I’ve seen a lot of Eagles outlets and media groups do their own version of mocking an entire draft to the Eagles, so I thought I’d take a crack at it. With this draft, I sought to take players that were (A) good, (B) filled a need, (C) a good scheme fit, and (D) a real possibility for Howie Roseman to take. Here’s what I ended up with:
Eagles–Lions Trade
My first move was a trade back to the Lions at 18. I gave them pick 10 and pick 94 in return for pick 18, pick 48, and pick 55. Good value.
Pick 18: Calijah Kancey
At 18, I decided to select Calijah Kancey, the second best defensive tackle in the draft. Kancey is a sub-par run defender with elite first step quickness, who can give guards nightmares when he comes in during obvious passing situations. To me that sounds a lot like Javon Hargrave’s role in this defense. But Kancey may even be more athletic than Hargrave. His 40 yard dash (99th percentile), 3-cone (99th percentile), and 10-yard split (95th percentile) times were all fantastic. I could’ve taken an edge here, but IDL is a more immediate need and the edge class is much deeper.
Pick 30: Micheal Mayer
This might be my favorite pick in this mock. I am absolutely preaching to @HonestNFL’s choir when I say the best way to make Philadelphia’s offense more elite is by adding another tight end. The Eagles, while being incredibly efficient from 12 personnel last year, were not confident enough to use it in crucial situations. With Mayer on the field, the Eagles would absolutely expose defenses through the air if they dared to match the Eagles two tight end groupings with three linebacker sets. And if defenses dare to line up against the Eagles two tight ends in Nickel, they are going to get dominated on the ground via Jeff Stoutland’s running schemes. Mayer would be able to do it all for the Eagles offense. He is a savvy route runner, who also happens to be the best blocking and contested catching tight end in this year’s class.
Pick 48: Nathaniel Dell
Tank Dell is a complete receiver. He has great route running abilities at all three levels of the field. He’s an explosive vertical threat down the field. And he’s great with the ball in his hands after the catch. So why is he a day-two pick? He’s 5’9 and 163 pounds. And while I am worried that his size might cause him to play with similar play-strength to Quez Watkins, I believe his traits ultimately make him an upgrade at WR3. I was considering drafting an offensive guard here, but ultimately decided Dell would make a bigger impact within the Eagles’ Super Bowl window over the next few years.
Pick 55: Tuli Tuipulotu
Brett Kollmann said on Twitter, “I’ve been trying to finalize my edge rankings for like a week and I just can’t. At this point, just throw a dart. It doesn’t even matter that much who you take among the top 10 guys, they are all good.” This year’s edge class is so deep and talented that you literally can’t go wrong. And to me, taking a high-end edge rusher with an early pick should be a priority for the Eagles. Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett are both free agents after 2023. Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat are also free agents after 2024. It’s very likely that only 1 of these 4 guys (Reddick) plays for the Eagles beyond 2024. The Eagles are going to need bodies at edge in the near-future and Tuli Tuipulotu seems to be a great fit. As PFF’s 10th highest graded edge rusher this year, Tuipulotu displayed impressive smoothness for his size and a wide array of pass-rush moves. In a less deep draft class at edge, Tuipilotu would be a first round pick.
Pick 62: Keannu Benton
After Jordan Davis’s injury in 2022, the biggest weakness for the Eagles defense quickly became their nose tackle play. The Eagles need someone when Davis is out via injury or taking a snap off to come in and be similarly productive. If they don’t have a player like that, they’re run defense will be consistently gashed in the absence of Davis. Keannu Benton could be a good solution for the Eagles. He’s already had a top-30 visit with Philadelphia and is widely considered one of the best nose tackle prospects in this class. Benton also provides pass rushing versatility from the defensive line that Davis doesn’t.
Pick 219: Asim Richards
Offensive Tackle is a position that the Eagles are always going to be constantly addressing. And the Eagles depth at offensive tackle is objectively bad. The two players listed behind Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata on Philadelphia’s depth chart are Jack Driscoll and someone named Fred Johnson. Richards is listed as the 199th best player on PFF’s big board and he’s being drafted here at the 219th pick. With over 2,400 snaps at offensive tackle in his college career, Richards will provide better depth behind Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata.
Pick 248: Aidan O’Connell
As Howie Roseman announced after the second-round pick of Jalen Hurts in 2020, the Eagles “want to be a quarterback factory”. Philadelphia is always going to spend a considerable amount of draft capital at quarterback, regardless of how good their current starter is playing. Aidan O’Connell would be a solid pick in the seventh round. He’s ranked as the 135th best player on PFF’s big board and is being drafted here at the 248th pick. PFF also gave him an elite 90.6 passing grade in 2021, and scouts have highlighted his accuracy and anticipation as a developmental pocket passer. If remotely competent, O’connell could serve as an immediate upgrade over Ian Book at the QB3 spot. And if he impresses the Eagles organization, he could potentially step up into the Eagles QB2 spot after Marcus Mariota’s one-year deal.