Skip to content
Eagles
Link copied to clipboard

Eagles draft Nebraska safety Nate Gerry in 5th round, label him a linebacker

The Eagles finished the fifth round by drafting Nebraska safety Nate Gerry with the No. 184 overall pick, labeling him a linebacker.

The Eagles finished the fifth round by drafting Nebraska safety Nate Gerry with the No. 184 overall pick, who the team is now labeling a linebacker.

Gerry is 6-foot-2 and 218 pounds and ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash.  He was a two-time team captain and started the past three years for the Cornhuskers, as well as three games as a freshman. Gerry earned third-team all-Big Ten honors last season after totaling 68 tackles and four interceptions. Gerry missed the Music City Bowl because of an academic suspension. He also had five interceptions as a sophomore and four interceptions as a junior. In Gerry's freshman year, he played linebacker.

He was viewed as more of an in-the-box safety, so a transition to linebacker would make sense. But there is projection involved, and Gerry would need to prove that he's a capable tackler. The Eagles need depth at linebacker, so Gerry will have a chance to compete for a backup role and to contribute on special teams.

Click here for more coverage of the 2017 NFL draft in Philadelphia. Our day three live blog has updates for rounds four through seven.