Draft Talk

Enough with free agency and veteran receivers. Let’s talk about the upcoming draft.

We all expect the Eagles to take a receiver at 21. But who? Conventional wisdom says that the top three guys (CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs) will all be gone. So who do the Eagles go for?

I talked about this in regard to free agency, but it is even more true with the draft. Teams have very specific targets. You and I would put out a list of guys for the Eagles to consider.

Justin Jefferson
Brandon Aiyuk
Jalen Reagor
Denzel Mims

I can just about promise you that not all of those guys will be on the Eagles draft board. Someone will get taken off by medical concerns or character concerns or some other reason.

Teams go into the draft with anywhere from 75-150 names on their board. The Eagles are probably around 100 names. They will have very specific reasons for the players they like.

Jefferson is a hot name these days. He would make a lot of sense for the Eagles from the perspective that he is a polished player who knows how to get open and he catches the ball. He played in a pro-style offense. He should be more NFL ready than other guys.

The criticism made by me and some others is that he is at his best in the slot. Do the Eagles want to spend a high pick on a player for that role? We might just find out in three weeks.

What about Aiyuk? He has solid size and is an explosive playmaker. But is he really the 21st best player in the draft? Is he worth the pick?

These are complicated questions. We have to talk about particular skills. We have to talk about fit. We can only guess what the Eagles are looking for. They might want a receiver with terrific hands and route-running ability. I tend to think they would prefer more of a playmaker, but that’s just a guess.

The other consideration is who’s available. The Eagles ought to make a list of playmakers and then another list of polished receivers. I know you can get playmakers in the first round. Some will be available in the second (K.J. Hamler, for instance). But those players will be harder to find.

There are quite a few players outside the who could thrive in the role possession receiver or in the slot.

Van Jefferson
K.J. Hill
Devin Duvernay
Quintez Ceephus
Quartney Davis
Tyler Johnson
Jauan Jennings

That is just a few names and they aren’t in any real order. I think you get the idea. Those players should be easier to find.

If the Eagles covet Justin Jefferson, they’ll take him at 21. He would instantly make the passing game better. And we focus on him in the slot, but he can play outside. The point is that he was at his best in the slot. Showing a few clips of him winning on the outside is fine. But the guy became a great player and had a phenomenal season playing inside. If you draft him at 21, you put Jefferson where he will thrive.

Back to Aiyuk and his value.

I love ASU WR Brandon Aiyuk. In a normal year, he would be a top 3 WR in the draft. I think he’ll be a steal late one/early 2. His run after catch ability is outstanding. https://t.co/7fcDhkGJ7D

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 2, 2020

If the Eagles have a first round grade on him and they want a playmaker, take him. Don’t obsess on value. Keep it in perspective to be sure, but focus more on the player than perception.

My ideal scenario as of now is to move back a few spots. Take a WR with the first round pick and then take two more in the draft. Make sure at least a couple of them run well (4.53 or less). If you want to take a chance on one receiver who has some issue, go for it. But make sure you don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

Remember that the draft is more than the big three. There is also more than just the first round. Just look back to last year.

Deebo Samuel – pick 36
A.J. Brown – pick 51
D.K. Metcalf – pick 64
Terry McLaurin – pick 76
Darius Slayton – pick 171

This is a historically good group of receiver prospects. The Eagles should be able to find good players in the first three rounds, and maybe even into the fourth or fifth round.

The pressure will be on Howie Roseman, Andy Weidl and the college scouts to make sure they find the right players.

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