Eagles mock draft roundup
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.
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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- Where have you been cletis???They signed Jenkins this week to a renegotiated contract you dunce...crawl out of your cave and see the daylight....
— SkipinWV - This guys not a good fit for the Eagles. He's not small and fast and he's able to shed blocks and tackle— Justaschmuck
- Will take anyone but a QB, it may be a need but there are much bigger ones that need filling, just sayin'...— DJ
- If I'm Roseman, I would drop back in the first round, only if they are able to move that latter 2nd round pick up. That is contingent on being able to pry away Tulloch in FA. If they can, move back and take best DT or LB available. Two guys I keep an eye on: Zac Brown and Reuben Randle. IMO, Brown could be moved back to SS and used as a hybrid SS/LB. Stout enough in the box on the run, and quick enough to match up against any TE in the NFL. He becomes a weapon on defense, one that you can move around. But as an OLB, he's too small, and I think because of that, he'll fall into the 2nd round. Too many solid DTs to pass on. And Randle will be an elite WR before it's all said and done. Unfortunately, his stock is starting to rise.— beegal99
- FA targets: Tulloch, Evan Mathis, and Robert Meachem
Draft (after moving back in first round): Devon Still DT, Zac Brown LB/SS, Reuben Randle WR
Resign Dixon and Landry to one year deals and let Laws walk. DT rotation would be Jenkins, Still, Patterson, Dixon and Landri. Solid.
WR rotation: Maclin, Randle, Meachem, Avant and Cooper. Speed to burn, size in red zone with Cooper and Randle.
Finally, trade Asante for whatever you can get for him. Use that pick to help shore up LB core. And maybe, take that pick and next year's 1st round pick to see if you can get another high pick this year, grab another OLB. Front office has to plan for this year, not next.— beegal99 - First, when have the Eagles ever listened to the draft experts? Answer never. But this time we may have a first Mel Kiper wrote about Cox:
"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." Key phrase being "high motor" if he played in the senior bowl he'll be a slam dunk for the Eagles brass.....
— bbohannon - Let's see....Trade out of 1st, passing on future all pro, move down to 26th, draft a undersized guy with "a great motor"... and get 3, 7th rounders for the move down to 26th....all in a days work....Howie to the rescue— SkipinWV
Comment removed.- Vontaze Burfit!— reveugene
- They should pick Kellen Moore in the 6th round. The winningest QB in college history should still be there then.— Paul SoTX
- We have three picks in the first two rounds... depending on who is on the board, I would love to see the Eagles pick up a DT, a LB and a WR. Eventually we should also draft a QB to groom as Vick's replacement in a few years, a third TE, a safety, a big RB and a punt returner. Looking at the last few years, perhaps we'll actually get a few guys in the late rounds who can play a little and promising but injury-prone talent early on.— BeFrank
- Watch, somehow they will surprise us and get a QB or linemen int he 1st
round.— Pete60 - Hey Mel, the Eagles need a DT that will be great in the Wide 9, not the 3-4.— mish798798
- Shhhhhhh! we are moving up to the Vikings spot & selecting rg3. We then can run right and pass. Haven't figured out the pocket or leadership thing yet!— hodigger
- The eagles will trade their first round pick to the giants and stockpile 12 4th round picks and 7 of those will be undersized DE's with a high-motor so they can rotate in and play 8 plays per game in the Wide (open holes) Nine.— kevmil72
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