NFL Mock Draft 2017: Mike Mayock reveals his Philadelphia Eagles pick

The great Mike Mayock has released his first and only mock draft on the eve of the 2017 NFL Draft. Here’s a look at who the Philadelphia native has the Eagles taking with the No. 14 overall pick.

Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams is a player who has been linked to the Eagles since the beginning of the draft process. It’s not hard to see why. The Eagles still have a big need at wide receiver.

The Eagles have also shown interest in Williams. They brought him in for a pre-draft visit and talked to him at the NFL Combine. He’s also one of eight wide receivers prospects the Eagles told Carson Wentz to study and report back on to them.

Personally, I don’t get the sense the Eagles will go with Williams. He might not be on the board when Philadelphia picks. There’s been some talk about him going as high as No. 5 to the Titans.

Williams has a similar skill-set to new Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery. I’m not saying that means the Eagles shouldn’t or wouldn’t take him, but in an ideal world they wouldn’t have so much redundancy at the position. Diversity would be nice.

BGN’s Ben Natan has Williams ranked as the fifth best receiver in this draft. BGN’s Jonny Page has him at No. 2.

For more on Williams, check out this scouting report.

This leap of faith is a reminder of Williams' NFL Comparison, Laquon Treadwell. Treadwell similarly had average college numbers, a serious injury in school and had a number of athletic red flags. However, Treadwell was a big bodied receiver who won with physicality and ball skills, a skill set that made many (myself included) love him as a prospect and got him drafted in the first round. However, he barely saw the field due to a bevy of reasons, including his inability to separate.

Mike Williams needs an aggressive quarterback to trust him with the ball in the air because he will not consistently create separation. Williams' ball skills and size can create a mismatch on the outside and in tight spaces, but it takes a very specific quarterback to exploit such ability. Luckily, Carson Wentz has shown he will trust his receivers in these tight spaces, but Williams' inconsistency will be familiarly frustrating for the offense.

For a look at Mayock’s full first round draft, click here. Some notable items:

• Mayock has the Eagles passing on Derek Barnett, Corey Davis, and Dalvin Cook.
• Mayock has future Eagle Charles Harris going to the Saints at No. 11.
• Adoree’ Jackson goes off the board at No. 18 in this mock. That’s a little surprising since he’s been considered a potential Eagles second round target.