He has also been knocked on his route running abilities. While he Transferred to Miami he only caught 16 passes for them.

Highlight reel:

Emil Igwenagu, TE, UMass
Now while Emil is listed as a TE he is better known for being a FB. Picture Clay Harbor 2.0 here. 6’1″ and 250lbs with a 4.83 time in the 40. He is one of those players that does it all. When he was a freshmen he played LB and RB . He finally finished his college career as a H-Back . He has also lined up as a Tight End as well. But again he is one of those guys that does it all and would be a great DEPTH guy and Special Teamer.

Aaron Pflugrad, WR, Arizona State –
Think Chad Hall 2.0 here guys. 5’9″ 182lb kid who runs a 4.52 time in the 40 yrd dash. Noted as the 3rd WR as Arizona State and a possession / slot WR. Another guy that can return Punts. Not much on this kid has he only had 1 season and got injured in 2010 tearing his ACL and missing the 2011 season. Good hands, quick route runner. Think of a poor mans Danny Amendola here.

Nothing on film for him besides 1 td catch that’s not even worth showing.

Philip Thomas, S, Syracuse
This kid plays bigger then what hes listed. 5’11” and 198 with a 4.74 time in the 40. Good hands, poor tackler and needs to stay out of trouble. I think hes one of those “camp body” kids. But considering how we are not amazing at the S position you never know here. Again another one of those kids that needs to stay out of trouble.

Darnell Williams, WR, Louisiana College
6’1″ 197lbs. Runs a 4.42 time in he 40. Hardly any info on this kid. He led the nation in kickoff return average in 2010 (48.5 yards per kick). Also had a 20.5 ypc average to go with 14 tds on 1,200 yards. Was named the All American Special Team player of the year in 2011. That’s about all I could grab on him so for more just watch the video.

Comments

Leave a Reply