Top Eagles positional needs heading into the 2023 draft

The NFL draft is just two weeks away and the Eagles are hoping to add some more pieces to help them get back to a Super Bowl.

As it stands, the Eagles have six picks in the 2023 NFL Draft, including four in the top 100. They haven’t picked four players in the top 100 since 2013.

Here’s a reminder of their picks this year:

1-10 (from Saints)

1-30 (own pick)

2-62 (own pick)

3-94 (own pick)

7-219 (from vikings)

7-248 (own pick)

The only positions we’ve removed from the following list are the specialists. While the Eagles might want an upgrade at punter, it seems relatively unlikely they’re going to use one of their six picks on one. So we’re sticking to non-specialists on this list.

Here’s my ranking of Eagles’ draft needs from most to least pressing:

1. Defensive tackle

The Eagles are in a pretty good spot with Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams in starting roles in 2023. But Cox is 32 now and back on a one-year deal. And the depth behind the starting group isn’t great. The Eagles added veteran Kentavius Street on a veteran minimum deal, which was smart. The idea is to fill glaring needs so you don’t reach in the draft. But this is still an area the Eagles need to improve and we know it’s a position they really value.

Aside from Street, the only other rotational defensive tackles on this roster are Marlon Tuipulotu, Marvin Wilson and Noah Elliss. Not only did the Eagles lose Javon Hargrave in free agency — he signed a four-year, $84 million deal with the 49ers — but they’re also losing Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph. Both older veterans remain unsigned and even if they’re candidates to return sometime down the line, the Eagles certainly can’t rely on that. At the very least, the Eagles need to find a backup nose tackle. Davis returned from his high ankle sprain last year and split reps with Joseph but now Joseph is gone. Is Tuipulotu that guy? Maybe. But the Eagles probably don’t want to rely on that either.

It wouldn’t surprise anyone to see the Eagles use one of their two first round picks on an interior defensive lineman. Whether that’s Jalen Carter, Bryan Bresee or Calijah Kancey, there are really intriguing options in the first round. But there are plenty of options in the rounds after that too. And it would almost be surprising if the Eagles didn’t add one at some point.

2. Safety

The Eagles went into free agency hoping to keep C.J. Gardner-Johnson, but that didn’t happen. The two sides weren’t close enough at the beginning of free agency and CJGJ ended up in Detroit on a one-year deal, which left the Eagles very light at safety. And fellow starter Marcus Epps also left in free agency on a two-year deal with the Raiders. So the Eagles were tasked with replacing both starters and it’s not really clear that they’ve done that successfully.

The top remaining safeties on the roster after losing Gardner-Johnson and Epps were Reed Blankenship, K’Von Wallace and Andre Chachere. Then the Eagles brought in two “lottery ticket” safeties to add some depth: Terrell Edmunds and Justin Evans. Edmunds is a former first-round pick who has started 75 games in the NFL. It filled the safety need to the point where the Eagles won’t feel like they have to reach in the draft, but it also seems very possible they’re not done at this position. Their starters right now would likely be Edmunds and Blankenship, who played well as an undrafted rookie in 2022.

There are some options in the draft to take a safety but unfortunately for the Eagles, it doesn’t seem like a great class. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah had this to say about the class: “This is a bad year to need a safety in the NFL Draft. Paper thin.” But even when a class is thin, there are still options. The top one this year is Alabama’s Brian Branch, who is a safety/nickel hybrid. But guys like Texas A&M’s Antonio Johnson, Alabama’s Jordan Battle and Illinois’ Sydney Brown should all be available on Day 2.

3. Linebacker

Like safety, the Eagles lost both of their starting linebackers from the 2022 season. T.J. Edwards joined the Bears and Kyzir White went to the Cardinals. While the Eagles have Blankenship at safety to fill one of those spots, the guy at linebacker expected to ascend into a starting role is Nakobe Dean. The Eagles used a third-round pick on Dean last draft and he was mostly relegated to special teams duty as a rookie.

After Dean, the Eagles were especially thin at linebacker. The only other linebackers on the roster were Davion Taylor, Shaun Bradley and Christian Elliss. The Eagles did make a low-risk move to bring in Nicholas Morrow, who started all 17 games for the Bears last season. Again, that’s a sensical move to avoid reaching in the draft. But there’s probably a reason the Bears moved on from Morrow and elected to bring in two outside free agents to play the position.

This is where we remind you the Eagles haven’t taken a linebacker in the first round of the NFL draft since 1979 when they drafted Jerry Robinson out of UCLA. Every April, Robinson’s ears probably start ringing. The Eagles don’t value the linebacker position like they do others. There have been a few exceptions over the year but not many. There are a couple linebackers who might go in the first round this year but there are options in the first few rounds to select players who could compete for a starting gig on this roster.

4. Edge rusher

This might seem pretty high for a position that already has Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham. Between the three of them, they had 38 sacks last season. That’s more than 10 teams had in 2022. But Graham is 35 now and is back on just a one-year deal. And after that trio, Derek Barnett is coming back from an ACL tear and might not even be in the Eagles’ plans for 2023.

Like defensive tackle, this is a position the Eagles are very willing to invest in and the nice thing about selecting an edge rusher is that he’ll play as a rookie. Sure, it will be a rotational role behind the starters but that’s an important spot in this defense.

The Eagles have always valued getting after the passer and they saw again in 2022 how important that is. Landing pass rushers in the early rounds is always going to be on the table for the Eagles and there are plenty of options in this draft in the first round. While Will Anderson will likely be out of the Eagles’ range, there are other likely (or possible) first-rounders like Tyree Wilson, Lukas Van Ness, Myles Murphy, Nolan Smith, B.J. Ojulari and Felix Anudike-Uzomah who should spark their interest with the No. 10 or 30 pick.

5. Offensive line

Even after losing Isaac Seumalo, the Eagles still have a very good starting offensive line. From left to right, the group of Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Cam Jurgens and Lane Johnson should still be one of the best units in the NFL, if not the best in the league. But in addition to losing Seumalo, the Eagles also lose Andre Dillard to free agency and that has left them a little light in the depth department. If we assume that Jurgens will take over at right guard, that means the Eagles have lost their top two backup offensive linemen. They still have Jack Driscoll, Sua Opeta and Brett Toth, but they’re clearly not as deep as they once were.

On top of all that, Kelce is 35 and back on a one-year deal and even though Johnson is under contract through 2026, he’ll be 33 when the 2023 season starts. Kelce and Johnson are still playing at extremely high levels but they won’t be around forever.

And the Eagles have always shown a propensity for drafting offensive linemen before the need is overwhelming. Even in recent years, they drafted Dickerson and Jurgens in the second round without knowing how much they’d play in their rookie seasons. It shouldn’t be a surprise if the Eagles use another Day 1 or 2 pick in a similar fashion in 2023.

The reason we lumped tackles and interior offensive linemen in the same category is because there are several players in this draft who offer that type of versatility. In the early rounds, there are players like Peter Skoronski, Paris Johnson Jr. and Cody Mauch, who can do both. And if the Eagles draft any player and put him in a backup role, they’ll expect some versatility.

6. Cornerback

There are some similarities with the cornerback position and offensive line. Because as far as the starters go, the Eagles are in a great position. They were able to bring back James Bradberry in free agency and then worked out a deal to hang on to Darius Slay. Both are under contract for three more seasons but both were really two-year deals. It’s also worth noting that Slay is 32 and Bradberry will be 30 by the start of the season. Cornerback is a position that is not normally treated kindly by age.

And then there’s Avonte Maddox, who is a really good nickel but has dealt with injuries in his career. At 5-9, Maddox is a fearless player but that helped limit him to just nine games in 2022.

The Eagles’ top backup cornerbacks are Zech McPhearson, Greedy Williams, Josh Jobe and Josiah Scott. They might be OK there but we haven’t really seen enough of any of them to really know. McPhearson and Jobe have mostly played special teams in Philly and Williams joined the team on a low-risk deal this offseason.

The Eagles haven’t drafted a cornerback in the first round since 2002, when they took Lito Sheppard at No. 26 out of Florida. Still, if they’re sitting there at No. 10 and have their choice of the top player at the position (Devon Witherspoon? Christian Gonzalez?) it might be tempting. If they don’t pull the trigger there, some good options on Day 2.

7. Wide receiver

The Eagles are obviously pretty set with their top two receivers. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith form one of the best duos in the NFL. Third receiver Quez Watkins had a down season in 2022. While he had fewer opportunities, which explains the statistical drop-off, he didn’t make the most of the opportunities he did get. He had too many negative plays, including a huge drop in Super Bowl LVII.

I’m actually still higher on Watkins than most. I like his pure speed and he’s shown an ability in his career to catch the deep ball. His speed still needs to be respected by defenses and I’m not sure it will be easy to find a third receiver who will make that big of an impact without needing a correlating chunk of the target share.

But regardless of what you think of Watkins, the Eagles are still light at receiver after Zach Pascal left for Arizona in free agency. Because after Brown, Smith and Watkins, the Eagles have Britain Covey, Greg Ward, Devon Allen and Tyrie Cleveland. They’re going to need to at least add more bodies at this position before training camp. A draft pick is certainly in play and expect them to sign a few after the draft as well.

8. Running back

This might seem low at a position where the Eagles lost their Pro Bowl running back in free agency. Miles Sanders had a big season in 2022 and earned a four-year, $25 million contract with the Panthers. It’s not the Eagles’ style to overpay for running backs and they resisted the temptation, letting Sanders walk.

It’s fair to wonder if that decision had something to do with the emergence of Kenny Gainwell late in the season and in the playoffs. Now entering his third NFL season, Gainwell will presumably have an even bigger role in the offense.

In addition to Gainwell, the Eagles brought back Boston Scott in free agency, still have Trey Sermon and added Rashaad Penny. While it’s impossible to rely on Penny because of his injury history, there’s no questioning Penny’s production when he has been healthy. If that move works out, Howie Roseman will look like a genius.

The Bijan Robinson question has become a big water cooler topic in Philly but it seems unlikely the Eagles will use the No. 10 pick to draft the stud out of Texas. Again, just not their style. But at 30 or on Day 2? Can’t completely rule it out.

9. Tight end

The Eagles have suffered free agent losses at both receiver and running back, which is why those positions are higher on this list. The Eagles right now are prepared to run it back with Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll and Grant Calcaterra. The Eagles just used a sixth-round pick on Calcaterra last year.

The intrigue in this draft is how good of a tight end class this is considered to be. There are some really good prospects expected to be selected in the first few rounds.

While it might not seem logical to use an early pick on a tight end with Goedert in his prime, it’s worth noting that Goedert is older now than Zach Ertz was when the Eagles drafted Goedert in 2018. And that’s when Ertz was coming off the game-winning catch in the Super Bowl. Ertz was five seasons into his career when the Eagles selected Goedert and Goedert is five seasons into his career right now.

10. Quarterback

The Eagles have the best starting quarterback in the NFC in Jalen Hurts, who will be just 25 when the 2023 season starts. The Eagles hope they’ll have a long-term deal in pace with Hurts by that point because after his MVP-caliber season last year, they consider him to be the face of the franchise. After Hurts, the Eagles brought in Marcus Mariota as their veteran backup. Mariota is a former first-round pick with starting experience and, like Gardner Minshew before him, is a top level backup in the NFL. Mariota makes even more sense because his dual threat ability as a runner means the Eagles won’t have to drastically change the playbook if he needs to play.

The Eagles’ third-string quarterback is Ian Book. They could simply run this back in 2023 but you could make a case for drafting a quarterback on Day 3 this year to add to the QB factory. The Eagles reportedly have a visit scheduled with UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson. A player like that would make sense to bring aboard as a developmental prospect who could grow into the backup role. Given his rushing ability in college, Thompson-Robinson could be developed in 2023 and could be the No. 2 in 2024. The Eagles have paid their backup QBs in the past but with Hurts likely to get a mega deal, having a cheaper backup — sort of like when they drafted Hurts to backup Carson Wentz — could be in play.

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