Eagles bring Kyle Pitts home in 7-round mock draft
The Eagles grab the ultimate offensive weapon in this seven-round 2021 NFL mock draft. By: Shamus Clancy
Draft Week: the time of the year where hope is endless and each prospect is going to elevate a franchise to the promised land.
Eagles fans, however, are a bit more hardened there coming off a disastrous 4-11-1 season and with the recent draft history of Howie Roseman burned in their brains.
If the Eagles were to pull off the following draft with a trade into the top 10 though, the team may win over some of those heavy critics.
In trading the 12th and 84th picks to Denver to get back into the top 10, the Eagles land a Philadelphia-area native who many pundits consider the most talented prospect in the draft.
Kyle Pitts is projected to outgrow the tight end label, acting as a positionless pass-catcher who can line up all over the field and cause mayhem for defensive coordinators.
I’m worried about his cheesesteak takes, but grabbing a player of Pitts’ pedigree while leapfrogging the Cowboys and Giants only makes landing the Archbishop Wood grad that much sweeter.
A name that will make Eagles fans feel ancient, Asante Samuel Jr. is the son of the former All-Pro corner who starred in Philadelphia. While Samuel Jr. may come off as a bit undersized at 5’10”, he still has the feistiness to excel as an outside starting cornerback, a position of clear need opposite Darius Slay.
I need to see a cornerback streak down the sideline for a pick-6 against Cowboys. Is that too much to ask for? Samuel Jr. has that energy. Be sure to check your parents’ basement and see if you can find your old Asante Samuel midnight green jersey too.
When it comes to athletic testing, MockDraftable is a great resource, as you see a spider chart of a players’ attributes and it compares them to prospects of years past.
The player Milton Williams compares to most? Aaron Donald. Third most? Geno Atkins. His undersized arms and small-school background will keep him out of Day 1 of the draft, but there’s a ferociousness to Williams that would make him a Day 2 steal.
Ball skills are integral for defensive backs to have a game-changing presence. Having a turnover machine in the secondary is invaluable. In a strong Syracuse backend unit, Andre Cisco literally balled out, totalling 13 interceptions and 24 pass breakups in 24 collegiate games.
The Eagles should be steady at safety in 2021 with Rodney McLeod and Anthony Harris, but both could be gone this time next year. Cisco could develop this season and be a potential starter in 2022.
The Eagles desperately need to inject their offensive with some juice. In a backup running back role, Javian Hawkins can do just that.
He’s in a smaller scatback-type mold, but comes into the pros fresh with just under 400 carries in his time at Louisville. Nick Sirianni should be able to manufacture touches for the speedy, dynamic back both as a runner and a receiver.
No, Jonathon Cooper is not in the same realm as Chase Young and the Bosa brothers, but a pass-rusher from Ohio State is a bankable archetype.
Cooper’s production was modest in 2020 with just 3.5 sacks, but he has a bit of a dog in him that Philly fans would adore, giving him an edge (pun intended) as a rotational defensive end on obvious passing downs.
Later in the draft when a team is throwing darts in the dark, it’s worthwhile to look for successful patterns. The NFL has seen Clemson wide receivers blossom when they reach the pros, so it’d be worthwhile to take a flyer on Cornell Powell.
Powell played sparingly until his redshirt senior season that saw him finish with 822 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 16.6 yards per reception. When given the chance, he performed. On an Eagles team devoid of wide receiver talent that frequently plays wideouts off the street, the same could happen.
Is Jeff Stoutland the best positional coach in the entire sport? He just might be. For all their draft warts, the Birds have had a knack for finding talent along the offensive line late. Eagles fans should have trust in Stoutland to develop these types of players.
Kentucky’s Landon Young is a mobile bruiser who could potentially develop into a backup swing tackle, an unheralded, but important, role on any roster.
The wheels on the quarterback factory never stop spinning!
Sam Ehlinger has a while to go before he can be a real pro passer, but he possesses the pocket maneuverability and the legs that help him when things hit the fan. With Nate Sudfeld gone, the Eagles will likely want a new quarterback to settle into the developmental third-string spot.
If the Eagles do land him, prepare to read 500 articles this summer about how he played at Westlake High School in Texas and broke records previously held by Drew Brees and Nick Foles.
You can never have enough Jaelons (or Jalens), right? A burner who can work in the slot, Jaelon Darden finished with 31 touchdowns in his last two seasons for North Texas while playing in Conference USA. For a special teams crew that’s been putrid for years, Darden could also bring some electricity as a kick returner.
