Philadelphia Eagles, All-SEC seven-round NFL mock draft

After a self-imposed break, the Philadelphia Eagles get two picks in the fifth.

Round 5: JaCoby Stevens, safety LSU

Philly sits the fourth round out but gets back to work in Round 3. The focus with both of their picks here is the defensive side of the ball. This team needs to fix its secondary, and if they’re prepared to move on from Jalen Mills and, possibly, Rodney McLeod, supposing there are concerns about his health, they’ll need to address the safety position.

JaCoby Stevens played the linebacker position at the collegiate level, but with his coverage skills and his ability as a tackler, he may be better suited to play safety. He has the potential to be, at maximum, one of those positionless players that Jim Schwartz used to talk about all of the time and, at minimum, a very good strong safety at the NFL level.

Round 5 (From Dallas): Monty Rice, inside linebacker, Georgia

Philly addresses their linebacker position with their second selection in the fifth round, one that they got from the rival Dallas Cowboys. This time, they go with Monty Rice, formerly of the Georgia Bulldogs.

He’s a six-foot-one, 235-pound defender who was solid all year round for the Dawgs in 2020. Keep an eye on him as he’s someone that could be a sleeper when we get to this portion of the draft.