Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Mocking the Mocks

Posted March 23rd, 2025 | 1 Comment »

With the draft just a month or so away, we are in the heart of mock draft season. Let’s take a look at some mock drafts and who they have the Eagles taking.

Spoiler alert…none of the mocks had the Eagles taking a QB.

CBS Sports

DE Donovan Ezeiruaku – Boston College

“We all know how the Eagles roll at this point. No, he didn’t go to Georgia, but he did go get the quarterback pretty damned often at Boston College.”

While Ezeiruaku lacks ideal size at 6-2, 251, he is a gifted pass rusher. He would fit in nicely on the edge, where the Eagles have some young homegrown players and a pair of free agents. Ezeiruaku reminds me of Haason Reddick, who was very productive for the Eagles. Ezeiruaku had 16.5 sacks and was the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year. He is an impact pass rusher. He’s an effective run defender, which is all you need from someone with his pass rush ability.

I would be fine with adding Ezeiruaku at pick 32. The biggest downside would be having to type his name for the next 5 to 10 years.

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ESPN

NFL.com

DT Walten Nolen – Ole Miss

Both sites had the Eagles taking Nolen. Here is what ESPN said.

“Nolen is very disruptive thanks to explosive traits and strong hands. He had 6.5 sacks and 15 run stops last season. And while he didn’t go to Georgia, Nolen at least keeps the Eagles’ direct line to SEC defensive tackles alive.”

And here is NFL.com.

“Why change something that works? Philadelphia moves up in Round 1 for a defensive lineman once again — after doing so to acquire Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis — plugging Nolen into the void left by free-agent departure Milton Williams. The Eagles give the Rams their late third-round pick and one of four fifth-rounders in order to move up six spots, while also receiving a sixth-round pick from Los Angeles in the deal.”

Nolen is an interesting prospect. Some people love him and think he could be a Top 20 pick. Others aren’t sold on him and see him in the late first or early second round. I think he’s definitely worthy of a first round pick. I know Fran Duffy is a big fan of his. We talked about Nolen down in Mobile and Fran spoke highly of him.

Nolen is 6-4, 296. He is athletic and powerful. Pairing Nolen with Jalen Carter would make life really tough for opposing offenses. Nolen was good in college, but is just scratching the surface of his ability. He could develop into a difference-maker.

Imagine replacing Milton Williams with a player who is bigger, stronger and still a high level athlete. I’m pretty sure Vic Fangio would be happy with that move.

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The Athletic

SAF Malaki Starks – Georgia

“The Eagles are likely to have three third-round picks in 2026 and had four 2025 fifth-rounders to sweeten any deal. Not bad for an eight-spot leap. Starks is a sensible choice after trading away C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Texans. The Eagles add a proven playmaker in Starks to a room in which Reed Blankenship is the only established starter. “

I was watching tape of Starks last night. He is an impressive prospect who can line up in the slot or back deep as a safety. I wondered if the Eagles would consider him at 32. They don’t spend first round picks on safeties. That isn’t written in stone, but decades of action tell you it isn’t likely. In this mock, the Eagles traded up to take Starks. I feel confident in saying that is not likely to happen.

Starks is a good prospect. He would fit in nicely since the Eagles need to find a starter opposite of Blankenship. Starks could win that job. He would also give them insurance in the slot. Starks played there a lot at UGA and has good cover skills.

Starks wasn’t a major playmaker at UGA, but the potential is there. He would be a good fit on the Eagles defense, and not just because he’s a Dawg. Really talented player.

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It does feel like a good bet that the Eagles will take an OL or DL in the first round. That’s what they tend to do and there are needs on both sides of the ball.

Adding a DB would make some sense. The Eagles lost a starting CB and safety in the past few weeks. They have potential replacements already in place, but could prefer to add top talents at one of the positions.

Two of these mock drafts had the Eagles trading up. I can see Howie doing that if the right player is available and the price is right. He believes in going to get his guy. Pick 32 is an interesting pick to have. There is value in having that because teams sometimes want to move into the first round to get a player they are targeting. The Eagles might be able to add a pick for only moving back a few spots.

The Eagles don’t need extra picks, but it never hurts. Picks are resources that give you options. Maybe you move back in the first round and then move up in the second. It is good to have options on draft weekend and no one knows that better than Howie.

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Holes

Posted March 22nd, 2025 | 3 Comments »

The Eagles have had an active offseason so far and Howie Roseman has once again put together a loaded roster. As good as the Eagles appear to be, there are still some roster holes to be addressed.

DT

The Eagles lost Milton Williams in free agency. Moro Ojomo might be ready for his breakout season. You certainly don’t want to count on that. The Eagles need competition for him. They also need depth. It wouldn’t surprise me to see them draft a couple of DTs. Jordan Davis is the only true NT type on the roster so adding a bigger body to back him up would make some sense.

The Eagles could go for a DT as early as the first round. The draft is loaded with a deep, talented class so there should be good options for Howie to choose from. He could also look for a veteran to add to the mix. Jimmy Bama has some thoughts on veteran free agents who could still be of interest, including a DL.

OT

Now that Fred Johnson has signed elsewhere, the team needs a swing tackle. Darian Kinnard has potential as the backup RT, but I don’t think he’s ready to play LT. The Eagles have had 4 visits with OT prospects. That is a spot they are targeting in the draft. If things don’t work out, they can hit the veteran market and see who is left at that point.

G/C

Mekhi Becton is gone. Tyler Steen is probably the favorite to be the RG as of now. The team traded for Kenyon Green, a talented, but underachieving OG. Green could benefit greatly from Stoutland University. He certainly has the talent to be a good starter in the NFL. The Eagles would probably like to bring in another player at G, depending on how much they like Trevor Keegan.

They definitely need another center. When Cam Jurgens got hurt, Landon Dickerson had to slide into the middle. That made the team weaker at two spots. Re-signing Jack Driscoll would make some sense. He can play all five OL spots. Driscoll is probably best suited inside at this point. There are some good interior OL in the draft class. Gray Zabel could be in play at pick 32, if he makes it that far. The team could also look to the middle rounds, where they found Driscoll. He was a fourth round pick in 2020 and proved to be a valuable backup, even starting 18 games.

Eli Cox is a really athletic OL from Kentucky. He’s started at G and C. I could see Stoutland liking him.

LB

This is a bit of a mystery position. Zack Baun is back. That’s huge. Nakobe Dean will be back, but when? If he’s not ready by September, are you comfortable with Jeremiah Trotter Jr starting? The Eagles might be. Vic Fangio spoke highly of him during the season. At the very least, there is a need for depth. Oren Burks is gone. They need a LB to take his place. The Eagles could sign a cheap free agent. Since they are paying Baun big bucks, they might need to go cheap here and that would mean a draft pick.

SAF

The team traded CJGJ and that means there is an opening at one of the starting positions. The Eagles would love Sydney Brown to take that job. He has the physical ability. The challenge for Brown is adjusting from his STs mentality. He tried to do everything at 100 mph. That’s great on STs. You want guys who will run through a brick wall. On defense you need players who will run through that wall, but also who can figure out if that’s what is needed. You want smart, instinctive players on D. To be fair to Brown, he was focused on rehabbing an injury at this time last year. A full offseason with him being healthy can do a lot for his development as a DB.

It sure sounds like veteran safety Justin Simmons wants to play for Fangio and the Eagles. Would they prefer a veteran or drafting a player to develop?

CB

The Eagles released Darius Slay. Isaiah Rodgers and Avonte Maddox signed elsewhere. That opens up some spots. The hope is that Kelee Ringo can win the starting job opposite of Quinyon Mitchell. The team brought in veteran corner Adoree Jackson to compete with Ringo for that role. The loser would then become the top backup. Still, there is a need for more depth.

Eli Ricks is still around and could be a serviceable backup. With Maddox gone, they need someone who is equally comfortable inside or outside. There are some interesting free agent options, but they look at the draft first and then go that route if they don’t find the right player.

TE

The Eagles are set for now. If they trade Dallas Goedert, this becomes a key spot to fill. The only reason to move on from DG is to save money so if they do trade him, you have to think they would focus on a draft pick as his replacement.

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