Rookie Defensive Tackle Jeff Owens Will Be Dominant in the NFL
No need to rub your eyes or do a double take, you read correctly, rookie defensive tackle Jeff Owens will, and is, proving to be a force on the Philadelphia Eagles defensive line.
Like myself, there were fans who were immediately pleased with the Owens' selection in the seventh round of this year's draft and there were some who simply didn't know anything about this co-captain of the Georgia Bulldogs defense.
The thing that struck me as odd was the very few who were not happy with the pick, and I couldn't help but ask myself over and over again—why?
What the Eagles got was a guy who, as mentioned, was the defensive co-captain of the Georgia Bulldogs, recorded 37 starts and 102 tackles, 13 of which were in the backfield for a loss.
Maybe the thing that dropped Owens draft stock a bit was his sack total, or lack there of, recording just 5.5 sacks during collegiate career.
That and also his injury, which he is fully recovered from and at least a year removed from.
Since being drafted, Owens has been a physical player in training camp, displaying sound technique and mobility translating what he learned in college over to the NFL early on in his career.
To take that a step further, in the Eagles first preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Owens came into the game hungry to make an impression, and he did so by recording his first NFL sack and forced fumble on Jaguars third string quarterback Trevor Harris.
Jeff is a 6'1", 304-pound beast who is showing fans something that they haven't seen from the position in a few years—push!
He is listed as the third string right defensive tackle behind Trevor Laws, who is entering his third season with the Birds and has been nothing short of a disappointment.
Lack of production from Laws should make jumping up the depth chart for Jeff a breeze, especially since Owens is making a lot of noise so far in the preseason.
If he can keep that up through the last three preseason games, Jeff could be the backup to starter Mike Patterson sooner than expected.
Get to know Mr. Owens, he has a solid chance of becoming an extremely talented player, but above that, he is just an all around great guy.
