Eagles 2022 first-round NFL mock draft: Philadelphia bolsters its defense

The Eagles finally take a linebacker in Round 1.

We can’t resist. You’ve heard this 1,000 times. It must be mentioned again.

We all know the Philadelphia Eagles have proven over and over again that they devalue the linebacker position. They haven’t taken one in the first round of any NFL Draft since 1979. Jerry Robinson was the choice out of UCLA when it happened. Many of us weren’t alive, or we were too young to know what an NFL Draft was.

This is the year though. They’re going to do it this year, and former Utah Utes standout Devin Lloyd will be the choice with the 15th-overall selection.

Some have graded Lloyd as someone that may not be available when we get here. Some have graded him as the second-best linebacker in this class behind Damone Clark out of LSU. That’s a fair statement, and we agree. Others grade Georgia Bulldog Nakobe Dean higher. You never know how any draft will play out though.

Here are a few guesses, and as of right now, that’s all that any of us can do. Clark is the first linebacker off of the board. Teams like the Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Jets, and Carolina Panthers go with offensive linemen. That’s a pretty safe bet, right?

The Denver Broncos and Washington Football Team take quarterbacks… maybe. With all that being said, we feel pretty confident that Lloyd should be around when the Birds are on the clock at 15, and if he is, Philadelphia had better take him.