Eagles add defensive studs, Jason Kelce successor in recent NFL mock

Typically, when we talk about NFL players ‘going out on top’, we reserve that designation for a legend who’s just won a Super Bowl, one who’s a sure-fire Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee once he makes the decision to ride off into the sunset. Never has that phrase been used in conjunction with a center who was once drafted in the sixth round, but doggone it, if Philadelphia Eagles legend Jason Kelce calls it a career once Philly’s playoff run ends, whenever that is, he too will go out on top.

He’s STILL the best in the business at his position. He’s truly gotten better with age.

A little over 48 hours ahead of Philly’s Wild Card Weekend clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the G.O.A.T. and Lane Johnson got some good news. They were named as First-Team and Second-Team All-Pros respectively. For Kelce, this is the fourth time that’s happened.

As a Birds fan, a teammate, or anyone else in the organization, it’s easy to hope that this ride continues forever. Football has a way of reminding us all that we’re mortal men and women though. Runs like the one Jason has enjoyed are special, but they’re also uncommon.

It’s for that reason that one of the more interesting Eagles stories of the offseason will center around whether or not he returns in the Spring of 2022 for a 12th season. Perhaps that’s also why a very intriguing and recent NFL mock cooked up by Pro Football Focus has the Eagles taking a possible successor in Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft in April.

The Eagles land Tyler Linderbaum and two defensive studs in a recent PFF mock.

Despite where your NCAA alliances lie, it’s possible that at some point during the college football season you got a taste of some Iowa Hawkeyes football. If so, you may have noticed their center.

Now, everyone knows the danger of comparing a guy that isn’t in the league yet to a future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, but let’s put it this way. If you’re an Eagles fan watching Tyler Linderbaum in action, it’s easy to, at times, think about a guy you’re already familiar with.

That’s it! We’ll leave it there. Here’s some of what Michael Renner, the writer of this one, had to say on the subject.

"The comps to Jason Kelce are too obvious with how the undersized Iowa center flies across the field. The two-time highest-graded center in the FBS would make a ton of sense as Kelce’s heir apparent."

Linderbaum is Renner’s selection for the Eagles at pick 19 (it appears he has them getting bounced from the playoffs relatively quickly). Here’s what he says about Philadelphia’s other two picks in the first round.

We begin with the 15th-overall selection (from the Miami Dolphins). He has the Eagles taking EDGE prospect David Ojabo from the Michigan Wolverines there.

"After playing just 26 career snaps before this season, Ojabo broke out in a big way in 2021, racking up 42 pressures and earning an 86.9 pass-rushing grade. While he’s a project, he’s already progressing by leaps and bounds."

Here’s what he says about Cincinnati Bearcats star cornerback Ahmad ‘Sauce’ Gardner, who he names as Philly’s second first-round selection one pick later at 16.

"Putting Gardner across from Darius Slay would be a dream scenario for the Eagles. This past year, Gardner allowed only 20 catches from 40 targets for 131 yards."

That pick at 16 is obviously the one that they secured by shipping Carson Wentz off to the Indianapolis Colts. In terms of the value of the picks, here are a couple of thoughts.

One, David Ojabo was, at times, overshadowed by his teammate and fellow EDGE star Aidan Hutchinson. If Hutchinson is long gone by the time the Birds are on the clock, which is a very real possibility, Ojabo is an excellent consolation prize.

Sauce Gardner, right now, should be in everyone’s top five of the best cornerbacks available, and he should stay there all the way up until we reach the NFL Draft in April. The Eagles would be set if they took a flier on him.

Here’s something else to consider if you’re a fan of history. The last time the Eagles took a defensive lineman from the Michigan Wolverines in the top 15, that worked out fairly well for them (Brandon Graham).

Their track record with guys from Cincinnati is pretty solid too. Not only did they land a pretty good center that we all fell in love with but they also struck gold with a tight end that they found there, one of the best at that position in franchise history, Brent Celek