PHILADELPHIA – It’s become Super Bowl Sunday, Part II. That, of course, is the NFL Draft. It’s become like the Super Bowl, only the draft is spread out over three days.
There’s no halftime show or final score, like the Super Bowl, but the annual restocking of rosters has become as talked about, if not more, in the weeks leading up to it, with mock drafts and conversations galore. The fun starts Thursday and concludes Saturday evening.
The Philadelphia Eagles own eight selections – one on opening night, two on Friday, and five on Saturday.
Here is my final Eagles-only mock draft:
No. 22 TRADE
Eagles send this pick and No. 50 to the Seattle Seahawks for No. 16 and No. 102
Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama. This is it. This is the year the Eagles end the drought of not taking a cornerback in the first round since 2002 when they took Lito Sheppard at No. 26 overall.
The drought may have ended sooner had Jaycee Horn or Patrick Surtain not come off the board at picks 8 and 9, respectively, in 2021 and had fallen to No. 12, where the Eagles were slated to pick. They moved up and grabbed receiver DeVonta Smith at No. 10, but maybe it would have been one of those corners instead of Smith.
Howie Roseman USA Today
It’s worked out beautifully for Philly and Smith, but this time the Eagles move up to try to grab another Alabama product, one who can learn from Darius Slay and James Bradberry.
There’s a chance Arnold will be gone by this point, or maybe the Eagles try to climb higher. If they can’t and Arnold is gone, Florida State edge rusher Jared Verse would be an excellent consolation prize.
The Eagles hosted Arnold on a top-30 visit, but there have been no reports that Verse did, so that is something to think about.
No. 50: TRADED TO SEAHAWKS
No. 53: Trevin Wallace, LB, Kentucky. This may be a touch high for this explosive athlete who was also a team captain – a trait the Eagles love – but the thinking is Edgerrin Cooper will be gone and Payton Wilson is too much of an injury risk. The Eagles have done their homework on Wallace, hosting him on a top-30 visit.
Why wait if you love a prospect?
No. 102: ACQUIRED FROM SEAHAWKS
Zak Zinter, OG, Michigan. The second round seems to be the Eagles’ recent sweet spot to take an offensive lineman, and maybe they take Zinter there, in the same round they took Landon Dickerson in 2021 and Cam Jurgens in 2022. The thought here is they roll the dice and hope he’s there with their next pick.
He was a borderline first-round pick until he broke the tibia and fibula in a November game, but is a powerfully-built 6-6, 310-pound guard who was a four-year starter for the Wolverines and when healthy, which should be in time for training camp, he could start at right guard and do so for years to come.
The knock is that right guard seems to be his only position and he would have to be trained to play left guard or even center.
The Eagles hosted him on a top-30 visit.
No. 120: Marshawn Lloyd, RB, Southern California. It’s easy to overlook this position after the Eagles signed Saquon Barkley, but their depth is lacking after him and Kenny Gainwell, who is in the final year of his rookie contract. Bringing in somebody to learn and earn some snaps here and there isn’t the worst thing.
The Eagles hosted this Wilmington, DE, product on a top-30 visit.
No. 161: Christian Jones, OT, Texas. He enters as a right tackle, and in the hands of Jeff Stoutland, may be able to develop into Lane Johnson’s eventual replacement down the line. Or, at the very least, provide adequate depth at the tackle spot.
No. 171: DeWayne Carter, DT, Duke. A three-time captain and finalist for the William V. Campbell Award (the academic Heisman). Defensive tackles Milton Williams and Marlon Tuipulotu are in the final year of their rookie contracts, making this position something to pay attention to even though it may be a priority this season.
No. 172: Ainias Smith, WR, Texas A&M. Considered a slot receiver, something the Eagles could use to throw in the mix with Britain Covey. Like Covey, Smith. and also returns punts as well as kickoffs. He has some running back in his past, so jet sweep could be in play with him.
The Eagles hosted him on a top-30 visit.
No. 210: Sioni Vaki, S, Utah. A strong special teams player, something you look for this deep in the draft, but perhaps he can be developed into a part-time defender at some point, too.
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