Future Eagles? Draft Expert Daniel Jeremiah Makes His Mock Draft Picks
PHILADELPHIA – It’s never too early to have a mock draft. Heck, there is always one for the next year as soon as one NFL Draft ends.
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah has already had two, and on Thursday afternoon he will do his annual pre-NFL Scouting Combine preview with reporters on a conference call that typically runs for 90 minutes or so.
Mock drafts are always a fun exercise, but it is rare for anyone to nail the first-round picks of all 32 teams once the first few players come off the board. The Philadelphia Eagles are scheduled to pick at No. 22 overall on April 25 when the draft begins its three-day odyssey in Detroit.
Ennis Rakestraw, Jr.
USA Today
Jeremiah had the Eagles taking Oklahoma offensive lineman Tyler Guyton at that spot in his first mock draft and in his second, released earlier in the week, he has the Eagles taking Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw, Jr.
It should be pointed out that Jeremiah’s final mock draft last year had Philly taking Nolan Smith at No. 10 and Jahmyr Gibbs at No. 30.
He was sort of right with Smith. The Eagles took him, but not until No. 30. With their 10th pick, the Eagles traded up to No. 9 to grab Jalen Carter, who Jeremiah had going fifth overall to the Seattle Seahawks.
Gibbs went higher than most expected – No. 12 to the Detroit Lions.
Nevertheless, not many grind away at college tape harder than Jeremiah, who was once a scout for the Eagles. He is plugged into the team’s needs, and the Eagles certainly could do worse than adding depth on the offensive line to guard against injury and eventual retirement of Lane Johnson or to shore up a pass defense that was ranked No. 31 in the league last year.
Here is a look at the two players mentioned by Jeremiah for the Eagles:
Guyton: He is from the same school that produced Johnson, who has developed into one of the best tackles in the league.
The overview on him from NFL analyst Lance Zierlein reads this way:
“Ascending tackle prospect with the traits and tape to project a bright future as a high-level pass protector in the league. Guyton has battled injuries and had limited reps coming over from TCU after the 2021 season, but his flashes have been complemented by increasing consistency. ... He should become a talented starter at either tackle position.”
Rakestraw: The 6-0, 180-pound corner tore an ACL after four games as a sophomore but returned to play effectively. However, he only had one career interception in 35 career games at Missouri.
Zierlen’s overview: “Rakestraw plays the game with good physicality and a competitive tilt that defensive back coaches will enjoy. He’s strong but not as big or fast as teams usually like when picking within the first three rounds of the draft. However, he’s hard-nosed in press and has the body control and anticipation to play a sticky brand of man coverage over the first two levels.
“He’s quicker than fast and does a nice job of breaking quickly on throws in front of him with well-timed challenges to knock the ball free. He intercepted only one pass during his college career, which could be a concern, but his willingness and toughness in run support work in his favor. Rakestraw could become a good backup with eventual starter potential in the right scheme.”
