March 18, 2024
As a reminder, the Eagles are currently projected to have 8 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. While it's likely that Howie Roseman will move up and/or down the board as he usually does, we'll play it straight here and simply act as though the Eagles will stick and pick.
You can find our Eagles-only mock draft pick, version 1.0, here, and version 2.0, here.
DeJean can play outside corner, slot corner, safety, or linebacker. He was also one of the best punt returners in college football, and he's an outstanding gunner. He is simply a ridiculous athlete and football player.
In 2022, DeJean had 75 tackles, 5 INTs (3 pick-sixes), and 8 pass breakups. Here are all five of those picks:
In 10 games in 2023, he had 41 tackles, 2 INTs, and 2 punt return TDs (one didn't count). His season was cut short when he fractured his right fibula in practice.
DeJean would have been unlikely to be available at 22 had he not broken his leg and missed most of the pre-draft process, but because of the injury he could slide. He is an extraordinarily versatile and talented player who the Eagles can plug in wherever they see fit.
Suamataia came in at No. 3 on Bruce Feldman's "Freaks" list this offseason, with the following glowing review.
Coaches have always been great resources for this project over the years. That said, it’s been awhile since I stared at a response as long as I did the one I received from BYU offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick this month.
“Kingsley Suamataia is the most athletic and violent OL I’ve ever coached. More athletic than Garett Bolles when I was at Utah. More athletic than Blake Freeland,” he wrote.
Bolles was a first-round pick and has started all 82 games he’s played in the NFL, and the 6-8, 302-pound Freeland, BYU’s left tackle last year, lit up the combine last spring by running a 4.98 40, vertical-jumping 37 inches — a combine record for offensive tackles — and broad-jumping 10-0, which was 1 inch away from the combine record for that, too. More athletic than Freeland, especially in that Suamataia weighs 23 pounds more, seemed like a mouthful.
The 6-6, 325-pound Suamataia didn’t allow a sack last season, a run of 361 pass plays.
“Kingsley is off the charts,” BYU sports scientist Skyler Mayne says. “He’s faster than our linebackers. He’s just a Freak in the weight room. What makes it look different from Blake is that Kingsley just makes it look a little more effortless. Blake was a better jumper, but Kingsley was our fastest lineman by a good bit.”
According to Mayne, Suamataia hit 21.5 MPH last year as a 318-pound freshman. That’s really good for a 218-pounder, much less an athlete 100 pounds more than that.
“He’s so fluid and smooth,” Mayne says. “I think he could run in the 4.8s. He’s definitely a sub-5 guy (in the 40). He’s super explosive and can throw a ton of weight around. You watch him on the field throw a big defensive end around with one arm, and he doesn’t even break stride. If he wanted to be a tight end or fullback, because he’s so naturally gifted and has the agility, he could.”
In addition to being a premier athlete, Suamataia also has plenty of nastiness in his game.
Kingsley Suamataia has all the makings of a first round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
— Max Chadwick (@MaxChadwickCFB) July 7, 2023
🔵 Great size (6-6, 315)
🔵 Didn’t allow a sack on 337 pass-blocking snaps in 2022
🔵 MEAN as a run-blocker
Watch the RT (#78) here throw the defender out of the club.pic.twitter.com/3yyO11mVGo
As an added bonus, he has experience playing both at LT and RT, which means that he could be a swing tackle off the bench early in his career before eventually taking over for Lane Johnson at RT.
Let's get Wilson's downside out of the way first. He has torn his right ACL twice, he dislocated both shoulders in the same game in 2021 (necessitating surgery), and he'll be 24 by the time he's drafted. He's older than every player the Eagles drafted last year, except Sydney Brown, who is older by a month. He's two years older than Kelee Ringo and Moro Ojomo. Some teams — and some of my readers — are going to be out on him, and I get that.
So why take him in the second round? Well, he's a complete linebacker with size (6'4, 233) and speed (4.43 40) who can cover, who can play the run, who can get sideline-to-sideline, and who had outstanding production in 2023 (138 tackles, 17.5 for loss, 6 sacks, 3 INTs, 6 PBUs, 1 FF).
The Eagles have been willing to take swings on injury risk players in the second round in the past, sometime with success (Landon Dickerson), sometime not (Sidney Jones).
Johnson didn't have eye-popping production at Penn State, as he had just 341 receiving yards in his best season in 2023. (He did have 7 TDs).
However, he is thought of as a very good blocker, and he has outstanding athleticism.
Johnson did a nice job creating separation and making a lot of hands catches in Senior Bowl practices. He could be an out-of-the-box TE2 for the Eagles, with upside to develop into a good receiving tight end.
Zinter was a First-Team All American at RG for Michigan this season, but he broke his fibula and tibia in a win over Ohio State, ending his season. They were "clean breaks," so Zinter should be ready to go for training camp. He played his entire career at RG, and could be a reliable starter in the pros. He was a key piece on a great Michigan offensive line who is a brawler in the run game, and who has good length in pass pro.
There are a couple knocks:
• Zinter won't remind anyone of Jason Kelce athletically. He's just OK in that regard.
• As noted above, his entire college career was spent at RG, so he's lacking in versatility. If you draft him and slot him in at guard and he hits, cool. If he doesn't hit as a starter, he won't have much value as a backup either because he is probably a guard only.
For the Eagles' purposes, with Jason Kelce retired and Cam Jurgens moving to center, the Eagles have an opening at RG. Depending on what they think of Tyler Steen, they may or may not be looking for a starting guard. If Zinter can be had at a discount in the draft because of his injury and his lack of versatility, then he would make sense on Day 3.
Williams was a downhill, big-hitting enforcer in Miami's defense. Fun highlight reel:
James Williams mid-season tape pic.twitter.com/8sNN83ucTt
— CaneFilms (@CaneFilms) October 30, 2023
In 2023, Williams has 73 tackles, an INT, 5 pass breakups, and 2 forced fumbles.
The Eagles seem to be into hybrid players this offseason. They signed safety / slot corner hybrid Chauncey Gardner-Johnson and edge rusher / off-ball linebacker hybrid Zack Baun in free agency. Williams is a safety / linebacker who would make sense in a sub-package role.
The highlight of Senior Bowl practices was when an unsuspecting Baker took a Michael Penix laser off the side of his head on a crossing route. I think (?) Baker thought the play was over and stopped paying attention, and... WHAP. You could hear it from 50 yards away lol.
But also, I was impressed by Baker's ability to create separation, and when I looked up his numbers I discovered that he averaged 21.9 yards per reception in 2023 for UCF.
Howie Roseman likes taking shots on Day 3 deep threats with high yards per catch averages, like Shelton Gibson, John Hightower, and Quez Watkins. The Eagles haven't yet hit a home run on a guy like that, but I respect the approach, and Baker makes sense as that kind of guy.
Green's season ended early after he suffered a non-contact injury against Georgia State in early November, but before he went down he was leading the nation in sacks (15.5) and tackles for loss (21) in just 9 games. Had he stayed healthy, Green had a chance of breaking Elvis Dumervil's record of 20 sacks during the 2005 season.
Green also had 50 tackles, 2 forced fumbles, and an INT that he returned for a TD. Monster season:
Because of his lack of ideal size and his injury, Green will likely go late on Day 3. I like his fit at the SAM spot in the Eagles' defense, and if the Eagles are going to move on from Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat by 2025 they'll need more developmental edge rushers in the pipeline.
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