The first round has come and gone and the Eagles selected top tackle prospect Andre Dillard:
https://twitter.com/PhiladelphiaSN/status/1121607206057725953
Dillard doesn't immediately fill a need, as Jason Peters and Lane Johnson are occupying those tackle spots. But Peters can't play forever and Johnson is cemented as the right tackle, so this pick is a great one.
But what about round 2? The Eagles have picks #53 and #57, unless they trade up or down. A lot of players slipped into the second round that were widely mocked in the first round, so that'll dictate the picks in front of them which could cause some big-time names to slip to their first second-round pick.
Pick 53 - Miles Sanders
The Eagles passed on Josh Jacobs in the first round, but don't expect them to pass on a back that's a better fit for their offense. Sanders, a Penn State product, checks all the boxes for the Eagles in a complementary back for Jordan Howard.
Sanders averaged 5.8 yards per carry last year at Penn State, while racking up 1,274 yards on the ground. He complemented that with 24 catches out of the backfield for 139 yards.
His combine stats were also strong, running a 4.49-second 40-yard dash and a broad jump of 10'4", which placed him in the top 15% of running backs at the combine.
Sanders isn't afraid of contact, as you can see below, and is patient enough to allow his offensive linemen to block for him.
https://twitter.com/Matt_Gajewski/status/1120814226963144704
Our own David Malandra Jr has a clip of Sal Paolantonio suggesting a few days ago that Sanders should be the Eagles' pick:
https://twitter.com/David_Malandra/status/1121291750864191488
The Sanders pick will make many Eagles fans happy tonight and the Eagles will have a dynamic backfield once again in 2019.
Pick 57 - Juan Thornhill
Two safeties went in the first round, Darnell Savage and Johnathan Abram, so some of the popular ones are still available tonight. Nasir Adderley, Juan Thornhill, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Taylor Rapp, and Deionte Thompson highlight some of those players that should hear their name called tonight.
With at least four teams in front of the Eagles' 57th pick needing a safety, expect a popular player mocked to Eagles (Gardner-Johnson) to be unavailable at 57. However, their consolation prize is nothing to complain about.
The 2018 All-ACC safety is a ballhawk and is not afraid to get into the backfield to help with run support:
https://twitter.com/theACCDN/status/1120337899231358981
Thornhill ran a blistering 4.42 second 40-yard dash at the combine and posted the second-best reps on the bench press among defensive backs with 21 reps of 225 lb.
The selection of Thornhill works well with how the Eagles like to run their defense. A third safety like him in the nickel defense will provide back end coverage with Rodney McLeod while Malcolm Jenkins creeps towards the line of scrimmage as the nickel linebacker.
Thornhill has been widely mocked to the Cowboys at pick 58, wouldn't it be nice to see the Eagles steal a player from them a pick earlier like they did with Goedert last year?
What do you think, Eagles fans? What's your prediction for tonight?
