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The 2018 NFL Draft is less than three weeks away! Mock draft season is in full gear and there’s no shortage of opinion about who the Philadelphia Eagles could select with the No. 32 overall pick. Let’s take a look at which players the experts have the Eagles taking this week.
SB Nation (Dan Kadar) - Jaire Alexander, CB, Louisville
The Philadelphia secondary struggled some last season, including in the Super Bowl. Fortunately for them, this is a strong cornerback class, particularly in this range. Alexander may have only played in six games last season due to injury, but in 2016 looked like a top 20 lock.
ESPN Insider (Mel Kiper Jr.) - Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State
Zach Ertz and Goedert would form one of the best tight end duos in the league. Philadelphia could also try to beef up its defensive line here.
ESPN Insider (Todd McShay) - Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State
The Eagles have the luxury of drafting for value. This would be a great landing spot for Vander Esch, as Philadelphia could use his versatility.
NDT Scouting (Jonah Tuls) - Rashaan Evans, LB, Alabama
The Super Bowl champions do not have many holes on their roster, but one spot that needs to be upgraded or addressed is the linebacker position. Rashaan Evans can play MIKE or SAM in this scheme with his ability to rush and stack blocks. Evans’ power and physicality behind this fearsome front would be fun to watch.
The Ringer (Danny Kelly) - Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State
After losing tight end Trey Burton to free agency and releasing Brent Celek in a cap-savings move, one of the deepest spots on the Eagles roster has quickly turned into a need. Goedert is a dynamic pass-catching threat who could make a big impact for the defending champs right out the gate. He’s got size, speed, and soft hands, and paired with Zach Ertz could give Philly plenty of options in two-tight-end sets.
Pro Football Focus (Steve Palazzolo) - Donte Jackson, CB, LSU
The run on cornerbacks continues with Jackson, who has elite speed and quickness, making him an excellent fit in the slot. With Patrick Robinson moving on in free agency, Jackson can step into the vital slot cornerback role in the Eagles’ secondary, adding even more depth to a position that has gone from weakness to strength over the last two years.
NFL.com (Chad Reuter) - Dallas Goedert, TE, South Dakota State
Losing Trey Burton in free agency and releasing Brent Celek leave the Eagles without a couple key TEs from last season, but Goedert has great potential to be a difference maker -- especially in a situation where he’ll be working with Zach Ertz.
CBS Sports (Chris Trapasso) - Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA
In Lane Johnson, the Eagles have a tall, plus athlete at right tackle. They get a similar player in Miller to man the left tackle position after the Jason Peters era is over.
CBS Sports (Will Brinson) - Mike Gesicki, TE, Penn State
Local product, athletic freak who will create mismatches in the Eagles passing game and can replace Trey Burton on the depth chart. An explosive offense gets more dangerous.
CBS Sports (Pete Prisco) - Orlando Brown, OT, Oklahoma
BLG Note: Nice explanation here, Pete.
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CBS Sports (Ryan Wilson) - Justin Reid, S, Stanford
Malcolm Jenkins is entering his 10th NFL season and Reid could be groomed as his eventual replacement. These are good problems to have for the defending Super Bowl champs, who ranked No. 7 in pass defense last season.
DraftTek (Broz) - Maurice Hurst, DT, Michigan
Assuming Jason Peters returns as planned to man the Left Tackle position, most fans would be hard-pressed to name a true glaring hole on this 2018 Eagles’ roster. However, like any good chess player, GM Howie Roseman is always looking three moves ahead. With that in mind, O-Tackle is still the top “big-picture need”; however, I don’t think any of the tackles available at 32 will qualify as BPA. With the team likely to move on from safety Rodney McLeod after 2018, another play-making safety with slot CB skills could be in play for RD1. TE is a popular RD1 target these days, but unless the team plans on committing to a 2-TE base offense, this seems unlikely to me. TE is a need, but good ones can be found in RD4 this year. A 2-TE offense would likely come at the expense of slot WR Nelson Agholor’s snap count, which doesn’t make sense...unless the team doubts their ability to re-sign him in the near future (hmmm). D-Line is not really a need in 2018, but drafting one here is an acknowledgement of what the Eagles’ blueprint of success is: stellar QB play, and a D-Line that gets after it. The Eagles’ D was superb against the run in 2017 (1st overall), but ranked only 17th with 227 pass YPG allowed. Part of that was due to teams playing catch-up so often. Despite this, the team only ranked 16th with 38 sacks in 2017. The last time Philly had a player with double-digit sacks was in 2014 (Connor Barwin). DT Maurice Hurst has the kind of inside pass rush that drives opposing QBs crazy (not Jameis Winston-crazy, just normal-crazy). Even though he’s only 283 pounds, Hurst was much more than a pass-rushing DT in 2017. He finished the year with 56 tackles, and 13 TFL...a testament to his disruptive play. Hurst racked up five sacks in 2017...but it’s not hard imagining him doubling that number with Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham playing next to him in Philly.
NFL Draft Scout (Dane Brugler) - D.J. Moore, WR, Maryland
When you win the Super Bowl, you can draft luxury players in the first round. And that is what Moore would be in Philadelphia, providing a dynamic inside-outside threat.
NFL Draft Scout (Rob Rang) - Ronnie Harrison, S, Alabama
The Super Bowl champs boast one of the more complete rosters in the NFL but could use an intimidator in the back end. Harrison remains better against the run than the pass at this point, but he could be afforded a “redshirt” year with veterans Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod already in place in Philadelphia.
DraftWire (Luke Easterling) - Kolton Miller, OT, UCLA
Protecting Carson Wentz should be the top priority for the Super Bowl champs moving forward, especially with veteran Jason Peters coming off a season-ending injury and playing in the twilight of his career. Miller needs plenty of refinement, but he’s got the athleticism and talent to develop into a quality starter.
NJ.com (Zack Rosenblatt) - Justin Reid, S, Stanford
I’m not entirely convinced Roseman stays at No. 32 — he might look to secure more draft picks and trade out of the first round — but I also think he’ll at least wait to see what players fall to the last pick in the first round. If Reid is still available, he’s worth the pick. The Eagles don’t necessarily have any glaring needs, just depth concerns. Reid is talented enough to play right away as a reserve free safety behind Malcolm Jenkins. Reid would work both in terms of replacing Corey Graham from last year’s roster and becoming a piece to develop as an eventual replacement for Jenkins. Reid is 6-1, 204 pounds, ran a 4.4 second 40-yard dash and posted 94 tackles and five interceptions for Stanford in 2017.
SUMMARY
TE Dallas Goedert - 3
S Justin Reid - 2
OT Kolton Miller - 2
DT Maurice Hurst- 1
CB Jaire Alexander - 1
CB Donte Jackson - 1
OT Orlando Brown - 1
TE Mike Gesicki - 1
LB Leighton Vander Esch - 1
LB Rashaan Evans - 1
WR D.J. Moore - 1
S Ronnie Harrison - 1
TE - 4
S - 3
OT - 3
CB - 2
LB - 2
DT - 1
WR - 1
Offense - 8
Defense - 8
THOUGHTS
- There are 12 different players mocked to the Eagles this week.
- Tight end is the popular pick this week but I still have my doubts that’s the direction the Eagles go with their first pick at No. 32. Could be a different story if they trade down.
- I still think Justin Reid is the pick I’d bet on at No. 32. That or one of the corners who can play in the slot and return punts.
- I think the Eagles would ideally like to take an offensive tackle at No. 32 but I don’t think the right guys are going to be there. In this case, I don’t think Miller and Brown are the guys they want at No. 32.
- Charley Casserly had a mock where he projected the Eagles trading out of No. 32. He had the Browns moving up from No. 33 to get Sony Michel.
- Here’s a fun nugget about Maurice Hurst.
Maurice Hurst's dominance in 2017 was the best we've seen from an interior defender in four years of grading college football pic.twitter.com/gtRPp8An8j
— Pro Football Focus (@PFF) April 7, 2018
The group of Fletcher Cox, Tim Jernigan, Haloti Ngata, and Hurst would be one hell of a defensive tackle rotation.