Eagles Mock Draft 1.0

Mock Drafts are all the rage over the past couple drafts, but instead of going team by team that you don't care about, lets get to the Birds picks shall we? Here on the first Eaglesportstalk Mock Draft I will give you my opinion on what the Eagles will do with their 6 picks in this years draft.

First Round #22: Kelvin Benjamin WR Florida State- A player that has huge size and explosive speed is an ideal fit for a team that needs size at receiver. Many put Brandin Cooks or Odell Beckham Jr. here to replace speed with speed, but with what Chip Kelly said about Desean and going in a new direction at WR, I think he wants to go size this time.



Second Round #54: Lamarcus Joyner S/CB Florida State- Chip Kelly loves versatility on both sides of the ball. Joyner defines just that with his undersize may be a concern at safety, he also started at corner and was a dominant hitter and turnover machine with the Seminoles. I don't buy that Joyner can't play safety. If you watch the tape he was great in pass protection and making sure his defense was set. He also was a big part of the run defense.



Third Round # 86: Marcus Smith OLB/DE Louisville- The Eagles met with Smith and reportedly like what they see. He can play both outside linebacker and end which the Eagles need with Trent Cole not being a traditional 3-4 OLB. Smith can drop back in coverage and be a nice rotational player opposite of Connor Barwin.


 Fourth Round #122: E.J Gaines CB Missouri- Joyner will play both safety and corner so the Eagles will hope to add more young depth at corner which they don't have. Gaines can develop and compete for a job in a year or two after Fletcher and/or Williams become incompetent.


 Fifth Round #162: Craig Loston SS LSU- To me if he is available a pure steal. Loston is a big hitting safety that is smart in reading coverage and helping in the run game. Loston would compete with Earl Wolff and Nate Allen for playing time next to Malcolm Jenkins.



 Seventh Round #237: Kevin Danser OG Standord- Mathis is on the trade block and the Eagles only have 3 viable backup lineman in Julian Vandervelde, Allen Barbe, and Dennis Kelly. Danser will provide depth.

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Could the Eagles trade back?

The Eagles currently hold only 6 picks in the draft. With many needs on the defense and a low pick that could have Philadelphia going best player available, is there a real possibility that Howie Roseman and the Eagles pull the trigger on a trade with a QB needy team possibly trying to swoop up and grab a fallen Teddy Bridgewater or Derek Carr? This could be the perfect scenario to get more picks in the draft, and to have more second round picks that can add players like a Jordan Matthews, Davante Adams or defensive players like safeties Jimmie Ward and Deon Buccannon. At 22 I have been debating between a wide receiver and a outside linebacker, but honestly Kony Ealy and Dee Ford are more 4-3 defensive ends that might not even be there. Plus the receiver the Eagles like in Brandin Cooks will most likely be gone as the New York Jets are reportedly really interested in the speedy receiver. This is the year that many teams are trying to claw back into the first round and get in on this deep pool of players (At certain positions as linebacker is thin). Why not grab more picks and let the Jacksonville Jaguars get Teddy Bridgewater? If I'm the Eagles, I would field every call for the pick and pull the trigger on the right trade. Cleveland seems excited about Derek Carr so they would be happy staying at 26, but at 20 the Cardinals may take Carr which would push the Browns to trade up to get Bridgewater (Or vise versa) to get one of their quaterbacks. I don't see the Cardinals taking a QB but if they do, many teams will be calling up the Packers and Eagles to get Carr or Bridgewater or whoever has fallen as they will be the last of the "Big Four". There is my rant for the day. This years draft is exciting no? So much better talking about all these trades and quaterbacks and receivers instead of those pesky offensive tackles. Go Birds!

Odell Beckham Jr. vs Marqise Lee vs Brandin Cooks

The Eagles don't have Desean Jackson anymore which means they need to replace a explosive receiver to go along with Cooper and Maclin. Luckily for the Eagles, the draft is full of talented receivers in fact many draft experts say it is the deepest draft of receivers in a long time. So the question is if the Eagles will choose to take one with their first round pick or go into the second and third and target a receiver like Allen Robinson or Paul Richardson. Potentially at 22, the Eagles could have a couple guys available that would be instant play makers, but which one best suits the Eagles out of Odell Beckham Jr., Marqise Lee, and Brandin Cooks. First lets talk about Lee. Coming out of his junior year he was seen as the best receiver in college. Unfortunately a unproductive senior year due to a QB conundrum has hurt Lee's draft stock. With explosive speed and route running, Lee could fit perfectly in Chip Kelly's offense, but his hands are a concern to many scouts as he dropped a lot of passes in his senior year. I expect Lee to be a low first round pick that could suit the Eagles liking. I personally like Brandin Cooks a lot better. Cooks came out of Oregon State last year with over sixteen hundred yards receiving and 16 touchdowns. He is clearly not just a slot receiver because of his size. He played all over the place in college which is exactly why he is loved by Chip Kelly. The question with Cooks is if he will even be there at 22. Other teams have shown a lot of interest in Cooks including the New York Jets who met with Cooks this week. Odell Beckham Jr. is the player I could see the Eagles taking. With his home run speed that allows him to punt and kick return as well, not to mention he is much taller than Desean Jackson was, Beckham could be a nice fit in this offense. Kelly has shown interest in getting bigger at receiver so Beckham could be his guy at 22 if Cooks is not available. Kelvin Benjamin is another player the Eagles have expressed interest in, but at 22 it is a bit of a reach. After looking at how Maclin and Cooper play at receiver, I would say that Brandin Cooks is the perfect fit in this receiving core, but the guy that will most likely be available is Odell Beckham Jr. and I would be perfectly fine with that pick.

Defensive options in first round

The Eagles hold the 22nd pick in this years NFL draft and could go in many different routes. The offense doesn't have many holes but with Desean Jackson departing, a receiver could be a nice pick up to go with Maclin and Cooper because behind them, Jeff Mahel would be your third receiver. Brandin Cooks is the player a lot of fans would like to have because of how similar he is to Desean Jackson on the field that is. NFL Network's Charlie Davis and Daniel Jeremiah believe that with Jackson going to the Redskins, defense is the first priority. The secondary is a area the Eagles will most certainly address early in the draft, with Nolan Carroll coming in to give the Eagles depth at corner back and a solid pair in Brandon Fletcher and Cary Williams plus a absolute stud in Brandon Boykin in the slot, this could allow the Eagles to go best player available and take a much needed right outside linebacker to go with Connor Barwin and Trent Cole. Options at outside linebacker are Auburn's Dee Ford and Missouri's Kony Ealy when it comes to fit and availability at 22. Kony Ealy is a guy that could fit from day 1 in Philadelphia. Playing both pass rush and coverage, he and Trent Cole would make a dangerous right side to go with Connor Barwin. Ealy had 9 total sacks last year to go along with an interception so his versatility would be well liked by Chip Kelly and Billy Davis. Dee Ford reminds me more of a traditional 4-3 defensive end like Jadeveon Clowney, but his size and speed is something so dangerous that could add a dimension to the Eagles defense that does not have a dominant pass rusher. Honestly I don't believe Ford will be available at 22 because at 20, the Arizona Cardinals would love to put Ford with Dockett and Campbell to solidify a top 5 defense in the NFL. Lets go back to corner where there are a few prospects that can come in and push for a starting job, but not necessarily be pushed into the spotlight from day 1. Kyle Fuller is a name that has been around when mentioning the Eagles. In fact, a lot of draft analysts have Fuller as their second best corner behind either Dennard or Justin Gilbert. His long arm size and tackling ability is a hot commodity in the NFL today with all the dynamic wide receivers. As for how a corner like Fuller would fit in the Eagles defense, with Williams, Fletcher, Boykin, and Carroll all in the rotation, Fuller or someone like Bradley Roby would be a major special teams player that would be a fill in for injuries unless they simply are better than the two veterans that started last season who to me were not impressive enough to hesitate on a corner if the Eagles feel they could come in and make a huge impact for a defense that was in the bottom when it came to pass defense. As for what I believe they should do, I would love to see a dynamic pass rusher come in, but I love the wide receivers in this class and if Brandin Cooks is available I am snagging him up and going corner in the second round. Now of course safety isn't finished so if Pryor or Clinton-Dix is available I am running to the podium to put in the pick if I am the Eagles. I really don't mind the secondary right now another year together, if they could add a play maker in a Lamarcus Joyner in the second round who could play corner and safety, a pass rusher is what I want to see taken at 22 preferably Dee Ford or Kony Ealy. Ealy to me fits the Eagles scheme more so hey either way the Eagles have put themselves into a position to go best player available.