Eagles Draft Needs: Where Does Philadelphia Need Help Most?

For a back-to-back 10-win team in the NFL, the Philadelphia Eagles sure need a lot of help. The question is, where do they need it most?

Soon enough, all eyes will turn to the draft, as the Eagles look to improve from a merely good team to a legitimate championship contender. Sure, there's free agency, too, but all the truly great teams are built through the selection process.

Where should the Eagles' focus be? It's a tricky question because teams should never get too caught up in drafting for need. At the same time, you can't ignore where your holes are, either. Otherwise, how will they ever get filled?

Ahead, we break down Philadelphia's biggest needs one by one, with some suggestions of who could address them and when the team should address them.

1. Cornerback

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There isn't a lot of room for debate over the club's biggest need. Philadelphia's defense has finished 32nd and 31st against the pass in consecutive years, and it all starts with the cornerbacks.

Bradley Fletcher was finally replaced in Week 16 after a brutal campaign and is a free agent to boot. Cary Williams isn't worlds better and is a potential cap casualty this offseason. Even Brandon Boykin, while a quality slot corner, could depart for a larger role elsewhere by 2016.

The Eagles did use a fourth-round pick on Jaylen Watkins in last year's draft, but he basically redshirted in '14, so there's no telling what the team has there.

Clearly, the Eagles need what essentially amounts to a complete overhaul at the position. A good start would be Michigan State's Trae Waynes, the consensus top cornerback in the draft. Based on current projections, Waynes should be in reach for the Birds either at No. 20 or through a short trip up the board.

Although, it probably wouldn't be bad if they came away with more than one corner in this draft.

2. Safety

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Philadelphia's issues against the pass don't end at cornerback. The Eagles allowed three more completions of 40 yards or more than any other team in the NFL last season, and while some of that falls on the cover men, the safeties were responsible for a lot of the big plays over the top.

In particular, Nate Allen had a rough year. The fifth-year safety was playing a lot of center field for the team but simply made too many poor decisions and continuously showed a lack of instincts for that role. Allen is also a free agent again this year and seemingly unlikely to be retained.

Malcolm Jenkins is fine in the other safety spot, but as far as replacing Allen, a clear-cut favorite is not on the roster.

The Eagles are preferably looking for a safety with some size who's used to playing in space rather than down in the box. Cody Prewitt out of Ole Miss or Virginia's Anthony Harris seem like fits that could be available in the second round. The All-Americans have good size, and each showed tremendous ball skills at their respective schools, something the Eagles could desperately use.

3. Offensive Line

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On paper, Philly's offensive line is one of the best in the NFL. However, three starters are well into their 30s now, and for the second time in three years, the unit was decimated by injuries, suggesting the group isn't reliable.

Not only will starters increasingly need to be replaced, but there simply wasn't a lot of depth available as players were going down with injuries. This stifled the team's ground attack and made life miserable for Nick Foles in the pocket, who was eventually injured playing behind the patchwork line.

In particular, the Eagles need to focus on offensive guard, where both Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans are in their 30s and missed time last season.

A good place to start looking would be Florida State, which has two guards entering the draft. Josue Matias and Tre Jackson helped pave the way for a national championship and a playoff appearance for the Seminoles and should be NFL-ready quickly. Keep an eye on Arie Kouandjio and Lee Brown out of Alabama as well, where Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland was formerly employed.

4. Interior Linebacker

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Mychal Kendricks appears to be one of the Eagles' building blocks of the future, but DeMeco Ryans' time may be running short. Ryans will be 31 this year, is coming off a second Achilles injury, has one year remaining on his contract and was a questionable fit as an every-down linebacker in a 3-4 defense to begin with.

Ryans may be back this year, but the Eagles should at least be considering life after the two-time Pro Bowler. Unfortunately, there isn't much on the roster behind him.

Regardless, this probably isn't such an amazing need for Philadelphia that it couldn't wait until the middle of the draft. Sure, if Mississippi State's Benardrick McKinney falls to No. 20, the Eagles have to consider that as he could be a true game-changer in the middle of the defense. Otherwise, it can probably wait until late in Day 2 or even Day 3.

5. Outside Linebacker

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It's hard to say at this point how big a need outside linebacker is exactly.

Trent Cole seems a likely cap casualty but has expressed a desire to stay, so it's possible he returns on a restructured contract. Brandon Graham is a free agent, and the sides haven't been able to come to terms yet, but it would make sense for the Eagles to bring him back. And while they can't rely on him after he barely sniffed the field in 2014, don’t write off Marcus Smith just yet, the team's first-round draft pick last year.

That being said, Cole and Graham could both be gone, and who knows about Smith. And besides, as the old saying goes, you can never have too many players who can rush the passer.

Don't be surprised if Chip Kelly goes with familiarity here after the mishap with Smith. Tony Washington out of Oregon is an interesting prospect later on that won't force the Eagles to over-invest in one position. No doubt, the Birds will also add a free agent, especially if Cole and/or Graham depart.

6. Quarterback

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Some would put quarterback higher on the list. And regardless of what you think of Nick Foles—I happen to think somewhat highly—there is a case to be made signal-caller is still a need.

The reality is Foles is a bit of an enigma at this point, and if nothing else, the team lacks of proven backup with Mark Sanchez heading back to free agency. It would not be unwise to develop a potential alternative to Foles or, at the very least, a competent understudy.

Other than Foles, there are two more reasons why quarterback is so far down the list. First and foremost, just look at the laundry list of needs we've already been through. Without fixing the defense and offensive line, it really doesn't matter who's under center. And No. 2, there is such a dearth of talent at quarterback in this year's draft, there's no guarantee the Eagles could do better than Foles.

If the Eagles can get a Bryce Petty-type in the fourth round, so be it—although you can almost see the Baylor product's stock on the rise due to the lack of prospects at the position. But reaching on somebody like UCLA's Brett Hundley in the first round would be a mistake.

Foles is almost certainly back next season, so he might as well get another year to prove himself. Then, after other positions have been addressed, hopefully it will be a deeper quarterback class if the Eagles are still searching for a passer.