A way-too-early 2021 Philadelphia Eagles-only NFL Mock Draft

Philly gets two fifth-round selections in 2021, one of their own and another they earned thanks to that draft-day trade with the Cowboys in 2020 we mentioned earlier. The “Birds” would be wise to invest some draft capital in a running back. NFL teams don’t value the position as much as they used to, but if they want Miles Sanders to have a lengthy career, they have to learn to say goodbye to some guys.

They didn’t learn that lesson with Darren Sproles until it was too late, and based on the recent readdition of Corey Clement, it seems like they’re not learning from their mistakes.

After taking a quick glance, here’s a guess on how the 2021 class stacks up at running back. Travis Etienne should wind up atop a few preseason rankings as the Clemson Tigers and Trevor Lawrence will have another great season, filled with lots of television time.

Chuba Hubbard, Najee Harris, and Kylin Hill will all be placed behind him (you guys can argue about what order that fall in). C.J. Verdell, Anthony McFarland, and Jatarvious Whitlow are in that next tier and among the guys that are around in the middle rounds.

It’s easy to fall in love with Verdell if you watch his film. It’s also easy to look at his five-foot-nine and 210-pound frame and say that he’s a little small, but if the 5.6 yards per rush average and his ability to pay dividends in the running and passing game both translate, he may be too hard to pass up. He made a ton of big plays in 2019. He hasn’t shown a ton of deterioration either. There’s a lot of tread left on his tires.