April 27, 2017
Draft day is finally here, and analysts from around the country have published their final mock drafts of the season. Here's a round-up of 30 analysts from around the country, and who they see the Philadelphia Eagles taking with their first-round pick.
Philly needs corners, but it's time to support Carson Wentz with this pick. Williams is a lot like Alshon Jeffery. He's physical and will block. They can play basketball on grass with him.
The Eagles need a cornerback, but Barnett might be too tempting to pass up.
The Eagles need help at a few positions, but Barnett gives them a physical pass rusher who Jim Schwartz should love.
Does "Trader Howie" use this pick to trade for Malcolm Butler instead?
Cook is the perfect fit for what this offense desperately needs: a three-down back whom QB Carson Wentz can hand off to and utilize in the passing game. Cornerback is an even bigger need, but with the allegations surrounding Ohio State CB Gareon Conley, you can't take him here without more information.
Last year's starters Leodis McKelvin and Nolan Carroll are gone and free agent addition Patrick Robinson was only signed to a one-year deal. Humphrey, the top-rated corner on some boards, is an NFL legacy with a rare combination of size (6-0, 197 pounds) and speed (4.41). At just 20-years old, Humphrey appears to be just scratching the surface of his potential.
The Eagles have surrounded second-year quarterback Carson Wentz with weapons on offense, but adding a versatile threat like McCaffrey is something that should frighten the rest of the NFC East.
The Eagles landing a stud cornerback here after looking like they might not have a first-round pick just a year ago is a pretty impressive feat.
I’ve heard Tennessee DE Derek Barnett here. Of course, that scenario supposes that Hooker doesn’t fall this far.
The Temple star would not have far to relocate. In Philadelphia, Reddick would join Jordan Hicks to join the heart of the linebacking corps. He also would serve as an intriguing chip for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who could lean on Reddick’s proven experience as a college DE to crank up the pass rush on occasion. Reddick has enough all-around talent that figuring out his exact role can come in time.
This was slated to be the slot for Ohio State cornerback Gareon Conley, but that’s not happening now. Williams is a great choice given Carson Wentz’s need for improved targets. But the Eagles hope the depth at cornerback bears out for them later in the draft.
The Eagles could absolutely take a similar approach to the Panthers last season in terms of multiple corners after round one. Harris will likely be a top 15 selection and greatly improved his athletic testing at the school’s pro day. Barnett is possible, and there is late buzz for an offensive player like Corey Davis.
BPA. Howie Roseman will think he can hit RB, CB later.
Accused of sexual assault at mid-week, Conley made a strong denial Wednesday. In a Journal Sentinel poll of four teams that investigated the incident, two said Conley still would be taken in the first round, one said second round and one indicated he’d fall outside the top 100.
DT Fletcher Cox paced the team with just 6½ sacks in 2016, and Connor Barwin is now with the Rams. Barnett won't make anyone in Philly forget Reggie White, even if he did break the Minister of Defense's sack record in Knoxville. But he is a very productive, relentless player who could take this pass rush up a notch or two while limiting the exposure to what's surely going to be a suspect group of corners.
With Leodis McKelvin released and Nolan Carroll gone in free agency, the Eagles still need to fill holes at both of their starting cornerback spots for 2017. White, who drew praise from Philadelphia vice president of player personnel Joe Douglas at the Senior Bowl, gives Philly an instant-impact playmaker on the outside or in the slot, and he could factor into the Eagles’ return game early on, too. The former Tiger is an excellent athlete with a nose for the ball; he picked off two passes last year and finished tied for third in the nation with 12 pass breakups.
There’s a big gap between the top cornerback in this draft, Lattimore, and Humphrey, who is arguably the second-best corner in the class with the legal questions surrounding Gareon Conley still swirling and likely to see him drop out of the first two days of the draft, at least. But the Eagles need a cornerback more than anything else in this draft and shouldn’t wait around to land one. Humphrey does have tremendous upside, though, because of his size and athleticism. If he doesn’t pan out as an outside cornerback, he’s almost sure to be an excellent safety.
The Eagles are one of the teams that shouldn’t eliminate Conley from their board, but they should run to turn in their card if McCaffrey is available.
Philadelphia needs a corner and was targeting Sidney Jones before his pro day injury. McCaffrey fits Philly’s offense.
Gareon Conley might have been the pick here if not for this week's sexual assault charge. Humphrey (26) isn't as technically sound, but he's just as athletic.
Last year’s starters are both gone, and in to replace at least one of them is former Colt Patrick Robinson. So yeah, corner is kind of a need here. Jackson is a name that’s rising on draft boards; this may be early, but there’s going to be a run on corners.
The abundance of running backs available in this draft enables the Eagles to get a pass rusher here, knowing they can add a productive runner later on.
The Birds will save money on transportation taking the local kid. This would have been a good year for Eagles to get top wideout for Carson Wentz, but after signing free agents Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, they go for Reddick, who is a playmaker. And he can just take the train over from school. This is the pick they received from Vikings for Sam Bradford.
McCaffery a multi-dimensional weapon to pair with Carson Wentz and Alshon Jeffery (for at least this year).
Eagles have been said to have their eye on Ross for a long time. Philly needs someone to stretch the field for Carson Wentz.
Eagles trade back to 22. Miami gets 14th overall, 118th overall. Philadelphia gets 22nd overall (Cook), 54th overall, 178th overall.
Another team that would’ve quickly used this pick on Conley, the Eagles also need an edge rusher to complement Chris Long and Brandon Graham. So we give them Charlton, a massive, 6-foot-6-inch edge-setter and disrupter who had 10 sacks and 13½ tackles for loss in 2016.
Desperate times call for desperate measures, so Eagles might use a first-round pick on a corner for the first time in 15 years.
They have a variety of needs, but with the draft stocked with running backs it wouldn’t be surprising if the top few fall a little.
Cornerback is a bigger need, but the Eagles have lacked a game-breaker since DeSean Jackson left.
| Player | Times picked |
| Marlon Humphrey, CB, Alabama | 5 |
| Derek Barnett, DE, Tennessee | 4 |
| Christian McCaffrey, RB, Stanford | 4 |
| John Ross, WR, Washington | 3 |
| Mike Williams, WR, Clemson | 2 |
| Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State | 2 |
| Haason Reddick, LB, Temple | 2 |
| Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State | 1 |
| Charles Harris, DE, Missouri | 1 |
| Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama | 1 |
| Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State | 1 |
| Tre'Davious White, CB, LSU | 1 |
| Adoree' Jackson, CB, USC | 1 |
| Taco Charlton, DE, Michigan | 1 |
| Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU | 1 |
