NFL Mock Draft 2017: Eagles pick Charles Harris at No. 14

There are only 10 DAYS until the 2017 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 27! Just a little over one week to go. Until then, let’s carry on with our weekly Mock Draft Monday series.

Last week’s SB Nation mock draft had the Eagles landing Christian McCaffrey in the first round and Adoree’ Jackson in the second. This week’s mock has McCaffrey going off the board at No. 8, so the Eagles’ pick has changed. Dan Kadar has the Birds going with Mike Williams.

14. Philadelphia Eagles: Mike Williams, WR, Clemson

If Williams is there, the Eagles have to strike and come back on positions like cornerback and linebacker later in the draft.

Kadar has the Eagles notably passing on Corey Davis, John Ross, Reuben Foster, Gareon Conley, Kevin King, and Marlon Humphrey.

I wouldn’t say it’s impossible the Eagles would draft a wide receiver in the first, but as I’ve said before I don’t expect the pick to be Williams. Maybe I’m wrong but here’s how I feel.

My stance all along is that Williams is a nice player, but I’m not crazy about him for the Eagles. His jump ball skills are a little redundant now that the Eagles have Alshon Jeffery. It might not be the worst idea in the world to have two players with that ability, but I’d rather the Eagles focus on a receiver who brings a different skill set.

Williams has already been talked about a lot, so now I want to take a look at a mock draft that has the Eagles going in an unexpected direction. Rotoworld’s Josh Norris has the Eagles going with a pass rusher at No. 14: Charles Harris.

The Eagles could absolutely take a similar approach to the Panthers last season in terms of multiple corners after round one. Harris will be a top 15 selection and greatly improved his athletic testing at the school’s pro day.

A lot of people might say this is a crazy projection, but I’m not so sure it’s unfounded. The Eagles reportedly put Harris through a private workout recently. Philadelphia has been rumored to take a defensive end in the first round and he could be their guy. Many believe Harris would be a perfect fit for Jim Schwartz’s defense. Howie Roseman has repeatedly stressed that the Eagles want to build through the trenches. Pass rushers are premium players.

But is Harris really worth the No. 14 pick? If you’re basing your opinion off most mock drafts and media rankings, then probably not. But there’s an indication NFL teams value Harris more highly than those projections. Two teams reportedly have Harris in their top 10. Perhaps the Eagles are one of those two teams.

One of the biggest concerns about Harris is his limited athleticism. Check out how poorly he tested at the 2017 NFL Combine.

He reportedly improved on some of those numbers at his pro day, however.

Harris ran a 4.82-second 40-yard dash and did 21 bench-press reps at the NFL Combine last month.

He didn’t perform either drill at Pro Day, but Harris improved his vertical 5 1/2 inches to 37 1/2 and added nine inches to his broad jump with a leap of 9-feet-10.

Would Harris really be a crazy pick? You can make the determination for yourself after watching his tape (via Draft Breakdown). Also find his highlights video below.