Philadelphia Eagles draft: 3 Surprising yet possible selections at 12

The Philadelphia Eagles need to think about drafting Fletcher Cox’s replacement.

Another choice and another player in the trenches. This time, it’s defensive tackle Christian Barmore. The Philadelphia native stands at six-foot-four and weighs in at 310 pounds, which is the same size as Eagles defensive tackle, Fletcher Cox. Much like Cox, Barmore is freakishly athletic.

He showcased this during Alabama’s Pro Day, running a 4.93-second 40-yard dash. He also possesses a quick first step off the line and uses violent hands to disrupt opposing offensive lineman.

All of these traits were on full display during Alabama’s championship matchup against Ohio State. While a majority of the focus was on wide receiver Devonta Smith, Barmore was by far the best defensive player on the field. He finished with five total tackles, one sack, and a huge fouth-down stop.

https://twitter.com/AlabamaDieHards/status/1348843742644596736?s=20

As you can hear in the broadcast above, it’s only a matter of time before Barmore makes another big play. During the 2020 season, he finished with 37 total tackles (9.5 for loss), eight sacks, and three forced fumbles.

While the Eagles already have Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave, selecting Barmore wouldn’t be the worst decision when thinking about the future. Cox will be turning 31 this December and has nearly a $24 million cap hit in 2022.

As for Hargrave, he ended the season off nicely after a slow start, but he could be looked at like a “Pederson and Schwartz” type of player. There are still questions about how he will fit into the new era of Nick Sirianni and Jonathan Gannon.

Some might think this is a reach for the Alabama product, however, Howie Roseman’s passion for building a deep and talented defensive line could ultimately sway him into locking Barmore in with the twelfth pick.