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Our pals over at Mocking the Draft have released their latest projection and for the first time this season it's 3 round long. So rather than take our usual look at the entire draft, I'm just going to focus on the Eagles for this one.
In the first round, we've got a pretty typical pick in CMU OT Eric Fisher.
The Eagles offensive line is largely dependent on Jason Peters, who is coming off another major injury. Eric Fisher has solidified his place in the top five picks, it's just a matter of which team will draft him. Teams could be looking to trade ahead of the Lions to secure Fisher, but ultimately, the Eagles could use the talent up front.
This is a guy we've heard about a billion times, we've debated thoroughly and at this point I think that there's a general consensus among Eagles fans that they would be happy with this pick.
Where things are likely to get more controversial is with the 2nd round. MTD has the Eagles grabbing Florida State QB E.J. Manuel.
E.J. Manuel isn't among my top five quarterbacks in this draft, but I don't make the picks. Manuel fits Chip Kelly's new offense and has upside. That may be enough for him to land at the top of the second round.
Obviously how you feel about E.J. Manuel is probably correlated pretty strongly to how much you like this pick. For me, I keep coming back to what Mike Mayock had to say. He doesn't love Manuel, but he said that if you're going to make a mistake or take a risk (as any QB in this class is) why not do it on a guy who has the prototypical size, athleticism and arm strength that you look for?
Plus, and I'm not saying Christian Ponder is proof of anything, but Manuel played in the same offense as Ponder in college and has outproduced him in ever category... And yet Ponder was the #12 overall pick and we're talking about taking Manuel at #35. Is that an argument for Manuel? Against? I don't really know. It is one against Christian Ponder though...
Finally, we move on to the 3rd round where the Eagles take LSU DT Bennie Logan. Here's a scouting report on the 6-2, 309 pounder.
The two-time All-State pick from Louisiana wasn't an elite defensive end prospect coming out, but he has maintained his athleticism while gaining 30-plus pounds to become a strong nose tackle prospect. His tackles stats aren't overwhelming as part of a strong LSU tackle rotation, but his leverage at the point of attack and short-area quickness give him the tools to succeed in the NFL. His frame and quickness suggests that he has untapped potential, but he needs to improve as a pass rusher.
So if these were the actual first 3 picks how would you feel? I suspect most of the reaction will center on whether you think Manuel is the guy worth taking at #35.