NFL Mock Draft 2018: Eagles take cornerback in the first round

There are only TEN days until the 2018 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 26. Less than two weeks to go! Until the big day gets here, we’re going to kill some time with our weekly Mock Draft Monday series. (For more mock draft madness, check out Saturday’s roundup.)

SB Nation’s Dan Kadar had the Eagles trading out of the first round last week. This week he has them staying put to draft a cornerback over the likes of Derrius Guice, Connor Williams, and others.

32. Philadelphia Eagles: Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville

Philadelphia lost Patrick Robinson in free agency, and could add a player similar to him in Alexander. Although he missed some time last season due to injury, Alexander has first-round talent. He’s good at making a play on the ball, and shows good body control to go up and make a play.

I’ve already written about why taking a slot corner who can also return punts makes sense for the Eagles at No. 32. I even made the case on SportsRadio 94WIP.

The short of is the Eagles would be filling two needs at once. It also seems to line up with the right value of who’s left on the board at that spot. I’ve done a number of mock simulations where I don’t love a lot of the options at No. 32 outside of someone like Alexander, Donte Jackson, or Mike Hughes.

BGN’s Michael Kist also had the Eagles taking Alexander in his seven-round Eagles-only mock draft last week.

The internal debate here, based on who was available, was between the play-making Alexander and the mauler OT Tyrell Crosby from Oregon. I would applaud the addition of Crosby, as it addresses a long-term need.

I’ve pounded the table for over a year about the need for a solution at tackle, as I don’t believe Halapoulivaati Vaitai is anything more than a depth piece and a spot starter. Tackle is also higher in regard to positional value, but when you consider the wide gap on my board between Alexander and any other available prospect, combined with the immediate need to upgrade nickel, Alexander is a slam dunk.

For what it’s worth, Alexander is a top 10 player on the big boards of both Kist and Benjamin Solak. The latter has him as high as No. 5 overall.

More mock draft madness is coming your way on BGN this week. My pick in the annual SB Nation NFL Writer’s Mock Draft will be revealed on Friday, April 20. (I know you just can’t wait for that.) Then next Monday we’ll have the final pick in the BGN Community Mock Draft. The Eagles have the final pick because they won the Super Bowl, in case you missed it.