Philadelphia Eagles Seven-Round Mock Draft

Who will the Philadelphia Eagles take in this year’s draft?

It’s Easter Sunday and we’re in the height of draft season, so I figured I’d join in on the fun and put some thoughts/projections for this April’s draft out there. This year’s annual NFL draft is shaping up to be an inspiring one, particularly in terms of the Philadelphia Eagles, who could feasibly go in a number of different directions and have multiple selections in three separate rounds. So, without any further ado, here is my first crack at projecting the Eagles 2016 draft-class.

Round 1 (8th overall): Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State

It’d be an understatement to say that the proposition of an Elliott-Eagles pairing has been popular as of late. A number of national media outlets and social media presences have been adamant that Elliott is likely to land in Philadelphia, and the connection makes a ton of sense. The Eagles are in need of a difference-maker on offense, and Elliott fits the bill. He’s a dynamic, hard-nosed finisher with great vision, pass protection skills, and the ability to be a threat catching the football out of the backfield; the ideal west-coast ‘back. There is an obvious argument to be had regarding position fungibility and whatnot —something that has me dubious as well — but Elliott really is a special player, and one of the few truly great talents in this class. Although I think Vernon Hargreaves, a potential trade-up scenario (albeit not to 2 for Carson Wentz), and a QB at 8 will all be equally strong possibilities, Zeke gets the nod here.

Round 3 (77th overall): Vernon Adams, QB, Oregon

This is a bit of a curveball, but the Eagles staff has not been shy about the want/need to add a quarterback this offseason, and they do so here by taking a flier on one of college football’s most underrated prospects. While some will be quickly turned off by Adams’ lack of an ideal frame and hand-size, he’s able to overcome those deficiencies with a special skill-set. The Vernon Adams-Russell Wilson comparisons may seem lazy on the surface –similar stature with reputation as a mobile passer– but they’re not outlandish. Although I think Adams is closer to good-Manziel than Wilson, I do believe he has very good arm talent and the innate ability to avoid rushers and extend plays outside the pocket, in addition to a penchant for bucket throws. He won’t be for everyone, and I doubt that this is a popular pick, but I think that Howie Roseman will be a fan of Adams. For one, he and Andy were reportedly huge proponents of Russell Wilson in 2012, and its likely they both regret not being more aggressive in acquiring him. To be clear, Adams is far from a slam-dunk, which is why he falls to round 3. Adams may not pan out, but 3rd round picks are often measured high-upside gambles, and Adams is not different in this case.

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Round 3 (79th overall): Javon Hargrave, South Carolina St.

The Eagles passed on interior lineman this past free agency period, so expect them to draft at least one this April. Here, they get a potential situational 3-tech to rotate with Bennie Logan (who might walk following the season, by the way). Howie Roseman will be sure to give new DC Jim Schwartz plenty of toys to play with, and Hargrave should be able to make a difference fairly quickly in a limited role on a talented Eagles front. Hargrave was the beneficiary of playing below his talent level, racking up stats against inferior competition; however, he showed extremely well at the Shrine Game, and, despite being under-sized, should be a proficient gap-splitter at the next level. Although Schwartz appears to favor bigger lineman, he could view Hargrave as a good fit for his aggressive 1-gap front.

Round 4 (100th overall): Connor McGovern, OL, Missouri

If you’ve followed the Eagles drafts in previous years, you’ll recall the preceding regime’s proclivity for adding Senior Bowl attendees throughout the draft. In 2012 –Howie’s first offseason in control of personnel– the Eagles drafted Senior Bowl participants Vinny Curry, Nick Foles, Brandon Boykin, and Marvin McNutt, before adding Emil Ikgwenagu and Chris Polk as priority UDFAs. In 2014, the Roseman-Kelly duo’s first 4 selections were also all Senior-Bowlers. I’d expect the FO to target several 2016 Senior Bowl attendees, and here, McGovern is the first. The Eagles were extremely aggressive in locking up Brandon Brooks in free agency, but I’d be surprised if a concerted effort isn’t made to add more talent up front. When pressed for answers regarding his preferred OL archetype, Pederson conceded he likes athletic players with a mean-streak; aggressive players with movement skills to blend with the current personnel. McGovern is a natural fit, both as an aggressor, and as a surprisingly impressive athlete. At the NFL combine, McGovern posted one of the most impressive workouts, scoring well in the broad jump (109″, 88th percentile), 40 (5.11, 86th percentile), 3-cone (7.5, 83rd percentile), and short shuttle (4.65, 71st percentile). Although McGovern isn’t very long and doesn’t possess the ideal frame, he could be tackle versatile at the next level, giving the Eagles a potential solution at RT after Jason Peters moves on.

Round 4 (130th overall): Joe Thuney, OG, NC State

The Eagles make a moderate trade up here, parlaying their pair of 7ths to move up into the back end of the 4th for an interior lineman. Thuney is a hyper athletic interior lineman who needs to put on some size, but has good starting potential. Despite adding McGovern earlier, the Eagles are still in need of offensive line depth, particularly if they opt to slide McGovern to tackle in the future. Thuney isn’t a sexy pick (none of these picks really are) but he’s valuable insurance and a potential starter down the line, not to mention he lit up the combine and fits the athletic archetype. On a side note, Thuney is a prospect who NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah went out of his way to project to the Eagles in an on-air mock draft. Thuney isn’t a big name player, but Jeremiah is very plugged in having formerly worked in the Eagles personnel department, and has a good relationship with Howie Roseman (he recently interviewed for the personnel-head vacancy). Jeremiah allegedly once floated a rumor that the Eagles were actively pursuing Dion Jordan in 2013, so I’d make a note of any projection he makes considering his understanding of the Eagles thinking.

Round 5 (164th overall): Rashard Robinson, CB, LSU

With the pick the Eagles received from Steelers in return for Brandon Boykin, they reinvest in the cornerback position. Robinson is very much a high-risk prospect, having not played in over a year due to disciplinary reasons. Before getting himself into trouble at LSU, Robinson was an ascending talent and gifted corner. This is a textbook risk-reward play by Howie Roseman, but he and Jim Schwartz are both known to gamble on character red-flags from time to time. Robinson recently has an official visit with the Eagles, presumably to get a feel for his football character, and to ask questions about his time at LSU.

Round 6 (188th overall): Kolby Listenbee, WR, TCU

Another of the Eagles recent visits, Listenbee would provide a speed element to the Eagles offense. Nelson Agholor wasn’t able to provide the field-stretching ability that the FO had hoped in his rookie year, so the thought process here would be that Listenbee could fill the role of a pure deep-threat with his 4.3 speed. Having seen the ability of Desean Jackson first hand–and perhaps lamenting his departure — Howie Roseman might make an attempt to fill the void. The addition of Chris Givens earlier this month could signal that the Eagles are less likely to make a redundant selection; however, I’d view this as Howie Roseman doubling down on the game’s most valuable one-trick skill set.

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