The Eagles’ obvious position of need heading into the 2020 NFL Draft is at wide receiver and this happens to be an extremely strong receiver draft class.
Things seem to be lining up perfectly.
NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah doesn’t think the Eagles would hesitate to draft a receiver if one of the top four are still available when they pick at No. 21 on April 23.
“I think if one of those top four guys are there, it’s a no-brainer,” Jeremiah said in an interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark this week. “I think everybody knows about the top three. We’ve talked so much about Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs, CeeDee Lamb, whatever order you have those guys. But I think Justin Jefferson from LSU is right there with them.
“I have all four of those guys in my top 15, so if one of the top 15 players in the draft that also happens to be a major need position for your team is there when you pick, it’s a no-brainer. You turn in the card.”
Like Jeremiah said, the consensus top three receivers in this draft class are Lamb, Ruggs and Jeudy. The question is whether Jefferson belongs with them or with the group behind them. Jeremiah believes Jefferson belongs in that top group.
Jeremiah, who once worked for the Eagles as a scout, thinks that if the draft goes in such a way that the Eagles are on the clock at No. 21 and Jefferson is there, they simply take him.
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But he also thinks a moderate trade up might be a possibility too.
“I don’t see them making a huge move up,” he said. “Are they going to go up to San Francisco’s pick at 13? I just think what that would cost, I don’t see them doing that. However, if you start getting a little bit nervous because of the Vikings’ need at the position and let’s say that three of the big four are gone and that fourth one is starting to drift a little bit closer and a little bit closer and it’s not too cost prohibitive, I could see Howie (Roseman) saying, OK, we’re going to secure that we get him because we’re a little nervous about Minnesota and their need going up to get him ahead of you.”
If the Eagles end up on the clock at No. 21 and all four of the top receivers are gone — a possible scenario — Jeremiah said he could envision a trade-down scenario, where the Eagles would recoup an extra pick or two and take another receiver at a slot where the value would fit better.
In his latest first-round mock draft, without trades, Jeremiah actually had the Eagles’ taking linebacker Kenneth Murray from Oklahoma. As a former member of the Eagles’ scouting department, Jeremiah is well aware that the Eagles haven’t drafted a linebacker in Round 1 since 1979.
But Jeremiah called Murray a “clean” pick, meaning you know what you’re getting in him. Murray was a three-year starter at Oklahoma and is a relatively sure thing in a draft where teams haven’t been able to do as much homework without pro days and in-person visits. Jeremiah called it a “park it right in the middle of the fairway” pick.
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