{"numbering":"no_numbering","slides":[{"title":"Round 1-12: Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/article/hero/Horn_J_USA_11635487.jpg","credit":"USA Today Images","published":1618340072,"caption":"

I have Horn ranked as the second-best cornerback in this draft class, which is not a knock on him but more about how much I like Patrick Surtain II from Alabama. But there are plenty of teams who probably like Horn’s upside even more. There’s a lot to like about Horn. So if Surtain is off the board and if one of those top receivers isn’t there, then it makes a ton of sense to take Horn. At 6-1, 205 pounds, he’s an absolute physical specimen who has Pro Bowl potential. For an Eagles team with a desperate need at corner, this is a situation where need and value line up.

"},{"title":"Trade up to No. 30","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/article/hero/Ertz_Z_new_USATSI_15355202.jpg","credit":"USA Today Images","published":1618340295,"caption":"

The Eagles enter this draft with a ton of ammo to move back up into the first round and it makes a ton of sense to do it if the right player begins to slip. We’ll get to the player in a second, but let’s take a look at this proposed trade:

Bills get: No. 37 (2nd round), No. 150 (5th round), Zach Ertz

Eagles get: No. 30, conditional 5th-rounder in 2022

Let’s go through my thought process here. The Bills could use a tight end and they should be in win-now mode. The Eagles have been looking to trade Ertz but haven’t been able to find the required value. So in this case, they can use Ertz to get back in the first round, which is very valuable. In addition, the Bills pick up an additional fifth-rounder this season, but the Eagles still get back a conditional pick for next season that can turn into a fourth-rounder. That way they get some sort of payoff if Ertz goes to Buffalo and has a nice year.

"},{"title":"Round 1-30: Rashod Bateman, WR, Minnesota","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/bateman_r_USATSI_15110384.png","credit":"USA Today Images","published":1618340393,"caption":"

So why did the Eagles move up? Well, because Bateman began to slide a little bit. That’s not a negative against the player but simply teams looking at the depth of this receiver class and trying to wait it out. Remember when CeeDee Lamb lasted until the late teens last year? Yeah, sometimes players fall when a position is deep in a draft and this is a deep class. The knock on Bateman (6-0, 190) is that he doesn’t do anything exceptionally well. But he does everything well. If there’s one area where he excels it’s as a route-runner, which means that Nick Sirianni and his receiver background will like Bateman an awful lot.

"},{"title":"Round 3-70: Baron Browning, LB, Ohio State","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/browning_b_USATSI_13702145_0.png","credit":"USA Today Images","published":1618340464,"caption":"

The Eagles used a third-round pick last year on Davion Taylor out of Colorado but everyone understood he was more of a project. With Browning (6-3, 245) the Eagles would be getting a slightly more NFL-ready prospect. Despite time at a big program, Browning didn’t play a ton at Ohio State but showed flashes of his athleticism and the player he could be at the next level. He projects as a starter in the NFL and the Eagles have an obvious need at linebacker, even after the addition of Eric Wilson on a one-year deal.

"},{"title":"Round 3-84: Kendrick Green, iOL, Illinois","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Green_K_GettyImages-1283574164.jpg","credit":"Getty Images","published":1618340501,"caption":"

Jason Kelce is back for the 2021 season but there’s a good chance it’s his last and it’s time to start seriously thinking about his replacement. Green (6-2, 305) played guard and center at Illinois but probably projects more as a center in the NFL. Yes, the Eagles found Kelce in the 6th round but it probably isn’t a good idea to hope to find another diamond in the rough like that again. Interestingly, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s NFL comp for Green is Isaac Seumalo, who was once drafted to possibly be Kelce’s replacement before settling into the left guard spot.

"},{"title":"Round 4-123: Janarius Robinson, DE, Florida State","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Robinson_J_USATSI_13155642.jpg","credit":"USA Today Images","published":1618340553,"caption":"

Edge rusher is an underrated need for the Eagles right now. They have Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat returning in 2021 but Graham is over 30 and Barnett and Sweat aren’t under contract beyond this season. That’s why Robinson (6-5, 263) is such a good pick in this draft. He has all the physical tools but needs some refinement. So he can be a rotational player in Year 1 and possibly even Year 2. But he has a ton of upside and has already started to flash with 6.0 sacks over the last two seasons.

"},{"title":"Round 6-189: Cameron Sample, DL, Tulane","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Sample_Cam_USATSI_15497980.jpg","credit":"USA Today Images","published":1618340752,"caption":"

At 6-3, 267, Sample is a bit of a tweener. But if the Eagles are looking for someone who can offer interior pass rush in a later round, he makes a lot of sense. He shined at the 2021 Senior Bowl, where he worked as an edge player and inside. The Eagles could use his versatility too.

"},{"title":"Round 6-224: Larnel Coleman, OT, UMass","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Coleman_L_UMASS.jpeg","credit":"UMASS","published":1618340787,"caption":"

While Jack Driscoll finished off his college career at Auburn, he came from UMass first, so here’s a chance for the Eagles to get another tackle from the non-powerhouse school. Coleman is massive at 6-6, 307 and has the frame to put on more mass. Coleman has also played tackle spots so he offers versatility. Another young, talented OL for Jeff Stoutland to work with.

"},{"title":"Round 6-225: Olaijah Griffin, CB, USC","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Griffin_O_USATSI_13612203.jpg","credit":"USA Today Images","published":1618341196,"caption":"

Griffin, the son of rap legend Warren G, was once a major prospect coming out of high school but is now thought to potentially be a late-round pick. There are few durability concerns, which helps him last until the sixth round. But Griffin is talented and despite his 1 college INT has coverage ability.

"},{"title":"Round 7-234: Matt Bushman, TE, BYU","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/article/content/Bushman_M_USATSI_13836582.jpg","credit":"USA Today Images","published":1618341322,"caption":"

This might be an unpopular pick for a couple reasons but we’re in the 7th round now. Bushman is a 25-year-old prospect coming off missing the 2020 season because of an Achilles injury. But he led BYU in receiving the previous two years and is far too talented to last until the 7th round without the injury. We heard some whispers that the Eagles were interested in Zach Wilson and if they went back to 2018 and 2019 to watch his film (they obviously did) they’d see that his top receiver is a tight end still available in the last round of the draft.

"},{"title":"Round 7-240: Pooka Williams, RB, Kansas","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Williams_P_USATSI_15185434.jpg","credit":"USA Today Images","published":1618341362,"caption":"

At 5-9, 175, Williams might not be exactly the type of bruising back you think of as a complement to Miles Sanders, but a chance to get a dynamically fast running back with receiving skills this late is too good to pass up. There are some character questions stemming from an arrest in 2018 but the Eagles got Jalen Mills in the 7th after a similar situation back in 2016. So if their homework on Williams comes back favorably, the value might be good enough.

"}]}

2021 NFL mock draft: Eagles make a 1st-round double dip