Eagles Mock Draft Round-Up
Less than a week from the draft. We have to be closer to the truth, right? Probably not, but let’s hit it anyway.
Todd McShay and Mel Kiper put together a three-round mock, alternating picks.
Kiper was in charge of selecting for the Eagles and went with Vanderbilt receiver Jordan Matthews in the first round.
He ran a 4.46 at 6-foot-3 and 210-plus pounds, caught 262 passes in the SEC and couldn’t be kept covered when everyone in the stadium knew Vanderbilt wanted to get him the ball. With uncertainty at WR, I’m looking for an immediate contributor.
Kiper went with Boise State outside linebacker Demarcus Lawrence at 54 and chose Virginia defensive end Brent Urban in the third.
Urban could be a steal here. He’s a penetrator at defensive end in this system and can use his length to disrupt the passing game by knocking down passes and disrupting lanes.
Bucky Brooks over at NFL.com went four rounds all by himself (Take that, Kiper and McShay!). He has the Eagles taking Virginia Tech corner Kyle Fuller at 22, Ole Miss receiver Donte Moncrief in the second, Stanford OLB Trent Murphy in the third and Wisconsin receiver Jared Abbrederis in the fourth.
Chip Kelly would love to add size and speed to theEagles‘ receiving corps after the departures of DeSean Jackson and Jason Avant. Moncrief would give the Eagles the best of both worlds, as an exceptional athlete with big-play ability.
In Geoff Mosher‘s latest mock draft, he has the Eagles picking Fuller at 22.
Long, physical press corner to help restore the toughness in a once-prideful defense.
Eliot Shorr-Parks passes on Odell Beckham Jr. in favor of Indiana wideout Cody Latimer.
The Eagles have a tough decision to make at No. 22. Barr is gone, there is no pass rusher worthy of the pick, and all of the top secondary players are off the board. If the board sets up like this, the Eagles could choose a wide receiver. Latimer — one of the biggest, fastest, strongest wide receivers in the draft — is the selection.
The guys over at Walter Football like Latimer as well.
Some may consider this a reach, but others believe Cody Latimer can sneak into the first round. He just makes the most sense here for the Eagles. There aren’t any defensive players remaining who fit the range and what Chip Kelly is looking for. The best player on the board who happens to be a good match for Philadelphia happens to be Latimer, a big, fast receiver Kelly would love to have in his offense.
Jared Sherman of CSN went two rounds. He has the Eagles coming away with Kelvin Benjamin at 22.
While not a finished product, Benjamin is the kind of matchup problem Kelly covets. He can move all over the field to exploit defensive weaknesses, and simply gives the Birds’ offense a wide receiver with rare size and ability that they haven’t had since Harold Carmichael. (I’m not counting Ifeanyi Momah.)
And Mississippi State guard Gabe Jackson at 54.
I can already hear people howling at this pick, but with rumblings about Evan Mathis wanting a new contract and Todd Herremans a possible 2015 salary cap casualty, the Eagles need to start looking for their replacements. I have already made it known that I love Jackson, and the more I watch the more I’m convinced he’s the best OG in the draft. I passed on Utah CB Keith McGill and Louisville DE/LB Marcus Smith to pick Jackson.