Saturday May 1, 2021 12:00 PM Cleveland Ohio:
As the picks were being made during the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Howie Roseman anxiously watched each one from inside the Eagles “war room”. The information, limited as it always is, coming out is that the Philadelphia Eagles GM wanted to draft Zech McPhearson in the third round, but was convinced by others in the room to be patient and that Zech would still be there for them with their fourth round selection. So, he nervously watched and waited as the picks got closer to their selection at 123. Adding to his trepidation, it was not a secret that the Eagles entered the day needing and or wanting to draft one or more of the remaining corners after having not selected one during the first two days. Alas at approximately 12:57 PM, Howie made the call “Zech what’s going on man, its Howie Roseman, I’m the GM of the Eagles, How you doing?” Zech replied “I am doing good, how are you?” Back to Howie, “I’m doing alright, what do you think, you think you’re ready to be picked right here?,” Zech calmly replied “ yeah I’m ready for it, this is a moment I’ve been waiting for my whole life”
And with that, Howie and the war room exchanged high fives and fist bumps, and the draft card selecting Zech McPhearson with pick 123 in the fourth round was submitted.
Side note, Zech immediately endeared himself to the Philly faithful, by 1:25 PM on draft day, less than 30 minutes after being selected by the Eagles, he had already posted a picture of himself on Twitter rocking a #25 Eagles jersey while celebrating at his family’s draft party.
And speaking of his family, have you heard or read about the bloodlines? The Mannings’, Watts’ and dare I say Kelces’ may not have the resume’ the McPhearsons’ bring.
Zech has seven siblings( 6 brothers and 1 sister) . All seven have played a sport at the collegiate level. Every brother played football, one was selected in the MLB draft but followed in Zech’s footsteps and is now is on the Texas Tech football team. His sister plays collegiate soccer. And not to be outdone, his parents were respected athletes as well. His father, Gerrick, played defensive back for Boston College and his mother, Kim, played running back and offensive line for the former National Women’s Football League team, the Baltimore Burn.
So what was it about Zech that stood out and had Howie Roseman covet him the way he did outside of the family accolades? In short, many things.
Start with his play. He was the top cover corner for his Texas Tech Red Raiders earning himself All Big 12 honors. It does not take long to see why while watching film on Zech. The ball skills and how competitive he was in every facet of the game are evident. Whether it was fighting for fifty-fifty balls, tackling a runner, or his overall physical play at the line, he shows up on every down. He is blessed with great athleticism and has shown effectiveness in changing direction and speeds. The hard work earned the respect of his peers in the locker room, as he was voted team captain by his teammates. The Eagles are counting on his reputation and hard worker to follow him to the pros.
The Eagles would also like to see the success he had against top tier talent translate over to the pro game as well. Pro Football Focus ranked Zech the third highest cornerback versus power five wideouts over the last two years. Only Patrick Surtain II and Derek Stingley Jr were higher.
Zech described the competition he faced at his May 12, 2021 press conference “Going against the some of the top wide receivers and some of the best Quarterbacks in the country, it definitely has prepared me a lot for this level. Every week you’re going against a guy, thats what you want at corner, you want to be going against somebody thats going to bring a challenge to the table and it was a real good experience being down at Tech for two seasons and being able to do that.”
All of those skills were on full display at the Hula Bowl. Which opened a lot of eyes in NFL circles around the league.
“That was a big piece of the puzzle, what he did out there, his performance in the Hula Bowl out in Hawaii,” vice president of player personnel Andy Weidl said on the Marks & Reese show on WIP this offseason. “Our scouts getting that information and spending that time with him personally and sharing that with us went a long way in us taking him in the fourth round.”
Rex Ryan who coached him in the Hula Bowl back in January stated
“The kid jumped out,”Ryan said to NBC Sports Philadelphia “In 1-on-1s, he jumped out in that, he jumped out on the field. He’s not the biggest guy, maybe 5-11ish, around that, but he can run and, man, he can shadow and mirror and he has ball skills. To me, I was like, ‘Hell, this kid looks pretty damn good to me.’
Zech commented about his own performance at the game “The Hula bowl was real fun. I had a good week on the field and it played well for me going into the draft.” That it did.
In addition to the Hula Bowl, the 2020 season was also a very successful one for McPhearson. He lead the Red Raiders with 4 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. He also had 53 tackles (47 of which were solo) including 1 for a loss. Zech added 1 touchdown and 6 pass deflections to his impressive stat sheet as well.
Playing cornerback opposite Darius Slay is the ultimate goal, but one of the quickest ways for a rookie to get on the field is via special teams. He was a standout at Texas Tech, including blocking two kicks over the course of the season. Exceeding at special teams is also something Zech prides himself in, as well as his versatility to help out wherever he can for his team.
Per Zech (special teams) “it’s a part of the game I value really highly”
Whether it will be as an outside cornerback, a nickel/slot, or as a special teams player, one way or another Zech may make an immediate impact on the field this season. He just wants an opportunity so he can realize his dreams and those of his new team.
Flashback to New Years Eve
December 31, 2020 1:56 PM Zech McPhearson Twitter page:
“After many discussions with my family, I have decided to declare for the 2021 NFL Draft,” he wrote. “Thank you to Coach Wells and the entire staff at Texas Tech for everything you’ve done for me these past two years. I am excited for this next chapter in my life and ready to see what God has in store for me next.”
The Eagles are just as excited to see what Zech has in store for them. And maybe, Zech McPhearson might be the CB fans have been asking for.
David
Follow me @PhlEagleNews
Thank you for reading
PFF College: Highest Grades CB in single coverage
1- Tre’vius Hodges-Tomlinson TCU 89.1
2- Marcus Jones Houston 88.9
3- Patrick Surtain II Alabama 88.6
4- Zech McPhearson Texas Tech 85.7
PFF: Highest Graded CB vs Power 5 WRs 2019 and 2020
1- Patrick Surtain II 91.3
2- Derek Stingley Jr LSU 91.0
3- Caleb Farley VA Tech 90.0
3- Zech McPhearson TTU 90.0