Eagles mock draft roundup
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Eagles mock draft roundup
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
With the NFL combine under way in Indianapolis, now seems like a good time to round up the latest mock drafts from around the country.
SI.com's Don Banks has the Eagles taking Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly at No. 15:
This should be the perfect first-round melding of team need and draft slot value for the Eagles, because one of their glaring deficiences for a while now has been for a player who possesses Keuchly's skill set. He's a smart and instinct tackler who has the ability to read and react and find the ballcarrier. He's a tough player and a natural leader, and he should fit perfectly in the hard-nosed NFC East.
Wes Bunting of the National Football Post also likes Kuechly for the Eagles:
A tackling machine with good size, natural instincts and knowledge to fend off blocks and find the football. Is the kind of talent the Eagles need inside to improve their struggling linebacking corps.
Chad Reuter of NFL.com has the Eagles taking Kuechly (sense a pattern here?):
The team's problems in the middle of the defense last season were well-documented. Kuechly's production and instincts could fill that gap, especially if he shows better-than-expected athleticism at the combine.
ESPN.com's Mel Kiper pegs Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox for the Eagles:
No team was softer up the middle than Philly in 2011, and while linebacker is a bigger need, it wouldn't be a very good value here if the board lines up like this. In Cox, you get a player who should be great in the 3-4, a powerful bull-rusher who can collapse the pocket, but also a guy who does a good job against the run and plays with a really high motor. I have wide receiver as another potential need, but the Philly defense needs to be a bigger priority in the draft. The Eagles can target a linebacker in the next round.
Pat Kirwan of CBSSports.com has the Eagles going with (surprise!) Kuechly:
It's a little high in the draft for a middle linebacker, but unless the Eagles secure a player like Stephen Tulloch in free agency, this kid is too good to pass up.
Rob Rang of CBSSports.com thinks it'll be Kuechly too:
Juan Castillo was a convenient scapegoat for the fact that the Eagles didn't have a middle linebacker play with any kind of consistency in 2011. Philadelphia may be perfectly positioned to nab the most productive linebacker in recent college football history. More decorated than a wedding cake, Kuechly is the reigning Butkus, Nagurski, Lombardi and Lott Impact Trophy Award winner and has more career tackles (532) than any other linebacker in the country. That's saying something considering he's leaving after his junior season.
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Eagles draft Michael Floyd WR Notre Dame and then they will run the A-11 offense.— rvb2321- Andy will go with the best place kick holder on the board with the 15th pick. Bank it!— magicmike
- "...In my opinion, Vick is a great QB..."
Pass that crack pipe this way, dude !!
— techdiver - Andy Reid is conferring with Mel Kiper as you read this ...— FishFryFrank
- Hindsight, you seem preoccupied with size...— tpizza
- All this means the Eagles will not sign Kuechly...They are counter cultural when it comes to the draft.— RJD1959
- Dorenbos is getting old, Andy will snag a long-snapper— TXEaglesFan
- If it's a LB, it HAS to be Hightower, but they won't pick one at 15.— banned
- Ol' Mel usually get's them right, but the Eagles don't run a 3-4!— gdibig
- What's Ray Rhodes doing these days? Eagles should try to hire him as a college scout.— p-diddy
- Doesn't Teo Nesheim have a younger brother we could waste the first pick on?— dasher
- They should mock the Eagles draft.— 2ndNlong
- Eagles will pick an undersized lineman. Andy will say the Eagles like him because he always has his motor running. Eagles.com will report that the Eagles are set up to throw fastballs at opposing offenses. Groundhogs day in April.— flyigglesfly
- 3 pages of comments making the same tired joke. The Eagles should not draft a LB at 15. The difference between Kuechly Burfict and the fifth rated middle LB is almost nothing. You can draft the same player late in the second round. The Eagles should draft Mark Barron at 15 if he is healthy and if not then they should select a DT.— UncleStosh
Does anyone really think that Kafka is the future? Maybe the Eagles move up to go after Tannehill. Since Luck and RGIII are going to go 1st and 2nd picks in the first round, they'd be too expensive to move up for, so that leaves Tannehill. If the Eagles stay put, I'd say D tackle is loaded, and could make a huge difference for the Eagles D. The big question is are they going to keep Cullen Jenkins. I would pay the man and keep him AND draft either Cox or Poe at 15. Sign Tulloch to play the Mike, they're better off with an experienced MLB anyway. To make cap room, trade Assante Samuel. We'll miss the turnovers he creates, but a defense with DTs Cullen Jenkins and Dontari Poe and DEs Jason Babin, Trent Cole and Brandon Graham, will wreak havoc. And with Tulloch in the middle... there will be fumbles to make up for the lost picks that losing Samuel will cost.
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