Eagles-Only Mock: The Lock-it-in Edition
PHILADELPHIA - About the only thing you can lock in with any mock draft is the ridicule it creates.
But what the heck? We've got thick skin around here let's don the thinking cap one last time and take an educated guess into what the Eagles' much-ballyhooed collaborative process will unfurl over the weekend, starting with a surprise in Round 1 spawned by circumstance.
Round 1 - No. 12: OL Rashawn Slater, Northwestern
The groupthink and the smart money have landed on South Carolina cornerback Jaycee Horn as the most likely pick for the Eagles at No. 12 with the backup being the loser in the Alabama receiver sweepstakes between Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith because one will likely fall to Philadelphia.
Slater isn't supposed to be there, but as we broke down the board he began to fall. A very versatile OL, Slater could fit in anywhere up and down the line other than center and is too good to pass up.
The one wrinkle could be trading ahead of Dallas to get cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
TRADE - Round 1 - No. 30: WR Terrace Marshall, LSU
The Eagles trade up from No. 37 with Buffalo by sending that pick, along with veteran tight Zach Ertz and No. 189 overall pick, to get back into the first round and select Terrace Marshall, who is a fit for this offense as the X receiver to complement Jalen Reagor at the Z.
Round 3 - No. 70: CB Paulson Adebo, Stanford
The Eagles still need an outside CB in this scenario and Adebo has the size and length to fit in nicely opposite Darius Slay.
Adebo looks like an Indianapolis CB who feigns press-man and drops off to play Cover-3. He would arrive with solid ball skills and the Eagles also have the David Shaw Stanford pipeline locked in.
Round 3 - No. 84 (from Indianapolis): Edge Patrick Jones, Pitt
Jones is an athletic edge prospect who showed a lot of natural pass-rushing skill the past two seasons in western Pennsylvania yet still has plenty of room to grow.
In theory, Jones would in the Vinny Curry role as the fourth man in the rotation on the edge.
By 2022, when decisions are made after the contract years of Derek Barnett and Josh Sweat, perhaps Jones has physically matured with the help of an NFL strength program and could be ready for a starting role.
Round 4 - No. 123 (from Miami): DT Bobby Brown, Texas A&M
Brown is raw but has great size at 320 pounds to go with tremendous athleticism as one of the younger prospects in the 2021 class. If the Eagles are looking for upside in the middle rounds he would serve as a nice roll of the dice.
Round 5 - No. 150 overall: RB Chris Evans, Michigan
The Eagles need a complement to Miles Sanders and adding Evans to a competition that will include Boston Scott, Jordan Howard, and Jason Huntley may be enough lottery tickets to find the answer.
Once upon a time, Evans looked like a top-tier prospect before falling off at Michigan. He's a patient runner with natural receiving skills to develop into a solid RB2.
Round 6 - No. 224: TE John Bates, Boise State
With Ertz gone in this mock, the Eagles will need some help at tight end and Bates is an old-school Y-back who would enable Nick Sirianni to get Dallas Goedert off the line and into more flex work where the Philadelphia offense could better utilize his athleticism.
Round 6 - No. 225: S Christian Uphoff, Illinois State
The Eagles bought some time by signing Anthony Harris on the back end but still need help and Uphoff is a solid developmental project with prototypical length and speed. for the safety position. The Eagles could start him on special teams and mold him from there.
Round 7 - No. 234: P Drue Chrisman, Ohio State
The Eagles lost one former Ohio State punter in Cameron Johnston so why not replace him with another?
Chrisman was a four-year starter for the Buckeyes who got consistent hang time which enables the gunners to do their jobs. You could always risk trying to get him as a UDFA but with all the extra draft capital the Eagles would be wise to avoid that headache.
Round 7 - No. 240: QB K.J. Costello, Mississippi State
The Eagles still need a QB3 after Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco. We'll see what it means but the team has done extensive work on Costello, a one-time Stanford starter who finished up at MSU.
At 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds, Costello has prototypical size and a high-football IQ pre-snap but has struggled with decision-making in the heat of battle.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on both PhillyVoice.com and YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s EagleMaven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
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