One of my favorite things to do every offseason is to go back and compare my post-draft notes on the Hawks rookies to how they actually look when they were in the wild. It's an interesting fusion of film research, self-evaluation, and some traits that really translate into the NFL. I won't write a complete scout report like I did after the draft. This series is more about reflecting on his rookie season. Did the player perform as expected? Is there anything that surprised me? What do I think will happen next? At the end of each post, I will provide this player with updated Outlook in the future.
As always, we will start with my post-draft thoughts. This is exactly what I said in the Will Shipley summary, if you want to read the whole thing, you can find it here!
I can’t tell the guy I’ve seen when I posted my ideas here, so here’s my pre-proposed idea for Shipley, based on the movies I’ve seen at the time… “Shipley looks like a Jack in all industries, None Note of Notho of None’s spectup’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’’
I'm not the biggest fan of Shipley, but that's because I didn't see him as a feature and I couldn't draft the defender until day 3. Remember that a lot of rankings depend on your philosophy. I like to prioritize explosive players who can do well with limited contact, and Shipley is more of a chain motivation. I hope the Hawks are aiming for more low-contact explosive backs (like Tyrone Tracey) in Round 4, and I think Shipley is more like a “safe” draft pick. I think Shipley is a solid backup without any elite traits. I think if Saquon Barkley missed it at any point, Shipley (with Kenny Gainwell) could keep the Eagles running, but I don't think he's going to do anything special.
While this is not my favorite option, I think there are two main reasons Shipley will attract the Hawks. First, he did a great job in passing games, and we know Kellen Moore likes to get his run involved. Second, Shipley has performed well in the external area running competition, which I hope will be a big part of the Eagles offense this year. Moore has been out of the area as a staple of OC, and I think Barkley is also a great outside runner, and that's no coincidence. I think Shipley is a very suitable plan for Moore's offense.
However, I don't think Shipley is the Eagles' RB2, as Kenny Gainwell is a pretty solid defender. I think Shipley could be the Eagles' RB3 this season, and he could also play in special teams. Whether Shipley wants to be a successful choice, he has to clean up his mistakes and take better care of football. No matter what you think of Shipley, you can’t make a backup guard for backup football.
Looking back at my pre-draft notes, I feel like I have a clear reading about Shipley’s type of player in his rookie year. Before the draft, I wrote:
“Shipley looks like Jack of all industries, without running back with good reception skills and feeling good about regional running, but despite having produced good production for three consecutive years, there is no real elite trait.”
This does sum up his role this season. As a rookie, he is not flashy, with only 30 carrys in the regular season, totaling 82 yards. However, he made the request to him. It's not his fault that Saquon Barkley has one of the greatest seasons of all time!
I also had a strong feeling that Kenny Gainwell would keep his RB2 role, which proved to be true (although it was unpopular at the time).
“I don’t think Shipley is the Eagles’ RB2 because Kenny Gainwell is a pretty solid back.”
Gainwell had 342 snapshots last year, while Shipley had only 75. It was obvious that the Hawks preferred Gainwell more than Shipley last year.
Listen, you have to mention it when you get something that is unlikely to be right. I can't mention Tyrone Tracey here, is that OK?
“I want the Hawks to target more low-contact explosive backs in Round 4 (like Tyrone Tracy), and I think Shipley is more of a “safe” draft pick.”
Tracey ended up in the Giants and had a breakout season. While Shipley is a solid depth option, Tracey brings the kind of explosive playing abilities I hope the Hawks may add.
It's not a knock on Shipley, but I just need to mention that. continue…
Finally, I'm confident that Shipley's fit in Karen Moore's offense is the main factor in the draft:
“Shipley has performed well in the external area running competition and I hope this will be a big part of the Eagles offense this year. Moore has been out of the area as the OC as the staple of OC and I think Barkley is also a great outside runner, which is not consistent.”
Shipley didn’t play a lot, but when he played, I thought he looked natural. The offense does not need to be changed. He looks comfortable, no matter what the Hawks ask him to do.
The biggest surprise was how much Shipley contributed to the passing game. I stressed that his acceptance was my pre-admission note:
“First of all, he’s doing well in the pass game, and we know Kellen Moore loves to get his run involved.”
Shipley only completed the season with 4 receptions. I think this might have been one of the main ways he left his mark early on, but it never happened. Shipley has played only 34 pass games throughout the season, so the Hawks simply don't believe he has played these fall games on Gainwell. However, I still think he has potential.
I don't think my post-entry summary has any other surprises!
Can Shipley play a consistent role in the pass game? His college tape hints that it's an advantage, but I'm not the 4 times I'd expect. The Eagles love to take a break from last year’s third inning, so Shipley is a favorite to take over the workload.
Can he prove that he can pass protection? This goes hand in hand with the points above. If Shipley can't pass the protection, he won't play. This is very simple!
Will he beat AJ Dillon? Let's introduce it in detail later…
Entering this season, I see the touch behind Saquon is the real battle between AJ Dillon and Will Shipley. If Dillon stays healthy, I hope he will participate in most early carry and short code situations. His body style complements Barkley's explosiveness, which gives him an advantage in those grinding, tough scenes that want to rest. I think as a pure runner (if healthy), then Dillon would be better.
But if the Hawks want to ease Barkley’s workload, Shipley feels obvious when passing. Barkley is too valuable to be exhausted, and he is in a season of ridiculous workload. This opens the door for Shipley to play a meaningful role, especially with a two-minute drill and a third training session, where his reception abilities should help him. But he just has to prove that he can pass protection or I don't think he will play.
I can't see Shipley turning into an explosive highlight volume. I didn't pre-grazing, and still haven't. He's more of a stable, reliable presence, and he can stay offensive when Barkley isn't on the court. That's what the Hawks knew when drafting him, and I got it. You can tell me that I'm not very high on Shipley's pre-entry, but it's purely what I do around the position. This is not a criticism of Shipley. In Barkley's case, Jalen was injured, AJ Brown already provided fireworks, and having a reliable low-risk running second line is very good. I'll go in a different direction, but I get the process.
If the Eagles don't believe Shipley can handle the role, they may be working harder. If he holds the ball and proves that he can pass protection, I think Shipley will quickly gain trust and play a big role in the upcoming season. He just needs to be reliable so that Barkley can rest.
Thank you for reading! I would love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you like this piece, you can find more of my pieces and podcasts here.