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The realistic draft scenario if we Don't trade Ertz


I was thinking about our draft strategy and I thought what would I do if I'm Howie and I wasn't open to trading Ertz. Thus without further ado I give you my mock with no Ertz trade. Rule of thumb when trading down always get at least more in draft value.

At #21- I would trade down if I could. Hopefully a team like Baltimore or Seattle heavily covet Epenesa, Gross-Matos, Queen or Murray and are worried the Saints, Minnesota or New England will take them before those guys reach them.

Trade **In this ideal scenario Seattle values Epenesa or Gross-Matos highly after failing to resign Clowney. They trade #27+#64 (930 draft points) for #21 +#145 (833) draft points(+97 draft points). I know it seems like a hefty price but remember this draft is not loaded in top end defensive end prospects and Seattle's likely free agency target now Clowney is gone, is Everson Griffen, a 32 year old DE who will cost ~8-10 million/year and need 2 DEs. Both Epenesa and Gross-Matos make sense for them though I think they chose Epenesa in real life if he is available and Howie is willing to trade down.

At #27 - Jalen Raegor WR TCU - truth be told I almost thought of picking Brandon Aiyuk but I feel as though Howie would see a clone of a WR already on the roster and think I have found his replacement. Last year Howie found Alshon Jeffery's replacement, this year he finds Desean's. The kid is the word explosive personified. He plays much faster than the 4.4 he ran at the combine. He doesn't run good routes but honestly neither does Desean Jackson, his hands aren't the best but he can make spectacular catches, the biggest area I want to see him grow in is the ability to stack DBs when going deep, if he learns that from the master himself in Desean Jackson, he should be good for us. Make no mistake this kid will be going between 25-35 so its best we address this earlier than being too late.

At #53 -Damon Arnette After seeing an early run on DBs,OL and seeing Aiyuk and Hamler off the board in the second round we decide to draft the best DB on our board as Howie does not value LB as highly as he did in the past. I am not very high on this kid but he certainly has all the tools but is inconsistent on tape. Ideally we would somehow get AJ Terrell, Trevon Diggs, Jaylon Johnson, Noah Igbinoghene or Jeff Gladney but I think they all will be gone by this point. Hamler, Aiyuk and Shenault go before 52 in my opinion and mock simulation. He has quick feet but his worst aspect is short zone which the Eagles run little of. He draws comparisons to athletic CBs including Darius Slay.

At #64 - Curtis Weaver DE Boise State - He is a slow burn DE. He remind me a lot of a Brandon Graham type. His physical profile certainly does but he will need to gain more strength. He isn't overly bendy or explosive just like Graham but is a technician against both the run and pass. With the Eagles likely set to cut Graham post June 1 (cap reasons) they find an ideal 4-3 DE to replace him with. He likely won't give us 10+ sacks but should be good for ~7/ year. He plays the run well though I wish he could hold the edge better but again when he gains more strength he should be great there. In the mock draft, Miami had snagged Terrell Lewis at #56, which was the pick I wanted but I doubt Howie does given Lewis' injury history.

At #103- Antonio Gibson RB Memphis- I was surprised when both mock need and want converged. Gibson is the ideal back for us, he is big but fast with little hits on his body and has good hands to catch. He is going to get us home run hits but has a little agility to make someone miss. I know it feels a bit high for RB but I have him going around here. He along with AJ Dillion, Zach Moss and Lamical Perrine are my preferred backs we draft. He isn't going to offer much in pass pro but makes up for it with the ability in college to catch out of the backfield. His vision and decision making along with a loose handle on the ball are all worriesome ( but did not translate into fumbles in his limited reps) but I believe in Duce's ability to get the most out of our runners, just look how he got Sanders to hit holes he often missed earlier in the season.

#127- Jack Driscoll -OT/G Auburn - He is likely a OG in the NFL and is developmental but with the question of Kelce up in the air as well as the loss of Big V as our do it all OL 6th man we need to some good backup OL. I think he lacks the strength to play OT in the NFL currently but he does have some positional versatility and experience at OT. He lacks length and strength which hurts him but with a year or two of development I think he turns into either our backup swing Tackle as the kid really can move against pass rushers or if he gets strong enough, our G when Kelce retires.

#145 - Logan Wilson LB Wyoming - I love him as a LB who can play both as the ILB in 4-3 and nickel situations. He is smart, good in zone and has the mobility to play fast. He will struggle in man against TEs and WRs but luckily Schwartz does very little of that with his bigger LBs. He also is a tackling machine with good technique and offers ST ability.

#168 - Tanner Muse LB- Clemson - The kid is a bit undersized having to transition from safety but he really lacks the quickness to play S in the NFL. He has ideal length and speed. Think Nate Gerry. He has excellent coverage of TEs and is very smart. Him being 6'3 and 220 is a bit undersized but I think he will be the steal of the draft. If we he is still on the board here I wanna see an immediate pick. Likely starts off an a STs player for 1-2 years but is too good to stick on the STs forever. Given that it is the 5th round if we do find a high ceiling player like Muse, I wanna see him go here.

#190 - Shyheim Carter - S Alabama - He is a special teams S with upside. The former CB offers versatility to play nickel and S. He isn't a great athletic but makes up for it with good IQ. He likely won't make the roster if he doesn't offer more on ST but has upside as a ST/ depth S.

**Trade Eagles trade Rasul Douglas for #206 (6th round) -Douglas is on the trade block and apparently Jim Schwartz isn't a fan of his press man style where he jumps passes constantly but gets beat on double moves. He isn't that great but he presses as well as anyone, and given the Jags are replacing two starting CBs on defense without much cap space it makes sense for them to see what the former 3rd round pick with experience has. I mean he played Julio Jones pretty well twice despite little safety help and allowing just 1 TD on a screen pass none the less so there's something there but he also will get torched by faster WRs so for a 6th the Jags get to see (Jags have a few picks).

#206 - Luq Barcoo CB SD State- if you haven't heard by now, I am very high on this kid's upside. Physically he is very good and fits the profile of a Marcus Peters. I think he will be the steal of the draft if taken here. He is wiry and not overly physical. Not a great tackler but the young man can cover and has great instincts. He has a deep understanding of route concepts. He is only 170 pounds so he may take a year or two to develop but I like his upside enough that I draft a kid whose likely a 7th round pick-UDFA in most mock drafts. I personally love this kids ability to play off man and single coverage. He will need to show he can play ST to stick on the roster but his upside is high and I imagine he will be a CB in a game given our 2 previous years of injuries at DB.

So there you have it. Let me know what you think of the draft and ideas I had. Comment below on what you liked or didn't like.