Posted: April 11th, 2024 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »Howie Roseman has had a busy offseason, adding impact players, potential starters and good backups to the Eagles roster. The goal is to have most major needs filled as you go into the draft so you can focus on talent and thinking long term.
One of the big holes the Eagles had was backup TE. Grant Calcaterra and Albert O are talented projects, but you’d be nervous about having them start in key games. Uzomah has started 82 games in his career and has 192 catches. He has excellent size at 6-5, 271. If Calcaterra or Albert beats him out, that’s great. But you like having a proven veteran in the mix. Dallas Goedert is one of the better TEs in the league, but he hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year.
The Eagles could still draft a TE. This just isn’t a strong class so that lessens the likelihood of a good player being available when you pick. The Eagles might have some player they like and take a chance. Or they could go the UDFA route and see if they can find good value.
Now that TE depth has been addressed, let’s take a look at where the Eagles have needs.
OL – Jack Driscoll and Sua Opeta are gone. That may not sound like a big deal, but they were reliable backups for several years. Cam Jurgens is slated to take over at center and Tyler Steen is the frontrunnerat RG. That leave Fred Johnson as the backup OT and Matt Hennessy as the backup G/C. We’ll see if Brett Toth can win a roster spot. The team clearly needs an OL or two to help with depth and competition.
WR – DeVante Parker and Parris Campbell are bandaids. Britain Covey has barely played at WR. The Eagles could use a young, cheap WR to add to the mix. I don’t think they should spend a pick before the third round. We’ll see if the team feels differently.
RB – Saquon Barkley and Kenny Gainwell are a good 1-2 punch. The Eagles need someone to add depth. I think this will be a late round type of pick.
DL – Fletcher Cox retired. Milton Williams will take his spot in the starting lineup. That means the team needs someone to fill Williams role as a key backup. Moro Ojomo could be that guy. He was a late pick last year and I’d be careful about counting on him to be a key player this year. He showed good flashes, but is still an unproven commodity. I could see the Eagles using a mid-round pick on a DL.
Edge – I don’t think the Eagles need anything for 2024. They could take an edge, knowing that BG and Josh Sweat could be gone next year.
LB – The Eagles need talent here. Nakobe Dean is unproven. Devin White is talented, but brings some questions with him. I don’t think there is an off-ball LB worth pick 22. I do think the team could take a LB as early as the second round. They won’t reach, but do need to find a talented player and not just an athletic project.
SAF – CJGJ, Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown give the Eagles a good trio of safeties. I don’t see them investing an early pick at this position, but could add a safety later on, especially if the player has the potential to play in the slot. Could be a priority UDFA spot. It would help to know if the team projects Mekhi Garner as a S or CB. If they like him at S, the team is in good shape at safety.
CB – The Eagles need a young starter for the future (and maybe present). They have been looking at corners, but also nickels. It is possible the Eagles could spend a pair of picks at this position.
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I thought this was interesting.
Howie does love the line of scrimmage. To be fair, you have 5 OL and 3 or 4 DL as starters and you need backups so those are high volume positions. Still, there is no question he likes spending high picks on those spot.
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Posted: April 8th, 2024 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Eagles Mock Draft 1.0We’re less than three weeks from the draft so it seemed like a good time to put together an Eagles only mock draft. This is not my ideal scenario. This isn’t what I want to happen, but rather a look at what might happen based on years of watching how Howie Roseman and the Eagles operate. I didn’t do any trades. Howie loves to move up early and back late, but I just stuck with the picks as is.
1 – Pick 22 – CB Cooper DeJean
2 – Pick 50 – OT Roger Rosengarten
2 – Pick 53 – LB Edgerrin Cooper
4 – Pick 120 – WR Ainias Smith
5 – Pick 161 – DL Justin Eboigbe
5 – Pick 171 – OL Hunter Nourzad
5 – Pick 172 – TE A.J. Barner
6 – Pick 210 – RB Kimani Vidal
Now let’s talk about the picks.
1 – Pick 22 – CB Cooper DeJean – Iowa – 6-1, 203
The Eagles brought DeJean to Philly for a visit. That tells you they have serious interest in him. There is no question that the Eagles need to get better and younger at CB. DeJean worked out for teams on Monday after missing the Combine due to an injury. He ran 4.45 in the 40 and had a vertical of 38.5 inches. Those are excellent numbers for a CB of his size.
DeJean started for two years. He picked off 7 passes (including 3 pick-sixes). He has great hands and instincts. He is a playmaker and that’s one of the key reasons I think the Eagles would want him. Nick Sirianni loves to talk about takeaways. Howie is always looking for unique players who can make big plays. One knock on DeJean is that he doesn’t have great agility. He will play the run and is a solid tackler. Some teams like him more as a safety, but I think most would try him at corner first because of his potential. He has experience in the slot and outside. He also was a terrific punt returner.
2 – Pick 50 – OT Roger Rosengarten – Washington – 6-5, 308
Lane Johnson isn’t getting any younger. He hasn’t played a full season in a while. Jack Driscoll is gone so the Eagles need someone else to backup Johnson this year and to take over for him in the future. Rosengarten started for two years at UW. He’s a good athlete who looks like a natural pass protector. He shows good movement skills. He looks like the kind of run blocker the Eagles like. The only way he lasts this long is due to this being a deep OT class.
2 – Pick 53 – LB Edgerrin Cooper – Texas A&M – 6-2, 230
Will the Eagles take a LB this early? Will Cooper last this long? He is the top off-ball LB in the draft. Cooper is a gifted athlete who can fly around the field and make plays. The Eagles had a visit with him so they are showing some interest. It doesn’t take a genius to know the Eagles need better LB play in 2024. Devin White and Nakobe Dean are the projected starters for now. Cooper would challenge for time and could be an excellent STer. He ran 4.51 at 230 pounds and that speed shows up on tape.
4 – Pick 120 – WR Ainias Smith – Texas A&M – 5-9, 190
Another Aggie? The Eagles seem to like both guys so why not. Smith is a slot receiver type who excels after the catch. He is a dynamic punt returner. The Eagles need to improve at yards after the catch and Smith is perfect for that. I really enjoyed watching Smith play. He’s coming off an injury so haven’t seen him work out. Just put on the game tape and you’ll see a guy with serious ability. This is a deep receiver class so I’m guessing he’s got a chance to slide down to the fourth round. One of my favorite players so I’d love for the Eagles to get him.
5 – Pick 161 – DL Justin Eboigbe – Alabama – 6-4, 297
The Eagles have Jalen Carter-Jordan Davis-Milton Williams as their starting trio of DL. The backups are Marlon Tuipulotu and Moro Ojomo. There is a need for more depth. Bama has a pair of stud pass rushers and every time I would watch them, #92 would catch my eye. I finally looked him up and realized it was Eboigbe. He isn’t special athletically. He’s got solid size, but isn’t huge. He just makes plays. Eboigbe had 7 sacks in 2023. He played NT, DT and DE. He has a good motor and he’s a physical DL. I think he could make a good backup for the Eagles.
5 – Pick 171 – OL Hunter Nourzad – Penn State – 6-3, 317
Nourzad transferred from Cornell, where he played RT. He played LG and C for Penn State. He started 13 games at center in 2023. He then had a strong showing at the East-West Shrine Game. Nourzad has good size. He’s a solid athlete who can block on the move. The Eagles need someone who can backup at center and offer competition at RG. Nourzad would check both of those boxes.
https://twitter.com/Fvlmer/status/1776323200479039776
5 – Pick 172 – TE A.J. Barner – Michigan – 6-5, 251
The Jack Stoll era is over. And what a glorious time it was. The Eagles have Grant Calcaterra and Albert O as the backup TEs for now. They need someone to push them. If this were a better TE class, the team might go for one earlier. Barner played at Indiana before transferring to UM in 2023. He was a captain for the Hoosiers and got his share of touches on offense. He showed the ability to line up tight or out wide. Barner looked like a solid receiver. He went to UM and became more of a blocker. The Eagles could use a backup TE that will mix it up in the run game.
6 – Pick 210 – RB Kimani Vidal – Troy – 5-8, 213
Did you remember that the Eagles signed some guy named Saquon Barkley? He will be the feature back. Kenny Gainwell will back him up. Things are wide open after that. Vidal would be a good #3 RB. He is a good runner, receiver and blocker. He is tough as nails. Troy is a rival school for Appalachian State, my beloved alma mater. Vidal tortured me this year in the Sun Belt title game, running for 233 yards. You know the old saying…”If you can’t beat ’em, draft ’em.” Vidal has a thick build and he is a physical player. I love backup RBs like that.
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No safety? The Eagles have CJGJ and Reed Blankenship. Sydney Brown is saying he could be back early in the season. If the Eagles have that trio, they don’t need to spend an early pick on a safety. And you can find safeties as UDFAs (Blankenship, Marcus Epps).
It felt weird to not draft an edge rusher. Howie does that virtually every year.
Josh Sweat – Nolan Smith – Patrick Johnson
Bryce Huff – Brandon Graham – Zack Baun
The Eagles don’t lack bodies. They could certainly take a player if there is someone they really like, but spending an early pick on an edge rusher would be odd. The player wouldn’t start and wouldn’t be in line to be a key backup. I’ll be interested to see what Howie does at edge rusher in a couple of weeks.
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