2018 NFL Draft: Philadelphia Eagles 7 Rd. Mock 2.0

Rd. 1 no. 32: The Defending Super Bowl Champions select: WR D.J. Moore Maryland. If RB Derrius Guice is still available at this point in the draft I think The Philadelphia Eagles will run up to the podium. I simply don’t think he will be. They can still come away winners by selecting the talented D.J. Moore. They are deep at WR. Why would they draft one in the first round? Despite the amazing career year, WR Nelson Agholor had this season I do not expect him to get an Alshon Jeffry type deal from this team after this upcoming season. They don’t have a big need at either position but this is a team that drafts for the present and future as well. WR D.J. Moore is a very talented prospect that can contribute as a rookie and eventually take over in the slot or the outside. He has a great combination of size and speed at 6ft 1 200 lbs and he adds extra value as a returner which could be enticing for Philadelphia. Last year he caught 80 passes for 1,033 yards and 8 TDs. The Philadelphia Eagles could also potentially trade down here to acquire more draft picks. Don’t worry They’re still going to be announced as The Defending Super Bowl Champions if they do trade down. With the draft being in Dallas that in itself is like getting a first-round draft pick.

Rd. 3 no TBD: The Eagles trade CB Ronald Darby on draft day for a third-round pick. For once Philadelphia has a plethora of young talented cornerbacks and could trade darby for an extra draft selection. The pick: OT Connor Williams Texas. It just wouldn’t be draft day without one or two Howie Roseman trades. The Eagles need an eventual replacement for Jason Peters. Connor Williams lacks elite strength according to some draft analysts and he is a mauler according to others. He can play OT and G. He should come in with a chip on his shoulder day one. He reminds me a little bit of OL Jason Kelce. There were quite a few people that thought very little of him and that has only translated into several Pro Bowl selections as he is one of the best OL in the NFL. I believe that Connor Williams has the same grit with a mean streak to him. I am confident that after a year of grooming he would become a solid starter at LT for the birds. He would very much be liked by Eagles fans. Williams is 6ft 5 296 lbs.

Rd. 4 no 130: LB/S Shaquem Griffin UFC. While Griffin could be taken in the third round and should be in my opinion I have him sliding to The Eagles at this spot due to a lack of respect that will only cause Griffin to prove every doubter wrong. Despite only having one hand Griffin was one of the most productive defensive players in college football last season. He’s an athletic freak of nature who will fly to the football on every play and hits hard. Forget the hand. He’s a playmaker and a steal in this round. He can contribute as a rookie as the team’s third safety and he has the talent to eventually replace  Malcolm Jenkins who also plays both S and LB for the birds. The answers yes, Griffin can break up passes with ease and despite being one-handed had 2 interceptions to go along with 75 tackles 3 forced fumbles, a defensive TD, and 7 sacks this season. As a junior, he had 11.5 sacks! He is, in my opinion, the steal of this years draft class. Griffin also has excellent size at 6ft 1 and 225 lbs. The Eagles may need to select him in the third and an OT with this selection as Griffin’s stock only continues to rise but for now, I have him failing here.

Rd. 4 no. 132: FB Dimitri Flowers Oklahoma. The Philadelphia Eagles have flirted around with the idea of having a FB on the roster. They once had the luxury of using TE Trey Burton in that role at times. It’s time to add a real FB. Flowers is the best one in the country and will fall to the birds despite that because only a handful of teams still deploy a FB. It’s not a sexy pick. I get that, but I personally love the idea of drafting the bruising lead blocker from Oklahoma. While he didn’t do much running ( 12 carries for 22 yards) with the football he runs well as a blocker. He is also a really good option in the short passing game. He had nearly 500 yards receiving for 5 TDs in college which is excellent for a FB. There’s not really a statistic for blocking but I watched him knock some highly touted rushers on their backsides on film. He will open up some wholes for any RB that lines up behind him in the NFL.

Rd. 5 no. 169: RB Josh Adams Notre Dame. Adams was impressive for the Fighting Irish in 2017. He ran for 1,430 yards and 9 TDs. He has a LeGarrette Blount toughness to him as a power back with a little bit more speed and finesse. He also has only improved after every season at the college level. Most impressively he averaged 6.9 yards per carry this season. The only knock on him is that he hasn’t caught a ton of passes as he wasn’t targeted much as a receiver at Notre Dame. This should be an easy fix for The Eagles coaching staff as RB Corey Clement was also not highly noted as a pass-catching threat in college but has become a talented dual-threat back in the NFL. Lastly, Adams is listed at an imposing 6ft 2 213 lbs. He will power through arm tackles at the next level.

Rd. 6  no. 206: The Eagles trade this selection and LB Michael Kendricks to the San Francisco 49ers for a 2019 5th round pick. Hopefully, I’m wrong and The Eagles are able to get a higher draft selection more ideally for this year’s draft for Kendricks who is an athletic and productive player who had a good season for the team but is expendable by the return of MLB Jordan Hicks, the free agent signing of LB Corey Nelson and the expectation that The Eagles will draft a LB. I’m being realistic despite my hope. It’s fairly important that The Eagles get Kendricks slightly overpaid contract off the books for this year and the future. There are simply better players on the team that will need to get paid after this upcoming season and the fact that The Eagles use two backers for nearly 80 percent of their snaps.

Rd. 7 no. 250: DE/DT Drew Bailey Louisville. I think that Drew Bailey is one of the most overlooked prospects in this years draft class. Yes, he only started as a senior, but he had a very good senior season with 5.5 sacks and 3 forced fumbles. He is a developmental prospect but if drafted expect him to claw and fight for playing time as a rookie. Despite how loaded the Eagles are on their Dline it never hurts to add depth and a potential future starter. At worst bailey should become a very good situational pass rusher and run stuffer in the NFL.

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