NFL Mock Draft Roundup: Who are the Eagles taking in Round 1?
Maybe we’re alone in this, but April 27th may as well be December 25th. It feels like Christmas is coming, and we keep staring at the tenth and 30th-overall selections like they’re the biggest gifts under the tree, gifts with our names on them. The Philadelphia Eagles find themselves in some rare air. Every NFL mock draft that we have read for more than a month now has taken notice and is throwing its two cents in.
It isn’t often that the defending NFC Champions find themselves with two picks on the selection meeting’s opening night. It’s even rarer that one of those picks would be among the first ten. Philly has an opportunity to make some major roster upgrades, and everyone has their theories about what they think should be done.
The contingent that supports the idea of taking Bijan Robinson at ten isn’t turning the volume down on their call to arms. Recently, NBC Sports’ Peter King joined the ‘bring Bijan to Philly train’.
We agree with those of you who believe that there’s no way that vice president/general manager Howie Roseman takes a running back that high, but we’ve been wrong before. We won’t have to wait much longer for answers. In the meantime, here’s what a few draft pundits have said.
NFL mock draft roundup: Here’s what some of the popular analysts see as possible draft-day decisions for the Eagles.
The experts are pushing their chips to the center of the table. We have spanned the globe so to speak. Here’s what is being thrown out in relation to the Eagles and the 10th and 30th overall selection.
ESPN Plus – Mel Kiper
Mel Kiper released his most recent NFL mock draft theory recently. This one spans the first and second rounds. The Eagles address the trenches early before trading out of Round 1 and adding some extra capital.
Here Philadelphia and Seattle swap picks. The Seahawks land the 30th-overall selection and take Geno Smith’s eventual replacement… maybe. The Birds add some talent at positions that they tend to undervalue.
Round 1 – Pick 10: OT Peter Skoronski (Northwestern)
Round 1 – Pick 30: Seahawks trade up (Seattle drafts Hendon Hooker)
Round 2 – Pick 37: RB Jahmyr Gibbs (Alabama)
Round 2 – Pick 52: OLB Derick Hall (Auburn)
Round 2 – Pick 62: DB Jartavius Martin (Illinois)
If you’re bummed over the Eagles’ decision to ignore Bijan Robinson, the addition of Gibbs is a nice consolation prize. Heck, we’ve actually found a few scouts that grade him higher.
Derick Hall and Jartavius Martin feel like B+ additions. We’ll give this draft, as a whole an ‘average’ final score. Grade: C
NFL.com – Adam Rank
Adam Rank’s take on ‘what every team should do’ adds an edge rusher to the Eagles’ defensive roster. He makes a couple of guesses that we don’t have any issues with.
Round 1 – Pick 10: EDGE Nolan Smith (Georgia)
Round 1 – Pick 30: DT Mazi Smith (Michigan)
In short, if the Philadelphia Eagles miss out on Will Anderson Jr., Jalen Carter, and Tyree Wilson (they land with the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, and Detroit Lions respectively), we would have no issue with them taking an EDGE star that has drawn comparisons to Haason Reddick.
You’ve seen Reddick play, right? Having a clone of him on the other side of the defensive formation sounds like a win-win for us.
Some view Mazi Smith as the second-best interior defensive lineman in this draft class. Grabbing him at 30 gives the Birds a future star later than they should have access to him. It also gives them a potential ten-year starter.
We can’t knock the logic. We most certainly won’t complain about the choices. Rank’s NFL mock draft gets a passing grade from us. Grade: A
The 33rd Team – Their scouting department
Our friends at The 33rd Team threw their two cents in recently. Their scouting department put their heads together, and they dropped an NFL mock draft that suggested a theory we have all heard often recently. A potential generational talent falls to the Eagles at ten.
Round 1 – Pick 10: Jalen Carter (Georgia)
Round 2 – Pick 30: EDGE Will McDonald (Iowa State)
This is the best-case scenario that we have seen recently. Here’s how The 33rd Team sees the first nine picks of the draft playing out:
- 1. Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young, QB, Alabama
- 2. Houston Texans: Anthony Richardson, QB, Florida
- 3. Tennessee Titans (trade with Cardinals): Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
- 4. Indianapolis Colts: C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
- 5. Seattle Seahawks: Will Anderson Jr., EDGE, Bama
- 6. Detroit Lions: Tyree Wilson, EDGE, Texas Tech
- 7. Las Vegas Eaiders: Broderick Jones, OT, Georgia
- 8. Atlanta Falcons: Christian Gonzalez
- 9. Chicago Bears: Paris Johnson, OT, Ohio State
Every NFL mock draft has its theory. Every NFL Draft has its own personality. If this is how the first nine picks played out and Jalen Carter was available for the Eagles, there should be no doubts about what Howie Roseman will do.
If the necessary research proves that Carter is of high character and he checks the boxes, there are no questions about his talent. Will McDonald is a nice consolation prize for any team that wanted Will Anderson Jr. and/or Nolan Smith and missed out.
The only reason that isn’t being stated more often is that he played at Iowa State. Had he played at Alabama or Georgia we’d be mentioning him as a top-15 or top-20 selection.
