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Grocery shopping: 5 college players to watch today who could be Eagles draft targets

Before we begin, I'd like to quickly point out that this series is very polarizing. The idea behind it is to provide Eagles fans with names of players who might make sense for the Eagles in next year's draft, as long as you're relaxing on the sofa watching college football. For some of the more hardcore fans, it may give them a reason to choose to watch one game over another.

There are folks both in the media as well as some readers who think the idea of profiling potential draft prospects as early as September is dumb.

Last year we profiled Marcus Smith, Jordan Matthews, Josh Huff, Jaylen Watkins, and Taylor Hart. They were the Eagles' first five draft picks last year. Of the five, we profiled Matthews and Watkins as early as September, and Hart the first week of October.

Additionally, there were six players the Eagles had targeted in the first round of the draft last year, but when none of them fell to the Eagles at 22, they traded back and selected Smith. Those players were Brandin Cooks, Anthony Barr, Kyle Fuller, C.J. Mosley, Odell Beckham, and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. What do those six players have in common? We profiled every single one of them here, including two in September, and one in August.

To be clear, I'm not trying to say I'm some sort of scout, nor do I claim to have any kind of inside information on who the Eagles may like. But it's not the hardest thing in the world to identify players that might make sense for the Eagles in the draft. It really isn't, and all we're trying to do is point some of them out to the growing number of football fans who are interested in year-round draft coverage.

For all the players the Eagles were indeed interested in that we profiled last year, there were probably just as many they didn't have any interest in at all. For some people, there may very well be "better uses of time" than to read about players the Eagles may or may not like. However, the headlines in this series couldn't possibly be more clear what you're getting if you click on them. If you're interested in the draft and what players might make sense for the Eagles, then this series will be of interest to you. If not, Philly.com offers a boatload of Eagles coverage that more than likely will satisfy whatever it is that tickles your fancy.

Let's get to this week's group:

Amari Cooper, WR, Alabama (6'1, 202): Florida at (3) Alabama, 3:30pm

The Florida Gators have what some consider the best cornerback in the country in Vernon Hargreaves III, who is a true sophomore, and thus ineligible to go pro after this season. Hargreaves will provide an outstanding test for Cooper, a standout wide receiver for Alabama who leads the country in catches, and is third in receiving yardage. Here is what Cooper has done so far this season:

Cooper had a very impressive freshman season, when he had 1000 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He played hurt in 2013, but is once again healthy and playing at a high level. If he continues to have the season he's having, Cooper could be a top 15-20 kind of pick. Depending on how the rest of this season plays out for the Eagles wide receiver corps, Philly could once again be in the market for playmakers on the outside.

Hargreaves is skilled in press coverage. Getting a chance to see college receivers work against good press coverage is rare.

Trey DePriest, ILB, Alabama (6'1, 245): Florida at (3) Alabama, 3:30pm

With C.J. Mosley gone, the Alabama defense will be piloted by DePriest, who doesn't have Mosley's athleticism, but is a thumper. The Eagles have deep intelligence on all Alabama players, as Eagles Assistant Player Personnal Director Ed Marynowitz was the Director of Player Personnel under Nick Saban at Alabama from 2008-2011.

Dante Fowler, OLB/DE, Florida (6'3, 261): Florida at (3) Alabama, 3:30pm

In addition to their #DuckBias, the Eagles also have a #GatorBias (Riley Cooper, Jaylen Watkins, Trey Burton), as the University of Florida is Howie Roseman's alma mater. OK, I'm joking there, but they certainly seem to have a #PowerConferenceBias.

*Louisville was in the AAC last season, which was still an automatic qualifying conference.

The Eagles also have a history of drafting highly recruited high school standouts, and Fowler was Rivals.com's 28th ranked player overall in 2012.

Fowler projects to 3-4 OLB at the pro level, and while he doesn't have the length that the Eagles would prefer, they do still need more of an outside pass rush presence.

Shaquille Riddick, OLB/DE, West Virginia (6'6, 242): (4) Oklahoma at West Virginia, 7:30pm

Riddick has outstanding length at 6'6, 242, and as we all know by now, bigger people beat up little people. He is a transfer from Gardner-Webb (8.5 sacks last season there), who is now in a big program at West Virginia for his senior season. If he proves to be a good pass rusher against teams like Oklahoma, Riddick could a be a player the Eagles target in the mid-late rounds as a developmental pass rush project.

Cameron Erving, OT, Florida State (6'5, 304): (21) Clemson at (1) Florida State, 8pm

Erving is the athletic blindside protector for 2013 Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston, and has been a big reason for the QB's success. Last year against Clemson, Erving completely shut down future first round pick Vic Beasley. Here's that game:

The Erving-Beasley rematch will happen today, this time with Erving protecting sophomore QB Sean Maguire, who will start in place of the suspended Winston.

Erving could be a player the Eagles groom to eventually take over for Jason Peters, who will turn 33 in January.

Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski