Eagles Draft Predictions & Notes

After long speculation and prognosticating the NFL 2015 Draft is less than one week away. For diehard Philadelphia football fans, Thursday will mark the most exciting time of the offseason since our beloved Eagles ended their 2014 season without a trip to the playoffs. This offseason in itself has been a pretty wild ride already. We have seen many popular Eagles go via outright release and trades, including an NFL- rare player-for-player swap. The “Nick Foles Era” has been cut short before many of us thought it really had a true chance to begin. Fans seem to be split right down the middle on whether or not head coach Chip Kelly is a football genius or a guy who has absolutely no clue on how to be the general manager of an NFL team. He has drawn comparisons ranging from former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson to Washington Redskin failure Steve Spurrier. There is no doubt that this draft is the most important that the Eagles have had since 1999, when Big Red Andy Reid took Super 5 Donovan McNabb with the second overall pick.

I am sure many of you have been watching the likes of ESPN and NFL Network to see what analysts Mel Kiper, Mike Mayock and Todd McShay et al have to say about who the Eagles should pick and when they should be picked. You may even have some idea of whom you think would be a good fit for this team and what the greatest areas of need are for the Birds. That is why the draft is such a fun time for fans: It lets us all play armchair GM and there’s always to be some debate that sparks up some lively conversations among buddies. But let’s face it; people rarely guess the correct order of selected picks correctly. Kiper, McShay, Mayock and the like have pretty poor percentages of hitting on picks. If they got a shock to their balls with jumper cables from a car battery every time they were wrong, they would all be sterile, and singing soprano right now.

Likewise, I do not claim to be a draft expert. I don’t watch “film” or even every game that every prospect has played in his career. I don’t know about people “looking good on the hoof” or how they “transfer speed to power.” I just love to watch and read everything that I can about the prospects who I find interesting and who I believe have a legitimate chance to land on the Eagles’ roster come September. What I am going to try to do here is go through rounds 1-3 and list the top five players in each round who I think have a legitimate shot of being picked at particular spots. This, of course, is barring any trades or any other nonsense that might occur during the draft.

To try and help readers see where I’m coming from, let’s start off by identifying what I see as the Eagles’ biggest areas of need. The offensive line has to be No.1. Besides the age factor of our line, Kelly just sank a bunch of money into the running back position and traded for a quarterback whose injury history is disconcerting at best. If those additions to the offense are going to work, the running back needs to have holes to run through and the QB needs ability to stay upright and deliver the ball. Another obvious position of need, even to the most casual fan, would be at defensive back. Gone are Cary Williams, Nate Allen and Bradley Fletcher. In are Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond, without the Eagles adding any young talent behind them to speak of. Even though there are some guys on the current roster who have had another year to develop and get healthy, there are no sure-fire candidates to start alongside Malcolm Jenkins. Last season marked the second consecutive year that the Eagles have lost their No. 1 wide receiver with Jeremy Maclin leaving via free agency to team up with Reid again in Kansas City. Jordan Matthews had a hell of a rookie season (more than 800 yards and eight touchdowns), Josh Huff showed some flashes, Bradley Cooper is what he is, and Miles Austin is a has-been. Needless to say an impact player has to be added into the mix. Lastly, a pass rusher from anywhere in the front seven would be nice because this is a passing league after all and Marcus Smith wasn’t on the field enough to make a single tackle last year. The rest of the positions are a tossup in my estimation. The one thing to keep in mind about this draft that is almost absolutely certain: Kelly will select Oregon guys (if they can play) and he will draft players who have visited with the team. All of the players drafted last year were brought in for visits.

 

Round 1

1. Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State – At 6-2 and 217 pounds and running a 4.4 40-yard dash, this guy has a rare combination of size and speed that Kelly covets. He has reliable hands and could fall to the Eagles at No. 20 because of how deep this draft is at receiver. Plus he is a Philly native who attended West Catholic High School. Who doesn’t like that around here?
   

   A Philly native, ASU receiver Jaelen Strong could be a good get for your Philadelphia Eagles if he’s there at No. 20 and is not the “conventional” selection by most prognosticators. So there. Photo Credit: Huddle.org

 

2. Byron Jones, CB/S, University of Connecticut – This guy is known mostly for his freakish performance at the combine. He has the height and weight that most teams are looking for now at defensive back and has shown versatility by playing both safety and corner in college. Kind of reminds me of the best defensive back on our team right now (Jenkins). This would seem to be a safe pick, because if he were to struggle at corner he would most likely be able to be plugged in at safety, which is also a position of need.

 

3. La’el Collins, T/OG, LSU – I have Collins on my list, and not the “other” Collins (Jalen) from LSU — not to mention Alabama safety Landon Collins — simply because he has only played 13 games at corner and the first round should be reserved for those who can make an actual impact. We have learned our lesson from Danny Watkins. La’el is a guy who can start at guard from Day One and then move over to right tackle when Jason Peters retires and Lane Johnson mans his spot. This would be a great pick because it fills an immediate need as well as one that the Birds will have in the near future.

 

4. Jake Fisher, T/OG, Oregon – Fisher is on this list for pretty much the exact same reasons as La’el Collins. Plus he is a Duck … QUACK QUACK!

 

5. Nelson Agholor, WR, USC – This guy is a Maclin clone as far as his size and speed are concerned. Like Maclin, he also has pretty good yards-after-the-catch ability. Some people have him pegged as a slot guy, but he has been a fast riser on a lot of people’s draft boards over the past few months. Kelly has some familiarity with him because he played in the PAC-12. He is supposed to be a great locker room guy and he also has experience returning kicks.

 

Round 2

 

1. Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest – This guy has good size at 6-0 and 188 pounds, although his speed isn’t what you would consider elite (4.5-4.6 40 range). One thing about him however, is that he’s by far the most technically sound corner in this draft, which would lead one to believe he could push guys like Thurmond and Nolan Carroll to start on the outside. Some people have him going late in the first round, so it is wishful thinking that he will be there when the Eagles pick in round two, but a guy can dream can’t he?

 

2. Eric Rowe, CB/S, Utah – This is another intriguing prospect because of his versatility. He started three years at safety before moving to corner his senior year. He is faster than Johnson and, according to multiple reports, the Eagles are very high on him.

 

3. Benardrick McKinney, LB, Mississippi State – Big thumper at the inside linebacker spot that some people are even talking about being able to move to the outside because of his length and athleticism. At 6-4, 246 pounds he certainly seems big enough to beat up on people. ILB is a thin position in this draft, but with DeMeco Ryans coming off of his second Achilles tear and all the Mychal Kendricks trade rumors, McKinney would be a great addition to the team if he could be had in round two.

 

4. Phillip Dorsett, WR, University of Miami – This pick goes out to all of the people who are so butt-hurt after the release of DeSean Jackson. The dude is a burner. He is on the smaller side, but Kelly found a way to get a career year out of DJax, so I am sure he could find a way to get production out of this guy. Let’s just hope he likes carrying the ball across the goal line, more than he likes “keeping it real.”

 

5. Shaq Thompson, LB/S, Washington – This guy is an amazing athlete. It is a shame he didn’t spend his collegiate career perfecting one position. He played safety, linebacker and running back. He has made it abundantly clear that he has absolutely no interest in running the ball at the professional level. If I had my guess I would say that the Eagles would try to make him into an inside linebacker. He is too small to play outside, and not good enough to play safety in Billy Davis’ scheme. The guy is a playmaker, and that is at least something this defense is in desperate need of.

 

Round 3

 

1. Quinten Rollins, CB/S, Miami of Ohio – I personally like this guy. He is a little undersized by the Chip standard to play outside (under six feet, he is only, gasp, 5-11) and would have to add a couple pounds to transition to safety. But he is a great project to take on. He played basketball all four years in college and decided to give football a try. From all accounts he is physical, has natural instincts in the backfield and is a great leaper (obviously). Only knocks on him are his top-end speed and lack of experience. Who would have thought NCAA basketball would be another source of NFL talent?

 

2. Ali Marpet, OG/C, Hobart College – Unless you are a native of upstate New York, you likely have no friggin’ clue about Hobart and William Smith Colleges … and that’s OK. Marpet is a small-school prospect who put up great numbers at the combine. He definitely possesses the athletic ability that “Chippah” desires in his linemen, but he hasn’t exactly faced great competition in the college ranks either. I wouldn’t expect him to start from Day One, but he certainly would add much needed youth and depth to an aging O-line.
   

   You’ve likely never heard of Ali Marpet, but trust that he did play football at a college somewhere on Earth. Photo Credit: BigEasyBeliever.com

 

3. Donovan Smith, T/OG, Penn State – Smith is a guy who played tackle in college, but would most certainly have to move inside at the NFL level. He just lacks the speed and agility necessary to deal with NFL-level edge rushers. He checks all the physical trait boxes that Chip would want in a guard: tall, heavy, long arms, big hands and decent speed to get to the second level. I would not be mad at all if they grabbed Smith in round three, even though it isn’t a very sexy selection.

 

4. Chris Conley, WR Georgia – Conley is another workout warrior who posted great numbers at the combine. He wasn’t particularly productive in his time at Georgia, but his measurable alone are going to have teams wanting to take a chance on him in the middle rounds. The Eagles thought enough of him to bring him in for a visit. He has the sort of big body that Chip wants in his receivers to help block on the outside in the run game.
5. Damarious Randall, S Arizona State – He is ANOTHER prospect who can be cast as a corner or safety. He probably will end up playing corner because of his size. He has the ability to play inside and outside, and is a willing tackler. He could contribute right away as the linebacker in the dime package that Davis likes to use. He is also a PAC-12 guy, so Chip has seen him play. Small hands, short arms and less- than-ideal length may drop him down more on the Eagles’ board than others. His upside isn’t as high as Rollins.

Top Performers Set to Slide

There are some pretty talented individuals poised to take a major slide due to off-the-field issues. Would the Eagles take a chance on any of them if they fell as far as No. 20?

1. Randy Gregory, OLB, Nebraska – Some people regarded this kid as the best pass rusher in the draft. Then he failed his drug test at the combine and proved that he is in the lead to be the biggest dumbass in this draft class. He was projected to possibly go in the Top 5 at one point, if not certainly the Top 10. Is he worth the risk? Would the Eagles dare taking a chance at history repeating itself with the 1994 pick of Bernard Williams— another guy who had all the talent in the world, but got banned from the NFL after failing 15 drug tests for marijuana?
2. Marcus Peters, CB, Washington – This kid is arguably the best cornerback in the draft. He is physical, has great ball skills, possesses the size that everyone desires and has the potential to be a shutdown corner in the league. The only problem is that he seems to be a head case. He was kicked off the football team in school after a sideline incident and another incident where he may have even put his hands on a coach. Dez Bryant had similar concerns coming out of college, but he has pretty much held it together as a pro. If he falls to No. 20, do you take him.

3. Dorial Green-Beckham, WR, Missouri – He has the potential to be the second coming of Megatron, but run-ins with police, criminal investigations, marijuana use, suspect work ethic and all-around knuckle-headedness could have him slide out of the first round altogether. He has the potential to be special; the question is whether or not Chip can create a locker room strong enough to handle all the distractions a guy like this could create.

4. 

   P.J. Williams out of FSU could be a worthy risk to draft in Philly. Just don’t let him borrow your car. Photo Credit: al.com

   Paul Dawson, LB, TCU – Besides a piss-poor showing at the combine dropping his draft stock, there are also reports circulating that Dawson was just not a very good teammate. There is no denying how productive he was in college, but could character concerns and poor test results prevent him from being a worthwhile risk for the Birds?

5. P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State – This guy got a DUI right after the combine and then tried to pull the “Do you know who I am?” card with the police. Once considered one of the Top Three corner back prospects in the draft, could character concerns drop him enough to make a corner-starved team like the Eagles take a nibble?