2020 Team Mock Drafts EAGLES

April 9, 2020

I don’t want to be overly dramatic, but based on the Eagles roster that we saw late last season, this team is in dire need of some younger talent. A talented base still exists, but in a weak NFC East division, Philly needs to retool it’s roster with more talent and more youth. And heading into the home stretch toward the Draft, it appears that GM HOWIE ROSEMAN realizes that, and is jettisoning some older players and signing some younger VFA’s. Now it’s time to add a solid list of Draftees that will add talent and juice to the roster. So let’s go for it… Fly Eagles Fly!

 

Round 1, Pick 21   KENNETH MURRAY   LB   Oklahoma   6’3/241   (PP#23)    Normally, the team has eschewed the need to draft early at the LB position, but maybe ROSEMAN has had a change of heart by now. BRADHAM and GRUGIER-HILL have been allowed to exit and MURRAY is the second best LB in this year’s Draft Class and may be too good to pass up here. With all the talent and depth the team has in it’s front four, MURRAY should be protected from second level blocks and allowed to run and hit at will. His Combine 40-time of 4.52 is not a mirage. MURRAY has the ability and athleticism to shadow RB/TE types heading downfield. MURRAY recorded over 100 tackles each of the last 2 seasons in Norman. He was also asked to assume more coverage duties last season, which resulted in 4 PBU’s. His one flaw might be that he doesn’t always trust his eyes and is a bit slow to react to action between the tackles. Having JIM SCHWARTZ to mentor him will likely elevate his game to the next level, taking advantage of his athleticism.

Round 2, Pick 53  CHASE CLAYPOOL   WR    Notre Dame    6’3/238   (PP#52)   First off, let’s put a stop to this talk about playing CLAYPOOL at TE. His numbers from the Combine should have ended that speculation that he somehow lacks the speed and ball skills to be a Receiver2 at the next level. Despite being up to 238 lbs., I think it is more important to concentrate on his 4.42/40-time. He also measured in with 9 7/8″H, 33 1/2″A, 80″ WS at the Combine. He almost jumped out of the Lucas Oil Dome with a 10 1/2″ vert, and a 126″ Broad Jump. Lists where I have seen him not even in the Top 50 as a prospect are absurd. His game translates very well to the NFL after surviving the vanilla Offense and mediocre QB play in South Bend. He will be a major Red Zone weapon as a pro. Despite being constrained by the Irish Offense, CHASE caught 66 balls at 15.7 ypc and scored 13 TD’s. I foresee him being ALSHON JEFFERY with more speed and less attitude. CLAYPOOL was a standout in Mobile and should transition nicely as a pro receiver.Oh yeah, in his spare time excels on Special Teams play.

Round 3, Pick 103   KEVIN DOTSON   OG   La/Lafayette   6’4/310   (PP#106)    It’s also time to add some young quality depth to their OL. DOTSON, a 4-year starter for the Ragin’ Cajuns, was an almost unanimous selection as the best all-around OL at the Shrine venue, as I polled scouts and other Draftniks on The Trop field sidelines in January. He has good athleticism and a nasty temperament when a DL is put in front of him. His forte’ is run blocking, but he does need work in pass-pro. His technique goes to heck when he feels that he’s losing the blocking battle, thus putting his QB I harm’s way. He has pro size with 10 1/2″ hands, 33″ arms, and a wingspan of 81 3/4″, as measured at the Shrine. I still see him as a future starter in the NFL, but not as a Rookie.

Round 4 is a big deal for the Eagles with 3 Picks. Round 4 annually produces quite a few solid pros. It also comes at the start of Day 3 with teams having had all night to restack their Boards after the first 106 Picks this year.

Round 4, Pick 127     JOSHUA KELLEY    RB   UCLA   5’11/214    (PP#127)  I’ve already profiled him as a Pick by the Cards. He is a versatile and a savvy runner. He appears to have good  field vision and balance. He also showed nice hands at the Senior Bowl. He’ll be best in a backup role to last year’s Rookie standout MILES SANDERS in Phily.

Round 4, Pick 145   JACK DRISCOLL   OT/G   Auburn   6’5/297    (PP#144)     You just don’t see too many players transfer from UMASS to being a starter in the SEC. Yet, that is what Driscoll did. And he handled it well. He’s not a people mover, but has solid technique and fundamental skills, and has the nimble feet and good hand usage to manipulate defenders larger than himself. His 33″ arms are a tad short for OT, but he could likely move inside to OG and be fine. In fact, I see him as a game day backup at 3 or 4 OL slots as a Rookie. His ability to move can’t be overlooked. At the Combine, he ran a 5.02/40, including a 10-yard split of 1.74.

Round 4, 146  BRIAN COLE   S   Mississippi State 6’2/213    (PP#150)     COLE has S speed (4.52/40) and Nickel-LB size. He has very good ball skills. He is also a punishing tackler who covers a lot of ground. Looking at COLE’s stats for the 2019 season, you can get a clear picture of a guy with the athleticism to play in-the-box and roam deep in the secondary: 12 Games- 67 T’s- 7.5 TFL- 2 S’s- 1 INT- 3 PD- 1 FF and 2 FR’s. COLE made a solid impression with practice and game efforts in Mobile. He’s a nice looking athlete who gets in on a lot of action. With the creativity of DC SCHWARTZ, I could see COLE assuming multiple roles in their Defense, eventually winning a starting job as a S.

Round 5, Pick 168    JACOB PHILLIPS   LB   LSU   6’3/229   (PP#171)    Not every LSU player can be a high draft pick, but then again, PHILLIPS led the team in tackles in 2019 with 113. He’s an old-fashioned downhill, aggressive player. He’s still a natural player, and a good, not great, athlete that will have to develop more finesse to his playing style. While he is trying to do that, he should make a very solid thumper on the Special Teams units.  This is a good developmental Pick in Round 5.

Round 6, Pick 190    MASON KINSEY    WR    Berry College   5’11/198  (PP#196)   DAN SHONKA went out and got himself a small school star for the Shrine Venue and it worked out very well for him, and for KINSEY. KINSEY got better every day of practice, and by the game, had established himself as a solid pro prospect, most likely as a slot receiver.  I sure wish he had gotten a late invite to the Combine, because I suspect his athleticism is solid, if not spectacular. He has the make-up to also compete in Training Camp for some Return chores. And let’s make it clear that he’s not some small guy who has the odds stacked against him. His exact weigh-in numbers from the Shrine were 5’10 1/2″, 198 lbs., 32 3/8″ arms, 9 1/4″ hands and a 75″ wingspan. KINSEY was voted a D3 All-American after catching 65 passes, for 1,221 yards and 16 TD’s in 2019. This guy can play!

Nice picking for the Eagles, IMO. This group shows plenty of athleticism and has a lot of productive experience at the college level. If healthy, all 8 of these players could make their 53-man roster. Throw in another 2-4 Undrafted Rookies and you have that magic double-digit total of youth to infuse on a basically solid veteran roster.

Pigskin