April 04, 2023
As you're probably aware, the Philadelphia Eagles have two first-round picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, and six picks total. 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.
In case you missed our Eagles-only mock drafts 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 you can find them here, here, and here. We don't repeat players in any of these mocks, so those past versions are all very different. Let's just get right to version 4.0, post-owners meetings edition.
When we published our Eagles draft needs rankings on Monday, offensive tackle landed at No. 1, for three reasons:
As far as which offensive lineman in this draft could catch their eye at the top of the draft, there are four offensive tackles who could be selected in the 6-20 range. A quick roundup of the three other guys:
• Peter Skoronski, Northwestern: Skoronski is the most technically sound of the bunch and is probably the best bet to have a long, successful NFL career, but he's also 6'4 with 32" arms, which probably means he'll be a guard. If I'm the Eagles, I'm not taking a guard at 10.
• Paris Johnson, Ohio State: Johnson excelled at LT for Ohio State in 2022 after playing RG in 2021. Two positions, two sides of the line. He could give the Eagles immediate depth at multiple positions, with the chance to be a long-term replacement for Lane Johnson. He also has prototype size at 6'6, 313, with 36" arms, and good feet. If there's a knock, it's that he does not have a great anchor and can be susceptible to power rushers. I wonder if the Eagles might have some Andre Dillard PTSD on that front.
• Darnell Wright, Tennessee: Wright is a mauler in the run game, and like Johnson he also has shown ideal versatility, as he has started games at Tennessee at LT, RG, and RT. He is the heaviest of the four at 333 pounds, and also the most inconsistent. He is an intriguing prospect, but not an option at pick 10, in my opinion.
And then there's Jones, who helped his stock at the NFL Combine not just by testing well, but by also showing up taller than expected at 6'5 3/8" instead of his listed height of 6'4 at Georgia. His size/athleticism measurables:
Jones was a five-star high school recruit (5th overall Rivals, 9th overall ESPN) who has been Georgia's starting LT for the last two seasons. It's easy to see his blend of strength and athleticism, as he is a bulldozer in the run game and a seek-and-destroy missile in the screen game and at the second level, as shown here:
Broderick Jones lift off!!!! pic.twitter.com/zyn5xFlsOC
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 29, 2022
And here:
Sheesh. pic.twitter.com/w4wqpVG7az
— The Film Guy Fam (@TheFilmGuyFam) September 5, 2022
He also did not give up a sack all season, according to a few folks on Twitter, though that's subjective stat. Some pass pro highlights here:
While Jones hasn't played guard, there is little doubt that he can, given his ability to move bodies in the run game and anchor against power. If he's a better guard than Cam Jurgens in training camp, then let him start.
If not, at a minimum Jones could still fill an important short-term role. In 2022, the Eagles settled into a unique depth rotation as the season progressed. Andre Dillard was the backup at LT and LG, while Jack Driscoll was the backup at RG and RT. They could keep that structure in place with Jones filling Dillard's backup role.
But obviously, the big reward would be finding a long-term replacement for Lane Johnson, who has said he wants to play for two more years. Whether Jones fills in for him directly at RT, or whether he plays LT with Jordan Mailata eventually flipping to the right side, the Eagles would have a plan in place have the edges protected for Jalen Hurts for the foreseeable future.
Yes, I'm aware this would be a boring pick, but this is how the Eagles roll.
Like Jones above, Bresee was also a five-star recruit coming out of high school, ranked No. 1 overall in 2020 by Rivals.com, and No. 3 overall by ESPN recruiting. His high school highlight reel looks like when I used to create an 8'10, 500-pound player with 99s across the board in "Madden."
Bresee faced extreme adversity in his three years at Clemson, missing most of the 2021 season with a torn ACL (plus a shoulder scope), and playing through the pain of losing his 15-year-old sister to brain cancer.
Bresee had 51 tackles, 9 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, and 4 batted passes in 25 career games. While his production probably fell short of the expectations one might have for a No. 1 overall high school recruit, it is easy to see his explosiveness on the field. He is an excellent run defender, and he has plenty of upside as a pass rusher.
In the Eagles' defense, Bresee could play multiple spots along the defensive line, at 3-tech, 1-tech, or DE. The question for Bresee is durability and a lack of impressive college production, which is why he could be available deep into the first round, but he's a great bet at 30 to realize his untapped potential, given the hurdles he had to overcome over the last few years.
Johnson is a versatile defensive back who plays slot corner, safety, and some linebacker. He lined up all over the field as sort of chess piece in Texas A&M's defense. He's a physical tackler who can match up against bigger slot receivers as well as tight ends on obvious passing downs. He also has some value as a blitzer from the slot.
Johnson does a lot of the same types of things as Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and he is just always around the football.
Carter will almost certainly be the first drafted Army player since 2008, and he could be a Day 2 pick.
Carter had a monster season in 2021, when he racked up 14.5 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, and an INT in 12 games. However, his production fell off sharply in 2022, as he has just 3.5 sacks and no forced fumbles. A highlight reel from 2021:
As you can see in the highlight reel above, Carter has a rare combination of length and athleticism. However, as a converted wide receiver / tight end in high school, he is a work in progress as a pass rusher, and he has a long way to go as a run defender. He also had an alarmingly poor showing on the bench press, as he only put up 11 reps.
A lot of teams will be turned off by Carter's unreadiness to play immediately. However, the Eagles have a trio of edge rushers in Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham who combined for 38 sacks last season, which means that they have time to get a guy like Carter in the weight room and groom him to become a more complete edge defender. His combination of length and athleticism could be worth the wait.
Rodriguez is a banger who averaged 6.2 yards per carry over his career at Kentucky.
| Chris Rodriguez | Rush | Yards | YPC | TD |
| 2018 | 2 | 43 | 21.5 | 0 |
| 2019 | 71 | 533 | 7.5 | 6 |
| 2020 | 119 | 785 | 6.6 | 11 |
| 2021 | 225 | 1378 | 6.1 | 10 |
| 2022 | 175 | 904 | 5.2 | 6 |
| TOTAL | 417 | 2739 | 6.6 | 33 |
The downside is that he's not much of a receiver, as he only has 20 career catches, and he probably won't be a threat to break off long runs in the NFL.
Rodriguez is a one-cut, north-south runner who will move piles and gain yards through contact.
I like him as a player who can run hard and help close games in the second half while keeping Rashaad Penny's carries down. He is a safe bet to at least be a solid NFL backup.
We're going heavy in the trenches in this mock, and Martin is a big nose tackle at 6'5, 337 who had 62 tackles and 4 sacks over the last two seasons (26 games) at WKU after transferring from North Alabama. He accepted an invite to the Shrine Bowl and reportedly was a standout there. The Eagles brought him to Philly for an early pre-draft visit in March.
There isn't much in the way of readily available game tape of Martin, but here he is two-gapping against Auburn:
Lil 330lb peak-a-boo from @ShrineBowl acceptance Brodric Martin from WKU. Massive 6’4 335lbs with some range! pic.twitter.com/cvu0rEcznL
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) December 9, 2022
The Eagles view Jordan Davis as more than just a nose tackle, so they could use another big-bodied guy to play on run downs to play alongside Davis.
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