April 04, 2024
On Monday we solicited questions for an Eagles mailbag via Twitter or whatever it's called now. Thank you as always for doing half the work for me. This is Part II (Part I here). Let's just get right to it.
Question from @DaveFash2: Which side of the line do you see the Eagles using their first-round pick on? I was initially thinking OL to get Lane Johnson's heir but with Brandon Graham on his swan song, Haason Reddick gone, and Josh Sweat likely only here for this year I now see EDGE as the pick.
It's a phenomenal offensive tackle draft. For example, Daniel Jeremiah has seven of them in his top 22:
Of course, the Eagles pick 22nd. He has four edge rushers in his top 23:
(Side note: Jeremiah has consistently done a great job with his top 50 lists, as those players typically get picked close to where he has them sorted.)
We all know that a drafted offensive tackle isn't getting on the field for the Eagles as a rookie unless he can play guard in the short-term or if Jordan Mailata or Lane Johnson get hurt. It's also unlikely that a drafted edge rusher will see the field much as a rookie, playing behind Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, and Nolan Smith.
The demand for the Eagles should be similar for each spot, but the supply is greater at offensive tackle.
Question from @ATKdisco: Many suspect this is the year Howie breaks from his traditional draft the trenches in the first round routine. Why are they wrong, and which OL or DL do they take?
Well, they could certainly draft a corner as well. In the 2021 draft, it's my understanding that if they had the choice between Patrick Surtain, Jaycee Horn, or DeVonta Smith, they'd have taken one of those two corners. And then in 2022, Derek Stingley and Sauce Gardner had their attention but they went super early.
They haven't drafted a corner in the first round since Lito Sheppard in 2002, but the willingness is there, and there are a bunch of corners in this draft (Terrion Arnold and Quinyon Mitchell, for example) who possess inside-outside versatility, meaning they can play in the slot early on before eventually moving outside.
Question from @TheCreativeJC: Does it make more sense for the Eagles to draft an OT and project inside versatility on him (Amarius Mims, JC Latham, Tyler Guyton, etc.) or to draft a guy who has moved around during college (Graham Barton, Jackson Powers-Johnson, etc.)?
Barton played a lot of positions at Duke, including LT, but he basically has the same arm length as Tyler Steen, who the Eagles moved inside. Powers-Johnson is a pure interior offensive lineman. You wouldn't try to move him out to tackle. If you're drafting a guy to be the heir to Johnson, you wouldn't take either of those guys, in my opinion. If you're just drafting them to play RG, then yes, they'd fit, but I don't think the Eagles would take a guard (with little hope of playing OT in the NFL) at 22.
As for the tackles in this class, there are some who can probably play guard in the short-term, like Taliese Fuaga, Troy Fautanu, and JC Latham, before eventually taking over for Johnson at RT. One of those guys would be ideal because they knock out two needs — the short-term need at RG, and the long-term need at RT. However, you probably wouldn't screw around and ask Mims or Guyton to play guard, because they're projects as it is. Mims only had eight career starts at Georgia, and Guyton only had 15 at Oklahoma/TCU. I think with those two guys you'd have to be prepared for them to develop for a bit before they saw the field, barring injuries to the starters.
Question from @MillnerSauce: Have the Eagles seen enough from Tyler Steen to slot him in at RG or do you anticipate them drafting over him?
When asked about his options at RG at the NFL owners meetings, Nick Sirianni mentioned Matt Hennessy, and then went on to note all the various times during the the year when more players could be added (the draft, after the draft, the trade deadline, etc.). Interestingly, he did not mention Steen until another reporter specifically brought him up.
Steen never looked fully comfortable at guard during training camp last summer, in my opinion, but he looked good when he got reps at LT, his position in college at Alabama. And then during the season, the team trusted Sua Opeta over him whenever they needed a reserve guard.
If you look at our Eagles' pre-draft visit tracker, four of the 14 known player visits so far — Cooper Beebe (Kansas State), Zak Zinter (Michigan), Brandon Coleman (TCU), and Christian Mahogany (Boston College) — project to guard in the pros, so make of that what you will.
Question from @Rangercyszn: Could you see the Eagles go WR with their 1st round pick. Someone like Xavier Worthy?
It's a very strong receiver draft, so the supply is certainly there, but no, I can't see them rankling A.J. Brown, who in my opinion is the best player on the team. I think there are some good receiver options in Round 2 who make sense (Worthy could actually slip that far, by the way).
Question from @fishergrady8: Can we expect the Eagles to actually target linebacker early in the draft? Or should we be prepping more for added depth in the trenches?
If one of Edgerrin Cooper (Texas A&M), Payton Wilson (NC State), or Junior Colson (Michigan) are still available when the Eagles are picking at 50 or 53, they would have to take a long, hard look at taking one of those guys. If none of them are available, then it'll likely be another year the linebacker position goes unaddressed in an early round.
Question from @TheSmartyJones: Over-under on mock drafts giving the Eagles an off-ball LB in round one?
You won't see linebackers or running backs being projected to the Eagles this year because none are worthy of the 22nd pick.
Question from @MichaelErlerESPN: There’s absolutely no way Brock Bowers gets past them if he slides to 22, right?
There's no way Bowers makes it to pick 22 in the first place, in my opinion.
Question from @SteveCleff: What veteran (or at which position) do you think the Eagles trade a pick for this year?
You mean during the draft or at the trade deadline? I'll take a shot in the dark on one of each.
• During the draft: Jalen Thompson, Cardinals
• At the trade deadline: Cameron Jordan, Saints
Question from @JohnDau79662425: Is it fair to say Tom Donahoe was right to be mad about missing out on Alim McNeill? I know Howie was thrilled to get Milton Williams, but McNeill would have been the pick if Howie hadn't traded back three spots and lost the guy Donahoe wanted.
I like Williams and think (a) he has shown some ability so far and (b) there's plenty of ceiling for him left, but yeah, McNeill is pretty clearly the better player.
Question from @bigseb31213: What hyped pre-draft player do you think would be a bad pick?
Clemson CB Nate Wiggins (6'1, 173) has been a popular projection to the Eagles. He's a good coverage guy, but he can be bullied and he's a liability against the run. His profile reminds of Emmanuel Forbes, who got bodied as a rookie all season by NFL receivers. And Wiggins doesn't possess Forbes' elite ball skills. Maybe Wiggins will be an awesome player in the NFL. I don't know. But I think these non-physical, uber-skinny guys have high bust potential.
Question from @yishmeister: Now that there's been a few years of rotating host cities for the draft, what are your rankings based on (a) food and (b) overall? Thanks!
I've never gone to the draft. I didn't even go when it was in Philly. I just have too much to pay attention to, and too much much to write to be anywhere other than in my office in front of my computer and TV. So instead I'll rank the offseason NFL events:
1) NFL owners meetings: The crown jewel of the offseason events. They're always in a warm location (Orlando, Phoenix, Palm Beach being recent examples), and there's an open bar party every year. Last year they had llamas at the party. This year there was a bar dedicated to making just old fashioneds.
2) NFL Combine: I like to get in and out of Indy, but for the two days I'm there it's really productive from an information-gathering and content standpoint. And by now, I know the downtown area of that city pretty well, and like a number of their restaurants.
3) Senior Bowl: I used to love the Senior Bowl, and am thankful to the folks down there who credentialed me back in the day when all I had was my little NFC East blog, but the media access there sucks now.
4) NFL Draft: Again, I've never gone (and almost certainly never will), but I've heard it's a nightmare.
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