Locking in on Horn?

Posted: April 26th, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 9 Comments »

The draft is now just days away. We know the top three picks will be quarterbacks. After that, chaos. Okay, that’s overstating things a bit, but things really do get wide open after the third pick. It seems more and more like Jaylen Waddle will be a Top 10 pick and that the Eagles could be choosing between DeVonta Smith and Jaycee Horn.

I have Smith rated as the better prospect. No clue what the Eagles think.

Peter King posted his mock draft today and had the Eagles taking…Horn.

12. Philadelphia Eagles (from Miami, via San Francisco)—Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina 

I think when the Eagles moved from 6 to 12 on March 29 in the trade with Miami, they hoped for three things: their choice of a top receiver, Northwestern tackle Rashawn Slater, and one of the top two corners in the draft. By this mock, they’re all there. Nothing would surprise me—include a shallow trade-down, say, to New England at 15 if the Patriots are smitten with DeVonta Smith. Horn is my pick here because corner’s a significant need; the Eagles’ best (and priciest) corner, Darius Slay, gave up 77-percent completions last year, per Pro Football Focus, and there’s no other long-term solutions, at least not one who has played to that level, on the roster now. Horn’s a three-year starter in a throwing league, and the book on him is he’s uber-competitive and feisty. Sounds like a Philly guy already.

Peter is using pure logic here, but he’s had a good feel for the Eagles in the past. If he is giving them Horn, that could be the pick. Nothing is guaranteed of course, but his opinion is worth noting.

I would hate to pass up on Smith, but this is a deep receiver class. There is logic in going CB early and then adding a receiver later. I’d be pretty happy if the Eagles got Smith or Horn.

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I’ve seen a few other mock draft with Smith falling to 15 or so. We’ll have to wait and see if this is real or just typical pre-draft noise.

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BGN has a piece up on Todd McShay talking about a potential trade down. You can see above that King mentioned that as well. That makes you wonder if the Eagles are putting out real feelers to see about moving back. The price would have to be right, of course. It can’t hurt to ask and see what’s out there.

Part of this may also have to do with how the board falls. If there is a surprise player or two that goes before 12, the Eagles might think they could move back a few spots and still get Smith or Horn. As we always say, the draft is a fluid situation. Plans can change in a heartbeat.

The Eagles will have a few guys targeted, usually five. There might be one they really like. They have to balance getting that player vs any offer that might come their way.

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One of the things to watch is how guys who opted-out will fare. Ja’Marr Chase is an elite prospect so he probably won’t be affected, but I guess it is possible he could fall a slot or two. Micah Parsons is an elite talent, but he’s got off-field issues. He also skipped the 2020 season. That could hurt him. He could go anywhere from 9 to the end of the first round. He’s a true wild card.

Other possible first rounders who could be affected:

OT Rashawn Slater
CB Caleb Farley
DE Greg Rousseau

Farley has a medical issue and Rousseau had mediocre workouts so the opt-out isn’t the only issue with them. Slater is a clean prospect so I don’t think it will hurt him much at all. It will be interesting to see where these guys go.

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A lot of players decided to return to school for their extra year. That means the bottom of this draft will be weaker than a normal season. It means that next year’s draft could be stronger in the late rounds than the average year. With that in mind, trade picks this year for ones next year.

I’m sure Howie Roseman will be active this week, moving up and down as he sees good opportunities.

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We could see some guys really slide due to medical concerns. This is always an X-factor, but even more so this year.

This could be a really wild draft.

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This isn’t a surprise to anyone who’s been paying attention. Ertz is as good as gone.

The Eagles were hoping for a mid-round pick. You wonder if they can get a conditional pick next year for him or if they’ll use Ertz to move up in the draft.

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9 Comments on “Locking in on Horn?”

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  9. 9 The Linc - NFL insider believes an Eagles trade up would be for a CB said at 7:58 AM on April 27th, 2021:

    […] Locking in on Horn? – Iggles BlitzBGN has a piece up on Todd McShay talking about a potential trade down. You can see above that King mentioned that as well. That makes you wonder if the Eagles are putting out real feelers to see about moving back. The price would have to be right, of course. It can’t hurt to ask and see what’s out there. Part of this may also have to do with how the board falls. If there is a surprise player or two that goes before 12, the Eagles might think they could move back a few spots and still get Smith or Horn. As we always say, the draft is a fluid situation. Plans can change in a heartbeat. The Eagles will have a few guys targeted, usually five. There might be one they really like. They have to balance getting that player vs any offer that might come their way. […]