Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

A Special Secondary

Posted April 5th, 2026 | 2 Comments »

The Eagles only made one significant offseason addition, signing cornerback Riq Woolen away from Seattle. This move got its share of praise, but still feels like it has been overlooked because of all the focus on AJ Brown and other hot button issues.

Woolen has great size at 6-4, 210. He ran a 4.26 at the Combine back in 2022 so he has elite speed. He’s started 53 games in the NFL and generally played at a high level. He has 12 career INTs and 53 PDs. He can cover and make plays on the ball.

Look at that list above. The Eagles now have number two and three on that list as their outside corners. Mitchell and Woolen have the size, speed and cover skills to match up with any pair of receivers in the league. Now add in the fact that Cooper DeJean is arguable the best nickelback in the league. That gives Vic Fangio an elite trio of corners. They have a chance to be a special group if Woolen proves to be a good fit and plays to his potential.

Howie Roseman talked about the need for better depth at corner this year. Last year they had Jakorian Bennett, Kelee Ringo and Mac McWilliams. Bennett never played well after coming to Philly. Ringo continues to show he’s lost at corner. McWilliams was an unproven rookie trying to figure things out. Howie didn’t want to go through that again. He signed a proven veteran in Jonathan Jones to be the top backup. The team has Michael Carter as the backup at nickel.

Bennett, Ringo and McWilliams will have a chance to show what they can do this summer. Bennett has played well at times in the NFL. The talent is there. He just needs to put the pieces together. Ringo is terrific on STs where he can rely on his athleticism and toughness. He shows no feel in coverage, which negates his athleticism. I feel like he’s a lost cause aside from STs. McWilliams will likely focus on outside corner this summer. Fangio liked him quite a bit and will do everything he can to develop him.

Safety is more of a projection. The starters for now are Drew Mukuba and Marcus Epps. The Eagles have said they will continue to add to the position. This is a good safety class so they’ll have good options in the draft. For now let’s focus on Mukuba and Epps.

Mukuba got off to an erratic start. He made some coverage mistakes that led to big plays and really hurt the defense. He also had the goal line INT vs the Chiefs that proved to be a huge play in a key win. Mukuba has good cover skills. He is a solid hitter and tackler.

Once he got some experience under his belt he started to be more consistent in coverage. I think he will continue to improve. The ability is there. He’s learning how to play in the NFL. Being inconsistent early on happens to a lot of DBs. He did play better as the season wore on last year.

I think Mukuba can be one of the better safeties in the league over time.

As for Epps, you might be surprised to find out he’s got 49 career starts. I didn’t realize that. He is an excellent hitter and tackler.

Epps isn’t a big playmaker on the back end. He has 3 career INTs and 18 PDs. Fangio values him as a run defender and must think he’s going to be effective in coverage. Remember that Reed Blankenship was erratic in coverage last year so Epps shouldn’t be some major drop off. The defense played well down the stretch when Epps started in place of the injured Mukuba.

We’ll have to wait and see who they draft to add to the mix. I’ll write a separate post focusing on some safety prospects. They don’t have to force an early pick. I think there will be good choices in the first four rounds. It will depend on what they are looking for and who is available.

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Misc Draft Talk

Posted April 3rd, 2026 | 1 Comment »

There hasn’t been a whole lot of Eagles related draft news recently so let’s talk about a variety of things. We’ll start with some mock draft thoughts.

I look at mock drafts as thought experiments. What if this happened? What if the Eagles took that player? We know unexpected things happen so it isn’t ideal to shoot down every mock draft that you don’t like. A lot of the mocks I’ve seen have the Eagles taking an OL. That makes total sense. They need someone to be Lane Johnson’s replacement in the future. There is a good group of OTs in this class so this is the time to take one if you get a chance.

I’ve mentioned Georgia LT Monroe Freeling as one guy I could see Howie trading up for if the price was right.

I doubt the Eagles get a shot at him, but he could be a special player in a few years. He needs to get stronger. He needs experience. That stuff will come with time.

Other mocks have the Eagles taking a pass rusher. There is no question the Eagles need to add someone via the draft or a trade. We haven’t heard anything on the Jonathan Greenard front so it looks like the draft for now. While there is a need I don’t expect the Eagles to go for a pass rusher in the first round. This is about resources and economics. The defense has a lot of young talent because the team focused on that side in recent drafts. It feels like they need need to go offense to even things out. They won’t force the issue. The right player has to be available at 23.

The one mock draft that really got my attention had the Eagles going for DT Kayden McDonald. Huh? He’s a big, run-stuffing NT type. The Eagles already have Jordan Davis, who is a big, run-stuffing NT type. I didn’t get this pick at all. Adding a DT who can rush the passer…maybe. That still feels like it would be a poor use of resources.

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There is now a lot of talk about QB Ty Simpson sneaking into the first round. He’s not worth a high pick, but could make sense in the 20’s. If a team like the Browns or Jets wants to go get him, they could talk to the Eagles about a trade. Howie might not want to move back, but if the offer is right it could make a lot of sense.

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A lot of people are critical of this draft class. I don’t get that at all. The top of the class is weak. This isn’t the year you want a Top 10 pick. But the more I watch of the overall class, the more I like it.

The Eagles would like to add a guard at some point. I think Keylan Rutledge from Georgia Tech would be great, but there is now talk that he could be a Top 50 pick. There are some mid-round guys I like. Beau Stephens from Iowa is tenacious. He’s got good size at 6-5, 315. He is a grinder who I think would be a good fit in the new offense.

I really enjoyed watching him play.

Brian Parker played RT for Duke, but doesn’t have the footwork for that spot in the NFL. Teams want him as a center or guard. Parker is 6-5, 309. He went to the Shrine Game and looked right at home playing as a center. He might remind you of a poor man’s Gray Zabel. He moved from OT to RG and helped Seattle win the Super Bowl as a rookie. Zabel went in the first round. Parker isn’t that good, but could be a good starter in the NFL.

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The Eagles brought DB Jalon Kilgore to Philly for a visit. I can see why they like him. Kilgore has safety size at 6-1, 210, but has corner speed. He ran a 4.40 at the Combine. He has played in the slot quite a bit. I think that would just make the Eagles like him more. They value versatile DBs. Drew Mukuba played nickel for a lot of his college career.

I think he could sneak into the second round.

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Another prospect the Eagles brought to Philly is TE Nate Boerkircher. He only caught 38 career passes, but that was due to the teams he played on and not his ability.

Boerkircher can block and catch. He is a good athlete. Boerkircher is the kind of TE that you would want to replace Dallas Goedert long term.

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