Philadelphia Eagles 2015 Draft Needs

Dec 8, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman prior to the game against the Detroit Lions at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports

The 2014 season is almost over and with it comes all of the hype and speculation regarding certain players as they declare for the NFL draft. Throughout the season we’ve come to realize that there are some holes on our team and positions where the Eagles clearly need some talent to develop. Let’s take a look at some of the Philadelphia Eagles 2015 draft needs.

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Well to state the obvious, the Eagles need some help in the secondary. Eagles cornerbacks Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams are fringe starters at best. The only Eagles starter in the secondary who deserves a starting job on this team next year is 2014 free agent safety Malcolm Jenkins. Other than that, the Eagles are going to need a lot of help in the coming years.

I fully expect at least two high-round draft picks to be used on defensive backs. It’s too early to fully judge last year’s draft class, but both picks, fourth-round cornerback Jaylen Watkins and fifth-round safety Ed Reynolds, don’t look like they are going to be huge contributors to this team. Watkins has spent most of the season inactive and Reynolds has been on the practice squad. The Eagles have also signed two defensive backs during the season, further indicating that they are unhappy with the draft picks.

Another huge area of need this year is linebacker. Sure, the Eagles have some very good linebackers in inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks and outside linebacker Connor Barwin. Even Eagles outside linebacker Trent Cole is good, but his contract is not team-friendly and, unless he restructures, he will most likely be a cap casualty next season. Eagles inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans was also very good, but we do not know how he will come back from an Achilles tear at his age.

Linebacker is another position where the Eagles have not drafted well recently. The Eagles drafted Kendricks in the second round of the 2012 draft, which was a good pickup. However, the Eagles wasted a high pick on outside linebacker Marcus Smith this past year. The Smith pick caused a lot of confusion among experts and fans alike, as Smith had a third round grade. Even if Smith does pan out in the long run, the Eagles could have easily picked him up in the second or third rounds and used the first rounder on someone else.

Lastly, and many fans might not agree, the Eagles need to draft a quarterback. Eagles quarterback Nick Foles looks now like a one-season wonder, and neither Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez nor Eagles quarterback Matt Barkley are long-term solutions. This year, there will most likely be quite a few players entering the draft.

Despite Eagles Nation’s wishes, the chances of the Eagles landing the first overall pick and being able to get Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota are slim to none. I, for one, truly believe that he can make the Eagles a great team and that the Eagles are far and away the best fit for Mariota. The cost of a top draft pick is just too high for a team with other needs, just ask the Redskins. However, with the Eagles’ pick in the late first round, they could have a shot at drafting another Pac-12 quarterback in UCLA’s Brett Hundley. Handley has great raw tools and, with some work, could be a franchise quarterback.

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