Some Draft Talk

We’ll shift from focusing on the coaching staff to talking about some draft prospects. The Eagles have a pair of first round picks, number 10 and number 30. It looks like there should be good options at both spots.

I’ll start by saying that I’d like them to trade back at least once. The Eagles don’t have a ton of picks in this draft.

1st round
1st round
2nd round
3rd round
7th round
7th round

I would love to add picks in rounds 3 through 5. The Eagles need to find young talent to make up for the veteran losses they’ll have, but also to help financially. If you pay big money to a few key guys, you need young, cheap players as well.

Normally Howie Roseman is aggressive in the draft. He likes to move up when he can. This is not the year to do that. He might feel differently of course, but I just don’t think you can do that this time around.

I think there are three positions at play for the first round picks: OL, DL, CB.

Lane Johnson will play another year or two. If you have a chance to get a stud RT, do it now. He can be a backup until Johnson retires. That wouldn’t offer immediate value, but adding a stud OL at a premium position is smart.

The Eagles are going to lose several DL. Javon Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh are all free agents. They will try to keep Hargrave and maybe BG, but they’ll need help up front. I assume Derek Barnett will be back and will add some depth. I’ve seen a few people listing the Eagles as going for an edge rusher early. I don’t get that.

Edge – Josh Sweat
DL – Milton Williams
NT – Jordan Davis
DL – Marlon Tuipulotu
Edge – Haason Reddick

The Eagles need DL, not edge rushers. Would you really spend pick 10 on someone who would be a backup? I don’t get that. It will be interesting to see what kind of DL they show interest in. Cox is 6-4, 310. Hargrave is 6-2, 305. The Eagles could look for guys that size or could go for DT/DE tweeners. I think the focus will be on guys that are athletic or playmakers and they will be flexible on size.

James Bradberry feels almsost certain to leave. He’s looking for a good contract and the Eagles probably won’t be able to afford him. The Eagles have Zech McPhearson and Josh Jobe as internal candidates, but they could easily go for a CB early. Darius Slay isn’t getting any younger so they will need to add a star corner at some point. You need to draft those guys early.

In the past five years, 15 different CBs have made first-team or second-team All-Pro.

Where they were drafted:

10 players in the 1st round (Nos. 4, 9, 18, 5, 16, 27, 10, 18, 14, 27)
3 players in the 2nd round (Overall pick Nos. 62, 51, 38)
1 player in the 5th round
1 UDFA

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) February 24, 2023

I can easily see the Eagles going for a CB at pick 10. Let’s focus on the CBs of interest at 10.

1 – Devon Witherspoon – Illinois – 6-0, 183
2 – Christian Gonzalez – Oregon – 6-2, 200
3 – Joey Porter Jr. – Penn State – 6-2, 200

Witherspoon had a great year. He was outstanding in coverage and had 3 INTs. He notched 5 for his career. Witherspoon will hit and tackle. He doesn’t have great size, but he has that “it” factor that you see in some corners. I’m a big fan of his.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EYnipZ3j9A

Gonzalez transferred from Colorado and played well for the Ducks. He has an outstanding combination of size and athleticism. He is a good tackler and picked off 4 passes last season. I think he has the highest upside of the top corners. Gifted athlete with good hands.

I included Porter because a lot of people have him rated highly. I would not take him at 10. Porter has good size and outstanding length. He is a very good press corner. He can give WRs fits as they try to get by him. He got called for a lot of penalties due to his physical style (overly physical at times). NFL officials call things even tighter so he’ll have to clean that up. His lack of playmaking ability bothers me. For his career: 1 INT, 1 TFL, 1 FF. He did have 19 PDs, but 6 of them came in one game. He has bad hands and doesn’t play the ball well. He is an inconsistent hitter and tackler. Porter can be good in the right system, but he needs to go somewhere that will let him press and be physical.

*****

Now let’s look at the OL.

1 – Peter Skoronski – Northwestern – 6-4, 305
2 – Paris Johnson – Ohio State – 6-7, 308
3 – Broderick Jones – Georgia – 6-4, 315

Skoronski lacks ideal size/length, but he is an outstanding blocker. Very good LT for the Wildcats, both in pass protection and run blocking. Good athlete who can block on the move. Could play G or T in the NFL. He’ll probably be gone by 10, but it is possible for him to get there.

Peter Skoronski (LT no. 77) can handle anything asked of him in the run game at a high level

Excellent at winning with leverage and power off the snap, but has the athleticism to get to the 2nd level to wipe out LBs+DBs pic.twitter.com/NCYqgvO7Nc

— Connor Rogers (@ConnorJRogers) February 18, 2023

Johnson was the LT for OSU and their explosive offense. Played RG in 2021. The Eagles love versatile OL so Johnson makes sense for them. Also a good athlete and has good size. Good run blocker and has the footwork/balance to shine in pass pro. Needs polish because he’s still learning OT, but has a lot of upside.

Jones was the LT for Georgia this year and part of 2021. Has good feet and is solid in pass pro. Good balance. Really good blocker on the move, which is a key part of the Eagles offense. Could play G or T.

*****

I don’t see any DL who are likely to make it to 10 or be worth 10 to the Eagles.

Jalen Carter would be a great pick, but he’ll be long gone.

Tyree Wilson is considered an edge by most, but he’s 6-6, 270 and could replace Cox on the DL. He isn’t expected to last til 10.

I see Miles Murphy as a true edge, someone who needs to play in space. I don’t think you can spend pick 10 on someone who would be a backup to a pair of young guys.

Lukas Van Ness didn’t start a game for Iowa, but Daniel Jeremiah had him going 8th overall in a recent mock draft. Van Ness is 6-5, 275. He had 13.5 sacks over the past two years and is a tough, physical player.

No. 25, Iowa sophomore DE Lukas Van Ness

Iowa asst. DL coach Jay Niemann this morning: "Of all the guys in the room, he's got the best combination of speed, power, and size and length, and all the things that we look for out of a defensive lineman." https://t.co/CMlQ85eDTP

— Scott Dochterman (@ScottDochterman) November 2, 2022

…so this Lukas Van Ness kid has some power! Looks like f'n Justin Smith here lol

Whoa.

And against Peter Skoronski – who might be the best OT in CFB this season pic.twitter.com/jLp3Bg7cVN

— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) August 6, 2022

I need to study him more. It will be interesting to see him at the Combine. That will give us some definitive data for comparing him to other prospects and guys in the league. I’m certainly intrigued.

*****

My preference at 10.

1 – CB Devon Witherspoon
2 – OT Peter Skoronski
3 – CB Christian Gonzalez

Trading back a few spots would probably be the smartest move. The Eagles need picks and would still have good options.

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