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- Mar 19, 2019
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The Eagles liked Washington State offensive tackle Andre Dillard so much that they went against their pre-draft plans and traded up to take him in the first round. The idea that Dillard would be so highly sought as an NFL offensive tackle would have been laughable at the start of Dillard’s career.
Dillard showed up at Washington State weighing 240 pounds and left weighing 310, and he told ESPN that it was from following coach Mike Leach’s suggestion his freshman year of, “Let’s see if we can put some meat on this skinny kid.”
Dillard said he was constantly snacking on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, protein bars and bananas, and would also set an alarm to wake up in the middle of the night, guzzle a protein shake, and go back to sleep.
A self-described “wuss” when he started playing football, Dillard no longer is.
“Well, by wuss, I meant, when I first played in eighth and ninth grade, I had no idea what I was doing. I had never hit a person before, so I didn’t — I was unsure if that was OK and it’s like, ‘Yeah, you have a helmet on,'” he said. “Over the years of progressively getting better at the game, I just fell in love with it more and more and just put more of my body and soul into it, and so, I’ve definitely gotten a lot more aggressive over the years.”
Dillard now is big enough and tough enough that the Eagles think they have a huge addition to their offensive line.