Mel Kiper 2012 NFL Mock Draft: Philadelphia Eagles Take DT Fletcher Cox

In his second mock draft of the 2012 NFL draft season, ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper has the Philadelphia Eagles taking Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox with 15th overall pick in the first round. 

Most mock drafts have seen the Eagles address their need at linebacker by selecting a player such as Luke Kuechly (Boston College), Dont'a Hightower (Alabama) or Vontaze Burfict (Arizona State). 

Nevertheless, Kiper had this to say about the Eagles drafting Cox:

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No team was softer up the middle than Philly in 2011, and while linebacker is a bigger need, it wouldn't be a very good value here if the board lines up like this. In Cox, you get a player who should be great in the 3-4, a powerful bull-rusher who can collapse the pocket, but also a guy who does a good job against the run and plays with a really high motor. I have wide receiver as another potential need, but the Philly defense needs to be a bigger priority in the draft. The Eagles can target a linebacker in the next round.

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Kiper throws a curveball in his mock with the Kansas City Chiefs taking Kuechly at No. 11. From there, Kiper doesn't have another inside linebacker or 4-3 outside linebacker in his Top 25 prospects, which, as he says, hurts the value of taking a linebacker at No. 15.

In fact, Kiper doesn't have another 4-3 linebacker going in the first round. Kuechly is the only one.

However, instead of focusing on the Eagles' need at linebacker, let's take a look at how they stack up on the interior of the defensive line.

Philadelphia spent a chunk of change on signing Packers defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins last offseason. He played well on 652 snaps. Overall, the depth at defensive tackle is one of the strong points on the Eagles defense.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Eagles had four players—Jenkins, Mike Patterson, Derek Landri and Trevor Laws—who played at least 300 snaps at defensive tackle and finished with positive grades.

However, there's also the "Giants Effect" which is in play these days, which says that you can never have enough pass-rushers—both at defensive end and tackle—to combat the NFL's myriad of high-powered offenses.

Throughout their six-game run to a Super Bowl XLVI win, the Giants rotated in several talented defensive lineman to help create consistent pass rush. They beat up Tony Romo, Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, Alex Smith and Tom Brady during that stretch. 

Back to Cox. National Football Post has a high grade on the Mississippi State defensive tackle, but likes him more as a 3-4 prospect.

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I think his best spot might be as a 34 five technique who is able to penetrate and make plays off the ball. He's raw and needs to learn to play with his pad level lower. However, as a potential five technique he's a guy who has the skill set to earn a starting role.

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It should be interesting to see how this draft plays out for the Eagles. They need an impact linebacker in the worst way, and there's still a high possibility that Kuechly falls to them at No. 15.

However, if a linebacker wasn't there for Philadelphia, adding another effective pass-rusher is never a wrong way to go. There are other needs, but the Eagles have options. 

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