Philadelphia Eagles draft watch: Mel Kiper says Birds take a cornerback
Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock says the Philadelphia Eagles go with a cornerback who just helped the Clemson Tigers win the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Mel Kiper Jr. is one of ESPN’s go-to-guys when it comes to NFL Draft talk. He’s now given us two mock drafts. In his first, he saw the Philadelphia Eagles taking a defensive end, Montez Sweat, who we at ITI just spoke of in our linebacker draft board (he can play outside in the 3-4 scheme or as a defensive end in the traditional 4-3).
Kiper’s second mock has Philly, instead, going with some help in the secondary, namely Trayvon Mullen of the Clemson Tigers. This one will get a mixed reaction.
Here are a couple of reasons why that’s the case. One, Philly has a young and talented core of corners, even if we are accurate and Ronald Darby does leave to explore the free agent market. Second, unless there’s a slam dunk at corner, which Mullen isn’t, Philly will be better suited to go with a pass rusher with the 25th pick.
Keep in mind the fact that Brandon Graham may leave, Derek Barnett is coming off of an injury and guys like Chris Long and Michael Bennett are aging.
Just for kicks, let’s see what Kiper had to say about Mullen:
"Injuries in the secondary really hurt the Eagles in 2018, as the defense couldn’t match the play that led it a Super Bowl LII victory. And with Ronald Darby possibly leaving in free agency, cornerback is a spot to target here or with one of their two second-round picks. Mullen had an inconsistent 2018 season, but he has some excellent 2017 tape. And at 6-foot-2, 186 pounds, he’s a big corner. He should test well in Indianapolis."
Mullen is a six-foot-one, 186-pound corner who some see as a third-round prospect. He was one of the guys we were watching heading into the 2018 season, but subpar play led some to believe that he may not be the first-round talent that we originally thought he was.
Next. Recent mock draft says Eagles add speedy edge rusher. dark
Still, in his final season with the champs, he tallied 36 tackles, an interception and three pass breakups. Circle this name as it’s one we, at ITI, mentioned that Philly may want to pay attention to, but don’t expect to hear Mullen’s name called on day one of the draft unless he has an unbelievable Combine.