Philadelphia Eagles 2021, three-round mock: Expect something unexpected

Antonio Gibson 2.0 falls to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Call us crazy if you want, but we did promise surprises and unconventional thinking. Hear us out on this one. Running back Kenneth Gainwell is difficult to pass up. Memphis is churning out running backs.

In 2019, it was Darrell Henderson and Tony Pollard who heard their names called in Rounds 3 and 4. Henderson just took a big step forward in his second NFL season with the Los Angeles Rams. Pollard has been a useful gadget player and effective second fiddle to Ezekiel Elliott with the Dallas Cowboys.

Then, in 2020, it was Antonio Gibson who was drafted by the Washington Football Team in Round 3. Gibson was easily one of the biggest steals of that year’s selection meeting. Gainwell is this year’s Antonio Gibson and there’s a strong possibility that he could fall to Round 3 as he does in this mock draft.

Just like Gibson, Gainwell spent time both out of the backfield and in the slot at Memphis. Gibson was much more of a receiver in college but as we have seen this year, he can do both effectively.

Gainwell also only had one season of significant reps just like Gibson which could lower his stock. In that season, he also averaged 6.3 yards per rush. He also totaled 1,459 rushing yards and 610 receiving yards and accounted for 16 touchdowns in 14 games.

The Eagles still need to find their bruiser back for short-yardage situations but Gainwell could compliment Miles Sanders nicely. The Birds might be able to run some two-running back sets. New head coach Nick Sirianni likes to attack matchups with running backs in the passing game with a prime example being the way he utilized Nyheim Hines in Indianapolis. Click here for some insight on that, but with all of that being said, trust and believe that Gainwell would thrive in his offense.