2022 Eagles Draft Preview

The Eagles got off to a great start on Thursday by adding DT Jordan Davis and star receiver AJ Brown. Howie Roseman found a stud for the defense and one for the offense. That is the kind of balance you love to see.

There is still work to be done. The Eagles only have four picks left, but they could make some trades to add extra ammo. They could move down to add picks. They could also try to trade OT Andre Dillard, WR Jalen Reagor or other backups. We know Howie loves to make deals so I’m betting he will work the phones a lot this weekend.

The picks:

1 – 13 – DT Jordan Davis
1 – 18 – traded for WR A.J. Brown
2 – 51
3 – 83
5 – 154
7 – 237

Current Roster

WR  DeVonta Smith ..… Zach Pascal
WR  AJ Brown  …… Jalen Reagor
WR  Quez Watkins ….. Greg Ward
QB  Jalen Hurts …….. Gardner Minshew
RB  Miles Sanders ..… Boston Scott … Kenneth Gainwell
TE  Dallas Goedert …… Jack Stoll …… J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
LT  Jordan Mailata …….… Andre Dillard
LG  Isaac Seumalo …….. Nate Herbig …. Sua Opeta
OC  Jason Kelce ………. Jack Anderson
RG  Landon Dickerson … Jack Driscoll … Kayode Awosika
RT  Lane Johnson …….

DE  Brandon Graham …. Tarron Jackson
DT  Fletcher Cox ……….. Milton Williams
DT  Javon Hargrave …… Jordan Davis …. Marlon Tuipulotu
DE Josh Sweat ………….. Derek Barnett
WB Kyzir White ……… Davion Taylor ….. JaCoby Stevens
MB T.J. Edwards ……. Shaun Bradley
SB  Haason Reddick ….. Patrick Johnson
SS  Anthony Harris ……. K’Von Wallace
FS  Marcus Epps ……… Andre Chachere
CB  Darius Slay ……… Tay Gowan
CB  Zech McPhearson …… Craig James …. Kary Vincent
NB  Avonte Maddox …… Josiah Scott

P Arryn Siposs
K Jake Elliott
LS Rick Lovato

Needs:

Safety is a huge hole. The Eagles have not invested resources here and it shows. They really need to add someone to the back of the defense. It is possible they could add a veteran like Tyrann Mathieu and forego the draft for now. 

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Linebacker is a big need as well. There is some hope with young players like TJ Edwards, Kyzir White and Davion Taylor. None of them will be going to the Pro Bowl without a ticket, but there is at least something to work with. The problem is that Jonathan Gannon’s scheme leaves a huge hole in the middle of the defense. His DL are attacking up the field and the safeties are back in Delaware making sure no one gets behind them. That leaves a huge chunk of field to cover. White has the combination of speed and experience needed to handle that, but he’s here on a 1-year deal. Adding a speedy playmaker to the middle of the defense would make sense.

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Daris Slay and Avonte Maddox have two of the three corner spots under control. Will Zech McPhearson be the other starter? Is he ready? Is he good enough? We don’t know what the Eagles want at CB. This is a talented class and there are good players still available on Day 2 and some could last into the fourth round.

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Brandon Graham is likely in his final season so there is a need to add an edge rusher for the future.

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The Eagles need depth pieces at TE and RB.

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OL is always possible. The Eagles could take a C to develop behind Jason Kelce. They could also look into a RT to develop behind Lane Johnson.

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DRAFT BOARD

I left some good players off this for a few reasons…fit, character or medical. This is all a guess on my part.

-2nd Round Board for the Eagles-

QB:

RB: Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker

WR: George Pickens, Skyy Moore, Jalen Tolbert, Christian Watson

TE: Trey McBride

OL: Bernhard Raimann, Jaramee Salyer, Cam Jurgens

DE:  Arnold Ebiketie, David Ojabo, Boye Mafe

DT:  Travis Jones, Perrion Winfrey, Logan Hall, DeMarvin Leal

LB:  Chad Muma, Christian Harris, Channing Tindall

IB: 

S:  Jalen Pitre, Jaquan Brisker

CB:  Roger McCreary, Kyler Gordon

-3rd Round Board for the Eagles-

QB:

RB: James Cook, Dameon Pierce

WR: John Metchie, Alec Pierce, David Bell, Calvin Austin

TE: Jeremy Ruckert, Jelani Woods, Cade Otton, Greg Dulcich, Charlie Kolar, Daniel Bellinger

OL: Abraham Lucas, Daniel Faalele, Nicholas Petit-Frere, Darian Kinnard, Marquis Hayes, Luke Goedeke, Sean Rhyan, Dylan Parham, Luke Fortner

DE:  Josh Paschal, Drake Jackson, Kingsley Enagbare, Cameron Thomas, Nik Bonitto

DT:  Phidarian Mathis

LB:  Troy Andersen, Deangelo Malone, Brian Asamoah

IB: 

S:  Bryan Cook, Nick Cross

CB:  Cam Taylor-Britt, Damarri Mathis, Alontae Taylor, Zyon McCollum, Marcus Jones

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ALL TOMMY TEAM 

(my favorite non-1st round players)

QB Bailey Zappe – Western Kentucky
RB Zamir White – Georgia
WR George Pickens – Georgia
WR  Jalen Tolbert – South Alabama
WR  Erik Ezukanma – Texas Tech
TE  Trey McBride – Colorado State
OT  Kellen Diesch – Arizona State
OG  Marquis Hayes – Oklahoma
OC  Cam Jurgens – Nebraska
OG  Lecitus Smith – Virginia Tech
OT   Max Mitchell – Louisiana

DE Deangelo Malone – Western Kentucky
DT  Thomas Booker – Stanford
DT  Haskell Garrett – Ohio State
DE Arnold Ebiketie – Penn State
LB  Chad Muma – Wyoming
IB  D’Marco Jackson – Appalachian State
LB  Micah McFadden – Indiana
S  Jalen Pitre – Baylor
S  Verone McKinley – Oregon
CB Akayleb Evans – Missouri
CB  Cam Taylor-Britt – Nebraska

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Please draft a couple of these players

RB Zamir White – Georgia
RB Tyler Allegeier – BYU
TE Daniel Bellinger – San Diego State
TE Jake Ferguson – Wisconsin
TE Luke Ruckert – Ohio State
OL Matt Waletzko – North Dakota
OL Zach Tom – Wake Forest
OL Cordell Volson – North Dakota State

DE Arnold Ebiketie – Penn State
DE Josh Paschal – Kentucky
DL Zachary Carter – Florida
LB Chad Muma – Wyoming
LB Christian Harris – Alabama
S Bryan Cook – Cincinnati
S Nick Cross – Maryland
CB Cam Taylor-Britt – Nebraska
CB Akayleb Evans – Missouri

Please avoid these players

LB Brian Asamoah – Oklahoma – Talented player, but an awkward tackler. That’s not something I want at LB.
CB Tariq Woolen – UTSA – Great size-speed prospect. Huge potential. But raw as a corner and not very instinctive.
RB Kyren Williams – Notre Dame – Loved him as a college player, but undersized and lacks ideal speed. Not a great fit for the Eagles.

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Here is a potential scenario for the Eagles.

1 – 13 – DT Jordan Davis
1 – 18 – traded for WR A.J. Brown

2 – LB Channing Tindall – Georgia
3 – S Bryan Cook – Cincinnati
4 – CB Akayleb Evans – Missouri
5 – RB Abram Smith – Baylor
5 – DL Zachary Carter – Florida
7 – TE Austin Allen – Nebraska

I had the Eagles add 4th and 5th round picks. Howie can use player and/or trade-backs to add the extra picks.

Tindall has great range and speed. His ability to cover ground would be a huge help for the Eagles defense. He’s not as instinctive as you like and needs to work on his coverage skills, but Tindall can run and hit.

Cook would compete for a starting role right away. He is a talented safety and impact hitter. He can cover deep or come down and play in the box.

Evans stood out to me at the Senior Bowl because of his instincts and cover skills. I think he would be a good fit for the Eagles scheme. I think he can be an NFL starter.

Smith is a former LB who had a breakout year at RB in 2021. He reminds me of Miles Sanders with his size and big play ability.

Carter is a versatile DL. He has good size at 6-4, 282. He can play DE or DT. Carter isn’t a special athlete, but he is a tough, physical player.

Allen and current Eagle Jack Stoll gave Nebraska a good 1-2 punch at TE for several years. Allen was on his own in 2021 and had his best season. He is big and strong, but also is a talented pass-catcher. Allen could be an excellent backup TE.

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