The NFL Draft is finally upon us and while we still have one last breath to draw before the whirlwind hits, here are my five bold Eagles predictions for the weekend ahead. Be sure to leave yours in the comments!
A double-dip
The Eagles are no stranger to the old 'double dip'. Matt Pryor and Jordan Mailata were drafted as tackles last year in fact, while Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas were drafted in back-to-back rounds one year before. In fact, the Eagles have double-dipped (mostly in the later rounds) in every draft dating back to 2007. So, predicting they're on the path of doing so again may not be the boldest thing in the world.
However, unlike the majority of those seasons, the Eagles have a team on the edge of returning to Super Bowl glory. There are a few of positions the Eagles could pick up a pair of new players at, with running back and defensive tackle being the main draws.
The Eagles did well to bolster both positions this offseason, signing Malik Jackson and Jordan Howard respectively. But the running back rotation still has some strong question marks over its longevity and as we all know, the Eagles craved defensive tackle depth more than anything last year.
My first bold prediction is that the Eagles are going to pick up a pair of running backs, or a pair of defensive tackles, sparking the roster turnover needed to keep things moving in the right direction.
Continued on the pages below:
Moving on up...
The fate of pick 25 remains a mystery. Will the Eagles take a Safety? Perhaps they'll snatch Josh Jacobs from the clutches of Oakland. Oe maybe, just maybe, they won't be picking at 25 at all.
The Eagles traded into the second round last year and picked up Dallas Goedert, but I feel like the inverse is about to happen...although, there are no players named 'Philadelphia'.
I think the Eagles are a prime team to trade up into the 'teens' this weekend. The recent 'Nelson Agholor is on the trade block' report is more than just coincidental. The team are clearly trying to put feelers out to see if there would be takers for the wideout carrying a $9.4M cap hit in 2019.
As discussed on the latest episode of 'The Outside Insider', if a top-10 talent falls into the teens, the Eagles shouldn't hesitate in trading one of their 2nd round picks and maybe a 4th along with a 1st-round swap and a sweetener to go up and get their guy, especially if they're besotted with him.
You never know how the Draft will pan out, but the Eagles are ready to win it all once more and with a flurry of defensive ends available who could be 'slide candidates' should a run on another position knock the domino, names like Brian Burns, Ed Oliver, and Montez Sweat could have Howie sprinting to the podium.
My second bold prediction is simple. The Eagles won't be picking at 25 overall, and instead sprint lovingly to the phones to strike a trade and move up to around the '18' mark.
The mystical third-round pick
Two second's, two fourths, and nothing in-between. It's a tricky spot to be in considering how many playmakers will be available in the third round of this year's Draft, with Blake Cashman being my draft crush who I feel would be a prime target here.
The Eagles are likely to move up, but don't disregard the idea of slipping back a couple of spots, maybe trading with the Colts for instance. There are so many Safeties and running backs available that if a team wants to jump Philly to the post at 25, somehow picking up a third-round pick seems very enticing knowing the depth that exists...or even if that same scenario happens at 53 or 57.
I don't think the Eagles will make it out of round 2 without acquiring a third-rounder from somewhere.
A shocking trade...
Whether it's to make that magical third-rounder appear or simply to leap up a few rungs of the first-round ladder, the Eagles will need to give up something eventually and although four day 2 selections are enticing, perhaps not enough.
The two main trade candidates on this team right now are Nelson Agholor and Rasul Douglas, although for very different reasons. I documented the curious case of Rasul Douglas below and the reasoning behind moving on from Nelson Agholor would frankly begin with 9 and end in million.
https://phillysportsnetwork.com/2019/04/20/rasul-douglas-may-be-the-eagles-most-valuable-trade-chip-but-why/
I genuinely believe one of these two players will be moved. The Eagles could find a slot replacement for Agholor relatively easy, as evidenced by their horde of 'big slot' meetings, and Rasul Douglas just needs a change of scenery as opposed to wasting away at the bottom of the depth chart in a packed DB room.
If the Eagles make draft-day moves, expect these two names to be a part of it.
The big boys
Saving the boldest prediction for last, I think the Eagles will draft a tight end...early. As in, within the first three rounds, early.
'Why?' I hear you ask, shocked and appalled, ready to click off this article and tell me to stick to Soccer on Twitter. Let me explain.
I’d like to take you back to 2014. That year won’t go down as one of the most important or exciting in Eagles history like the ones that followed, but it was the last time that the tight end position was completely ‘reset’.
Zach Ertz was drafted one year beforehand and broke out that season, posting 702 yards and scoring three touchdowns. Behind him, two veterans in the way of BrentCelek and James Casey helped provide mentorship and reliability for a team who at the time was predicated on a balanced offense, meaning the tight ends had big roles to play. But waiting in the wings, under the radar, was an undrafted free agent by the name of Trey Burton.
The tight end quartet is something that has been a staple of the Andy Reid/ Doug Pederson culture for quite some time and although 2014 was the year of Chip Kelly, its roots ran deep.
Dallas Goedert had a very promising rookie campaign behind an elite Zach Ertz, but drafting a third tight end at a minimum in what is a very deep class of talent is preferable here. The injury to Richard Rodgers stung the Eagles MASSIVELY last year, with 13-personnel looks being eradicated and both tight ends becoming key receiving pieces. While effective, if one did go down with injury...only Josh Perkins remained. The mystery that having three-tight ends on the field vanished and you could argue, it also impacted the severely unbalanced offense.
Once the Eagles can begin running 13-personnel again, it opens up a whole new realm of offensive creativity. Whether all three are used as blockers, or you use ‘nub’ tight ends on either side of the line, their presence will only expedite a run game the Eagles have been dying to rebuild.
Not only that, but it takes a certain level of weight off a wide receiver position (due to there being one less on the field), which for a team still starved of a WR2 and potentially losing Nelson Agholor, can only be seen as a good thing.
So, with names like Irv Smith Jr. and Noah Fant potentially sliding to 25...dare I say that the Eagles do the unthinkable and draft another potentially elite receiving tight end? Don't write it off...
