Eagles land EDGE star, familiar receiver in Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL mock

It’s cold outside, very cold. We’ve seen both snow and ice on the East Coast, and it’s normally around this time the football fans and aficionados are discussing something we all love, the NFL Playoffs and the next Super Bowl. Unfortunately, for many of pro football’s franchises, the Philadelphia Eagles included, most discussions about their team center around reloading and getting better for next season.

We haven’t even reached the free-agency period yet, and people can’t help themselves. The next class of draft prospects is on everyone’s mind, and recently, one of the guys whose mocks we wait on patiently shared one of his.

Daniel Jeremiah sends EDGE, WR, and OL talent to the Eagles in his first NFL mock.

Whenever we discuss the NFL Draft, it’s always good to check out some of what Daniel Jeremiah is thinking. He’s NFL Network’s lead draft analyst and a former pro draft scout.

In his first NFL mock of the new year, he sends an EDGE star, a wide receiver whose name we keep hearing, and an interior offensive lineman to the Birds at the 15th, 16th, and 19th-overall selection.

Here’s what he had to say on all of them beginning with the EDGE standout, George Karlaftis of the Purdue Boilermakers.

"The Eagles need to add some young talent to their defensive line; Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham can’t play forever. I wish Karlaftis were longer, but I love his leverage and power as a rusher, and he has some inside/outside flex."

Jeremiah names former USC Trojans star receiver Drake London as Philadelphia’s pick at 16. He’s been linked to the Eagles on at least two other occasions. Eric Eager of Pro Football Focus named London as one of the guys he thinks the Birds should take a flier on in Round 1. Shortly thereafter, his colleague Anthony Treash did the same thing.

Here’s what Jeremiah has to say on the subject.

"London gives the Eagles a big-frame wideout with an enormous catch radius to complement Devonta Smith’s pristine route running. London reminds me of Mike Williams coming out of Clemson. It’s almost impossible to overthrow him, and he dominates 50-50 balls."

There’s an old saying. Teams can never have too many good offensive linemen. Jeremiah agrees, and he sends a stud along the interior, Texas A&M’s Kenyon Green to the City of Brotherly Love at 19.

"The Eagles will likely need to replace future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce, who’s 34 and set to become a free agent. They already have his heir apparent in the building in Landon Dickerson, last year’s second-rounder, whose move to center would create room for Green at guard. Green is an outstanding athlete with ideal size (6-4, 325) and temperament."

Offensive linemen taken late in the first round won’t excite a fan base, but for an Eagles team that figures to replace Brandon Brooks in the offseason, a team that has seen Jack Driscoll finish each of his first two NFL seasons on the team’s injured reserve, you can understand where the theory comes from.

It might seem like we’re a long way from April. It will be here before you know it though. We’ll see if the Eagles show any of these guys some serious attention as we move through the draft process.