NFL Draft Results: Eagles pick Cam Jurgens at No. 51

With the 51st pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select ... Cam Jurgens, center, Nebraska.

We had the Eagles taking Jurgens with their third-round pick at No. 83 in our final Eagles seven-round mock draft. Here’s what we wrote about him:

There’s a rumor out there that Jurgens won’t make it past the Eagles’ second-round pick. So, perhaps he won’t be making it close to No. 83. But, hey, he did in my simulation so take it up with The Draft Network.

Though undersized, Jurgens has long arms (78th percentile) and big hands (62nd percentile). Plus, he’s very athletic.

Drafting Jurgens gives the Eagles a potential successor to Jason Kelce and allows Landon Dickerson to stay at guard. There’s long been thought that Isaac Seumalo would move to the pivot after Kelce leaves ... but Ike is a free agent after this season and he’s only been available for 12 out of 38 possible games over the past two seasons. Seumalo might be an underrated trade candidate considering the Birds could clear $5.65 million with a post-June 1 trade.

The Eagles wanting to invest in an eventual Kelce replacement is understandable. But was Jurgens, who doesn’t offer position versatility, really the best available player on the board? Could the Eagles have hoped to rely on Jeff Stoutland doing more with less as opposed to using another premium resource on an offensive lineman?

Barring an injury to Kelce (God forbid), Jurgens does not figure to contribute in 2022. He could be the top backup option at center and could be a starter as soon as 2023 if Kelce finally retires.

Here’s a scouting report via NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:

Center prospect with a lack of desired measurables and position versatility that could cap his draft value. Jurgens is quick with above-average athleticism but needs to harness his energy and play with better control in the early stages of the rep to improve his strike zone and success rate. He’s a bit of a leaner in pass protection and could struggle to find his anchor against rugged bull rushers. He can play in a variety of run schemes and has backup talent.

More insight from our friends over at Corn Nation:

Cam Jurgens has come a long way as a center prospect but at this point he is more tools than a finished product. Jurgens has some more development to do with his hand usage and blitz awareness but based on his history, that should come in time. While Jurgens could play in multiple schemes he projects to fit best in a zone blocking scheme that can use his athleticism and minimize some of his size and strength concerns. Look for Jurgens to go somewhere on Day 2 and if he continues to develop he has the potential to be a Pro Bowl center.

Spider graph via Mockdraftable:

Highlights:

Grade the pick

Remaining Eagles draft picks

1 (13) - DT Jordan Davis

2 (51) - C Cam Jurgens

3 (83)

5 (154)

7 (237)

Remaining Eagles needs

Cornerback

Linebacker

Safety

Defensive end

Odds

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