The NFL Draft is just over two weeks away and mock draft season is starting to hit a fever pitch. Pro Football Focus has been dropping mock drafts since early October and their strategy for the Eagles has shifted numerous times.
In their latest mock, PFF has the Eagles adding talent to their defensive front-seven, selecting Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis at 15 and following it up by taking Utah linebacker Devin Lloyd at 18th overall. On the surface, this would be a fine haul on day one of the NFL Draft, but I do have some issues with it.
First, Davis probably won’t fall all the way to 15. It’s not impossible, but it’s improbable. His stock has skyrocketed ever since his outstanding combine performance and it hasn’t slowed down. There could be teams within the top-15 that value someone with Devonte Wyatt’s skillset more so than Davis’ causing Davis to slip down the board a bit. It’s one of those things we won’t truly know until draft night.
As for the Devin Lloyd selection, as much as I like Lloyd as a prospect, Howie Roseman has already added two linebackers this offseason (Haason Reddick and Kyzir White). Adding a third in the draft is certainly a possibility, but the Eagles have bigger needs to address in the first-round. Call me crazy, but linebacker doesn’t feel like one of three worst positions on the team anymore.
Both T.J. Edwards and White finished the 2021 season as top-20 linebackers, according to PFF’s grading system. They’re also both young and still have room for growth. We can’t forget about Davion Taylor either, who took a big step forward in development last year. Injuries have stunted his growth a little, but there’s still a lot of potential there.
Safety, cornerback, and wide receiver are bigger needs for the Eagles right now. At least one of those positions needs to be addressed on April 28. In this PFF mock, Alabama wideout Jameson Williams was selected one spot after the Eagles took Lloyd. Based on everything we know about Howie and his team-building philosophy, Williams is the more likely selection.
Out of all the mock drafts PFF has released up to this point, this one may be my least favorite. It’ll be interesting to see how the Eagles perceived draft strategy shifts as we creep closer to draft night.
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