Eagles Mock Draft 1.0

Posted: April 8th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Eagles Mock Draft 1.0

We’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.

*****

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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M & M Deals

Posted: April 4th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on M & M Deals

The Eagles made a couple of deals on Thursday, extending a key player and bringing back someone they like.

Jordan Mailata has gone from a novelty to being an above average LT in the NFL. He’s in the prime of his career so signing him to an extension is a smart move. He will be the LT for a while. LG Landon Dickerson got an extension recently. Those two are an impressive duo, especially on runs. They can absolutely cave in that side of the defense.

With Jason Kelce retiring and Lane Johnson nearing the end of his career, it is important that the Eagles have talented O-linemen, but also the right kind of guys. Mailata is absolutely the kind of guy you want in your locker room. He’s uber-positive, but can have a serious vibe as well. The Eagles new linemen (in the next couple of years) will be able to learn from Mailata, Dickerson and Cam Jurgens.

Stoutland University’s most successful graduate continues to shine.

Maddox is a much different story. There are times when he has been a key starter and shown a lot of ability. Unfortunately injuries and inconsistent play made him expendable so the Eagles cut him. Maddox didn’t draw much attention on the market. The Eagles obviously kept in touch with him. Once a deal made sense for both sides, it got done.

It is fair to question why the Eagles would bring back a player who has had injury issues. I think the Eagles have their eyes wide open on this.

The Eagles now have a proven nickel in Maddox. They have Hall, who played in 31 career games and most of his snaps have come in the slot. They also have Isaiah Rodgers, who they can try inside or outside. This is different than having Maddox last year being backed up by Zech McPhearson, Josiah Scott and rookie UDFAs. And there is still the draft coming up in three weeks. The Eagles could spend a pick on a corner who can play inside.

Maddox is a good locker room guy and the kind of player you want to keep around. The Eagles are going to give him a chance to show what he can do, but at a discounted rate and with good competition behind him. There is limited risk, but the potential for a good reward.

*****

One of the things Howie Roseman does as well as anyone is keeping his own guys. I used to be amazed at how teams would go crazy in free agency, letting their own players go so they could chase after someone else’s players. The goal should always be to keep your own guys and then to build around them.

Tom Modrak brought that mentality to the Eagles back in 1998 and it hasn’t left (maybe a little during the Chip Kelly era).

You obviously can’t keep everyone, but you want to keep as many as you can.

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