Eagles Mock Draft Analsysis

Who will the team take at No. 21 overall? So far it looks like a receiver, but which one is the question

Mock Draft season is heating up.

Right now, there seems to be a consensus among many that the Eagles will take a receiver with the 21 overall pick. In fact, I have yet to see a mock draft that doesn’t have the Birds landing a pass catcher.

Because the draft is so deep in them, none of the mocks out there seem to agree on which receiver they will take.

Chances are, nobody will get the pick right. 

Did anybody have them trading up to take left tackle Andre Dillard with their first pick last year? I had them taking an offensive lineman, but the one I had them taking was center/guard Garrett Bradbury, but he was gone well before the Eagles made the move up to 21.

It's fun to examine some of the mock drafts, though, especially now with the NFL Scouting Combine right around the corner, starting on Feb. 24, so these mock drafts from NFL.com writers serve a dual purpose of which players (receivers) you may want to watch.

Here goes:

Daniel Jeremiah (Jan. 21)

First round: Henry Ruggs, Alabama. This would be Jeremiah’s third receiver off the board, and he would certainly deliver the speed the Eagles crave. His first receiver picked is Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb, who would go No. 12 to the Oakland Raiders. Next would be Alabama’s Jerry Jeudy at No. 15 to the Broncos. In a pick before the Eagles, the Jaguars take cornerback C.J. Henderson, who may be the player I mock to the Eagles.

Bucky Brooks (Jan. 27)

First round: Laviska Shenault, Colorado. Brooks has Lamb as his first receiver off the board, going No. 12 to the Raiders, followed by Jeudy at No. 13 to the Colts. Then Clemson’s Tee Higgins at 15 to the Broncos, Ruggs 17 to the Cowboys, and TCU’s Jalen Reagor 30 to the Packers. That is six receivers picked in the first round.

Lance Zierlein (Jan. 29)

First round: Lamb. With the pick before the Eagles, he has Henderson going to Jacksonville. With the after the Eagles at No. 22 he has Higgins to the Bills. Three picks later, he has the Saints nabbing Ruggs. Jeudy is his first receiver off the board at No. 12 to the Raiders. Lamb would be his second pass catcher taken. LSU’s Justin Jefferson would go No. 30 to the Packers.

NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuter did a three-round mock draft released the day after the Super Bowl on Feb. 3.

Here it is:

First round: Arizona State receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who is 6-0, 200 pounds.

He originally went the JUCO route and chose Arizona State because some other schools wanted to move him to defensive back.

I like the fact that he can return punts and kicks and a punt returner is a clear need for this team. Aiyuk averaged 16.1 yards per punt return last year and 31.9 per kick return. One scouting report says that he is a big-play threat who excels in picking up yards after catch. I like that.

I don’t like one scouting report that says he is not a “natural hands” catcher and lets the ball get on him too quickly. Or that he has a tendency not to get physical at the top of his routes.

Second round: No. 53 safety Antoine Winfield, Minnesota. A pick ahead of that he has the Rams taking Utah edge rusher Bradlee Anae, who shined in the Senior Bowl. The pick after that Reuter has Buffalo taking LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton.

At No. 56, Reuter has the Dolphins taking Henderson, and at No. 58, he has the Vikings taking Penn State receiver K.J. Hamler.

They are all names the Eagles could be interested in, but they need a safety and Winfield is a good one.

Third round: No. 85 center Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin. He is the top-rated center in the draft so if he is still here, the Eagles would be wise to grab him as the replacement for Jason Kelce. Biadasz is leaving school early after earning All-American honors last year last year and winning the Rimington Trophy, given to the nation’s best center.

Third round (comp pick): No. 97 linebacker David Woodward, Utah State. A bit undersized at 6-feet, 235 and his 2019 season was cut short with a knee injury after seven games. Still, he had 93 tackles and five sacks in those seven games and in 2018 he had 134 tackles with 12.5 sacks.