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ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has dropped his 4th mock draft of the season on us and this one will be a doozy for Eagles fans. With the #4 overall pick he's got them taking West Virginia QB Geno Smith.
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"There are two realities the Eagles must face in evaluating their future at quarterback," wrote Kiper. "One is that Michael Vick, while an intriguing fit under Chip Kelly, isn't a long-term solution, even if we're optimistic. Two, there's no such thing as a useful free-agent market of starting quarterbacks in this league. If you have a great quarterback, or even a pretty good one, you're going to lock him up. In drafting Smith, the Eagles are in a good position to develop an athletic, talented thrower to succeed specifically in Kelly's offense, but without the requirement that he must start from day one. I don't like the idea of Smith as a Week 1 starter in 2013 -- but for a roster that's already in a good position to compete this season, he could be a great fit for the franchise in 2014, and most importantly, a great fit for the coach."
The Eagles traveled to WV for a private workout with Geno Smith and also hosted him for a visit here in Philadelphia yesterday. They're clearly very interested in the QB or want people to think they are...
Mel actually did a two round mock this time and had the Eagles snagging Florida St. OT Menelik Watson with the 35th overall pick.
For full explanations of all of Mel's picks, check out ESPN Insider.
| Pick | Team | Player |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kansas City Chiefs | Luke Joeckel, OT, Texas A&M |
| 2 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Ezekiel Ansah, DE, BYU |
| 3 | Oakland Raiders | Sharrif Floyd, DT, Florida |
| 4 | Philadelphia Eagles | Geno Smith, QB, West Virginia |
| 5 | Detroit Lions | Dee Milliner, CB, Alabama |
| 6 | Cleveland Browns | Dion Jordan, OLB/DE, Oregon |
| 7 | Arizona Cardinals | Eric Fisher, OT, Central Michigan |
| 8 | Buffalo Bills | Johnathan Cooper, OG, North Carolina |
| 9 | New York Jets | Barkevious Mingo, OLB/DE, LSU |
| 10 | Tennessee Titans | Chance Warmack, G, Alabama |
| 11 | San Diego Chargers | Lane Johnson, LT, Oklahoma |
| 12 | Miami Dolphins | D.J. Fluker, OT, Alabama |
| 13 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah |
| 14 | Carolina Panthers | Sheldon Richardson, DT, Missouri |
| 15 | New Orleans Saints | Jarvis Jones, OLB, Georgia |
| 16 | St. Louis Rams | Tavon Austin, WR, West Virginia |
| 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Tyler Eifert, TE, Notre Dame |
| 18 | Dallas Cowboys | Sylvester Williams, DT, North Carolina |
| 19 | New York Giants | Desmond Trufant, CB, Washington |
| 20 | Chicago Bears | Manti Te'o, MLB, Notre Dame |
| 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | Alec Ogletree, LB, Georgia |
| 22 | St. Louis Rams (from WAS) | Kenny Vaccaro, S, Texas |
| 23 | Minnesota Vikings | Cordarrelle Patterson, WR, Tennessee |
| 24 | Indianapolis Colts | Xavier Rhodes, CB, Florida State |
| 25 | Minnesota Vikings (from SEA) | Kevin Minter, LB, LSU |
| 26 | Green Bay Packers | Eddie Lacy, RB, Alabama |
| 27 | Houston Texans | Robert Woods, WR, USC |
| 28 | Denver Broncos | D.J. Hayden, CB, Denver Broncos |
| 29 | New England Patriots | Justin Hunter, WR, Tennessee |
| 30 | Atlanta Falcons | Kyle Long, OL, Oregon |
| 31 | San Francisco 49ers | Margus Hunt, DT, SMU |
| 32 | Baltimore Ravens | Johnathan Cyprien, S, Florida Int'l |