Starting last week we round up the high profile mock drafts that are produced over the last week or so, looking at the players, positions and reasoning used by draft evaluators. Last week saw multiple mock drafts have the Eagles take Washington CB Sidney Jones. This week, no one could seem to agree on much.
Remember, mock drafts made this time of year are wildly inaccurate, we take these with a grain of salt and a bucket of laughs.
Steve Palazzolo - Pro Football Focus
Desmond King, CB, Iowa
Coming into the season, the Eagles’ roster looked solid in most areas other than cornerback and wide receiver and that’s exactly how things have played out. They need help at outside and King is a good fit after three straight years grading among the best cornerbacks in the country. He’s outstanding when playing zone as he can read route concepts and make plays on the ball and he’s a good fit for Philadelphia’s defensive scheme that plays a healthy variety of coverages. Over the last three seasons, opposing quarterbacks have a passer rating of just 49.8 when targeting King and he’s been one of the top-graded run defenders among cornerbacks, missing just 10 tackles on 192 attempts.
We pick up where we left off last week, with the Eagles being mocked a corner. It makes sense, as corners could go off the board fast this year with King, Jones, Florida’s Teez Tabor, USC’s Adoree’ Jackson, Clemson’s Cordrea Tankersley, Michigan’s Jourdan Lewis and Alabama’s Marlon Humphrey all seen, at this extremely early point in the draft process as first round or potential first round picks. A corner is a solid, defensible choice. As is Desmond King, who we profiled last month.
Dan Kadar SEC-only mock - SB Nation
Jarrad Davis, ILB, Florida
If one of the four cornerbacks slid, they would be the choice for Philadelphia. Instead, they could target a linebacker because Mychal Kendricks’ play has been uneven, and the Eagles could look to move on even though he’s in the middle of a four-year contract extension. If they do, a player like Davis is a nice fit. He’s a smart linebacker and a sure tackler.
Uh, no. Outside linebacker is a low priority draft need, and if there’s a middle linebacker that’s too good to turn down in the dusk of the draft, that’s fine. But the Eagles are not spending a 1st round pick on a linebacker. The next player off the board on this just-for-fun draft is Georgia RB Nick Chubb, who isn’t the best scheme fit but is a massively bigger need for the Eagles. This pick seems more like listing players in order of preference and then finding a way to make it work for the team. This won’t be the first time a mock draft has that feel.
Teez Tabor, CB, Florida
Tabor has terrific ball skills, with four interceptions, five pass breakups and a defensive TD in 11 games this season -- and that comes on the heels of a 2015 season in which he had four interceptions and 14 pass breakups. Tabor's natural anticipation skills would fill a big need for the Eagles.
Another corner! Last week three out of six mock drafters had the Eagles taking a corner, and here we have two more. With this one, we have Teez Tabor, and yes, that’s his name, he changed it from Jalen. Tabor is a playmaker on defense who seems to check all the boxes the Eagles like. We profiled him in September. And man, just for the jokes it would be fun to have Teez “Nuts” Tabor. Or maybe we’d call him “BOFA”.
Again, cornerback is a solid choice but as it stands now, is it the best use of a first round pick for the Eagles? Florida State RB Dalvin Cook was on the board here. In the PFF mock, Clemson WR Mike Williams was. As we just noted, Nick Chubb was in the SEC mock.
The Eagles are all but certain to add a veteran WR, either through free agency or trade, giving Carson Wentz a reliable target that doesn’t need to be developed, and lowering the draft priority for the position, allowing the team to take a corner in the 1st round. There’s even a plausible scenario where the Eagles sign two veteran wide receivers and go into the draft not needing one. But in December, that doesn’t move the needle in a mock draft. Get Carson Wentz a playmaker with that first pick. The Eagles need a ton of help on offense and these mock drafters aren’t giving him it.
Besides, at the rate these mock drafters are giving the Eagles, you can start to get confident that they’re all wrong and won’t draft one until the third day of the draft.
1st round - WR John Ross, Washington
2nd round - CB Desmond King, Iowa
Miller doesn’t give a write up for these picks but he makes up for it with a two round mock. Let’s dive in.
That’s more like it. Ross obviously makes sense for the Eagles, who are in desperate need for a playmaker at wide receiver. He’s a 5’11” burner with 17 touchdown receptions for the Huskies this year, and has four career kick return touchdowns as well. He’s drawn comparisons to DeSean Jackson and Brandin Cooks, which would fill a big void for the Eagles. Unless they sign DeSean Jackson.
Maybe they could have two DeSeans!
The 2nd round highlights just how varied opinions can be in the mock draft community. (#DraftTwitter.) Palazzolo had King going 16th overall, while Miller has him going 41st. Miller’s is the desirable mock here, as the Eagles get both King and Ross, so pro tip mock drafters: put in a second round for added value. As someone who has carved out a career evaluating draft prospects, Miller’s probably more right on King’s draft value than Palazzolo, who has not. However since this is December, chances are both are wrong. We’ll see!