Mock draft season is officially upon us. With the NFL Draft order set and the combine quickly approaching, more and more mock drafts are coming out daily. Even after a Super Bowl appearance, the Eagles have the luxury of a top-ten pick thanks to Howie Roseman's trade with the New Orleans Saints last year. With many key players set to become free agents, who should the Eagles target with pick number ten?
The Eagles have traditionally valued the offensive and defensive line in the first round. We'll have to see how free agency turns out, but as of right now, Javon Hargrave, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Linval Joseph, Ndamukong Suh, and Robert Quinn are all set to hit the open market.
The Eagles could potentially be losing several key players along the defensive line so adding another edge rusher or interior defensive lineman with pick number ten isn't too far-fetched. Players like Myles Murphy from Clemson, Bryan Bresee from Clemson, and Lukas Van Ness from Iowa could all be potential options for the Birds with their top ten pick.
With the most likely departure of All-Pro corner James Bradberry in free agency, a lot of mock drafts have the Eagles drafting corner at number ten. The most common names are Christian Gonzalez from Oregon and Joey Porter Jr. from Penn State. While both would be immediate starters on the defense, recent history suggests the Eagles will not be taking a corner at ten. The last corner the Eagles took in the first round was Lito Sheppard in 2002. I think the Eagles look for a corner early in the draft, maybe at 30 or 62, but not in the top ten.
Another intriguing option that has been thrown around is Texas Longhorn standout running Bijan Robinson. Robinson would be an extremely exciting player to add to the Eagles' offense, especially with Miles Sanders likely leaving in free agency. It is just hard picturing Roseman drafting a running back with a top-ten pick. While the pick would certainly be a fun one, it just doesn't make a lot of sense.
At the end of the day, the Eagles value the trenches. Having a premium top-ten pick they will likely look to keep building in the trenches. A potential Lane Johnson replacement for down the road is also a possibility, but the defensive line will likely be the pick at number ten. Now for which player is it? That is still ways away from being determined. It has worked for them in the past and with so many guys set to hit free agency, adding a young premium edge rusher or interior defensive lineman only makes sense at pick number ten.
Featured Image: Megan Briggs/Getty Images
No comments:
Post a Comment