The regular season has finally ended and the Eagles officially have the sixth pick.
This team has a boatload of needs, it can be argued that the Eagles should trade down and accumulate picks to address those needs. A case can be made for every position on offense and defense (I won't bore you with writing about kickers and punters.. although Jake.. thin ice buddy).
Before you scream at me for suggesting any position other than WR or CB, let me try to convince you.
Quarterback
The factory is strong!
Many of you, including myself, wouldn't be the happiest if a quarterback is taken at this spot, or even in a trade down, but with Doug Pederson and Howie Roseman still in charge, a QB will always be a possibility.
With reports coming out in droves that Wentz wants to be traded, the QB room looks to be Hurts, um.., uhh.., just Hurts. If teams come calling for Hurts, which I believe they will, the Eagles need a new quarterback. I mentioned on last week's Flippin' The Birds podcast that Jeffery Lurie would be wise to consider the "nuclear option" for the Eagles: trade both Wentz and Hurts and commit to a full reset of the franchise.
The draft capital from both Wentz and Hurts would be enough to fill the team with the necessary young talent to build a successful franchise with.
What if Hurts isn't the answer? Are you willing to wait yet another year for the answer at QB? Or are you interested in seeing what the young gunslingers Justin Fields or Zach Wilson can do in Philadelphia?
Regardless of the situation turns out to be between Wentz and Hurts, the Eagles will most likely strongly look at this position with their first pick.
Targets: Justin Fields - Ohio St., Zach Wilson - BYU
Running back
With Doug Pederson back at head coach, it's hard to imagine the Eagles targeting a running back at all in the draft. But the top talent this year is hard to ignore.
While they're not the kind of talent to select in the top ten, this would be a big-time trade down scenario.
Did you see the kind of production that came from Sanders' backups? Yeah, it wasn't pretty.
None of the running backs in the top five in yards were drafted in the first round, so there isn't a strong argument to be made there. But with Sanders set to be a free agent in 2023, it's worth it to try and pair him with a top-flight RB from the draft to try and maximize this running attack. Imagine Hurts, Sanders, and Harris/Etienne? Yeah, defenses would be gassed quick.
Targets: Travis Etienne - Clemson, Najee Harris - Alabama
Wide receiver
This one really doesn't need an explanation. The top target for the Eagles should be wide receiver, although there are a multitude of needs.
Reagor, although I still firmly stand behind his selection, left a lot to be desired when he did play. Fulgham disappeared (thanks Alshon), Hightower had a huge case of the dropsies, Watkins showed promise but hardly as a WR1, Ward is a nice guy.. that's all, and JJAW... well.. yeah.
With Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson both unlikely to return in 2021, the Eagles need to surround whomever the quarterback is with a legit WR1. Despite seeing his playing time severely cut since week 12, Fulgham ends up as the team's leading wide receiver. That's not good.
There are a trio of wide receivers that would be well worth the pick, but Howie will most likely select the "try hard" from NJIT.
Targets: Ja'Marr Chase - LSU, DeVonta Smith - Alabama, Jaylen Waddle - Alabama
Tight end
The writing is seemingly on the wall for the departure of Zach Ertz. His brother, Nic, wrote a letter about Zach's time in Philadelphia (the post has been deleted). It seems as though Sunday's game was the last time we'll ever see Zach in midnight green.
With his departure, the Eagles have a clear hole at tight end. Dallas Goedert slides into the TE1 role, but he'll be on the last year of his deal. With no other tight ends on the roster signed for the 2022 season, the Eagles will need to make an investment in the position much sooner than later. With how heavy the Eagles run 12 personnel (37% - top in the league), it shouldn't surprise anyone if a tight end is the selection here.
There's only one tight end worth a pick this high, and he's a good one.
Targets: Kyle Pitts - Florida
Offensive line
This won't be a need if Jason Peters returns.... sorry.
Have you seen the state of the Eagles line this season? It didn't matter who the quarterback was, the offensive line was a turnstile.
Not only are they old, they lack consistent health.
The line will be adding cyborg Brandon Brooks back into the fold, but will they have Jason Kelce? Will Lane Johnson be 100%? What about Andre Dillard? This line has way too many questions and not enough answers to be fully confident that adding a high draft pick would be the wrong choice.
There's a generational talent at left tackle in this draft, as well as a few others worthy of a first round selection (albeit later in first).
Targets: Penei Sewell - Oregon, Christian Darrisaw - Virginia Tech, Rashawn Slater - Northwestern, Alijah Vera-Tucker - USC, Creed Humphrey - Oklahoma
Defensive arguments made on the page below.
Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire
Defensive line
The Eagles had a very productive defensive line, but they are aging big time without much depth.
Brandon Graham will be 33 in April, Cox will be 31 late next season, Vinny Curry (free agent) will be 33 in June, Hargrave turns 28 in February, and Derek Barnett is a cut candidate due to his $10 million price tag.
Genard Avery is under contract for 2021, but he's unlikely to return. Josh Sweat will be coming off injury. This team needs depth.
This draft isn't crazy deep in terms of prospects for both EDGE and DL, but the EDGE prospects for the first round would definitely help the Eagles.
Targets: Kwity Paye - Michigan, Gregory Rousseau - Miami
Linebackers
Alex Singleton can't do it all himself, and he's set to be a free agent.
With #47 FINALLY off the team (as I write this I fully expect to see news of an extension), the Eagles need to finally address the position they have severely ignored for decades.
The Eagles, despite my above post, have a strong defensive line. One that even adequate linebackers can benefit from. Yet, only Alex Singleton has really taken advantage of that this season. The Eagles have struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks and defend drag/slant routes across the middle of the field. A stud linebacker helps that.
While there's only one LB in the draft worthy of a top ten pick, there are others worthy of a first-round selection that could be targeted with a trade down.
Targets: Micah Parsons - Penn St., Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah - Notre Dame, Zaven Collins - Tulsa, Nick Bolton - Missouri, Dylan Moses - Alabama
Defensive back
Have you seen the corner/safety play? Darius Slay came to the Eagles and immediately made an impact. Outside of him? Yuck.
The team severely needs a corner opposite Slay. Slay is probably out after 2022, and there is zero depth behind him.
At safety, Mills is unlikely to be back now that Schwartz is gone. McLeod most likely misses a good portion of 2021 with injury. That leaves K'Von Wallace and Grayland Arnold as the only adequate talent at the position. Yeah, I know Marcus Epps is there.
I do not believe there is a legitimate prospect at safety for the first round, but you can find a few corners for that selection.
Targets: Patrick Surtain II - Alabama, Caleb Farley - Virginia Tech, Jaycee Horn - South Carolina, Eric Stokes - Georgia
As you can see, this team has too many needs to hone in on one for their first round selection. It'll be an interesting few months with the Senior Bowl, Combine, and Pro Days to weed out the options, but there are many names across all positions to keep an eye on for the Eagles on April 29th.
Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire
