Philadelphia Eagles 2021 seven-round mock draft: Eagles get their guy

The offensive line always needs to be kept in mind for the Philadelphia Eagles.

It wouldn’t be a typical Philadelphia Eagles draft with at least one lineman. It’s always important to keep developing young guys in the trenches as the Eagles do. Even though the ‘Birds’ don’t have a fourth-round pick at the moment, don’t be surprised if they trade into that round and select another lineman. While the injuries have piled up this year, next year should be better for the offensive line.

Jordan Mailata and Andre Dillard will be competing for the left tackle job. Mailata has impressed this year and looks like a full-time starter with continued improvements. Jack Driscoll showed flashes of being a solid right tackle. This was a tough year of injuries for him. That could be attributed to a short offseason and then being thrown into the fire against NFL edge rushers. Lane Johnson struggled through injuries once again and his injury history is piling up. Right tackle is something the Eagles could look at in the earlier rounds especially since they like Driscoll at guard. Brett Toth is not the future.

Speaking of the interior, the Eagles need help there. That was obvious when Jamon Brown sacked his own quarterback. Isaac Seumalo is the left guard, there’s no question about that. Brandon Brooks should be the right guard but who knows if he can stay healthy. If Seumalo and/or Brooks go down, there aren’t many options. Nate Herbig has proven he can step in and perform well enough. He’ll have to come into camp and prove he can be more than that though. Matt Pryor hasn’t worked out any position. Sua Opeta is far from ready.  Center isn’t too much of a concern though. Luke Juriga is more ready to be Jason Kelce’s replacement than people know.

Philly should take a flyer on Jack Anderson from Texas Tech in the sixth round. He has experience in a zone-blocking scheme and has the tools to succeed. He’s a good pulling guard which is something Herbig has struggled with at times. He just has to work on the fundamentals a bit more. Offensive line coach and run game coordinator Jeff Stoutland can fix up those technique issues. Anderson will also have to be crossed trained to get on the field more. He’ll need some time but if Brooks gets hurt, he could be a potential replacement.