Mock Draft Roundup: Eagles Trade Up For Marcus Mariota

Dec 6, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide defensive back Landon Collins (26) during the 2014 SEC Championship Game against the Missouri Tigers at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Liles-USA TODAY Sports.

2015 NFL Mock Draft 4.0: Running backs on the rise in Round 1 – Don Banks of SI.com

Here’s another mock draft, this time from Don Banks of SI.com. Anyone that follows me on Twitter understands my hatred for the idea of the Eagles drafting Alabama safety Landon Collins with the 20th overall selection. So what did Banks do in his latest mock draft? He has the birds selecting Collins, of course. Here’s his explanation:

"20 LANDON COLLINS, S Junior, Alabama Sure, I can see how much Philly needs someone to fill the No. 1 receiver role vacated by the departed Jeremy Maclin. I just can’t see any real candidates at No. 20, the way this scenario breaks down. That makes it easy to opt for Collins, given the thin state of the Eagles’ safety depth chart. It’ll be easier to find a quality receiver than a quality safety in rounds 2 and beyond."

Banks gives a pretty vague reasoning behind the Collins’ pick. The reason I’m not a big fan of this idea is because Collins is viewed, and fits best, as a box safety. Philadelphia doesn’t usually use their safeties close to the line of scrimmage, unless they are covering the slot. They value coverage skills and experience at both safety and cornerback for their defensive backs.

That’s a big reason why they signed safety Malcolm Jenkins as a free agent in 2013 and also pursued Patriots safety Devin McCourty so hard in free agency this year. They’re both the perfect fit at safety for what they look for at the position. They’ve also shown a ton of interests during the pre-draft process in prospects such as Byron Jones, Eric Rowe and Adrian Amos. Each of those players have the size to play safety or press cornerback and experience at both positions as well. Enough with the Eagles picking Collins projections, just stop it.

Next: WalterFootball.com: Eagles select Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State