Nose Tackle
Down the stretch of 2022, the biggest positional weakness on the Eagles’ defense was their nose tackle play. Jordan Davis was banged up, while the guys behind him didn’t play adequately enough to stop the run. This weakness reared its head against the Eagles in the Super Bowl. In an effort to prevent a similar occurrence with Jordan Davis out, I could see Howie Roseman spending a 2nd or 3rd round pick on a nose tackle. My favorite prospect in that range is Baylor’s Sia Ikia.
Slot Corner
Avonte Maddox is a great slot corner, but he’s often injured. When he missed a handful of games in 2022, Josiah Scott quickly became the Eagles biggest weak-link in the secondary. Philadelphia could really use an upgrade over Scott. I can see them selecting a nickel as early as the 3rd round. Tre-Tomlinson & Star Thomas are two of my favorite nickel prospects in this class.
Safety
There’s a really good chance the Eagles take a safety early in this draft. While it would be an extreme deviation from prior draft history for the Eagles’ front office, Sean Desai’s defensive scheme prioritizes do-it-all safeties who can give flexibility on the backend. Brian Branch is the only safety in this class with the versatility to play in the Desai quasi-safety role. I could see the Eagles taking him in the late first round.
Wide Receiver
Another first round surprise for the Eagles could be a wide receiver. Secondary receivers are crucial for winning playoff games and depth is a serious concern within the Eagles wide receiving room. Quez Watkins’ play did not cut it last year as his worst mishaps often came in the biggest moments. The Eagles could seriously use a better fourth option. Jaxon-Smith Nijigba wouldn’t be a bad pick at 10.
Tight End
The Eagles’ offense would give defenses nightmares from 12 personnel if they had another all-around tight end beside Dallas Godert. Top tight end prospects like Micheal Mayer & Darnell Washington would not only be able to block in the Eagles offense, but also get open and receive on a consistent basis. If Jeff Stoutland was given another Tight End who could block and receive—like Micheal Mayer or Darnell Washington—the Eagles would dominate teams on the ground even more than they did last year. And if teams were forced to pack the box to stop the run because of that, the Eagles could easily air it out with three star receivers plus another tight end better than Jack Stoll.
Quarterback
Even with the extension of Jalen Hurts, the Eagles are still a quarterback factory. Marcus Mariota is only on a one-year deal, thus the Eagles might be looking for a long-term backup in this year’s class. Backup quarterbacks aren’t always the most enticing position, but they can quickly become the most important player on your roster if a starting quarterback goes down. Call me crazy, but I wouldn’t be against a backup quarterback selection between the rounds of 2 through 5 if it were the right prospect. Dorian Thompson-Robinson on the third day of the draft would be a steal in my opinion.