Now that it’s officially draft week, it’s time for our final 7-round mock draft of the year.
The Eagles officially have eleven picks in the upcoming draft: (Round 1) 12th overall, (2) 37, (3) 70, (3) 83, (4) 123, (5) 150, (6) 189, (6) 224, (6) 225, (7) 234, & (7) 240. The team’s biggest need heading into draft night is at cornerback, followed by wideout and then linebacker, with several other needs laced throughout the roster. So with that in mind, let’s get right into this mock.
*Trade* Eagles receive [14, 78, and 119 overall] — Vikings receive [12 overall]
I think there’s a good possibility that the Eagles decide to move back a bit in the first round this year — even though they already have moved back from 6 overall to 12. Only moving back two spots yielded me an extra third and fourth round pick this year, and I still had the player I wanted sitting at 14.
With the abundance of holes that need to be filled on this team, acquiring multiple picks within the first five rounds felt like a no brainer here.
Round 1 (pick 14)
Jaycee Horn, South Carolina CB
Jaycee Horn has been rising up draft boards steadily since the beginning of the offseason. Some will even go as far as naming him the top cornerback in this entire draft class.
I’ve already mocked him to the Eagles in the past, so here’s a snippet from that:
Horn is the most physical corner in this draft and he plays very aggressive. Among all SEC defensive backs, Horn posted the lowest completion percentage when targeted (33.3%) in 2020, which is the fourth-lowest among 524 qualified corners (200+ snaps) in the nation. He was also top-5 in the SEC in passer rating when targeted and coverage snaps/receptions.”
Horn checks all the boxes. Great physicality with receivers in press coverage, solid instincts while in pass coverage, and great awareness when reading quarterbacks and route concepts. He’s a day one starter for the Eagles and I’m sure defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon would love to have him in his secondary.
Click here to read our full prospect profile on Horn.
Round 2 (pick 37)
Elijah Moore, Ole Miss WR
It was a pleasant surprise when I saw Ole Miss wideout Elijah Moore sitting there for the taking at 37th overall. There wasn’t another high-end receiver prospect available at 37, so I decided to pull the trigger and add a weapon to Nick Sirianni’s offense.
Standing at 5’9”, 185 pounds, Moore plays a lot bigger than his size. He routinely high points balls over defensive backs and he does a tremendous job catching the ball in traffic. Per Pro Football Focus, Moore has caught 22 of his 39 contested targets during his collegiate career.
His open field running ability may be his biggest strength. He pairs shiftiness with tough running, making him very hard to bring down by just one defensive back. Over the past two years, Moore has broken 35 tackles on his 153 catches.
If Moore falls to 37 on draft night, there’s no reason to let him slip any further.
Round 3 (pick 70)
Jamin Davis, Kentucky LB
Despite the signing of Eric Wilson, the Eagles have very little NFL talent in their linebacking corps. Davis is an NFL ready linebacker who could be a starter from day one in the Eagles system.
Davis does nearly everything well. His game speed is excellent and he does a great job flowing from sideline to sideline. His instincts when finding the ball carrier in traffic are solid and he’s a sure tackler. Davis’ pass coverage ability has developed nicely over his collegiate career as well. During his final season at Kentucky, Davis recorded three interceptions, with one of them going for a touchdown.
While I don’t put a ton of value in the linebacker position, Davis is someone who will hold down that starting position for as long as he’s in Philly. Wilson is only on a one-year contract, and the jury is still out on Alex Singleton’s long-term value with the team.
Considering all of that, Davis was an easy pick for me at 70.
Round 3 (pick 78)
Kelvin Joseph, Kentucky CB
As I’ve stated already, cornerback is the biggest need for this team. So selecting my second corner of the draft before the fourth round was a must for me. Kelvin Joseph out of Kentucky has everything you want in an NFL corner. Nice size at 5’11”, 197 pounds, outstanding ball skills, physicality with the receiver at the line of scrimmage, and great speed and length.
He recorded four interceptions in his lone year with Kentucky last season, after transferring from LSU the offseason prior.
While his instincts in diagnosing routes or where the quarterback wants to go with the ball are solid, Joseph can sit on his back pedal a bit too long and it hurts him when he closes to make a play on the ball. But that’s the only minor critique I have on this prospect. Getting a corner like Joseph in the third round would be amazing.
He may not start from day one because of Darius Slay manning the No. 1 cornerback spot, but Joseph is a great depth piece and someone who will start immediately once Slay is gone.
Click here for out top-25 cornerback prospects ranking.
*Trade* Eagles receive [101 overall & 2022 3rd round pick] — Lions receive [84 overall]
Round 3 (pick 101)
Tyree Gillespie, Missouri S
One of the most underrated players in this year’s draft class, Missouri’s Tyree Gillespie presents a lot of upside at the safety position.
Whether you want to play him as a split safety, single high, or in the box, Gillespie has produced in all three alignments during his collegiate career. He’s very physical and does a great job closing the gap on ball carriers and laying the wood.
His aggressive style of play really jumps off the screen when watching his tape. It doesn’t matter if he’s going in to make a tackle or attempting to breakup a pass in coverage, everything Gillespie does is in an aggressive, physical manner. In his best collegiate season (2019), Gillespie tallied 50 total tackles, four tackles for loss, and seven pass breakups.
While Gillespie is a natural box safety, his skillset could translate to what the Eagles will likely do on defense — a lot of two-high safety looks. He won’t start from day one with Anthony Harris and Rodney McLeod already slotted in as starters, but he’ll be a great special teams addition for the time being. In a year or so, Gillespie could carve out a role for himself in Gannon’s defense.
Round 4 (pick 119)
Milton Williams, Louisiana Tech DT
The Eagles could use an injection of youth at the defensive tackle position, and Louisiana Tech’s Milton Williams provides that. He’s a solid pass rushing defensive tackle with rare athleticism. Standing at 6’4”, 280 pounds, he’s a bit of a tweener. In 2020, Williams played 169 snaps in the three-tech and 274 over the tackle.
As a situational pass rushing defensive tackle, Williams could find a nice role for himself on the Eagles defense. In his final collegiate season, Williams recorded six sacks to go along with 20 quarterback hurries.
Williams would be a nice depth addition to the aging defensive tackle group, with potential to become a regular in their defensive line rotation with some more development.
*Trade* Eagles receive [2022 3rd round pick] — Titans receive [123 overall]
Round 5 (pick 150)
Tay Gowan, UCF CB
I’m not sure if Tay Gowan will fall this far, but it’s certainly within the realm of possibilities.
I’ve written about Gowan a few times throughout this offseason, so here’s a snippet from my most recent piece on Gowan’s potential as an NFL prospect:
Standing at 6’2”, 185 pounds, Gowan is a long, lengthy corner who gives every receiver he faces fits. He uses his size to attack balls in the air, recording seven pass breakups and two interceptions on 50 targets in 2019. Gowan is also a pretty impressive athlete for his size, you won’t find many corners with his build look as smooth as he does on tape.”
The Eagles can certainly afford to add three cornerbacks in this year’s draft — they need as many bodies as they can get. Gowan won’t play before the first two corner I selected (Horn and Joseph), but he’s a great depth piece who has the potential to become an NFL starter.
Round 6 (pick 189)
Elijah Mitchell, Louisiana RB
Elijah Mitchell isn’t a sexy pick at the running back position, but he does a lot of things well and would fit nicely in the Eagles backfield.
Standing at 5’11, 218 pounds, Mitchell has ideal size for an NFL running back. He does a nice job running between the tackles and keeping his legs churning upon initial contact. All he did was produce in college, totaling 2,989 rushing yards and 37 rushing touchdowns during his three-year stint at Louisiana.
Mitchell would be a great depth piece behind Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Jordan Howard.
Round 6 (pick 224)
Drew Dalman, Stanford C
While the Eagles offensive line is set for the most part if they can remain healthy, Drew Dalman out of Stanford provides some nice depth behind Jason Kelce at the center position.
Dalman is a nimble center who moves with ease and always finds work. He’s almost always the low-man when engaging in blocks, and he does a nice job of using the defensive lineman’s leverage against them. He isn’t the strongest center by any means, but his quick feet and athleticism give him enough to work with.
Given a year or two learning behind Kelce, and Dalman could prove to be a solid starting center at some point during his NFL career.
Round 6 (pick 225)
John Bates, Boise State TE
John Bates doesn’t provide a ton of upside as a tight end prospect, but he does a lot of things well. As an inline blocker, Bates has shown steady improvement over his collegiate career. He also has ideal size for an NFL tight end, standing at 6’6”, 246 pounds.
Bates doesn’t have great speed and his route running could use some work, but he does a fine job getting off the line of scrimmage and avoiding contact when running his routes.
With Zach Ertz likely to be gone, the Eagles will need some additional depth behind Dallas Goedert. Bates provides that.
Round 7 (pick 234)
Patrick Jones II, Pittsburgh EDGE
In my last mock, I selected Patrick Jones with this exact same selection. Here’s what I had to say about him:
The Eagles could use an injection of youth at their defensive end position and Jones provides that. He’s an athletic edge rusher who causes a lot of disruption in the backfield. He keeps his pad level low and he has nice bend coming around the outside of the offensive tackle. He does struggle a bit beating double teams and he can find himself out of position from time to time. But as a seventh round pick, you won’t find better value than this Pitt product.
*Trade* Eagles receive [2022 4th round pick] — Patriots receive [240 overall]
I traded more in this mock than any of the other ones I produced this year, but looking at what I received in each trade, it was worth it. Gaining and extra third and fourth round pick along with the 14th overall selection in my first trade allowed me to have more flexibility in the later rounds.
With the added picks in my arsenal, I felt comfortable in the three trades I made following my first one. I gained two third rounders and a fourth rounder in the 2022 NFL Draft, which would give the Eagles 12 total picks and seven within the first three rounds.
I was able to adequately fill nearly every need on the Eagles, or I was able to add depth at those positions. All in all, I feel pretty good about the outcome here.
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