It’s NFL Draft Night, What Will the Eagles Do

Round one of the 2024 NFL Draft begins tonight at 8pm. The Eagles currently hold the 22nd pick in the first round. There have been plenty of mock drafts done by the writers and analysts from ESPN, NFL Network and other outlets. They have their informed guesses on who Howie and the Eagles are going to pick, but does anyone really know outside of Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni and Jeffrey Lurie? Probably not. The 3 of them might not even know. They have a list and they'll see how the draft plays out.

The defense has plenty of needs after last year's epic collapse, but they have an aging right tackle and could be searching for a future stalwart on that offensive line. Lane Johnson is still playing ridiculously good football, but the Eagles are always prepared. It's a positive of this front office to always be looking ahead. There is a definite need to get younger and faster on the outside of the defense. James Bradberry was horrendous last season, and Darius Slay is getting older. Here are some of the names that have been connected to the Eagles in the first round.

CB Quinyon Mitchel - Toledo University - most mocks have him as the first or second corner off the board, along with Terrion Arnold from University of Alabama. Ran a 4.33 40 yard dash. Six feet tall and had a lot of pass break ups in college. Hopefully his draft hype is not overstated playing against MAC competition.

CB Terrion Arnold and Kool-Aid McKinstry - University of Alabama - Howie and his SEC players. I've written before about it's a good idea to draft guys from the SEC, specifically Georgia and Alabama. Howie must've read that article because this current Eagles team is littered with recent draft picks from those two schools.

DB Cooper DeJean - University of Iowa -  Seems to be able to do it all. Play on the outside, play safety and return punts. Also said he can beat Caitlin Clark in basketball... So confidence is high. Too high?

OT Tyler Guyton - University of Oklahoma - As I mentioned above the Eagles are always planning ahead, especially when it comes to offensive line. It's a point a pride for them to have one of, if not the top o-line in the NFL. This could be Lane Johnson's replacement in a few years.

LB Edgerrin Cooper - Texas A&M - A position the Eagles have never really valued and it has shown. Could they be changing their outlook after signing a top running back, another thing we never thought they'd do? We'll see. A lot of mock drafts have him going in the 2nd round. If this is their guy, they probably trade out of the 1st round to acquire most picks in the 2nd round.

TE Brock Bowers - University of Georgia - This one came in recently from ESPN's Dan Graziano. A tight end? With all of their defensive holes? When they Eagles had Brent Celek they drafted Zach Ertz. Then they drafted Dallas Goedert as Ertz got into his late 20's. Goedert is 29 and this one screams Eagles. Howie would have to trade up to get Bowers. He was a stud in college. He's a Georgia Bulldog and the Eagles love being prepared on offense. It's a stretch, but the connection is there.

Enjoy draft night round 1. Try not to get overly annoyed or happy about a player that most of us have probably never seen play a snap of football.

The Eagles have made quite a name for themselves shopping at Georgia in recent seasons. In the 2022 draft, they took Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean. Last year they drafted Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, and Kelee Ringo, while also trading for D'Andre Swift. It's to the point people have joked the Eagles are Georgia North.

The success of those moves has varied. Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis played really well in the first half of the season. Carter likely just hit a rookie wall, but there is real concern about the conditioning of Jordan Davis. That was a knock on him coming into the NFL, and he fell off the edge of a cliff in his 2nd year.

Then you have Nakobe Dean. He basically redshirted his rookie season. 2023 was supposed to be his breakout year. But injuries derailed it right out of the gate. Even when he came back for a bit, he was never quite right, and a 2nd trip to the IR finished his season.

Nolan Smith, like Dean, barely saw the field in his rookie season. His explosiveness in camp blew the Eagles away. But once they got to actual games, it became clear he needed to improve his play strength.

Finally, Kelee Ringo sat for most of his rookie season but did impress in a limited role late in the season.

Will they continue to add to their collection of Georgia players? Or will the struggles of some of their current players steer them in a different direction?

Georgia may not have made it a 3-peat as National Champions, but they were the number 1 ranked team for most of the season. There should still be a lot of talented Bulldogs in the draft. But which ones might interest the Eagles?

Even after signing CJ Gardner Johnson, the Eagles could still use help at Saftey. Reed Blankenship struggled as a starter, and Sydney Brown will miss the start of the season.

Bullard makes a ton of sense. He is a physical box safety type player, who can easily move into the slot. Given that both Safety and slot corner are needs for them.

Jordan Reid of ESPN even projected he could be a fit for the Eagles in the next draft earlier in the season.  

Of all the Georgia guys, he is probably the one that would make the most sense for the Eagles at this point. He is projected to be a 3rd round pick. The Kenny Pickett trade turned their 3rd into a 4th. But they could easily acquire a 3rd via a trade down, or a trade up. He could also fall into the 4th round. They also good take him in the 2nd. He is a good fit for the Eagles either way.

Eagles have their center of the future in Cam Jurgens. They have their RG of the future in Tyler Steen. Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson have the left side covered. But despite still being an All-Pro, the Eagles may have to start thinking about bringing in a Lane Johnson replacement soon.

He does not have the best history with injuries, and already has a Hall of fame resume. Johnson could be a guy who retires earlier than usual, so it's not the worst idea to have a replacement in place. And why not go shopping at Georgia for that? 

Amrius Mims could be a 1st round pick. We know the Eagles are more than willing to spend draft capital on an O-Linemen to let them sit for a year or even 2. They intended to do it with Landon Dickerson, they did it with Cam Jurgens and Tyler Steen, and they once did it with Andre Dillard.  

Mel Kiper had some high praise for Mims before the season.  

The Eagles need a young cornerback. Darius Slay played well last year but is on the wrong side of 30. James Bradberry was a disaster. And while they have a collection of young corners, none have done enough to trust as your starter next season.

Lassiter is maybe not as polished as the other Georgia guys on this list. There also will be more polished cornerbacks available at pick 22. Picking him there, would be a bit of a reach. But he is a solid prospect. And if they don't land a corner in the 1st round he might be a good option in the 2nd.

Despite being undersized, he is a physical corner and improved every season while at Georgia.

Bowers is sure to be the first Bulldog off the board. It is not common for a Tight End to go in the top 10, but like Kyle Pitts, Bowers is the type of prospect who can change that. He has yet to make too much of an impact this year for the Bulldogs, having just 13 catches for 135 yards through 3 games, with no TDs. But teams love the potential, and he is projected to go in the top 10.  

That also means he is not an option for the Eagles. He would have to fall a long way to get to them. And they also have far more pressing needs than a second TE. 

Signing Saquon Barkley eliminated the Eagles' need at RB for the most part. But they may need a RB3. Saquon will be the workhorse, and Kenny Gainwell will take the carries Barkley doesn't get. But they will still need a 3rd RB.

Milton had a productive season in 2023. 790 yards, 6.5 per carry, and 14 TDs. He lacks top-end speed and gave them nothing as a receiving threat. But he is a capable power back.

He will likely be there late on day 3, or even as a UDFA. Milton is not going to be a starter somewhere. But can he be a piece of a RB rotation? Maybe. And he might be a good option for the Eagles.

Ladd McConkey saw his draft stock shoot up during the combine. At one point he was thought of as a 3rd round pick. Now? Some people have him going in the 1st round.

He was not super productive at Georgia. In 8 games 478 yards and 2 TDs. but scouts love his football smarts. He runs clean crisp routes and finds ways to get open.

His smaller size has some people calling him a slot WR. Which would be fine for the Eagles since that is what they need. they already have two elite outside WRs but have gotten very little from the slot. They signed Parris Campbell and Devante Parker. But neither have done enough in their career to trust 100%.

A 1st round pick would be a massive overpay for a slot WR. Especially when they have bigger needs. But a 2nd, or a 3rd if they acquire one and he falls there? Dont rule McConkey out.

At West Virginia, Smith primarily played corner. But once he transferred to Georgia, they used him all over the field. He brings both scheme and positional versatility to whatever team drafts him. He can step back as deep safety, but also step into the box to defend the run.

He lacks both the ideal size and speed to be a star in the NFL. His upside is probably limited. But he should be able to be a role player in a team's DB room. And the ability to play in the slot and at Safety makes him intriguing for the Eagles.

Smith is projected to be a day 3 pick. Last year they used their 4th to snag Kelee Ringo. Maybe they spend a 4th on another Georgia DB this year.

The other Georgia RB in the draft, and the more highly regarded one. While Milton is expected to be a 7th-round pick, or even a UDFA, Edwards might go earlier on day 3.

He finished 2023 with more total yards than Milton, but fewer carries. He gave more as a pass catcher though. Not to say Edwards gives you a ton as a pass catcher, Milton just gives you nothing. Edwards might also be a better blocker.

Edwards has more explosiveness, but less consistency. Where Milton will hit the holes, and get the yards the defense gives him, Edwards can sometimes run himself out of a bigger gain.

Neither guy is likely to be a star. but like his former teammate, he seems perfectly capable of being the 3rd guy. Once you get to round 6 or 7, it is pretty much a crap shoot. If the Eagles want to ensure they get some depth at RB, which given Barkley's injury history might be a good idea, either Georgia guy might be worth a shot.