At what point do draft position and college production cease to matter? Maybe once players get on the field and either impress or disappoint coaching staffs. Eagles fifth-round running back Wendell Smallwood is making a favorable impression so far.
Smallwood caught the eye of new coach Doug Pederson at the first day of offseason training activities. "Here is a guy I think can be explosive, has shown some explosiveness," Pederson said. "I really like the fact how he catches the football out of the backfield. I think that is something that is just a gift that he has. He's a natural, a natural pass catcher."
Smallwood isn't big, but at 5-foot-10, 208 pounds, he isn't tiny, either. The ironic thing about him drawing praise for his receiving ability is that he didn't catch any touchdowns in college at West Virginia, and caught only 26 passes last season. But it looks like an area that the Eagles will try to use him this season, and he's big enough to get a shot at carrying the ball if Ryan Mathews -- never a picture of durability -- gets hurt.
Philadelphia also has Darren Sproles, but he's 33 years old. There were reports around the draft that the Eagles were shopping Sproles. Nothing came of it, and maybe he won't go anywhere, but he's getting near his pull date.
At this point, Smallwood looks like a guy to put on the list of possible backup running backs to be considering at the end of fantasy drafts, and in the later rounds of rookie drafts.
--Andy Richardson