Eagles address OL depth by drafting Matt Pryor in 6th round

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Matt Pryor is headed to a new city, a new team, a new level of football, a new life. Right now, his closest ally is Halapoulivaati Vaitai.

Pryor, the Eagles’ sixth-round pick, spent three years at Texas Christian University playing on the same offensive line as Vaitai, the Eagles’ 2016 fifth-round pick and a starter down the stretch and in the playoffs for last year’s Super Bowl champions.` 

“Just got off the phone with him about 30 minutes ago,” Pryor said about an hour after the Eagles selected him. “We talked about where I’m going to live in Philly, how great the city is, how great the program is there — it’s a great organization — and learning the playbook and everything.

“I think it’s great. I'm from California. I feel like it’s kind of college — you come into a new place and you kind of feel isolated.

“I have a buddy who plays for the Vikings, and he told me it’s really hard your rookie year because you’re new to the whole situation. So I think having somebody there who I know already is going to help me transition to it easier.”

Pryor was a full-time starter at right guard as a junior and senior after making five starts as a sophomore.

The Eagles have one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, but they have very little depth on the interior of the line, and right guard Brandon Brooks will be 29 during training camp and left guard Steve Wisniewski will be 30 this spring.

None of the backups, Isaac Seumalo, Chance Warmack and Darrell Greene, have distinguished themselves.

Although Pryor played mainly guard in college, at 6-foot-7, he can play some tackle as well.

“I feel comfortable at both,” he said. “Really, whatever is going to help. I don’t have a preference.”

Pryor struggled with his weight early in his college career but lost over 50 pounds from freshman year to TCU’s pro day in late March.

“I’m about 335 right now,” he said. “My heaviest, I came in freshman year at maybe 380 and then year by year I started cutting weight slowly.

“My sophomore year I dropped down to about 360 and then recently, senior year, trying (to be ready) for pro day, went in at 328 for pro day.

“I’ve heard 330 will be a good weight (in the NFL). If I have to cut more I’ll cut more. I know in the NFL it’s really more about speed than being heavy and strong, so whatever the team needs me to do I’ll do.”

The Eagles have only taken three offensive linemen in the first three rounds in the last 12 drafts — Danny Watkins in 2011 and Lane Johnson in 2013 in the first round and Seumalo in 2016 in the third round.

TCU has been among the best in the country developing offensive linemen.

Pryor is the 11th Texas Christian offensive lineman drafted in the last 13 years. Another Horned Frog, Joseph Noteboom, was drafted Friday in the third round by the Rams.

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