Eagle to Eagle: Brian Milhalik

Rangy DE Brian Milhalik

On moving to 3-4 defensive end and how much of a transition he anticipates that to be:

“It will definitely be a little bit different, especially coming from a base 3-4 scheme. We played a little bit of it up at [Boston College], a little bit of 3-4. All along, I felt like I was better suited to play probably in a 3-4. It will definitely be a little bit of a learning curve, some stuff I have to pick up, but I think overall it should be a pretty smooth transition.”

On whether he felt like the Eagles would be more of an option for him, given that his former coaches Bill McGovern and Ryan Day are in Philadelphia:

“Yeah, definitely. I played for [Eagles outside linebackers] coach [Bill] McGovern, [Eagles assistant defensive line] coach [Mike] Dawson, [Eagles quarterbacks] coach [Ryan] Day and all those guys [at Boston College]. When I visited Philadelphia, I really felt comfortable with them and what they were doing and I think they felt comfortable with me. I think that was a big part of it.”

On the positives and negatives of his size at that position:

“I think playing in the two-gap scheme like Philadelphia plays, you look for taller ends. I’m able to use my length pretty well when I can get guys extended. The only drawback is making sure I’m playing well, playing with a good base and staying balanced with stuff like that.”

On whether he thought he was going to get drafted or sign as a rookie free agent:

“I definitely had a bunch of teams calling me at that point. I heard from a few. A few said they were still looking to draft me even after that. Other than that, I was hearing from teams who were looking to pick me up as a free agent.”