April 06, 2022
On Tuesday, we published our fifth Philadelphia Eagles-only mock draft of the offseason. After the Birds' blockbuster draft pick trade on Monday, we'll take a peek around at some of the national guys and see who they have going to the Birds at 15th and 18th overall.
Pick 15: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington: The Eagles still have two picks in the first round following their Monday afternoon trade, and the first is an instinctive, hard-hitting corner. There isn't a better tackling cornerback in the entire class than McDuffie, and he has the speed to stay with receivers and limit big plays. With Darius Slay on the other side, Philadelphia could have one of the top CB duos in the league.
Pick 18: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah: Yes, the Eagles typically pass on off-ball linebackers in Round 1, but they need one, and Lloyd -- a potential immediate high-impact starter -- is sitting there on the board. A former safety, Lloyd flies all over the field and does a little bit of everything. He had 99 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and four interceptions last season.
Philly might be down one of its three first-rounders for this year after the deal with the Saints, but it picked up another Day 1 pick in 2023. If GM Howie Roseman decides that Jalen Hurts isn't the Eagles' guy after this season, he will have some early picks to go after Alabama's Bryce Young, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud or another passer.
Pick 51: David Ojabo, DE, Michigan: The Eagles traded one of their three first-rounders, but they ended up with a first-round talent in Round 2 anyway. Of course, Ojabo tore an Achilles at Michigan's pro day, and Philadelphia can't expect to see him much, if at all, this season. But he has a lot of upside, and his speed and suddenness cause offensive tackles a lot of issues. If the Eagles can wait out his recovery, this could end up a huge win.
#JimmySays: McShay did a two-rounder, as you can see. Spoiler: I will have Ojabo as the second-round pick in my final Eagles-only mock draft the week of the draft.
McDuffie's name keeps popping up over and over for the Eagles in these mocks. I have it on my to-do list to watch him a little more closely to see what I might be missing, but drafting a 5'11 corner with sub-30" arms who had 2 INTs and 8 pass breakups over his 27-game college career feels pretty unsatisfying.
Pick 15: Devonte Wyatt, DT, Georgia: The Eagles re-signed Fletcher Cox to a one-year deal, but adding his eventual replacement now is an excellent idea.
Pick 18: Andrew Booth, CB, Clemson: Booth's athleticism and ability to play well in zone coverage fit Philly's style, simultaneously giving Darius Slay a running mate on the opposite side.
#JimmySays: Wyatt is a good player, but I don't see why anyone should draft him in the teens, especially since he's already 24 years old. He's a late 1, early 2, in my opinion.
Booth is a really good corner, but his name has drifted to the back end of the first round or out of the first round completely in a lot of these mocks. He didn't work out at the Combine or Clemson's pro day because of a strained quad. If that's the reason why he has seemingly fallen in the perception of the public eye, that's dumb.
To note, the NFL relies on Combine measurables less than the media and the general public because they have GPS data that we don't have. If Booth's data is on the up and up on that front, he should still very clearly be a first-round pick, in my opinion.
Pick 15: Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama: This is a risky pick since he's coming off a torn ACL, but he's running again and should be ready by mid-season. This would give the Eagles a game-changer.
Pick 18: George Karlaftis, DE, Purdue: They have to get help for their pass rush. Age is starting to become a bit of an issue on their front. Karlaftis will help.
#JimmySays: I think Williams is a pretty easy pick for the Eagles if he's still there at 15. Who cares if he isn't ready for the start of the season? He'll play at some point, and he'll be a field stretching weapon whenever he's fully healthy.
Pick 15: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah: In the last mock draft, we highlighted the apparent likelihood that the Eagles would move at least one of their later two first-round selections, and – sure enough – they did. Still, Howie Roseman will have some promising options to upgrade a playoff team, even if he doesn't have quite the same flexibility as before. While Philadelphia has famously avoided linebackers in the first round since taking Jerry Robinson in 1979, Lloyd is a rangy defender comfortable chasing down ball carriers in space, shedding blocks in tight quarters or bringing heat as a blitzer.
Pick 18: Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State: By adding another first-round pick in this range, the Saints positioned themselves nicely for a wide receiver amid a potential run at the position. Olave's deep speed would make him a fitting complement to fellow former Buckeye Michael Thomas and change the complexion of the offense as a consistent deep threat for Jameis Winston.
#JimmySays: I've seen a lot of mocks recently suggest the Giants would take Lloyd at fifth(!) overall. I like Lloyd a lot and would stamp my approval at 15th overall, but it would be funny if the Giants took him at 5.
Pick 15: Drake London, WR, USC: Before breaking his ankle in Week 9, London was flying up draft boards and had posted a 91.8 receiving grade along the way. He dominated in one-on-one scenarios, consistently won with physicality and displayed elite ball skills.
Across eight games, the 6-foot-5, 210-pound receiver totaled 19 contested catches, six more than any other Power Five wide receiver through Week 12, and broke a colossal 22 tackles after the catch.
Pick 19: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah: There are few bones to pick with Lloyd’s game as a prospect. He’s explosive, intuitive and has the frame and physicality the NFL is looking for.
Lloyd was one of only four players at the position who earned a 90.0-plus PFF grade in 2021. He graded above 80.0 against the run, in coverage and as a blitzer.
Pick 51: Kerby Joseph, S, Illinois: Joseph was the highest-graded safety at the FBS level in 2021, serving as a high-level playmaker in coverage who accumulated five interceptions and four pass breakups while providing sound run defense and tackling.
The Illinois safety has long limbs (33.25-inch arms) for his 6-foot, 200-pound frame. Between his length, ball skills and coverage skills, he provided a lot to like entering the 2022 Senior Bowl, and he lived up to the hype with two interceptions and pass breakups during the one-on-ones and team drills.
#JimmySays: This guy published this mock just before the Eagles-Saints trade, but he had the Eagles trading pick 16 to the Bears, so let's roll with it.
No thank you on London.
Reuter listed six Round 1 trades that would make sense. He had the Eagles trading the 15th overall pick, along with a third-round pick (83rd overall) and a fifth-round pick (153rd) overall to the Jets for the 10th overall pick. His explanation on the Eagles' motives for trading up:
The Eagles aren't necessarily out of the quarterback market. Jalen Hurts performed well at times last season, but they wouldn't be the first team to back their quarterback in the offseason, then selected a young passer in April.
If Hurts really is Philly's guy for 2022 and beyond, though, I suspect GM Howie Roseman will make some moves using his three first-round picks (Nos. 15, 16 and 19), whether that means moving up or down. Jumping into the top 10 for athletic, massive defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who could bolster a porous run defense, is one option. Snatching one of the top two cornerbacks (Sauce Gardner, Derek Stingley), a receiver (Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams) or an edge rusher (Kayvon Thibodeaux, Jermaine Johnson) could also be on their minds.
#JimmySays: Reuter published this before the Eagles traded for a 2023 first-round pick. In my opinion, that tells you all you need to know about what they think of this quarterback class.
I think Reuter is correct that a top-tier edge rusher or cornerbacks as good as Stingley or Gardner could be legitimate targets if the Eagles moved up. I do not think they would move up for Davis or for a wide receiver since there will be good receivers available if they just stand pat at 15.
Reuter's rationale for a Jets trade back makes sense.
The Jets are in a great position to select an elite prospect with the fourth overall selection, then trade down a few spots from their second first-rounder (the 10th overall choice, gained in the Adams trade to Seattle), allowing them to land another quality player while acquiring more selections.
The Jets have a major need at wide receiver. They can get a good one either at 10th overall or 15th overall. If they can move back and get a receiver anyway, they could add extra picks, basically for free.
And then, what the hell... I did a simulated mock at TheDraftNetwork.
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy's RSS feed to your feed reader
