Eagles Mock Roundup: CB Waynes at No. 20?

The NFL draft is still over two months away, and yet speculation is running wild as to whom the Eagles will pick. The theory that Chip Kelly is going to go all-in on Marcus Mariota has lost some steam recently, and many in the national media have decided the one thing the Birds need is secondary help.

Here is a rundown of the latest draft buzz.

Josh Norris of Rotoworld believes that the Eagles will target Michigan State CB Trae Waynes:

I wanted to mock CB Marcus Peters here. I also wanted to mock WR Dorial Green-Beckham here. However, it seems Chip Kelly takes a liking to a certain kind of personality, and who knows if those two meet that.

Eric Galko of The Sporting News thinks that Florida State CB PJ Williams would fit in well with the Eagles’ defensive scheme:

Chip Kelly loves corners who are physical initially and down the field, and Williams certainly fits that bill. With Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher needing to be upgraded, PJ Williams could quickly become the team’s feature cornerback.

Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com has Washington CB Marcus Peters heading to Philadelphia, despite all of his red flags:

One of the more intriguing prospects in this draft class, Peters has top-10 talent, but after being dismissed from the Huskies program, where will he land? Despite the red flags, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a team roll the dice in the first round because of his immense potential at an important position.

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has Alabama S Landon Collins ranked 10th on his latest Big Board:

He’s easily the top safety in the draft class right now. He just does too many things well and for that reason maintains a high floor. I love how well he plays close to the line of scrimmage. Super-versatile, he can play deep, if not dominate there — making good reads and taking the right angle to the ball — and he has the ability to line up in the box, cover tight ends and tackle in the run game. A strong tackler, Collins is fearless in taking on running backs, but he shows good technique and doesn’t just throw himself at the ball.

Kiper also believes that much of Mariota’s success is due to easy reads in a fast-pace offense. Sound familiar?

I love him as a player, but the more time I spend on Mariota, the harder it can be to separate him from what Oregon’s offense is able to do to defenses, which is consistently offer great looks and easy reads. That said, what’s great about Mariota is how, despite the rushing yards, you simply can’t call him a “running quarterback.” He was as good a passer — and with a pass-first mentality — that even if you judged him on his passing exploits alone you’d have a really good prospect. He showed improved accuracy and anticipation, and the ability to throw on the run or simply take off and pick up chunks of yardage is a major plus. Mariota is no lock to be a star, but there’s a lot to work with.

Rob Rang of CBSSports.com has the Eagles taking Peters:

With Chip Kelly left in full control of the roster, he could rely on his familiarity with the Pac-12. Peters, who was kicked off the team at Washington, comes will all kinds of character red-flags but he’s also the most talented corner in the draft.

Todd McShay of ESPN.com has Peters as the top-rated cornerback on his top-32 list:

Peters was dismissed from the Washington program earlier this season after having been held out of games on more than one occasion for behavioral issues. Obviously, NFL teams are going to want to take a closer look at the reasons for his dismissal. But in terms of his talent, he has prototypical size for the cornerback position to go with above-average top-end speed. He gets into trouble in coverage on occasion because of a lack of proper footwork and technique, but makes up for it with good athleticism and fluidity, and he’s effective in press technique because of his physicality.

Tucker Bagley is a Temple student and an intern at Birds 24/7.