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The 2015 NFL Draft is only days away! Mock draft season is in peak form and there's no shortage of opinion as to who the Eagles will be picking in the first round. With that said, let's take a look at what the experts are saying one last time before the big event starts on Thursday.
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2015 NFL Mock Drafts
FanSpeak (Custom) - Vic Beasley, OLB, Clemson
It's possible a good pass rusher falls to No. 20, but I doubt it would be Beasley.
SB Nation (Dan Kadar) - Landon Collins, S, Alabama
A week from now, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see a cornerback overtake Collins. As it is, the Alabama safety – the draft’s best safety by a wide margin – is the choice. With Nate Allen departing in free agency, there’s a need Collins could fill.
ESPN In$ider (Kiper-McShay) - Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
I think the coachability concerns are more muted at this point and I want to give Chip Kelly a cornerback he really needs and believe he'll make it work. Peters can be a turnover-maker in the secondary. This is a clear need area as well.
ESPN In$ider (Todd McShay) - Landon Collins, S, Alabama
The Eagles could go with a wide receiver here, possibly one with size like Jaelen Strong. But Collins is a good value at this point in the draft and fills a need at strong safety by replacing Nate Allen opposite free safety Malcolm Jenkins. Collins is built like a weakside outside linebacker and is very good against the run, while athletic enough to hold up in coverage for the most part. As I mentioned in the Titans' section, I'm not ready to rule out the possibility of the Eagles making a move up the board to draft Mariota. The cost might prove too much, but the fit between player, coach and scheme would be perfect.
NBC (Josh Norris) - Donovan Smith, OT, Penn State
The more I'm hearing, the more he is going to be a top 50 selection. Chip Kelly really doesn't care about value. He doesn't care if a guy is being listed in the first round. He wants somebody to fit his scheme. And Donovan Smith, while I don't think he's a top 50 talent in this draft, kind of checks all the boxes here for what Kelly is looking for.
Birds 24/7 (Sheil Kapadia) - Byron Jones, CB, UConn
Byron Jones. He has upside, fills a need and has been a productive player. The offensive line options were intriguing, but those holes will be easier to fill in later rounds. Perriman is intriguing, but the wide receiver class is deep. And I couldn't bring myself to taking a defensive lineman.
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LA Times (Jeff McLane) - Byron Jones, CB, UConn
Jones is an athletic press corner who should start from Day 1. He could be a fit to play opposite the newly acquired Byron Maxwell.
CSN Philly (Geoff Mosher) - Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
Johnson is the safest cornerback prospect in the draft behind Trae Waynes. He satisfies almost all of Chip Kelly’s criteria — smart, lengthy, athletic, instinctive and specializes in man coverage. Marcus Peters probably has more upside but Johnson is the safer pick. Johnson can step in right away and play the spot opposite Byron Maxwell, giving the Eagles a complete turnaround from the Cary Williams-Bradley Fletcher tandem of the past two seasons. Kelly has Walter Thurmond in the slot and could use Brandon Boykin as potential trade bait. If not Johnson, look for an offensive lineman here.
NJ.com (Eliot Shorr-Parks) - Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon - Eagles trade up to No. 3
The Jaguars have no need for Rivers, which puts the Eagles in the driver seat to get their quarterback. The Eagles trade No. 20, No. 19 (acquired in a trade for Sam Bradford), Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks, a move that hurts their defense, but finally gets Kelly his quarterback.
CBS Sports (Rob Rang) - La'el Collins, OT, LSU
Drafting an offensive lineman after a tumultuous offseason might seem like a letdown for some Eagles fans, but Collins' combination of underrated athleticism, power and tenacity could make him a surprising fit in Philadelphia. At this point in the draft, he would also provide exceptional value.
CBS Sports (Dane Brugler) - Byron Jones, CB, UConn
Connecting the pro day dots, Chip Kelly has paid close attention to big, athletic defensive back prospects this spring. Eric Rowe is in the conversation, but Jones is the better fit and should surprise no one if he's drafted this high.
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) - Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
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Philly has to improve its secondary and Johnson is a player who can cover. He isn't big, but could excel in man coverage.
CBS Sports (Will Brinson) - Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon - Trade up to No. 2
Chip gets his guy through some fancy draft-day finagling. It theoretically does cost him a lot in this draft if he has to pay an expediency tax to the Browns and Titans, but the thinking here is he loves Mariota enough to push hard once draft day rolls around.
SI.com (Doug Farrar) - Marcus Peters, CB, Washington
Byron Maxwell certainly was paid like a No. 1 cornerback—the former Seahawk got $63 million with $25 million guaranteed to bolster Philly's anemic secondary. Even if Maxwell lives up to that deal, he'll need a bookend, and the Eagles are trying to find the right fit. Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher are gone, Brandon Boykin is a slot corner, and guys like E.J. Biggers and Walter Thurmond probably aren't going to get the job done. Peters may very well be the best cornerback in this draft class, and he'd most likely be a top-15 pick were it not for the issues with Washington's coaching staff that got him kicked off the team in 2014. Peters then went back to Oakland, thought it all through, apologized to his former coaches and was invited to participate in Washington's pro day. That put a lot of concerns to rest and pushed the focus back to Peters's game tape—which, for any team looking to add an aggressive press cornerback to its roster, should be sufficiently impressive.
NFL.com (Daniel Jeremiah) - Breshad Perriman, WR, UCF
Perriman is one of the most polarizing players in the draft.
NFL.com (Lance Zierlein) - Phillip Dorsett, WR, Miami
Dorsett might be the toughest player to account for in space in this entire draft and Chip Kelly understands how to create space for his weapons.
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Summary:
CB Byron Jones (3)
QB Marcus Mariota (2)
CB Marcus Peters (2)
CB Kevin Johnson (2)
S Landon Collins (2)
OT Donovan Smith (1)
OT La'el Collins (1)
WR Breshad Perriman (1)
OLB Vic Beasley (1)
WR Phillip Dorsett (1)
CB - 7
QB - 2
S - 2
OT - 2
WR - 2
OLB - 1
Offense: 6
Defense: 10