2025 Eagles Draft Preview

Posted April 24th, 2025 | Comments Off

Winning the Super Bowl is great. Until late April. Having the last pick in every round isn’t any fun at all, for the fans or the front office. Shouldn’t the other 31 teams get punished for not being as good as the mighty Eagles? Just a thought.

The Eagles have a loaded roster. They have a lot of high-priced stars. They need to find some young talent to fill starting roles or become key backups because the team can’t afford to pay good veterans for all of those spots. That doesn’t mean all the picks will be based on need. The key is still to find talented players.

Let’s take a look at where the roster stands as of today.

WR DeVonta Smith … Ainias Smith
WR AJ Brown …… Johnny Wilson
WR Jahan Dotson … Terrace Marshall
QB Jalen Hurts …….. Tanner McKee … Dorian Thompson-Robinson
RB Saquon Barkley ..… AJ Dillon ……. Will Shipley …. Avery Williams
TE Dallas Goedert …… Grant Calcaterra … Harrison Bryant … Kylen Granson
LT Jordan Mailata …… Kendall Lamm
LG Landon Dickerson….. Kenyon Green … Trevor Keegan
OC Cam Jurgens ……… Brett Toth
RG Tyler Steen ….… Matt Pryor
RT Lane Johnson ……. Darian Kinnard

ED Jalyx Hunt …. Azeez Ojulari …. Patrick Johnson
DT Jordan Davis …… Moro Ojomo …. Byron Young
DL Jalen Carter ……… Thomas Booker
ED Nolan Smith …. Josh Uche …… Bryce Huff
LB Zack Baun
LB Nakobe Dean .,.. Jeremiah Trotter Jr ……… Ben VanSumeren
SS Sydney Brown … Tristan McCollum …. Andre Sam
FS Reed Blankenship …… Lewis Cine
CB Quinyon Mitchell ……… Eli Ricks
CB Kelee Ringo …….. Adoree Jackson
NB Cooper DeJean

P Braden Mann
K Jake Elliott
LS Charley Hughlett

NEEDS

Safety is a need. The Eagles have Sydney Brown ready to step in for CJGJ. Brown has played in 25 games, with 7 starts. While he has some experience, he is far from a sure thing. The Eagles need someone to challenge Brown and at least offer depth. McCollum was disappointing last season.

***

Edge rusher is an odd spot. The Eagles have real potential already in place. Smith is coming off a good season. Hunt was playing good football by the end of the season. Still, neither of those guys has been a starter for a full season. Ojulari has a lot of talent, but he’s struggled to stay healthy. Uche is good. He’s just a role player. I have no idea what to say about Huff. He could turn out to be a key player or could be a June cut. The Eagles have shown interest in edge rushers so this is an area they want to address, whether early or late.

***

The Eagles have a pair of great corners in Mitchell and DeJean. The other spot will be a battle between Ringo and Jackson. Ringo is unproven and Jackson is an older player. The team could look to add someone who could be a long term answer. Adding a third high level CB would make the secondary imposing for several years. At the least, the team needs someone to build up depth at CB.

***

With Milton Williams gone, the Eagles need to add to the DL. They don’t have to get a player exactly like him. They need to find someone who can be disruptive. That could be someone who is 310 pounds or someone who is 280. They need a player who can make plays and affect the QB. This could be a first round pick or a mid-rounder. This is a deep class so there are plenty of options.

***

TE is another weird position. Will DG stick around? Even without him, the Eagles have 3 guys in Calcaterra, Bryant and Granson. That isn’t ideal, but the team could get by with that group. I’m sure the team would love to find a stud TE to add to the offense and this is a deep class so they should have good options. Could the Eagles use pick 32 on a TE?

***

The Eagles need to add an OL. This could be a young OT to serve as the swing tackle. Or they could go for a guard to come in and challenge for the RG role this season.

***

Zack Baun will be the star LB for a few years. Nakobe Dean is coming off injury. Trotter could start in place of him to start the season. The Eagles may not be able to afford Dean as a long term signing so they might be looking for a LB who can start in the future. I don’t see the Eagles spending an early pick on a LB. This feels like more of a mid-round target. But if anyone can convince Howie to go LB early it would be Fangio. We weren’t sure if the Eagles would spend big at LB and they just did with Baun’s new deal.

***

QB, RB and WR are positions where the Eagles could spend a pick if they really like someone. They have enough talent/depth for 2025. These could be priority UDFA positions if they aren’t addressed in the draft.

*****

THE PICKS

1st round – pick 32
2nd round – pick 64
3rd round – pick 96
4th round – pick 134
5th round – pick 161
5th round – pick 164
5th round – pick 165
5th round – pick 168

— TARGETS AT 32 —

The Eagles normally have five players targeted for their pick. I don’t say these names with a lot of confidence. This is an odd draft class. There are a lot of guys who could go early or be around in the 20’s. It feels really hard to figure out who will be around in the 28-32 range.

S Malaki Starks – Georgia – 6-1, 197

We all know the Eagles love UGA players. Starks is an athletic, versatile DB who could come in and challenge for playing time right off the bat. He is good on and off the field and would give the secondary a young

OL Grey Zabel – North Dakota State – 6-6, 312

Zabel was a terrific OT for NDSU. He has short arms so he moved to G/C for the Senior Bowl and had a great week. He could be a Top 20 pick or could last to the second round. It is really hard to assess his value. Zabel is a very good player and also a key leader. He would be a great fit in Philly. Zabel could challenge for the RG right away. He has the ability to play all five OL positions.

OL Donovan Jackson – Ohio State – 6-4, 317

Jackson started 31 games at LG over the past three seasons. When LT Josh Simmons suffered a knee injury at midseason, Jackson moved to out to LT. This was a new position, but Jackson played well and helped his team win a national championship. He is strong and physical. He has long arms and is a solid pass blocker. Jackson is a better fit at OG in the NFL, but does have the potential to play OT.

ED Donovan Ezeiruaku – Boston College – 6-3, 248

If the Eagles want a productive pass rusher, Ezeiruaku could be their man. He had 16.5 sacks and 3 FF last season. He had 30 sacks and 8 FF for his career. He might not have ideal size, but Ezeiruaku is a good athlete with long arms. He has a variety of pass rush moves. He would be a good fit on the Eagles defense.

TE Mason Taylor – LSU – 6-5, 246

Would the Eagles really spend a first round pick on a TE? Goedert was a second rounder. Ertz was also. Celek was a Day 3 guy. To be fair, Ertz was taken 35th overall. That’s not a whole lot different than 32nd. Taylor is the son of former NFL star Jason Taylor. Mason is a gifted receiver with good athleticism. He is also a more than willing blocker. Taylor has a chance to be a good starting TE in the NFL.

*****

MOVING UP

If the Eagles want to move up, there aren’t a whole lot of guys who make sense, unless someone really falls. Two guys I think they could have a lot of interest in, but will be out of reach are ED Jalon Walker and OT Armand Membou. Both have a good chance to be Top 10 picks. If they slide for any reason, maybe Howie starts working the phones.

The most likely targets are DL.

DT Walter Nolen – Ole Miss – 6-4, 296

The Eagles have been linked to Nolen for weeks. Howie Roseman loves DL. Nolen is a Top 15 talent who might fall toward the bottom of round one. Would Howie wait to see if he gets to 32? Would he go get him with a trade? I can’t see Howie passing on him at 32 unless there are serious character issues. The thought of pairing Nolen with Jalen Carter is scary. That would be a couple of wrecking balls in the middle of Vic Fangio’s defense. The real question is if Howie would trade up for him and how high he would go.

ED Mykel Williams – Georgia – 6-5, 267

Williams is a big, disruptive pass rusher. He played through an ankle injury last season, but still had 5 sacks, 2 FF. Williams isn’t a smooth athlete. He is a bull in a China shop. This is a tough, physical dude. Very good run defender. He needs to develop as a pass rusher, but has a lot of potential there as well.

DT Derrick Harmon – Oregon – 6-5, 313

Harmon has excellent size and is a consistently disruptive interior player. He has a good combination of athleticism and strength. Harmon had 5 sacks and 2 FF last season. It feels like he will be a Top 20 pick, but if he slides a little, we’ll see what happens.

*****

MY IDEAL SCENARIO

Assuming the Eagles don’t trade back, this is what I’d like to see.

1 – OL – Grey Zabel – North Dakota State – 6-6, 312
2 – ED – Josaiah Stewart – Michigan – 6-1, 249
3 – S – Jonas Sanker – Virginia – 6-1, 206
4 – DL – Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins – Georgia – 6-4, 276
5 – CB – Caleb Ransaw – Tulane – 6-0, 199
5 – LB – Teddye Buchanan – Cal – 6-2, 233
5 – OT – Carson Vinson – Alabama A&M – 6-7, 314
5 – TE – C.J. Dippre – Alabama – 6-5, 256

Zabel would be a great fit for the Eagles, on and off the field. He could challenge for the RG spot immediately. He could play center if needed. He also has OT experience. We know Jeff Stoutland loves versatile OL. Zabel is a high character player and team leader. He would be a great fit in Philly from a culture standpoint.

Stewart is a badass. He will remind you a lot of Nolan Smith, but maybe an angrier version. Stewart knocks the crap out of everyone/everything he can. He isn’t a great athlete like Smith, but was more productive in college. He is a good pass rusher and a good run defender. I think Stewart has a play style that Vic Fangio will love. Stewart is one of my favorite players in the whole draft. I’d love for him to end up in Philly.

The Eagles have Reed Blankenship at one spot. Sydney Brown could be the other safety. Sanker has plenty of experience so he should come in ready to push for playing time. Sanker isn’t a project. If Brown wins the job, Sanker offers depth and STs ability. He’s fast, tough and physical. That’s a good combination for a safety.

Ingram-Dawkins had a breakout season after dropping down to 280 pounds. He is big enough to play inside and athletic enough to play outside. Milton Williams was a tweener when the Eagles drafted him. We wondered if he would be a big DE or athletic DT. He played inside and developed into an outstanding player. Ingram-Dawkins is a bit taller, but is similar overall. I think he would give the Eagles a good inside rusher to help replace Williams. We know the team has shown some interest in him. And he went to Georgia.

We know the Eagles like fast CBs. Ransaw checks that box. We know they like versatile DBs. He checks that box as well. And Fangio would like the fact he’s tough and tackles well. He helps with depth on the outside and in the slot. Could also cross train him at safety in the future.

Buchanan is a player the Eagles have shown interest in. He is physical, athletic and productive. He could develop into a starter in the future. At the least, he would give the team depth and a good STs player.

The Eagles have great starting tackles. They signed Kendall Lamm to offer depth at LT. They have Darian Kinnard as the backup RT. Matt Pryor has OT experience, but I prefer him at OG. There is definitely a need for a young OT to develop. Vinson has “tools in his body” as someone likes to say. He is big, has long arms and is a solid athlete. That’s a lot for Jeff Stoutland to work with.

The reason I like Dippre is that he’s a good blocker and can be an effective receiver. I’d love to go find a star, but at this point I’ll settle for a better version of Jack Stoll to add to the mix. I think Dippre has that kind of potential.

*****

VISITS & SPECIAL INTEREST

Keep in mind that the Eagles have had visits with high picks in recent years. Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean all made visits to Philly. That isn’t a guarantee for this year, but it makes you think the first pick will come from this list. We don’t know all of the visits. We do know most of them, but some we don’t find out about until after the draft.

I didn’t list Walter Nolen as visiting. Adam Caplan mentioned him visiting on a podcast, but said it in a way that made me wonder if that was legit or Adam thinking he had heard that. Maybe Nolen did visit, but it would have been nice to get confirmation of that.

At the very least, you can tell what positions the Eagles are focused on. No shock that OL/DL lead the way.

-VISITS TO PHILLY-

RB Jaydon Blue – Texas
RB LeQuint Allen – Syracuse

OT Charles Grant – William & Mary
OT Jalen Travis – Iowa State
OT Anthony Belton – NC State
OT Marcus Mbow – Purdue
OT Josh Conerly – Oregon

OG Donovan Jackson – Ohio State
OG Dylan Fairchild – Georgia
OG Wyatt Milum – West Virginia

ED Elijah Roberts – SMU
ED Donovan Ezeiruaku – Boston College
ED Tyler Baron – Miami
ED Femi Oladejo – UCLA
ED Nic Scourton – Texas A&M

DT Shemar Turner – Texas A&M
DT T.J. Sanders – South Carolina

LB Kobe King – Penn State

SAF Jaylen Reed – Penn State
SAF Kevin Winston – Penn State
SAF Malaki Starks – Georgia
SAF Rayuan Lane -Navy

CB Maxwell Hairston – Kentucky
CB Jacob Parrish – Kansas State
CB Trey Amos – Ole Miss
CB Jaylin Smith – USC
CB Justin Walley – Minnesota

-SPECIAL INTEREST-

RB Rocket Sanders – South Carolina – Virtual meeting
RB ShunDerrick Powell – Central Arkansas – Eagles spoke to him

WR Will Sheppard – Colorado – Zoom meeting
WR Sam Brown – Miami – Zoom meeting

OT Ozzy Trapilo – Boston College – Eagles OL coach at his Pro Day workout
OG Drew Kendall – Boston College – Eagles OL coach at his Pro Day workout
OG Jackson Slater – Sacramento St – Eagles had multiple interviews
OG Josh Priebe – Michigan – Eagles had virtual meeting with him
OL Caleb Etienne – BYU – Meeting
OL Torricelli Simpkins – South Carolina – Formal meeting at Combine

TE Thomas Fidone – Nebraska – Eagles met with him

ED Ahmed Hassanein – Boise State – Eagles had several meetings with him

DL Xavier Carlton – Cal – Eagles DL coach ran his Pro Day workout
DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins – Georgia – Eagles met with him
DT Myleik Williams – Ohio State – Eagles met with him
DT TJ Jackson – West Virginia – Eagles showing considerable interest in him
DT Zeek Biggers – Georgia Tech – Eagles in communication with him
DT Tonka Hemingway – South Carolina – Formal meeting at Combine

LB Teddye Buchanan – Cal – Eagles have had multiple meetings with him
LB Chandler Martin – Memphis – Eagles showing interest

SAF Andrew Mukuba – Texas – Eagles showing strong interest

CB Korie Black – Oklahoma St – Eagles met with him

*****

DRAFT BOARD

This is my rankings of players matched with my guess on who the Eagles will like. I left some players off because I don’t think they fit what the Eagles are looking for. Think about edge rushers. The Eagles aren’t looking for pure DEs like they used to. They want LB types now. I don’t think Shemar Stewart has the agility for LB. Same for Landon Jackson. Vic Fangio knows what he wants. This is all a guess on my part so it will be interesting to see if they throw me a curveball or if I’m on the right track.

I’m listing the first two rounds here. I’ll add other rounds on Friday’s preview.

-1st Round Board for the Eagles-

N/A

Tyler Warren
Colston Loveland
Mason Taylor

Will Campbell
Armand Membou
Kelvin Banks
Josh Simmons
Josh Conerly

OG/OC

Grey Zabel
Tyler Booker
Donovan Jackson

Edge

Abdul Carter
Jalon Walker
Mykel Williams
Donovan Ezeiruaku

Mason Graham
Walter Nolen
Derrick Harmon
Kenneth Grant

Jihad Campbell

Malaki Starks
Nick Emmanwori

Travis Hunter
Jahdae Barron
Maxwell Hairston
Trey Amos

*****

-2nd Round Board for the Eagles-

N/A

Luther Burden
Jaylin Noel

Elijah Arroyo
Terrance Ferguson

Marcus Mbow
Aierontae Ersery (character issues could take him off the board)

OG/OC

Jonah Savaiinaea
Tate Ratledge
Jared Wilson

Edge

Nic Scourton
JT Tuimololau
Josaiah Stewart
Jordan Burch

Shemar Turner
TJ Sanders
Joshua Farmer
Omarr Norman-Lott
Darius Alexander

Carson Schwesinger

Xavier Watts
Billy Bowman

Shavon Revel
Benjamin Morrison

*****

ALL TOMMY TEAM

(my favorite non-1st round players)

QB Dillon Gabriel – Oregon
RB RJ Harvey – UCF
WR Chimere Dike – Florida
WR Pat Bryant – Illinois
TE Elijah Arroyo – Miami
TE Jackson Hawes – Georgia Tech
OT Chase Lundt – UConn
OG Willie Lampkin – UNC
OC Jonah Monheim – USC
OG Miles Frazier – LSU
OT Ozzy Trapilo – Boston College

DE Josaiah Stewart – Michigan
DT T.J. Sanders – South Carolina
DT Jamaree Caldwell – Oregon
DE David Walker – Central Arkansas
LB Demetrius Knight – South Carolina
LB Danny Stutsman – Oklahoma
S Lathan Ransom – Ohio State
S Billy Bowman – Oklahoma
NB Caleb Ransaw – Tulane
CB Jacob Parrish – Kansas State
CB Jaylin Smith – USC

***

Please draft a couple of these players

TE Elijah Arroyo – Miami
TE Jackson Hawes – Georgia Tech
OG Grey Zabel – NDSU
OT Charles Grant – William & Mary
OT Anthony Belton – NC State
OG Donovan Jackson – Ohio State
OG Wyatt Milum – West Virgina

DE Josaiah Stewart – Michigan
DE David Walker – Central Arkansas
DL Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins – Georgia
DT T.J. Sanders – South Carolina
DT Jamaree Caldwell – Oregon
LB Demetrius Knight – South Carolina
LB Danny Stutsman – Oklahoma
S Billy Bowman – Oklahoma
S Kevin Winston – Penn State
S Jonas Sanker – Virginia
CB Jacob Parrish – Kansas State
CB Jaylin Smith – USC

Please avoid these players

ED Shemar Stewart – Tx A&M – Lack of production is legit concern.
ED James Pearce – Tennessee – I don’t think he fits the Eagles scheme.
TE Harold Fannin – Bowling Green – Specialty TE. I think the Eagles need a blocker/receiver type.
OL Emery Jones – LSU – Waist-bender. That’s a fatal flaw for OL.