Mock draft round up: The Eagles take the next T.O.?

As we will do every week until the draft, let’s take a spin around the league and see who people are mocking to the Eagles in the draft. Once again, take these with a grain of salt because it’s the very beginning of the offseason. There are teams with no coach or GM, so projecting what they’ll want is just guess work or shoehorning in a player that the mock drafter likes, which will effect who is available for the Eagles.

Matt Miller - Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan

The best route-runner in the class happens to be built like Terrell Owens. That's a combination the Philadelphia Eagles need after watching Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor struggle to get open or consistently pull in passes for Carson Wentz.

Davis is a freak. Don't let his level of competition fool you. His ability to break off routes and dice up defenses with his feet is among the most impressive things you'll see in college football this season. But he combines that fancy footwork with a powerful physique and the playmaker mentality needed to spark the Eagles offense.

There will be time to draft cornerbacks and get help at running back. Passing on Davis is something Howie Roseman can't do.

A Terrell Owens comparison? Where have I seen that before? Oh that’s right, here on BGN:

There is a part of me that wants to go very, very bold and say that I can’t help but think of TO when I watch Corey Davis. The way he wins all over the field, his savvy and smooth movement for such a big receiver and the way he fights to make a play at every opportunity is astounding.

Rob Rang - Corey Davis

Despite plenty of draft picks invested in the position, the Eagles lack a go-to target in the passing game to aid the development of Carson Wentz . Starring in the MAC rather than a Power 5 conference, Davis does not earn the attention he deserves but he's a polished route-runner with an ideal combination of size (6-3, 213) with 4.4 speed.

With months until the draft, the only real question with Davis is will he still be on the board for the Eagles to take him?

Chris Burke - Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State

Cornerback? Sure. Wide receiver? Of course. Offensive tackle? Maybe. The Eagles have ample pressing needs, as of Jan. 3. But running back should be on that list, too. And here, they get what may be the best skill-position player in this class. Cook’s Orange Bowl provided a perfect Cliff’s Notes on his game: He’ll take a few negative plays, but he can explode through the smallest of holes for game-changing gains, be it via run or pass.

We’ve seen that the Eagles can get the offense going by running early and often, and an every down runner/receiver would take the offense to another level towards competency.

Dan Kadar - Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama

The Eagles have gone years without drafting a highly rated cornerback, and the lack of secondary talent really shows. They could get their pick of cover men, and Humphrey is arguably the best.

Corner is a draft need for the Eagles, who as Kadar says have not drafted a starting corner in years. But this is a deep draft for CBs and both Corey Davis and Washington speedster Jonathan Ross were on the board for the Eagles. The depth of talent at CB makes itself clear in the second round where Kadar has the Eagles taking USC WR JuJu Smith-Shuster, while Iowa CB Desmond King, Clemson CB Cordera Tankersley and USC CB Adoree Jackson were all on the board. There’s always exceptions to the rules but a Bama DB and a USC WR have not been good picks in recent memory. Davis or Ross in round 1 and then a CB in round 2 would be better for the Eagles.

Jimmy Kempski - Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee

As we noted a month ago, Connor Barwin will count for $8,350,000 against the cap in 2017, $7,750,000 of which the Eagles can save if they cut or trade him, which feels like a no-brainer. The Eagles will need to add to their edge rusher stable, which should probably be a priority anyway, even at times when it's a position of strength.

In Jim Schwartz's scheme, if the front four cannot create pressure without the help of blitzing, the rest of the defense suffers greatly. Here they would add a player who has proven he can get to the quarterback.

The Eagles pass rush needs help, and Barnett has himself a damn good resume:

With this being an Eagles only mock draft, we don’t know who was on the board. If the top WRs are off the board, and with a deep pool of CBs and RBs, taking a DE has logic behind it. But at this stage in the mock draft process, a skill position player is more fun.