Eagles news: Byron Murphy linked to Philly, mock draft shenanigans

Throw out the NFL season, the Philadelphia Eagles‘ 18-week, 17-game grind that accompanies it, and the annual postseason that follows, and you’re still left with plenty to talk about. Pro and college football’s offseasons are always among the most discussed sports topics among fans. Come on. Does it get any better than springtime weather, National Signing Days, and the predraft process?

Occasionally, the NFL and NCAA’s winding roads intersect. That’s often when we begin discussing April’s NFL Draft. The buildup is always palpable. This season will be no different.

Eagles news: We aren’t happy with Philly’s first selection in a recent NFL mock draft.

If you’re like the rest of us, you’ve been using the past couple of weeks to move on from February 12th’s Super Bowl heartbreak. This has been a good time to comb the web and find a mock draft or two. Recently CBS Sports gave us a good one.

Tom Fornelli’s recent offering is intriguing. The Carolina Panthers trade up to the third-overall pick for Bryce Young. Three quarterbacks come off of the board during the first four selections. The Eagles take an offensive tackle.

Wait! An offensive tackle?

Former Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Broderick Jones is Fornelli’s selection for the Birds at Number 10. While the theory can be argued for a couple of reasons (Philly tends to draft with the future in mind, and they love securing the trenches), most would rather see the Birds splurge on a cornerback … uncharacteristically we might add. Philly has only taken three defensive backs during the first round in their history (and none since they took Lito Sheppard in 2002).

Just in case you’re curious, Devon Witherspoon was still on the board when Philly went with Jones. He goes to the Pittsburgh Steelers at 17. Philly takes South Carolina Gamecocks corner Cam Smith 30th overall.

We’re in favor of taking a corner at ten and an edge rusher at 30.

Eagles news: CBS Sports hands Philadelphia some talent by way of their free-agent mock.

CBS also cooked up an intriguing story with a nice angle recently, a free-agent mock. This one was penned by Cody Benjamin.

Philly loses a few of their starters, Second-Team All-Pro cornerback James Bradberry being one of them. He lands with the Las Vegas Raiders, but the Eagles wind up with a nice replacement, Byron Murphy.

Here’s what Benjamin had to say:

"With James Bradberry headed elsewhere (above), the Eagles figure to revisit the veteran market for a plug-and-play cover man opposite Darius Slay, allowing reserve Zech McPhearson to keep developing. Murphy, 25, is a prototypical Howie Roseman gamble: lesser-valued coming off injury, but with an early-round pedigree and lots of growth potential at multiple positions."

Free agency and draft prospects will fuel our imaginations during the coming weeks. Everyone’s waiting with bated breath. Theories like the ones read above and mock drafts will keep us busy.