Eagles Wake-Up Call: Mock Draft Roundup

Jared Goff. (USA Today Sports)

With the Senior Bowl in the books, many mock drafts were updated recently with new analysis and intel. We selected several to give you a sense of the Eagles’ potential options at No. 13.

ESPN’s Todd McShay ($) thinks the Eagles will draft Michigan State offensive tackle Jack Conklin. McShay predicts Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch and Ohio State offensive tackle Taylor Decker will be available at No. 13, while he has the Browns and Cowboys selecting California quarterback Jared Goff and North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz.

At 6-foot-6, 325 pounds, Conklin shows good mobility for his size, along with very consistent awareness, technique and effort. He plays with power and is a finisher in the run game. He’s balanced enough to protect a quarterback’s blind side. Even after signing Lane Johnson to an extension, the Eagles need to plan for the future at tackle with Jason Peters now 34.

USA Today’s Jon Ledyard anticipates the Birds picking Decker, with the Rams taking Lynch two picks later. He also has Goff and Wentz slotted at No. 2 and No. 4.

It is anyone’s guess what the Eagles next move will be after hiring Doug Pederson as their head coach, but the roster is in good shape from a talent perspective. Needs exist at offensive guard and quarterback if Sam Bradford departs as a free agent, but Decker could be the eventual replacement to Jason Peters, who turned 34 just over a week ago. The massive 6’8 tackle has the length and physicality to develop into an eventual starter on either side of the line of scrimmage, allowing the team to be flexible with newly re-signed Lane Johnson if the veteran is more comfortable at right tackle.

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein predicts Conklin to Philadelphia as well, while Lynch and Decker are off the board at No. 15 and No. 18. Zierlein has the Browns taking Goff, and the Saints snatching Wentz the pick before the Eagles.

Conklin is a grinder with an ability to help in the run game and passing game. He’s not the premium athlete that Lane Johnson was, but he’s more pro-ready coming out.

CSN Mid Atlantic’s Ben Standig has Goff falling to the Eagles at No. 13, while Wentz drops out of the first round.

The change in head coach means a drastic change in offensive philosophy and therefore a likely shift in personnel. Free agent quarterback Sam Bradford could be among the changes based on his desires or the new plan. At that point, the Eagles may target a QB in round one especially if Goff slides. Playing in Cal’s pro-style offense, the 6-foot-4 Goff looks the part of a future NFL quarterback.

Rob Rang of CBS Sports maintains the Eagles will draft Alabama defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson, with Wentz picked at No. 2 and Goff gone at No. 15.

The Eagles have reportedly prioritized re-signing current defensive end Vinny Curry, whose burst and agility are a terrific fit in new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s scheme. Complementing Curry with the blue-collar run-stuffing Robinson would go a long way toward rebuilding the Eagles’ defense.

Peter Schrager of FOX Sports thinks the Eagles will draft Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley, with Wentz and Goff taken at No. 2 and No. 4.

Stanley’s the real deal. Behind Tunsil, he’s the left tackle I have my eye on. Jason Peters is one of the greatest of his generation; he’s not the long-term answer in Philly. Stanley could be that guy or be the man on the right.

WHAT YOU MISSED

DeMarco Murray and the Eagles are “not in a good place.”

“I think you can ride this guy out.” What they’re saying about the Eagles and their quarterbacks.

Tim makes the case for franchising Sam Bradford and seeing what he can do in 2016.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

CSN Philadelphia’s John Gonzalez agrees with a growing viewpoint: Jeffrey Lurie’s search for a personnel head was a sham.

By announcing a search for a new personnel head, [Lurie] created a diversion and bought himself time to reinstate [Howie] Roseman’s power without having the audience immediately rise up and revolt. Then he suspended a search that never seemed like it was going anywhere in the first place. It was a pretty neat trick that we should have seen coming all along. But, hey, when someone shouts out look over there, sometimes you can’t help but get distracted.

Putting Roseman in charge the first time. Hiring Chip Kelly. Pushing Roseman aside to give Kelly more power. Pushing Kelly out and then giving Roseman his gig back. Announcing a search for a new personnel head that was never going anywhere. Suspending the search for the new personnel head that was never going anywhere. It’s all part of a really mesmerizing show Lurie has produced. But don’t worry, they’ll all be held accountable. Now, hey, look over there.

Malcolm Jenkins offered a few frank takes on the demise of Chip Kelly’s tenure in Philadelphia on Wednesday, writes Mark Saltveit at Niners Nation.

Tuesday on ESPN’s SportsNation program, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins offered a nuanced view in between the two stances. Jenkins is thoughtful and eloquent as well as a snappy dresser (he sells his own line of custom bow ties), and is on the path toward a post-football career as a TV personality.

First off, he unequivocally shot down the allegations (or implications, really) that Kelly was racist.

“Chip has no issues with race and none that I’ve witnessed since the two years that I’ve been an Eagle. … I think it’s something that really was unnecessary and it only came from people who were upset that they were no longer Eagles.”

COMING UP

We’ll have the latest on the Eagles’ offseason moves.