Best remaining NFL Draft prospects available to Eagles at every position
The NFL Draft’s first night is in the books. Two days on Friday and Saturday remain. Can things get any better though? Philadelphia Eagles fans all over the Delaware Valley and everywhere else on Planet Earth are pretty pumped. Howie Roseman has waved the magic wand again and has come up with some special results.
The Birds traded up one spot from the tenth-overall selection to the ninth. The selection of Jalen Carter followed. All they had to do was give up a 2024 fourth-round choice to make that happen.
Then, they struck gold again. They landed Nolan Smith with the 30th selection. Both choices have to be seen as major wins for the franchise. Ladies and gentlemen, this defense has some weapons. We aren’t sure what type of defensive scheme should be expected from Sean Desai, but good gracious! Howie has set him up for success.
Here’s the best part about all of this. Again, there are still two days and four picks for the Eagles remaining. Let’s look at some of the better options that are available.
Here are a couple of handfuls of NFL Draft prospects that are still available to the Eagles. Might they pique Philly’s interest in Round 2?
Every NFL Draft has its own personality. Every draft unfolds differently. Often great players slide and are taken much later than we expect them to be.
This selection meeting has seen a similar script. If nothing changes, Philadelphia won’t be on the clock until the 62nd selection. There will be some talented prospects available. Might any of these guys slide? Might they be on the radar and force Philly to make a move to land them?
Here are the top two remaining prospects that will be available at each position
Quarterback – Will Levis (Kentucky), Hendon Hooker (Tennessee)
Will Levis and Hendon Hooker won’t be Eagles. No one should rule out the possibility of the Eagles taking a quarterback late though.
Running back – Zach Charbonnet (UCLA), Devon Achane (Texas A&M)
Zach Charbonnet will wind up being a nice consolation prize for anyone that wanted Bijan Robinson or Jahmyr Gibbs and missed out on them.
Wide receiver – Josh Downs (UNC), Jalin Hyatt (Tennessee)
Josh Downs is undersized at five-foot-nine and 171 pounds. He probably grades out as a slot receiver, but he might be the best slot receiver in this draft class not named Zay Flowers. Keep an eye on Jalin Hyatt as well. He earned a lot of Day 2 grades as the NFL Draft approached, but he has a chance to be special.
Tight end – Michael Mayer (Notre Dame), Darnell Washington (Georgia)
Utah’s Dalton Kincaid was the only tight end selected in Round 1 which leaves a lot of talented players at the position. Michael Mayer and Darnell Washington might be the most talented though.
Offensive tackle – Dawand Jones (Ohio State), Cody Mauch (NDSU)
Teams love athletic offensive tackles. We can think of one that plays in Philadelphia. Dawand Jones and Cody Mauch definitely qualify. They rank among the NFL Draft’s best tackles that can move.
Guard – O’Cyrus Torrence (Florida), Steve Avila (TCU)
Believe it or not, no guards were taken in Round 1 of the NFL Draft. That means the two best prospects in this class are still available.
Center – John Michael Schmitz (Minnesota), Joe Tippmann (Wisconsin)
No centers were taken in Round 1. That means two guys who are no doubt the top-rated prospects on just about everyone’s board are available. Familiarize yourselves with John Michael Schmitz and Joe Tippman if you haven’t already.
Edge rusher – Keion White (Georgia Tech), Tuli Tuipulotu (USC)
Keion White and Tuli Tuipulotu have nothing to hang their heads about. Many viewed them as second-day selections, but they won’t have to wait long to hear their names called. Tuli is the younger brother of current Eagles defensive tackle Marlon Tuipulotu.
Defensive tackle – Keeanu Benton (Wisconsin), Zacch Pickens (South Carolina)
Four defensive tackles were taken in Round 1, including new Eagles star Jalen Carter… Gosh, it feels good to say that!
Philly probably won’t need to double-dip at the position. It will still be interesting to see where Keeanu Benton and Zacch Pickens land though.
Linebacker- Drew Sanders (Arkansas), Trenton Simpson (Clemson)
Drew Sanders began his career as an edge rusher but transitioned to the outside linebacker position. He turned out to be a damn good one. Clemson’s Trenton Simpson is one of the draft’s best-kept secrets. He’s a linebacker that also played some slot corner for the Tigers.
Cornerback – Joey Porter Jr. (Penn State), Keelee Ringo (Georgia)
It’s a little surprising that Joey Porter didn’t hear his name called on night one, but no worries. He won’t have to sit too long before he winds up somewhere.
Kelee Rongo has been accused of being the owner of a stiff frame. Some believe he’ll have a difficult time hanging with shifter corners and will be resigned to being simply a bump-and-run corner, but he’s most certainly worthy of a second-round grade and selection.
Safety – Brian Branch (Alabama), Antonio Johnson (Texas A&M)
Brian Branch is available. So is Antonio Johnson. They may not slide to the Eagles at 62, but who knows? We didn’t think Smith would slide to 30, did we? Both of these young men have bright futures ahead.
Kicker – Jake Moody (Michigan), Andre Szmyt (Syracuse)
The Eagles are set with Jake Elliott, but we promised you the best players at every position. Jot down Jake Moody and Andre Szmyt’s names if you haven’t already.
Punter – Bryce Barringer (Michigan State), Adam Korsak (Rutgers)
From one specialist to another. Philly punter isn’t as solid as their field goal kicker. There’s really no nice way to put this, so we’ll just say what everyone else is thinking. The Eagles could cut Arryn Siposs tomorrow, sign one of these guys, and none of us would have reasons to complain.
