We finally made it. It’s draft week!
After months of speculation and endless mock drafts, we’ll finally get all our answers in just a few days. The Eagles have two picks in the first round (15, 18) and 10 total selections this year.
There’s a new popular name and a trade-down scenario in our latest mock draft roundup:
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15. Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
What they said: “Flip a coin here. Davis or Trent McDuffie. (And won’t WIP have a good laugh at my expense when the pick is neither guy.) But I’ll go with Davis because of his freakish athleticism at 335, his ability to impact the game all over the defensive front, and the prospect that he can succeed Fletcher Cox (32 in December) as the toughest guy to block on the Philadelphia defensive front.
“The best thing I heard about Davis after his 4.78-second dash at the combine (at 341 pounds) was from one coach who thought Davis could play nose on first down and three-technique (the interior rush player) on second and third downs. That’s not common. He didn’t have great college production—19.5 tackles behind the line in 47 games at Georgia—and that would be a big concern to me. But someone will take him in the middle of the round, because he’s got such great potential.”
NFL
22. Trade down: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
What they said: “Projected Trade: Eagles trade the 18th pick to the Packers for the 22nd pick and a late third-round pick, 92nd overall.
“Dart throw. Howie Roseman could trade down again here. The receiver and corner markets, both of which he needs to hit before the end of day two, don’t align with what’s left on the board in this mock. Lloyd had experience doing everything in 32 starts over three Utah seasons. His 43 career tackles for loss show he’s a play-wrecker in the run game too.
“One other point about Lloyd, wherever he goes: NFL Network will have an emotional feature story Thursday night about the two Utah players lost to gun violence in 2021. I’m told Lloyd’s words will be emotional and heavy in the piece—he was the Utah captain who had a huge burden on his shoulders helping his teammates get through the double-ordeal.”
My take on the haul: If the Eagles leave the first round with Davis and Lloyd, there would be a lot of happy fans. Those are two pretty popular players. Davis is such a unique player that it makes it really tough to know exactly where he’s going to go in the first round. There seems to be a good shot he won’t be available when the Eagles are on the clock, but if he is, the Eagles really should be interested. Yes, it normally isn’t wise to take a run-stuffing DT in the first round, but because of Davis’s unique athleticism, he projects to be much more than that.
The Eagles’ sliding down from 18 to 22 and picking up a third-round pick in the process is very appealing, even if it’s a late third-rounder. That would give the Eagles three third-rounders and plenty of ammo to really slide back up in the second round to get a guy who might fall out of the first. As far as the Lloyd pick, we know it’s probably unlikely the Eagles will draft a first-round linebacker but maybe the trade-down makes it a little more appealing because of the added value. Lloyd’s stock has dropped some after a less-than-stellar combine performance but he is still a good bet to be the top linebacker selected.
15. Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
What they said: “On the outside, a 6’6/341 lbs bulkier defensive tackle might not seem like a Howie Roseman type. On the other hand, Planet Theory. Howie will be very aware that the only way to acquire a player like this, the most athletic prospect in NFL history, is to draft him. Can he pass on that opportunity?”
18. Zion Johnson, OG, Boston College
What they said: “No receiver, sorry. A fill-in for the retired Brandon Brooks, to keep a strength strong.”
My take on the haul: Yeah, Davis is becoming a trendy pick. Norris, who is quite good at this, has been saying for a while that he thinks Roseman is likely intrigued by Davis and that’s a fair assessment.
The Johnson pick wouldn’t be a very popular pick. When mock draft season really got underway, some of the offensive linemen were being mocked to the Eagles because of Brandon Brooks’ retirement. But the Eagles have some good players and decent depth on their O-line. They will likely start Landon Dickerson and Isaac Seumalo at guard with Jack Driscoll, Nate Herbig and Sua Opeta as their backups. That’s pretty solid so it’s not a desperate need. But would it really surprise anyone to see the Eagles add to their offensive line again? That’s always a priority for them.
15. Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
What they said: “It appears more and more that the Eagles are all-in on Jalen Hurts, at least through the 2022 season. That said, the more weapons he has, the better, and you can bet Hurts would drool into his shirt knowing Williams -- expected to return to top form following his knee injury -- could be suiting up opposite DeVonta Smith.”
18. Zion Johnson, OG, Boston College
What they said: “From the Eagles to the ... Eagles. Johnson is not-so-arguably one of the best interior offensive linemen in this year's class and, having just added another impact receiver for Hurts with the previous pick, adding protection on the offensive front to help Hurts have more time to find said receivers is a must.”
My take on the haul: I’m a big fan of Williams. And as long as the Eagles aren’t concerned about his ACL recovery, they should be too. He would give them they type of explosive player in their offense that could take their attack to the next level. Just think about what having a deep threat like that would mean for DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert underneath. There would be a lot more open space.
15. Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
What they said: “Not only does the Eagles' rush defense immediately improve with Davis rotating in with Javon Hargrave (who could be gone after the 2022 season), but the former Bulldog's length and ability to win a gap at 340 pounds will cause issues for quarterbacks. I suspect Davis' presence will also help Fletcher Cox make the most of his remaining time with the club.”
18. Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama
What they said: “The Eagles take a receiver in the first round for the third straight year, though the speedy Williams may need a redshirt season as he works his way back from a knee injury suffered in the CFP national championship. His immense talent and stable leadership will surely be worth the wait.”
2-51. Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State
3-83. Chigoziem Okonkwo, TE, Maryland
3-101. Tariq Castro-Fields, CB, Penn State
4-124. Brandon Smith, LB, Penn State
5-154. Eric Johnson, DT, Missouri State
5-162. E.J. Perry, QB, Brown
5-166. Jaylen Watson, CB, Washington State
7-237. Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, DE, Notre Dame
My take on the haul: Great work here from Reuter on a complete mock draft, which is a heavy, heavy lift. We have talked about Davis and Williams enough so let’s look at his Day 2 selections. Brisker would be a very solid pick at 51. Along with Lewis Cine, Jalen Pitre and a few others, there should be some good safeties going in the second round. There is a decent shot one of them will be a great value in the second round.
The third round has the Eagles going tight end and cornerback. The positions make plenty of sense. Yeah, this is probably pretty early for the Eagles to draft a tight end but it’s an underrated position of need. Upgrading the TE2 spot behind Goedert would really help. Waiting until Day 3 for a tight end, though, would be more palatable. Castro-Fields in the third round hits another big need if the Eagles don’t get one in Rounds 1 or 2. An older prospect at 23, Castro-Fields has a ton of experience. He also has good length and athleticism.
15. Jermaine Johnson, Edge, Florida State
What they said: “Johnson’s rise up draft boards has been significant — at least from the media’s perspective — following standout performances at the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl and NFL Scouting Combine. He was highlighted as one of the top performers through the first two days of practice in Mobile, Al., and tested out at the 90th percentile or better in the 40-yard dash (4.58s), 10-yard split (1.55s) and broad jump (125 inches) at the combine.
“Even though Philadelphia will have Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat all returning in 2022, Johnson should be viewed as an upgrade over Barnett and Sweat, if not all three players. Graham turns 34 years old in April and is coming off a torn Achilles, while Sweat and Barnett both failed to crack the top 25 in terms of PFF pass-rushing grade in 2021.”
18. Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
What they said: “McDuffie is a clean cornerback prospect with plus coverage ability and athleticism to overcome length and size concerns. He won’t be everyone’s cup of tea because of his sub-30-inch arms, but he’s definitely a fit for an Eagles defense that runs press coverage at the lowest rate in the league (39%).”
My take on the haul: Based on Johnson’s rise, it would be a pleasant surprise to sit at No. 15 and get him there. While there are a few really versatile defensive linemen in this class, Johnson is a pure edge player. Let him attack from the edge and get after quarterbacks. That’s what he did best in his breakout season at Florida State and that’s what he showed at the Senior Bowl too.
McDuffie is widely considered the third best corner in this draft after Sauce Gardner and Derek Stingley, so the value here works. I’m a bigger fan of Andrew Booth from Clemson but that doesn’t mean McDuffie would be a bad pick at all. The fact that McDuffie is 5-11 with shorter arms will turn some teams off.
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