2017 NFL Mock Draft: Eagles pass up on cornerbacks to take a wide receiver

There are only 65 days until the 2017 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 27. We're going to kill some time with our weekly Mock Draft Monday series from now until then.

Last week, SB Nation’s Dan Kadar gave the Eagles a wide receiver in the first round: Western Michigan’s Corey Davis. This week Kadar is mocking a different receiver to the Eagles.

14. Philadelphia Eagles (via Minnesota Vikings): Mike Williams, WR, Clemson

The Eagles have managed to stockpile a bunch of average wide receivers who have suspect hands. They can finally get a No. 1 receiver in this draft by taking Williams.

By this point it’s clear Davis and Williams are two popular mock picks for the Eagles. ESPN’s Mel Kiper also recently had the Eagles taking Williams in the first round.

Kadar’s mock has the Eagles passing on Davis in favor of Williams in this mock. As I’ve stated before, I’m partial to Davis, but I like both players.

For more on Williams, check out BGN’s scouting report on him.

So it is far from being all bad with Williams. Quite the opposite actually. It is easy to see why Williams is highly regarded because he has a propensity to make really impressive, big plays. He is a highly physical player who will fight to make the play on a down to down basis. However looking at the various red flags make me hesitant about anointing him as a blue chip wide receiver.

There is a massive caveat in all of this, however, and it goes both ways. There is a possibility that Williams' play was affected by the fact that he was returning from such a serious injury. It takes time to physically and mentally recuperate from such things and that could explain Williams' shortcomings. However, there is very few ways that this can be proven and also dictate whether or not he will improve from this state. The NFL combine will be a big stage for Williams to show he is at least a mid tier NFL athlete, which will assuage a lot of my worries about him.

So, what do you think of this week’s pick? Are you OK with the Eagles passing up on cornerbacks in the first round?