Philadelphia Eagles Mock Draft: Updated Day 2 Predictions
Despite the constant chatter around the city calling for the Philadelphia Eagles to move up in the draft to select Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, Chip Kelly's monumental offer wasn't enough for the Tennessee Titans to deal the pick. The details of the offer were relayed by Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network.
In the end, it was the Titans who grabbed the former Heisman winner, meaning the Eagles will be left with their own former Heisman winner, Sam Bradford, as the starting quarterback in 2015.
The big surprise was the Eagles remaining at pick No. 20, as many, including myself, expected the aggressive Kelly to either target a player he liked and move up, or trade back and accumulate extra draft picks.
The selection of USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor with the 20th pick gives Bradford another weapon to an arsenal that is probably already better than anything he had while playing on St. Louis. Agholor, who can play both inside and outside, will likely compete with Josh Huff and Riley Cooper for a starting job next to Jordan Matthews.
The Eagles still have seven draft picks over the final six rounds, with one in each round, plus an extra fifth-round pick. My prediction for the final six rounds are as follows.
Round 2
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52. Eric Rowe, CB/S, Utah
After grabbing a wide receiver with their first-round draft pick, the Eagles better be thinking about taking a defensive back with their next pick. They have to. After all, the Eagles allowed 30 passing touchdowns in 2014, and the team currently has a hole at both No. 2 corner and safety.
Utah's Eric Rowe is a talented enough player to compete for a starting spot at either secondary position, but the guess here is that the Eagles would give him every opportunity to win a job at safety next to Malcolm Jenkins.
Rowe is physical and he'd likely thrive in the Eagles' press-man coverage they use for their cornerbacks. But the hole next to Jenkins at safety is enormous, with 2013 fifth-round pick Earl Wolff likely the starter if the season opened now. All indications are that Rowe would be a Week 1 starter in one of the game's weakest secondaries.
Round 2
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62. Benardrick McKinney, ILB, Mississippi State (from Green Bay)
In my original seven-round mock draft, I had the Eagles trading inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks to the Green Bay Packers for their late second-round selection. They used that pick on versatile linebacker/safety Shaq Thompson.
With Thompson picked 25th overall by the Carolina Panthers, I'm going to keep the same trade scenario, but with the Eagles drafting a different linebacker.
In Benardrick McKinney, the Eagles grab a big, physical playmaker who can line up both inside and outside in the middle of their field. While Kendricks was just 5'11, McKinney stands 6'4 and weighs 243 pounds. There's not a single inside linebacker prospect who is both taller and heavier, according to CBSSports, and as we all know, big people beat up little people. McKinney also says that the Eagles were the first team he visited during the whole draft process.
McKinney will be a powerful presence who can cause disruption in the running game of opposing offenses. He's limited in pass coverage but his long arms, explosiveness and overall athleticism will be extremely enticing to an Eagles squad that will need an immediate replacement for Kendricks.
Round 3
3 of 8
84. Danielle Hunter, OLB, LSU
The Eagles boast one of the league's most impressive pass-rushing attacks, with Connor Barwin, Vinny Curry, Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham all capable of producing double-digit sacks in the 2015 season. But Barwin is entering his age-29 season and Curry is a year away from likely leaving in free agency.
Every team could look to add an extra edge-rusher, and if LSU's Danielle Hunter is on the clock with the Eagles' third-round pick, this is an easy decision. Hunter is an explosive player who tested off the charts at the combine, running a 4.52 in the 40-yard dash. He'd be a great third-down role player in 2015 who would have an opportunity to earn more playing time when the Eagles eventually move on from Barwin.
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Round 3
4 of 8
87. Donovan Smith, OT, Penn State (from Pittsburgh)
Although the Eagles have one of the best offensive tackle combinations in the National Football League, they're a year or two away from likely losing veteran Jason Peters. When Peters leaves, expect Lane Johnson to move to left tackle. By that point, the Eagles could move Penn State's Donovan Smith to the right side of the line.
In this scenario, Kelly makes his first aggressive move of the draft, trading away his fourth and sixth-round draft picks to move into Pittsburgh's spot to pick a local player who has starter potential written all over him in a few seasons.
Round 4
5 of 8
126. Adrian Amos, S, Penn State (from San Francisco)
In this scenario, I have the Eagles unloading slot cornerback Brandon Boykin to the San Francisco 49ers for a fourth-round pick. Boykin is a free agent following the 2015 season, where he'll undoubtedly leave to compete for a starting job for another team. It felt like the writing was on the wall for Boykin as soon as the Eagles signed Walter Thurmond, who can also play inside.
Here the Eagles trade him to a team that lost both starting cornerbacks via free agency, and they grab decent value for a player who recorded seven interceptions and broke up 31 passes in his three seasons in Philly.
Now even if the Eagles do draft versatile defensive back Eric Rowe in the second round, they're still going to need another player in their secondary. After all, the Eagles have holes at both cornerback and safety, and Rowe can obviously only fill one of those needs.
Penn State's Adrian Amos is a player the team has expressed a significant amount of interest in, meeting with him at his Penn State pro day. He's no Devin McCourty, the safety from the Patriots who the Eagles came close to signing in free agency, but he's very smooth in coverage, possessing the ability to play both cornerback and safety. He can also return kicks in a pinch.
On an Eagles team that currently has Earl Wolff, Ed Reynolds, Chris Maragos and Jerome Couplin as the other options at safety, it wouldn't be surprising to see Amos emerge as a starter with an impressive showing during training camp.
Round 5
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145. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, CB, Oregon
Even after adding versatile Eric Rowe with their second-round draft pick, the Eagles could look to add another member in their defensive backfield. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, one of the top cornerbacks in the nation just a year ago, is currently recovering from a serious knee injury that could cause him to tumble down draft boards.
But the fifth round makes sense for Kelly to take a chance on a player who, if healthy, is the definition of a low-risk, high-reward option. Ekpre-Olomu stands just 5'9", so if the Eagles treat him the way they have Brandon Boykin, he won't have an opportunity to start on the outside. But with Boykin and Walter Thurmond both free agents after the 2015 season, Ekore-Olomu could be the team's nickel corner of the future.
Round 5
7 of 8
156. Sean Hickey, OT/G, Syracuse
With his final pick in the draft, Kelly makes a move to bolster the team's depth on the offensive line. Syracuse's Sean Hickey, who played both left and right tackle during his college career, projects to guard at the NFL level.
Depending on whether the Eagles like Penn State product Donovan Smith enough at guard, Hickey could compete for a starting job as a rookie during the 2015 season with players like Allen Barbre, Matt Tobin and Andrew Gardner.
Round 7
8 of 8
237. Randall Telfer, TE, USC
My original mock draft had the Eagles selecting New Hampshire playmaker R.J. Harris. While I still think he's a player the Eagles will have their eye on, the guess here is that Harris will go undrafted and the Eagles will be one of a number of teams looking to bring him in as an undrafted free agent.
In USC's Randall Telfer, the Eagles grab a player who they hosted for a workout during the pre-draft process. Telfer, who stands 6'4 and weighs close to 250 pounds, is hardly a ball-catching threat, as he totalled just 65 receptions for 648 yards and 12 touchdowns during his college career. He's not going to be the eventual replacement for Brent Celek in the passing game, but his work as a run-blocker opened some eyes.
Chip Kelly, of course, chose to play the veteran Celek more than legitimate receiving threat Zach Ertz, primarily based on Celek's work in the blocking game. But Celek is a free agent after 2016, when he'll also be 31. Telfer can be groomed to be his replacement in the blocking game.
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