With the NFL Draft less than three weeks away, it’s time for the third edition of our Eagles mock draft. The way I see it the Birds are a likely candidate to move their pick (whether it be up or down) so I decided to play out a ‘trade down’ scenario and give the team a little more flexibility on day two.
*Trade* Green Bay receives 21 overall, Philadelphia receives 30 overall 94 overall and a 2021 4th rounder.
While I’m sure they would like to net something higher than 94 for trading back nine spots in round one, they add a mid-round pick next year where they could desperately use it.
Round 1, Pick 30
Jalen Reagor WR, TCU
If the Eagles are skittish about Justin Jefferson’s ability to impact the game from the outside then trading down for someone like Denzel Mims or Jalen Reagor makes sense. I like Reagor at 30 because his floor is higher than Mims’ and he can do a little bit of everything.
If you ask different evaluators you’ll likely hear each of them rave about something different, which speaks to his dynamic skillset. He’s a twitchy athlete with an easy-stride and great long speed. He combines that with good leaping ability and a knack for high-pointing the football.
Unlike most prospects, Raegor is a smooth route-runner with nuanced breaks and a polished release at the LOS. He’s a much safer bet to consistently win on the outside than Jefferson, Mims, Higgins, etc… and is an equal threat from the slot. Additionally, more so than Mims or a Higgins, Raegor is a bigger threat in quick YAC situations where his quick-twitch and creativity make him a consistent winner in the open field.
Raegor is a legitimate vertical threat who can win at all three levels, he may not be 6’2” or have 4.2 speed but he’s great value at 30.
Round 2 Pick 53
Trevon Diggs CB, Alabama
Despite what you’ll see in a lot of mocks, I don’t think the Eagles are looking to add to their secondary in the Draft—it’s pretty clear they think they took care of that need in free agency and with the Slay trade.
Nonetheless, they won’t shy away from getting great value on a corner who’s a great scheme fit. If for instance a CJ Henderson is available at 21 instead of a Justin Jefferson, I see the Eagles making that pick. The same applies at 53 with Diggs—if someone of his size, athletic caliber, and natural zone instincts is available at 53, you take him.
Brother of Bills wideout Stefon Diggs, Trevon is an NFL athlete with good size (6’1” 205) and traits. He shows good technique at the LOS, a good understanding of zone spacing, and strong coverage instincts/ball skills.
If you’re wondering what’s not to like, there isn’t much—which is why he’ll likely be long gone by 53—but one area of concern is run support. He has all the physical tools to make it work, but hasn’t shown the understanding or desire to. Whether or not that can be coached out of him at the next level will go a long way in a) determining his potential to truly be special, and b) his ability fill a more versatile role in a secondary.
Round 3 Pick 94
Nick Harris IOL, Washington
I wanted to take WR Van Jefferson from Florida here, but made the decision to go with Harris for a few reasons. He’s the last solid interior lineman prospect on the board who fits a zone-run scheme, and, not only is a Van Jefferson more likely to make it to 103 than Harris, but I also know I can find another WR prospect I like with picks 127 or 145—picks that I can’t adequately address offensive line with.
Harris can play both guard and center, and has the sort of functional athleticism the Eagles love out of their lineman. He plays great in space, has sound footwork and hand technique, and possesses an advanced understanding of leverage and angles that allows him to compensate for physical limitations.
He profiles better as a center for the Birds because of his high IQ and ability to execute blocks in space, but he would hold up fine at guard as well. He could stand to get a touch stronger, but what he lacks in brute strength he makes up for with good balance and a tenacious on-field demeanor.
Harris is tailor-made for the Eagles zone-run scheme, and can provide short term guard depth while being a long term replacement for Kelce.
Round 3 Pick 103
Kenny Willekes DE, Michigan St.
Like I said, I was hoping Van Jefferson could fall to 103, but he got scooped up three picks earlier and I had to go in another direction. I used this pick to take Willekes in my first mock draft and here’s what I had to say then:
Willekes is your textbook example of a prospect with elite college production but legitimate physical limitations. He posted 49 TFL and 23.5 sacks over three collegiate seasons—though he’s less of a sack artist and more of a backfield disrupter—he’s at his best blowing up the run game.
He has the motor you would expect from a walk on, and is one of the most relentless players in the country; you can debate which of his skills will/won’t translate to the pros, but his motor is undebatable.
Willekes projects best playing in an attacking defensive front, and his quick-first step and burst will appeal to Schwartz. His ability to slash through gaps and disrupt the opposing backfield is elite, and if he can find a way to add a more dependable pass rush move he’ll be a steal.
The concern, however, is that he won’t ever add an outside move good enough to compliment the rest of his game—NFL tackles will exploit this weakness and take away the B-gap. As of now his best edge move is working upfield quickly then flattening out towards the passer, but that won’t cut it in the NFL.
The potential is there, but his floor as a run-stopping, playmaking DE is what you’re drafting. With a third round compensatory pick the Birds shouldn’t necessarily be looking to hit a home run, and in the right situation Willekes can be a Michael Bennett-lite in Schwartz’s d-line rotation.
Round 4 Pick 127
Markus Bailey LB, Vanderbilt
Bailey should be well known to Eagles fans as he’s been mocked here a decent amount. This is his second appearance in my mocks, and I like the overall package he provides assuming he’s fully healthy—two knee surgeries are real red flags.
Nonetheless he’s a stout early-down backer with plus-processing and plus-tackling ability. In terms of coverage he can provide help in underneath zones and stick with the occasional RB, but you wouldn’t want him on the field in obvious passing situations.
Again, the health of his knees is what makes him a day-three prospect, but if that checks out then he has late day-two tools. He figures to be a solid special teams contributor, and should appeal to a lot of teams in this range.
Round 4 Pick 145
Devin Duvernay WR, Texas
Like Willekes, Duvernay is another retread from my first mock, and like Bailey, Duvernay has also been mocked to Philly quite a bit.
He could fill a really nice role as a WR3/4 out of the slot for the Birds offense. He’s a former Texas state high school track champion in the 100m, and while he’s shorter/stockier than you would expect, he has excellent long speed and if you give him a crease he’ll burn you after catch.
He‘s best utilized as a vertical threat where he’ll mostly demand safety help, and slanting behind linebackers in RPOs and other situations where you can get him moving vertically with the ball in his hands.
He’s not a fit in every scheme but he‘d have a clear role in Doug’s offense. While he mainly profiles as a slot receiver, he has the physicality and speed to play on the outside as long as he can improve his release and develop his route tree a little.
Round 4 Pick 146
McTelvin Agim DT/DE, Arkansas
I hate to re-use recent picks like this, but Agim’s skillset translates so well to what Schwartz is looking for in his lineman that it just didn’t make sense to go in another direction. At 145/146 you want players whom you can envision filling specific roles for your team, and Agim pretty clearly profiles as a situational interior pass rusher who can potentially play end in obvious run downs given his size.
Agim has elite burst off the line of scrimmage, and his athleticism allows him to play at a low pad-level with excellent dexterity—he maintains power from a variety of platforms. Despite a profile that suggests smaller size and a lean build, Agim is a thick 6’3” 310 lbs with good length.
His get-off and ability to penetrate backfields is tailor-made for the Birds scheme, and his experience playing end earlier in his career speaks to his versatility along the line—something we also know Schwartz likes.
Round 5 Pick 168
Justin Herron OT, Wake Forest
Four re-treads in a row? Either I got lazy or I really like these prospects.
I covered Herron in last week’s mock, and I have him here again because I like his athleticism and his versatility as a swing tackle who can kick inside to guard.
He’s flexible and light on his feet for someone his size, and his experience makes him an intriguing developmental prospect with both a decent floor and ceiling for this late in the Draft.
Round 6 Pick 190
Justin Strnad LB, Wake Forest
Strnaud is the perfect prospect worth taking a flier on this late. He’s a project but has the sort of physical tools to develop into an every-down linebacker. He’s an incredibly rangy athlete with excellent quickness and burst to cover sideline to sideline. While this obviously suggests he has the tools to excel in coverage, he needs to become more instinctive in this area.
As is normally the case with rangy linebackers, Strnaud lacks the desired strength to play up the middle. He can be overwhelmed by traffic inside and needs to develop better technique for shedding blocks.
With that said, he’ll be a four-way special teams player with the potential to be one of the steals of the draft if he’s developed correctly.
All in all this was my favorite mock of the three I’ve done. Being able to add a mid-round pick in 2021, and a high-quality offensive line prospect by trading back in the first round is a dream scenario for the Eagles. 2 WR, 2 OL for offense and a corner, 2 DL, and 2 LB on defense is the sort of resource allocation I can get behind.
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