Ranking Philadelphia Eagles' Biggest Needs to Address in the 2015 Draft
Just over one week remains until the much-anticipated 2015 NFL draft, and no one can predict what Chip Kelly will do. In his first offseason with full control over all player personnel decisions, Kelly has abruptly and methodically transitioned the Philadelphia Eagles into a roster full of 53 men who best fit his exact preferences.
Gone are Pro Bowl talents Nick Foles, LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin, and All-Pro guard Evan Mathis is still reportedly on the trade block, according to NFL Media's Ian Rapoport. In their place are a pair of former Oklahoma Sooners in Sam Bradford and DeMarco Murray, while the receiver position really hasn’t been upgraded since Maclin departed for Kansas City.
Kelly has made some splashes—he added a highly talented young inside linebacker in Kiko Alonso (via trade) and broke the bank for a tall, long cornerback in Byron Maxwell (6'1"). And in giving up a second-round draft pick for Bradford, Kelly either plans to flip Bradford for Marcus Mariota or else he really sees something in the former No. 1 overall draft pick who can’t stay healthy.
Even with the upgrades, there are still some serious holes on this Eagles roster. Considering the remaining free-agent class consists largely of 30-year-old veterans and former sixth-round picks, Kelly will need to address some needs in the NFL draft. He won’t be able to fix every underwhelming position, but he can take some serious strides in putting forth the best Eagles team in 2015.
If Kelly does trade for Mariota—subsequently surrendering a key defensive player and/or some pivotal draft picks—he will have to make the most of his remaining draft selections to upgrade the roster. Here are the six positions that he will need to focus on the most.
1. Safety
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The Philadelphia Eagles have one good safety in Malcolm Jenkins, a free agent from last year’s class who had a solid season in his first campaign with the franchise.
But they can’t possibly enter 2015 without upgrading the other safety spot. If the season started now, the Eagles would have to go with a rotation of Earl Wolff, Jerome Couplin, Ed Reynolds, Jaylen Watkins, Chris Maragos or Chris Prosinski. There are some solid special teams players in that group and decent depth pieces, but none of them has proved to be a viable starter at the NFL level.
Unfortunately, it’s an awful safety class. Alabama’s Landon Collins is the consensus top safety in the draft, and he doesn’t seem to be Chip Kelly's or defensive coordinator Billy Davis’ type. While Collins can cover, he’s more of a traditional in-the-box safety and a run-stopper than the cover kind the Eagles prefer.
So if the team doesn’t take Collins, Kelly will have to be creative with the position. He may need to take a cornerback like Byron Jones or Eric Rowe, one whom he can attempt to convert to safety. Or Kelly will have to take a mid-round prospect and try to groom him into an eventual starter at the position.
Possible candidates who fit the Kelly/Davis mold include Arizona State’s Damarious Randall, Penn State’s Adrian Amos, Samford’s Jaquiski Tartt or Ole Miss’s Cody Prewitt. The Eagles almost have to make an attempt on one of these safeties and see what they can get out of him in 2015 and beyond.
2. Wide Receiver
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Letting Jeremy Maclin walk in free agency really complicates the wide receiver position. It’s understandable that Chip Kelly didn’t want to match the $11 million-per-year offer that Andy Reid paid Maclin, but what this does is force Kelly to go with an underwhelming group if he doesn’t spend a high draft pick on a receiver.
Riley Cooper showed last year that he doesn’t separate consistently from cornerbacks other than his five-touchdown, two-game stretch in mid-2013, and the Philadelphia Eagles will likely release him after the 2015 campaign, when they can easily void his contract.
Jordan Matthews was a talented slot receiver, but third-round draft counterpart Josh Huff made way too many mistakes as a rookie for fans to feel comfortable with him as a starter heading into ’15. Miles Austin is a former Pro Bowler, but it's been too many years since he was a star player.
Kelly spent a second- and third-round draft pick on a receiver last year, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him do the same this draft. Possible candidates include Breshad Perriman, Jaelen Strong, Nelson Agholor and Devin Smith.
3. Guard
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There’s a pretty simple solution to fixing the guard problem: keep Evan Mathis. While he is 33 years old, Mathis has been arguably the top guard in the league for four consecutive seasons, and he’s been instrumental in both the run-blocking and pass-blocking elements.
Still, it remains a likelihood that the Philadelphia Eagles try to trade Mathis, as he’s now been on the trade block for two straight years. In fact, CSN Philly’s Geoff Mosher reports the organization may cut Mathis if they can’t find a willing trade partner. As it stands now, Mathis has not reported to voluntary team workouts, and it’s likely the end is near for his tenure in Philadelphia.
"Evan Mathis won't be attending start of #Eagles voluntary spring workouts, per source. He did last year amid trade rumors. Staying away now.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) April 20, 2015"
If Mathis isn’t back, the likely starters in 2015 would be Allen Barbre (to replace Todd Herremans) and either Matt Tobin or Andrew Gardner. It may make sense for Kelly to spend a draft pick on an offensive lineman who can eventually contribute.
Kelly likes versatile and athletic offensive linemen like Oregon’s Jake Fisher or Hobart’s Ali Marpet. Fisher would require the team to spend a first-round pick while Marpet is a likely mid-round selection.
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4. Cornerback
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Chip Kelly filled one cornerback hole this offseason by signing Byron Maxwell to a $63 million contract, one that places heavy expectations on Maxwell’s production going forward. The other starting spot is up for grabs now that both Cary Williams (released) and Bradley Fletcher (free agent who signed with the New England Patriots) won’t be back.
If the season started now, new free-agent acquisition Walter Thurmond would likely start opposite Maxwell with fourth-year player Brandon Boykin manning his usual spot in the slot.
Thurmond isn’t a bad option, but if there’s room for an upgrade, the Philadelphia Eagles should look to take it. As for Boykin, he's had overwhelming success in the slot each of the last two years, but the coaching staff won't play him on the outside due to his small 5'9" frame.
Fortunately, it’s a strong cornerback class.
Kelly likes tall and long corners like Kevin Johnson (6'0"), Byron Jones (6'1"), Jalen Collins (6'1") or Quinten Rollins (5'11"), any of whom would likely push for a starting spot by 2016.
5. Quarterback
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There’s quite a logjam of quarterbacks on the Philadelphia Eagles’ current roster, and most of them seem to have a former first-round status or Heisman Trophy status. Sam Bradford was acquired this offseason as the likely starter, Mark Sanchez was re-signed and Tim Tebow was famously signed to a one-year deal.
Third-year pro Matt Barkley is still theoretically in the mix to earn a 2015 roster spot. The Eagles have been trying to shop him, but The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane doesn’t see that happening.
"Always amused by Matt Barkley trade talk. They've been trying to trade him for over a year. There's no value there. Chip has spoken volumes.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) April 19, 2015"
Former practice squad player G.J. Kinne is a long shot to make the 2015 roster, although his versatility may help him.
It doesn’t seem likely that quarterback should be a priority heading into 2015, but it’s doubtful that Kelly really wants to go with Bradford. This is a player who has missed 25 consecutive games due to injury, and yet he’s still apparently generating some trade value. If the Eagles can flip Bradford and somehow acquire Kelly’s college quarterback, Marcus Mariota, that’s the ultimate plan.
If Mariota isn’t available, look for Kelly to at least consider quarterbacks like UCLA’s Brett Hundley, Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson or Oregon State’s Sean Mannion.
6. Outside Linebacker
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The Philadelphia Eagles released long-standing defensive leader Trent Cole this offseason, but they locked up Brandon Graham to a four-year deal as the starter opposite last year’s breakout player, Connor Barwin.
Despite those two, there’s not a lot of depth at the position. 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smith was scarily ineffective as a rookie, and the coaching staff doesn’t even know where to play him. Travis Long is really the only other viable candidate for playing time, considering Bryan Braman is strictly a special teams player.
If by some chance Randy Gregory falls to the team at the No. 20 pick, the Eagles may consider him. He has his off-field issues but the talent to be an absolute star.
Otherwise, a mid-round player may suffice, as he can push for pass-rushing snaps as a rookie and possibly play regularly in a few seasons.
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