Philly Front Office

The NFL Draft is just about two weeks away. We’ve been through free agency, the combine, the interviews, and several thousand mock drafts (including one that compares NFL teams to 80’s and 90’s action movies). Other than the picks themselves, we are pretty much set. So what do we need to know as Eagles fans?

Howie Roseman

For years, it was a forgone conclusion that Howie Roseman would select only from the valued positions of EDGE, DT, WR, CB, OT, and QB in the 1st round. Then last year he took Jihaad Campbell. [Apu voice] Such a thing has never been done! Has Howie turned over a new leaf in drafting certain less valued positions??? Not really.

For the most part, the Eagles stick to making selecting their 1st round picks from those positions. The last time the team took someone outside this grouping was 2011 with guard Danny Watkins (yikes!) and before him guard Shawn Andrews in 2004. Take out the guards and the last was Keith Jackson in 1988. While Campbell is a linebacker, he was also expected to go much higher and was taken with the 31st pick. He was technically an outlier, but it is more likely that Howie simply couldn’t pass up on a sliding talent that also happened to be a position of need with the injury to Nakobe Dean.

The Eagles and Avoiding College Football Royalty

Looking outside that group of 6 for the first pick is not a good bet. After that though, things change. Tight Ends and Safeties should be areas of priority on Day 2. After that, all bets are off.

Clear 1st Round Needs

The Eagles have drafted DTs, CBs, and QBs in first rounds past, but that likely will not happen this year. Instead, look for the team to draft either an EDGE or OT with the 23rd pick or somewhere in that vicinity. The Eagles are surprisingly thin on the edge and need to plan for a life after Lane Johnson. The top talents should be gone for the Eagles, so don’t get your hopes up about Francis Mauigoa, Spencer Fano, Rueben Bain, Arvell Reese, and David Bailey.

• EDGE
  • Keldric Faulk – Auburn – Production was down this season, but Faulk is only 20 years old, huge, and athletic. If he is anywhere near where the Eagles are picking, he’d be someone I would expect them to target.
  • Akheem Mesidor – Miami – Mesidor was dominant opposite Reuben Bain this season, but he is also 25 years old and only broke out this year. This is a huge red flag. He is only on this list to give a good reason why the Eagles probably won’t draft him despite his high prospect status
  • Zion Young – Missouri – Young has ideal size and testing to go with 16.5 tackles for loss and 2 forced fumbles in the SEC at 22 years old. Knocking him down some will be his DUI arrest this past December. The Eagles don’t mess with domestic violence, but won’t be deterred by something like this.
• Offensive Tackle
  • Monroe Freeling – Georgia – Freeling will likely be gone by the time the Eagles pick, but moving up to get someone of his size and athleticism would be on the table.
  • Kadyn Proctor – Alabama – He is a very, VERY large man. Freeling has passed him in the draft run up, but that might be the Eagles gain. despite weighing 350 pounds, he has a 32″ vertical leap and a standing broad jump of 109″. Also, despite a mid bench press, he is known to have a max bench of 535 plus an 815 pound squat.
  • Caleb Lomu – Utah – He is the “other” tackle prospect coming out of Utah opposite Spencer Fano. Lomu is very athletic, something the Eagles obviously like. I can’t find his actual age, but he only played 3 years of college ball, so he should be around 21.
  • Max Iheanachor – Arizona State – Iheanachor is a young 23 if that makes sense. He did not play high school football after immigrating from Nigeria at age 13. Instead he decided to go to Junior College, learned the position, transferred to Arizona State and became a good prospect even if he is still very raw. If the rumor is true that Jeff Stoutland is still going to be around the Eagles this season, I can see them taking a big bet on Iheanachor’s raw size and talent.
• MISC
  • Olaivavega Ioane – If there is any single player from another position group who the Eagles would consider drafting AND could possibly be available around 23, it is Ioane. He is far and away the best interior lineman in this draft and the Eagles could see his value to start at RG right away and to get ahead of a possible early retirement of Landon Dickerson. If no EDGE or OT tickles their fancy and Ioane is available, that talent could be too good to pass up.

The 2021 NFL Draft

Elephant in the Room/Canary in the Coalmine

I obviously left out one position above, WR. If the Eagles plan on keeping AJ Brown then they are not going to pick a WR in the 1st round. However, if a deal is just waiting for June 1 to be made official, then there is simply no way WR isn’t addressed in the 1st round. This is almost fortuitous for the Eagles since the likely value in the 1st round will come with the WRs potentially still available in the 20s. Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, and Makai Lemon will likely be gone.

• Omar Cooper – Indiana – The main man for the national champs doesn’t have the size or the testing to warrant a 1st round pick, but he does have the pedigree of being Curt Cignetti’s guy. If he can do everything Cignetti needed then he could end up being the ideal #2 receiver behind DeVonta Smith.
• KC Concepcion – He is not a big #1 type receiver, but incredibly fast and able to get to that top speed very quickly. He is the type of weapon the Eagles have been missing for years.
• Denzel Boston – Boston is the opposite of Concepcion and might be ideal on the other side of DeVonta Smith in a Brown-less offense. While his top end speed is not one of his best traits, he can jump out of the gym and catch everything. If you wanted to bet on one player in this range possibly becoming the next Eagles #1, it would be Boston (despite that awful last name).

Day 2

The Eagles are currently picking at #54, #68, and #98. For Day 2, they could pick from any of the positions above, but I would expect them to lean more towards positions of need at TE and Safety.

• Tight End
  • Eli Stowers – Vanderbilt – Tested out of his mind at the combine and had great production at Vandy, but he is also a 5 year college player who will turn 23 before the draft.
  • Max Klare – Ohio State – The Eagles do not draft from Ohio State – like at all – but after Klare decided not to test at all during the Combine or his pro day, there may be some upside to a supposedly athletic prospect who has slid in the pre-draft process. Howie loves value.
  • Michael Trigg – Baylor – Trigg didn’t work out at the Combine or his Pro Day because of injury, but he did measure. His big trait is his incredible wingspan that measures over 7 feet. That’s in the 99th percentile among receivers.
  • Oscar Delp – Georgia – Delp missed the combine due to injury, but then wrecked his Pro Day with a 4.48 40 and a 38 inch vertical at 6’5″ and 245 pounds. His big problem is a total lack of production in college.
  • Nate Boerkicher – Texas A&M – The Eagles apparently had Boerkircher in for a top-30 visit despite a lack of any eye popping traits or statistics. He could be seen as more of a TE2 type than a Goedert heir apparent.
• Safety
  • AJ Haulcy – LSU – The Eagles don’t take guys from LSU too much, but Haulcy might be a good mix of need, availability, and production that fits the Eagles well at #54.
  • Kamari Ramsey – USC – Ramsey is someone who didn’t test off the charts and isn’t huge, but is just known to be very good at football. I wanted Kam Kinchens two years ago, and Ramsey is this year’s version.
  • Genesis Smith – Smith is very athletic and has all the size a team like the Eagles would be looking for in a safety especially in the 3rd round.
  • Jalon Kilgore – South Carolina – Kilgore was in for a Top-30 visit with the Eagles. He has size, speed, and a nose for the ball, considering he had 8 picks in 3 college seaosns

2026 NFL Mock Draft 2.0: 80’s and 90’s Action Movie Edition

Day 3

The Eagles could pick anyone in this range, but their bread and butter are outliers. These are the guys who either had a ton of production without testing well in college, or the opposite type who know how to work out but playing actual football isn’t their strong suit.

• Ted Hurst – WR – Gorgia State – He is 6’4″ and fast. You just don’t see that too much in the NFL anymore. After a great Senior Bowl, he might not make it to Day 3, but in a world where AJ Brown stays, he would be a great compliment to the WR room
• Kaleb Proctor – DT – Southeastern Louisiana – A small but athletic defensive tackle? Now where have I seen that work out before?
• Jordan van den Berg – DT – Georgia Tech – He is a very athletic late bloomer who did not start playing football until much later in life thanks to growing up in South Africa.
• Skyler Bell – WR – UConn – Bell is fast and can get open down the field but has terrible hands. Worth it as a #3 or #4 receiver gadget player that the Eagles wanted Ainias Smith to be.
• Zane Durant – DT – Penn State – Another very athletic but undersized DT.
• Landon Robinson – DT – Navy – Still needs to get bigger as a DT, but is a great athlete for the position
• Jeff Caldwell – WR – Cincinnati – Look at his spider chart…LOOK AT IT!!! That’s incredible. He was a JUCO transfer with size and speed that should turn heads.
• Bryce Lance – WR – ND State – Yes, that is Trey’s younger brother. Despite the small school, he has ideal size and speed to make it in the NFL

Stats: College Football Reference

Info: The Beast

Info: The Freak List

Combine: Mockdraftable

Athletic Scores: RAS

Photo: Austin Perryman