Who will the Birds take?
The 2019 NFL Draft will be here before you know it. Mock draft season has already begun and there’s no shortage of opinion as to whom the Philadelphia Eagles might select with the No. 25 overall pick. Let’s take a look at which players the experts have the Eagles taking this week.
FanSpeak (Custom) - Nasir Adderley, S, Delaware
Malcolm Jenkins turns 32 this season and Rodney McLeod will be a free agent after 2019. The Eagles really need to start thinking about the future of their safety position. Adderley isn’t JUST a long-term play since the Eagles like to use more than two safeties. In the short-term, the rookie defensive back can contribute as a third safety in Corey Graham’s old role.
SB Nation (Dan Kadar) - Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss
I nearly made a trade for the Eagles to go up a few picks to draft Dillard. It would be an easy move for Philadelphia since the team has two second-round picks. Instead, I kept the Eagles at No. 25 to take Little. He’s a little raw still, but his athleticism and size make him a natural at left tackle.
PhillyVoice (Jimmy Kempski) - Clelin Ferrell, DE, Clemson
Ferrell was a redshirt sophomore a season ago who could have come out and likely would have been a first-round pick, but he opted to stay at Clemson. Ferrell has ideal size at 6-foot-5, 260 pounds for a 4-3 defensive end at the NFL level. While he plays on a loaded Clemson defensive line, you can see in the below video that he creates his own pressure. In addition to being a a good pass rusher, Ferrell plays hard and is also a good run defender, much like Derek Barnett when he came out in 2017. With Brandon Graham potentially leaving in free agency this season, as well as Chris Long and Michael Bennett nearing the end of their careers, the Eagles badly need to reload at DE, a position of extreme importance in Jim Schwartz’s scheme.
Rotoworld (Hayden Winks) - Marquise Brown, WR, Oklahoma
Carson Wentz gets a deep threat.
NBC Sports Philadelphia (Dave Zangaro) - Greg Little, OT, Ole Miss
There’s some sneaky offensive tackle depth at the top of this draft class. There are as many as five or six offensive tackles who could go in the first round and Little is one of them. At 6-foot-6, 325 pounds, Little has all the physical attributes and athleticism to make it as a starting left tackle in the NFL. He’s the kind of guy Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland would love to get his hands on. I think Andre Dillard from Washington would be a great fit too, but I have a feeling he’ll be gone by the time the Eagles pick at 25. The Eagles have a big decision coming up. Even if Jason Peters is back for the 2019 season, he’s not going to be around forever. We don’t really know yet what they have in Jordan Mailata, so the Eagles probably need to draft an offensive tackle with one of their first three picks. Unless you think Halapoulivaati Vaitai is the answer … I do not. Little could step in and start immediately, but would still be a work in progress. Still, I think he could be the future of that position in Philly.
NJ.com (Joe Giglio) - Jaylon Ferguson, DE, Louisiana Tech
The reason: The best player you’ve never heard of lands in Philadelphia thanks to the scouting mind of Joe Douglas. The Eagles have put a premium on players with big-time college production. The 6’5” defensive end fits the bill after recording 45 career sacks, including 17.5 last season.
NFL.com (Maurice Jones-Drew) - Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson
Lawrence is a big, talented player who will alleviate pressure on Fletcher Cox.
CBS Sports (Ryan Wilson) - Gerald Willis III, DT, Miami
Willis didn’t attend the Senior Bowl but he remains one of the best defensive tackles in a ridiculously deep class of them. His ability to wreak havoc in the backfield will upgrade an Eagles unit that ranked 26th in pressuring the quarterback.
CBS Sports (R.J. White) - Greedy Williams, CB, LSU
[BLG Note: This mock has the Eagles trading No. 25 AND one of their two second-round picks to the Dolphins to move up to No. 13 overall.]
The Eagles have an extra second-round pick, and that gives them the ammo to hop into the top 15 and get the top cornerback on the board. Williams has question marks that could push him out of the top 10, but I’d be surprised if a guy with his ball skills slipped much further than that.
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) - Brian Burns, DE, Florida State
They will likely lose Brandon Graham in free agency and they need to get a young pass rusher to go with Derek Barnett. Burns has big-time speed.
CBS Sports (Jared Dubin) - Montez Sweat, DE, Mississippi State
Philadelphia’s strength is almost always the depth of its defensive line. The Eagles add to that here by taking Sweat as a low-cost alternative if they decide to move on from Chris Long.
DraftWire (Luke Easterling) - Deandre Baker, CB, Georgia
The lack of depth at corner on Philly’s roster came back to bite them down the stretch, and while some young players got valuable playing time, they need to upgrade the position with a starting-caliber prospect. Baker has all the physical and mental tools to make an instant impact.
Sporting News (Vinnie Iyer) - Dexter Lawrence, DT, Clemson
This pick is building plenty of steam because the team’s need and the player’s skill set have started to line up so well. The Eagles could use a space-eater to flank Fletcher Cox and Lawrence is a textbook inside run-stuffer with ideal size (6-4, 351 pounds).
SUMMARY
OT Greg Little - 2
DT Dexter Lawrence - 2
DE Clelin Ferrell - 1
DE Jaylon Ferguson - 1
DE Brian Burns - 1
DE Montez Sweat - 1
CB Greedy Williams - 1
CB Deandre Baker - 1
DT Gerald Willis III - 1
WR Marquise Brown - 1
S Nasir Adderley - 1
DE - 4
DT - 3
OT - 2
CB - 2
WR - 1
S - 1
Offense - 3
Defense - 10
THOUGHTS
- Once again, the mock drafters are all over the place with the Eagles’ pick.
- I wouldn’t be shocked if the Eagles trade up. I would be shocked if they traded up for a cornerback. Philly undoubtedly has some question marks at corner but they’re in a position to let their young talents (Sidney Jones, Rasul Douglas, Avonte Maddox, etc.) battle it out there. Even if you think the Eagles need a lot more help at corner, do you really think a rookie is going to be the instant solution?
- Defensive end ended up being the most popular position despite there being no repeat names at the position. Defensive end, defensive tackle, or offensive tackle are the three most likely first round options for Philly.
- I say it every week: I really don’t see the Eagles drafting a run-stuffing defensive tackle like Dexter Lawrence in the first round.
- Who is your favorite for No. 25?
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