Can you smell that? That’s the smell of magic in the air. Can you feel that? That’s a sense of child-like wonderment. It is the eve of the NFL draft and GM’s will be struggling to get a wink of sleep tonight.
The NFL draft is the place where dynasties are made, it is where the GMs establishes themselves as geniuses, it is where dreams are either realized or totally crushed, and it is where fans sit for hours on end just to boo their team for drafting a player they didn’t want/expect.
With tomorrow being the big day, so I though this would be as good a time as ever time to release my first, last, and ONLY 7-round Eagles mock draft; well, 5-round mock draft. Little disclaimer though, this mock draft is a mix of what I expect the Eagles to do and what I would do in the Eagles position.
1st Round (2nd Overall): QB Carson Wentz
Duh. This one is really a no brainer. I doubt the Eagles would of traded up already had they not been certain the Rams were taking Jared Goff first overall. Whether you agree with the trade or not, Im kind of tepid on it myself, Carson Wentz is most likely the pick. Wentz has arguably the most upside of any QB in this draft. If you could build a QB, he’d look a lot like Carson Wentz. Prototypical size, great athleticism and running ability, intelligence, accuracy, and a cannon for an arm; the guy has a chance to be legit. The biggest downside is a lack of competition, coming from FCS North Dakota State he hasn’t really been tested. And Im not much for college stats when looking at a draft prospect, but the fact he only threw for more than 200 yards three times last season is concerning to me. Wentz does come from a run heavy offense so that could explain the low passing numbers, but I still would of liked to see the guy dominate more. All in all, to me Wentz looks like an athletic Joe Flacco, both have similar builds and crazy accuracy on their deep passes. I also see Wentz as the best read option QB in this draft. This would be the fourth time the Eagles took a QB in the first round in franchise history.
3rd Round (79th Overall): LB Jaylon Smith
Ok, this one might be a stretch. In Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller’s most recent Scouting Notebook he said, based on what he’s hearing from scouts, he believes Jaylon Smith could fall all the way to the second half of the third round; due largely to the fact he will miss all of 2016. If there is one player the Eagles would be smart to make sure they get, it’s Jaylon Smith. His knee injury could be a blessing in disguise for a team like the Eagles, who have a pretty big need at outside linebacker. Had Smith never gotten hurt, he’d be a top three pick. He would of been in the conversation for best player in the draft, along the likes of Laremy Tunsil or Jalen Ramsey. Jaylon Smith is a do it all linebacker, with stupid athleticism and crazy range. There isn’t really one aspect of playing linebacker that he’s not great at. Everything that has been said about Myles Jack applies to Jaylon Smith, and then some. Smith is also a low key talented pass rusher, an aspect of his game that was not well taken advantage of at Notre Dame. There’s no telling really what might happen with Smith’s knee, reports on the injury have ranged from career ending to non-serious, so I think it’s a bit of a crap shoot. Still though, if all things go well in his rehab, Smith could be a perennial All-Pro player. The Eagles would be smart to not to let him get by.
5th Round (153 Overall): RB Devontae Booker
Again, this might be a bit of a stretch, but stay with me on this one. Last year, Jay Ajayi was one of the top RB prospects in the draft. He was projected as a second round pick, but due to a knee injury he slid all the way to the fifth round. I wouldn’t be surprised if something similar happened to Booker. One of the top RBs in this draft, Devontae Booker suffered a torn meniscus that ended his 2015 season early. The injury is still healing, which has forced him to miss the majority of the draft process. Booker hasn’t been able to test his speed or his agility, seeing as how his speed is a huge question mark, I think that could really hurt his draft stock. There’s also the matter of his age, he’ll be 24 come the start of the season, which is another negative. Still, despite all the red flags, Devontae Booker may be one of the most complete RBs in this draft. A legit three down back, Booker is a great inside runner. He hits the hole hard and is shifty enough to break tackles at the second level. Booker has nimble feet and is a great pure runner. He does not have the best speed and isn’t much of a home run hitter, but he’s a great grind it out back. Booker also has very soft hands and can be an asset in the passing game. His pass blocking could use some work, but he’d be a steal if he were to fall this far.
5th Round (164 Overall): OG Landon Turner
A four year starter out of North Carolina, Landon Turner is a monster of a man. A former first team All American, Turner uses his size and strength to his advantage and over powers his opponents. He runs people over in the run game and uses powerful hands and strong legs to beat people in the passing game. Turner has a clear lack of speed and flexibility, which could hurt him at the next level. Turner’s playing style is reminiscent to me of Brandon Brookes, both are huge, powerful guards who use their size to their advantage; Im not saying that Turner is going to be Brookes, Im just saying they kinda remind me of each other. In that regard, I feel as though Turner could be an interesting name for the Eagles.
6th Round (188 Overall): WR DeMarcus Robinson
The Eagles have made it clear that they are going to dress WR at some point in the draft, but in specific, they’re looking for a deep threat. The team has brought in the likes of Kolby Listenbee and Mike Thomas, but I think of all the receivers they’ve brought in, DeMarcus Robinson has the highest upside. A legit potential number one receiver, Robinson has electric athleticism, great size, and blazing speed that shows up better on tape than it does on the stop watch. Robinson can play on the outside or in the slot and is the type of receiver that can make a corner back nervous. He can shake a CB at the line of scrimmage and then just blow straight by them. He is also very lethal running after the catch. He is an all around great home run threat with awesome speed and tracking ability. The biggest downside to Robinson is his off the field issues. He has been suspended four time and benched twice by Florida for off the field concerns. Scouts have labeled Robinson as selfish and immature, which is also concerning. Thankfully with Chip Kelly gone, the Eagles can finally get a couple dirty players, and seeing as how Robinson has early round upside, I think he’d worth the risk.
7th Round (233 Overall): CB Daryl Worley
Worley is a similar case as Robinson, good player, horrible off the field issues. Worley has the size, speed, and athleticism you look for in a CB. Worley led the Big 12 in interceptions and passes defended last year and shows the ability to be able to play the outside in the pros. Worley shows great cover ability, aggressive hands, good leaping ability, and can spot the ball well, but he is not the most willing tackler in run support. Worley was suspended for the last game of his career due to academics and was suspended for two games back in 2014 following the assault of a women in a night club. Women beating ain’t cool and has recently become a kiss of death for draft prospects looking to go in the early rounds. The Eagles brought Worley in for a private visit, which means there is definite interest there. If the Eagles feel comfortable with the off the field stuff, he could be a decent late round pick.
7th Round (251 Overall): FB Dan Vitale
Vitale was the fullback the Eagles kept the closest eye on not named Gronkowski. Vitale is just a big, versatile dude. He was asked to play a mix of fullback, H back, and tight end. He shows some receiving ability and could be a decent safety valve, he just needs to work on securing his catches. Vitale is a good blocker, but not the best lead blocker. He can keep people from getting to you, but he can’t move people away from you. Was used more as a receiver than as a lead blocker or a runner, so that is something he’s going to need to work on. Vitale is a solid get with the Eagle’s last pick of the draft, but if they felt so incline, I feel like the Eagles could also just sign him as an undrafted free agent.
Snowballs & Batteries 