An Early Look at the Mock Draft Universe

It’s never too early to look forward to April’s NFL Draft, and many of the so-called experts have already released their early mock drafts. Let’s take a look at their choices and explanations for the Eagles with the 24th overall pick. At the end, I’ll summarize the findings and evaluate how the Eagles could proceed with their first round selection just a few months away.

WalterFootball: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

“Andy Reid loves drafting linemen on both sides of the ball, and the Eagles will be looking for an upgrade over mediocre left end Victor Abiamiri this offseason.

Carlos Dunlap lacks consistent effort and was charged with DUI recently, so there’s a chance he could fall out of the first round. However, Andy Reid seems to be on a mission to redeem every single football player in America, and given his new (unwarranted) contract extension, Big Red can afford to take a chance on a high-upside, low-effort guy like Dunlap.”

Mel Kiper; ESPN.com: Navorro Bowman, OLB, Penn State

“The Eagles need an athletic OLB, and they get a lot of value by landing Bowman here. Bowman lacks size, but any parsing on measurables can’t overcome his great play on film. Could end up as the best at his position in this class.”

..Way More After the Jump

Draft Countdown: Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri

“On paper Philadelphia is one of the better teams in the league and they don’t appear to have very many glaring holes. However, for years now the Eagles have been mix and matching mediocre youngsters and washed up veterans at linebacker so it’s time they brought in a top-notch talent at the position. A fantastic all-around player, Missouri’s Sean Weatherspoon really is the total package. In addition to his impressive measurables and top-notch intangibles Weatherspoon is constantly around the action and just has a knack for making the big play. Weatherspoon would be a perfect fit on the outside in the Eagles scheme and if Stewart Bradley continues to battle injuries he is also capable of playing the middle.  Another possibility for Philly would be cornerback since Ellis Hobbs is coming up on free agency and Sheldon Brown is still unhappy with his contract situation. Depending on how they feel about Macho Harris’ performance as a rookie they could be in the market for some help at safety as well. Keep an eye on defensive end too because even though Trent Cole is a great young pass rusher and they produced some impressive sack statistics there are rumblings that it’s a spot the team would not mind upgrading.”

Draft Countdown’s Scouting Report on Sean Weatherspoon

Bucky Brooks, NFL.com: Taylor Mays, S, USC

“Andy Reid underestimated the impact of losing Brian Dawkins in the back end, so he nabs Mays to become the new anchor of the secondary.”

Raul Colon, FFToolbox.com: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

“Once projected as a top 15 pick, inconsistency and off the field issues have downgraded his value, not his talent. In a relatively weak class, Dunlap’s talent will make him attractive to the Eagles, who will more than welcome his production.”

FootballsFuture.com: Carlos Dunlap, DE, Florida

“There aren’t many players with the combination of size and athleticism that Dunlap possesses. Most that do hear their name called in the top ten. Some inconsistencies along with some maturity questions drop him here, but he’s worth the risk for the Eagles at this spot.”

BleacherReport.com: Bryan Bulaga, OT/OG, Iowa

“The Eagles could use some help at safety but taking one now would be a reach.  Bulaga has great size and ability plus he has the frame to add more bulk if necessary, while he might not be the best tackle in this years draft he could move to guard where he could dominate.”

Joel Welse, FFToolbox.com: Greg Hardy, DE, Mississippi

“Greg Hardy could have been a first round pick last year, but injury concerns would have dropped him down a ways. If he can stay healthy throughout the 2009 campaign (which he has not), he has the talent to be the top defensive end in this class; Carlos Dunlap, Derrick Morgan and George Selvie, among others, will have something to say about that. Hardy has a lot to prove at the combine and during Senior Week and he has to show that he can stay healthy.”

Analysis

The three positions that come up most often for the Eagles in these early mock drafts are defensive end, outside linebacker, and safety.

At defensive end, Trent Cole is the only real pass-rushing threat. Juqua Parker is a good player but is aging quickly and has never made a huge impact for the defense. Victor Abiamiri has struggled through a host of injuries, and even when healthy has underperformed. Chris Clemons plays only passing downs, and Darren Howard is 33 years old.

The Eagles history of drafting DE’s is extremely spotty, with first round busts Jerome McDougle and Mike Mamula forever etched in our minds. This year’s class is filled with top-flight talent at the coveted position, five of the first 25 players on Mel Kiper’s Big Board are ends. Georgia Tech’s Derrick Morgan is the consensus best available DE, with South Florida’s Jason Pierre-Paul, Dunlap, USC’s Everson Griffen, and Michigan’s Brandon Graham rounding out the top tier of pass rushers.

Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott had his hands full trying to put the right pieces together in his patchwork linebacking corps. A rash of injuries caused the Eagles to throw a grizzled veteran (Jeremiah Trotter) and a rookie seventh-round pick (Moise Fokou) into the starting lineup at certain points late in the year. The return of MLB Stewart Bradley will ease some pain, but the experts are on to something in predicting the Eagles will draft an outside ‘backer with the 24th overall selection.

The last time the Eagles used a first round pick on a linebacker was in 1979 with Jerry Robinson out of UCLA. In Andy Reid’s tenure, he has been much more apt to use a later round selection or take to the open market to find his ‘backers. I would imagine that trend would continue this year.

To me, the most intriguing position is safety. There is no doubting the struggles that occurred at the back end of the secondary this year. Rookie Macho Harris struggled at FS, and he doesn’t seem like a long-term fit there. Sean Jones split time with Harris, but failed to “wow” the coaching staff. Even Quintin Mikell, who many were predicting a Pro Bowl-caliber year in ‘09, failed to live up to expectations. I wonder how much of that is due to the loss of leadership with the departure of Brian Dawkins?

Either way, the Eagles are sure to add at least one safety via draft or free agency. Jones will likely walk in free agency, leaving Mikell, Quintin Demps, and Harris the only safeties on the roster. There are three safeties with first-round grades for April’s draft, Tennessee’s Eric Berry, Mays, and Texas’ Earl Thomas. Berry will be long gone by the time No. 24 rolls around, but Mays and Thomas may be there. However, safety is a tough position to reach on, so I wonder how Reid and Co. proceed if one of those two are on the board.

Plenty of time to debate on how the Eagles will draft before April 22nd. It sure seems like the majority of folks predict a defensive player to be announced on that day, and I would have to agree with them.