Mock Draft Time
Posted: April 24th, 2016 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 120 Comments »The draft is just around the corner. I decided to do a mock draft for PE.com.
This isn’t my ideal scenario. I’ll be posting that here in a couple of days. I’m still watching tape of late round prospects as I try to figure out who the best 7th rounders might be.
Mock drafts are scenarios. This is one take of what might happen. In this one, I had the Eagles passing on a RB. That will sound crazy to some. Clearly the Eagles need a RB. I don’t like a lot of the guys in this RB class for the Eagles so I passed on the position.
The Eagles don’t need a change of pace RB. They don’t need a 3rd down back. They need someone capable of starting. I don’t think this class is loaded with those guys. Some of the RBs I do like for the Eagles:
1st round – Ezekiel Elliott
2nd round – no pick
3rd round – Devontae Booker, Paul Perkins, Jonathan Williams, Jordan Howard
4th round – no pick
5th round – Darius Jackson, Kelvin Taylor, Wendell Smallwood
Late – Peyton Barber, Tre Madden
Aside from Elliott, I don’t love any of the prospects. The Eagles might. They’ve shown interest in Jordan Howard, who is talented. I don’t like him nearly as much as others. I think he has stiff hips. There are those that love him.
Had RB coach tell me that he considered Indiana’s Jordan Howard to be best pure runner in the draft. Acknowledged injuries drop him to 3rd.
— Lance Zierlein (@LanceZierlein) April 23, 2016
There are usually 18 to 20 RBs drafted. That leaves several good RBs for the UDFA market each year. Chris Polk and Matt Tucker were good UDFA signings for the Eagles.
Peyton Barber could be a UDFA and I think he would be excellent value there or even as a late pick.
The Eagles will add at least one RB in the next week, whether UDFA or draft.
If they don’t land a player they think can help them out this year, the team could look for a veteran free agent. There are no great players available, but there are some interesting options.
Joique Bell
Bryce Brown
Reggie Bush
Arian Foster
Tim Hightower
Fred Jackson
We’d love the Eagles to find a future starter in the draft, but trading away the mid-round picks means the team won’t be able to fill every hole on the roster. With Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barber already in place, I don’t think the Eagles will force a move a RB in the draft.
Again, there is no question that he is a great player. However, there is an absurd number of really good sophomore running backs who will be eligible to enter the NFL Draft in 2017. A quick list:
• Leonard Fournette, LSU: Beast of a human being, ran for 1953 yards and 22 TDs on 6.5 yards per carry in 2015.
• Dalvin Cook, Florida State: Ran for 1691 yards and 19 TDs in 2015 on 7.4 yards per carry.
• Christian McCaffrey, Stanford: One of three Heisman finalists in 2015, ran for 2019 rushing yards and 8 TDs, added 45 catches for 645 yards and 5 TDs, returned a kick for a TD, returned a punt for a TD, and threw 2 TD passes.
• Royce Freeman, Oregon: Ran for 1836 yards and 17 TDs on 6.5 yards per carry. In 2014, as a freshman, he ran for 1365 yards and 18 TDs.
• Nick Chubb, Georgia: Ran for 1547 yards and 14 TDs on 7.1 yards per carry as a freshman, and then 747 yards and 7 TDs on 8.1 yards per carry before suffering a serious leg injury in the Bulldogs’ sixth game.
• Samaje Perine, Oklahoma: Ran for 1713 yards and 21 TDs on 6.5 yards per carry as a freshman, and then 1349 yards and 16 TDs on 6.0 yards per carry as a sophomore.
And then there’s Wisconsin’s Corey Clement, Pitt’s James Conner, and Baylor’s Shock Linwood, who will all be highly regarded seniors in 2016.
Missing out on a RB this year would not be the worst thing in the world.
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[…] Tommy Lawlor The draft is just around the corner. I decided to do a mock draft for PE.com. This isn’t my […]
I already am on the bandwagon to trade up and get Christian McCaffrey next season. Use Bradford as chip to help do that.
Lets really hope that Bradford becomes expendable.I think Wentz can do it, however we never really know until it happens or doesnt happen.
Shock Linwood is an early favorite due to his name alone.
Only if we can put his first name on the back of his jersey, or at the very least first and last.
There is a safety on Army (i think) names Weston Steelhammer. That is boss
As for this year, id like them re-sign bryce brown and.. chris polk. lol
Is Polk still a FA? Wouldnt mind having him back. Played well for Texans last year despite a not to hot YPC,
yup hes a FA.
plus polk is a good STer, or at least he was when he was here
I remember him returning a KR for a TD, but we have other players on this team that are better suited for that.
I do not remember him being on coverage units, or on returns as someone other then a returner. Could very well be wrong though.
he did well coverage units and what not, wasnt just talking about his KR
Ok, im sure he did. Just didnt really remember it.
No thanks on Brown.
Yes please on Polk
Really hope the Chargers take Ramsey
Remind me, what was Bryce Brown’s issue? Seems he made a few huge plays and flashed speed.
Fumbles, execution of the play (loved to bounce out),poor pass blocking. That is what we know.
What we can speculate on is possible mental issues with playbook, not a high character guy especially in locker room.
While it isnt fair to just randomly speculate about a persons character, he seemed to have so much talent that you really have to wonder why at the very least he isnt on a team.
Bit of a fumbling issue, no? Not sure what else though..
He would bounce every single play outside at the first sign of trouble.
Vision.
Those 6 guys named had almost 1900 yards each … i i dont watch college footbsll but thats a schit ton of running yards w t f !!
Yeah, that draft has about 2-2.5 drafts worth of RBs.
Thats 6 sophmores with …. thatsallotta yards
Am I the only one still worried about the Rams taking Wentz, thinking they are just sending one astray and they wanted Wentz all along
Unless i am not thinking about something, why would they do that? It doesnt add any type of strategic advantage. They have never come straight out and said they want Goff, so it is possible they do go Wentz. If they do it has nothing to do with intentional misdirection.
Not worried. From what I’ve read, it seems either QB would fit running the west coast offense.
I do feel sorry for the QB the Rams select. Jeff Fisher is in the final year of his contract and his offensive coordinator, Rob Boras, was previously a TE coach for the past 12 years. Odds are strong that the #1 QB selected will be learning a new offense in 2017.
So he will get the Bradford treatment?
Unfortunately, the Rams lost 3 defensive starters and they have a suspect offensive line with a weak WR depth chart. This year might be Jeff Fisher’s 22nd and last year in the NFL.
I understand the Rams are in the process of moving, but keeping Fisher to break in a rookie QB could cause irreparable harm to his development.
I for one am shocked he has logged in so many years as a HC. He just never seems to produce.
Could be a good person, but HC……. nope.
Sometimes I’m amazed Marvin Lewis has a job, then I remember Fisher does as well.
Yup.
There is no need for the Rams to play anyone, they have the no.1 pick and total control. There is no benefit to them for confusing other teams down the board.
However they are not going to announce in the media their pick for 2 reasons:
1) NFL wants there to be some drama at the top the draft. Even if there is 5% uncertainty that makes people locked in.
2) If something weird happens in the next 4 days then they can more easily change pick. Lets say Goff gets a DUI tomorrow. They can switch to Wentz and say that is the guy they always wanted to take without having the drama about if that was the QB they really wanted etc.
None of those things affect the Rams-Eagles relationship. Howie rings up and says hey who you picking… what benefit is there for the Rams to not tell him what the current plan is? None, or maybe even negative because Howie will be annoyed. Telling the Eagles who they are picking is a favor that costs you nothing but builds good will and relationships for future cooperation in some situation 2-3 years down the line either in the front office or voting for something in the NFL….. I would fancy that the Rams would rather keep LA to themselves, so having another owner owe you a favor is never a bad thing.
I will add that if one week before the draft, the Rams still don’t know who their going to take, the head coach should be fired.
Especially with the first pick.
Seems too perfect for the Rams not to take Goff. They’re moving to a new stadium in LA and Goff is a local kid, they need a QB right now and Goff is NFL ready.
Everybody say it with me now: “San Francisco is 6 hours from LA and a totally different place, so Goff is not local”
If it is a qb, then Lynch is the pick.
And Flyers just won the Stanley Cup.
We did win one once
Just stop it. This forum is for intelligent discussion
If roseman is telling the truth about not knowing who the Rams are picking, and they are sure they are getting their guy, who else would it be.
Wentz?
Rams pick
You are embarrassing yourself. Grow up.
What is your answer to Roseman’s comments
The same as everyone else’s that has two functioning brain cells to rub together, that they know who the Rams are drafting and therefore know who they are drafting. No professional organization would make the trade without that knowledge. People who enjoy making stupid comments anonymously on the Internet may not understand that, but adults do.
You didn’t answer the comment.
Do not feed the trolls.
If the Eagles wanted Lynch they would gave traded down, not up!
As my eyes scanned ahead while I was reading, they caught on…
1st round – Ezekiel Elliott
I thought, “Oh God, Tommy took Elliot at #2.”
Lol, i did the same thing. Did a real quick double take.
Me too. I was very confused.
I wondered how we ended up with so many 3rd round picks.
What is everyone eating for draft night? Im thinking a papa johns with pepperoni, green pepper and onion with extra sauce and well done. I may throw in a brookie as well.
🙁
I probably won’t watch past our pick on Thursday, and tune in Saturday to see our next one. I want to make sure we get Wentz, but there’s no drama now for me.
Though, I most likely will be watching either hockey or basketball depending on who’s playing. I usually choose the better of two games.
Na i love the draft, even if the Eagles are not picking i want to watch who the Cowgirls, Giants and Racists pick and then immediately decide they are reaches and suck. I want to see how the Browns will mess this up and how the Colts will take another WR in the 1st round.
Where i may struggle is in the 2nd when i am pining after dozens of guys and taking it like a dagger to the heart as they go before the Eagles.
Honestly, watching the Browns fuck up their pick is one of my favorite things, too. For the Oscars, I like watching the “In Memoriam”. For the draft, it’s all about the Browns.
They ruined the “In Memoriam” segment when they stopped broadcasting the applause… Determining Hollywood’s dead person popularity hierarchy was one of the underrated joys of Oscar Night.
If saying Redskins is racist, is saying Cowgirls sexist?
You do realize we have a pick on Friday right?
Doh. For some reason, I’m thinking just 2nd round on Friday. So probably will be flipping back and forth.
Might wanna stick around. Maybe Howie makes some more moves to get us picks in this draft. Not sure when they’d happen, but I wouldn’t doubt it.
As strange as it sounds…Sushi. Have been stuck down here in FL for a little bit now. Found this amazing Sushi place that delivers. Never was a fan of Sushi until i tried it. Now cant stop eating it.
Sushi from a good restaurant is a whole different level then the 12 pack you get from the seafood department at the grocery store.
Uni out of the shell .. insane.
Love Hamachi more than toro.
Amaebi sweet.
Fugu.
nothing wrong with great sushi.
spider roll FTW
Pizza Hut is the better pizza chain, come on man.
Dog poop v cat poop.
Lol always a local place that’s decent
A ton of salt.
jokes aside, probably tacos.
Shame on you. I like pizza out here in California, but it’s got nothing on east coast pizza. The fact that you are most likely close to a local pizza joint far better than anything I have access to, and yet you still opt for a national chain, is an insult, kind sir.
(please ignore if you don’t live in Philly)
F “Papa” John in the A.
Plenty of decent pizza in Cali. Just stay away from the major chains
it’s decent. But the crust isn’t the same. Never.
Im in Illinois, 3 hours away from Chicago and throughout the yearnI build up Papa points. This is when I spend them.
I know I should laugh at the term “Papa Points” but I’m not sure why.
Lorenzo’s pizza + items to be named later.
Mathews and Foster. Would be great probably get a combined 13 games out of both of them.
Foster is done. He will be lucky to get 13 more carries in his career
I thought he was implying that we’d get more games out of Mathews if he’d drink Australian beer.
All those good rbs are out of play bc we don’t have a first round pick.
You think 9 RBs will go in round 1?
Worried there will be no decent OL options in the 3rd. Thanks chip for ignoring the line these last 2 drafts…..
I think CB is more critical of a need than RB. I’m also concerned about our pass rush.
Cox, Graham, Curry, Logan. Thats a good start.
Don’t forget Barwin
MS II…
Hope and a prayer.
I think there are several reasons why Schwartz signed on here. And that list probably contains the biggest of them. I don’t think pass rush is going to be a big issue this year. I can see wheel routes an TEs causing big problems, but if the edge rushers can cause enough issues, that might keep them from going out on routes too often. Probably see some big runs against, too, taking advantage of some the lanes left by the DL and the LBers’ failure to fill them appropriately.
New Redskins CB Josh Norman reportedly tried to sign his franchise tag with the Panthers last week.
Norman and his agent decided against signing the tag for seven weeks, but Norman tried to sign it when he was “blindsided” by GM Dave Gettleman rescinding the one-year, $13.95 million tender. By that time, Gettleman had already made the move official. “It came out of nowhere, it really did,” Norman told the Redskins’ website. “I got sideswiped. I didn’t see it coming.” The Panthers’ final offer to Norman was a four-year, $44 million deal. He wound up with a five-year, $75 million pact from Washington.
Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson reports Sam Bradford does not want out of Philadelphia.
Robinson is disputing a report from Bleacher Report that claimed Bradford would “likely” demand a trade after the Eagles traded up for Carson Wentz. The Eagles have a plan and Bradford is an important part of it. Wentz started only 23 college games and played in FCS, and may face a steep learning curve in the NFL. Philadelphia has already paid Bradford $11 million this offseason, and he’ll be the favorite over Chase Daniel and Wentz to start for the Eagles in 2016
Anyone else think the Norman deal is gonna hurt the Redskins past the short-term?
Yes. Many similarities to the maxwell signing although Norman played better. He comes from a defense that made Kurt Coleman (yes, that Kurt coleman) look like a pro bowler. Let’s see how he does in another system, on another team, with a very different locker room and a boatload of guaranteed money. I think the panthers, who know him better than anyone, is sending a very strong message about him and what he is worth, and I doubt the redskins front office is about to prove them wrong..
I think it’s essentially a two-year deal. Very similar to what we gave Maxwell, but if he sucks they’re not stuck with him for five years or anything.
They’ve still invested a lot of resources in him that hurt long term rebuilding. Maybe they are trying to rebuild a winning attitude, but as an Eagles fan I’m glad they signed him.
i don’t think they’re rebuilding
You don’t think they think they’re rebuilding, or you don’t think it personally?
i don’t think they are rebuilding.
I hope not. 😉
I think they see the NFC East as winnable and want to strike while they can.
Oh, it is very winnable, and yet less winnable for them if Dan Snyder is coming back into power.
It’ll be fun watching him and Beckham battle each other twice a year.
He also probably isn’t going to be sitting in a zone d like Carolina likes to do.
Love seeing Jonathan Williams on this list.
Shocked that Kenny Dixon isn’t on it.
Smallwood is a guy I just started reading more about.
I guess Tommy expects Dixon to go in the second..?
I think Dixon is probably RB2 on alot of teams boards and will go in the 2nd, certainly well before 79.
I know this was said below, but count me in for bringing back Chris Polk.
Rather have Joique Bell back.
So you would like him back as a backup back?
Good profile piece on one of my OL man crushes: Joe Haeg.
He reminds me alot of Todd Herremans. Tall, technically sound, T/G versatile, good athleticism, non FBS. Oh and he was the LT for our new QB.
http://www.si.com/nfl/2016/04/20/joe-haeg-nfl-draft-carson-wentz-north-dakota-state
Couple things: In terms of OL, the angrier the better but not quite Incognito level. Also, I would think it would be pretty need to get a qb/ol,wr,rb combo from the same school and watch them grow together.
Especially since they are both 5th year senior walk ons.
And I’ll take the technician over the brute anyday.
Was Runyan a mixture of both?
I can’t comment on early career Runyan but at the end yes Runyan had enough wily old vet to overcome his athletic defencies.
Yeah, but I bet he doesn’t have a Cheech and Chong van like Todd.
http://cdn3.sbnation.com/imported_assets/350296/46085.jpg
North Dakota State is the new Oregon.
It’s midwest chic.
Isn’t he weaker and more athletic than TH?
Weaker than 28 year old Todd Herremans? Sure. Todd coming out? He’s a little lighter, pretty comparable otherwise.
Heres a scouting report on Todd coming out:
http://www.russlande.com/wp-content/docs/todd_herremans.pdf
And:
https://vine.co/v/ieVmwYvDall
Cool, I wasn’t thinking of Todd back then it was pretty long ago .
Haeg looks more athletic to me than I’ve ever in that video and many seem to think he’s a zone blocker. He looks a little more like Mathis to me now that I really think about it in that video but maybe I’m imagining it since it’s a lower level.
STRENGTHS: An athletic mover with a smooth lateral shuffle off the snap and the range to easily reach the perimeter, blocking outside the numbers and at the second level. He squares well to his target and carries his weight well, displaying terrific reaction quickness to handle secondary moves. Also shows excellent vision to recognize multiple pressures and communicate with his teammates to have every rusher accounted for on the left side of the line.
He showed impressive balance, agility and strength in pass protection against an uptick in competition in Senior Bowl practices.
WEAKNESSES: While he’s done a nice job adding weight since high school, Haeg has a lean lower body, which hinders his ability to sink and anchor vs. bull rushers. He often keeps his hands in the holster too long, causing him to be low and late with his punch. Has the quickness to handle edge speed, but needs to continue and develop his core strength to better match up against power.
Important during the pre-draft process that Haeg proves himself against FBS competition.
IN OUR VIEW: With improved hand technique and anchor strength, he has starting potential at the next level.
http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/joe-haeg?id=2555371
http://vikingsterritory.com/2016/scouting-reports/draft-season-vikings-territory-ot-joe-haeg-scouting-report