Latest Bleacher Report Eagles 7 round Mock draft. Round 1, Pick No. 20: Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State For the team with the worst cornerbacks in the NFL, how about the top cornerback prospect in the draft? Trae Waynes is listed at 6’1”, 182 pounds, so while he could stand to bulk up, he has the height/length the Eagles insist is so important on the outside. A redshirt junior, Waynes wasn’t absurdly productive, either, recording six interceptions and 12 pass breakups as a two-year starter for Michigan State, yet he is described as one of the main reasons the Spartans rank fourth in the FBS in passing efficiency defense (102.9 rating) and 25th in passing defense (196.0 YPG), per the university’s website. Philadelphia’s defense ranked 31st through the air in 2014 and came in dead last the season prior. There’s a possibility Waynes will be off the board by the 20th selection, but the Eagles could always attempt to trade up a few spots to get their man. It’s no secret they are desperate for help at corner, and Waynes sounds like the type of player who could make an impact from day one. Round 2: Cody Prewitt, S, Mississippi Of course, the Eagles can’t simply draft a cornerback and call it a day with the state their secondary is in. Safety needs love, too. Cody Prewitt burst on to the national scene as a junior for Ole Miss in 2013, finishing first in the SEC with six interceptions, which resulted in his being named a first-team All-American. The three-year starter leaves school with 11 picks, in addition to 14 pass breakups and four forced fumbles. Prewitt’s senior campaign might have hurt his stock a tad, as he was far less productive than the previous seasons (two interceptions, two passes defended in 2014). That being said, you can’t coach his listed size of 6’2”, 217 pounds. Plus, as Rob Rang’s scouting report for CBSSports notes, Prewitt is used to playing primarily deep safety, which is typically how the Eagles have deployed Nate Allen, so it seems like there might be a fit there. Round 3: Josue Matias, OG, Florida State Chances are Philadelphia’s offensive line will improve in 2014 from the simple standpoint that four of five starters aren’t likely to miss a minimum of four games for the third time in four seasons. Then again, given the fact that three of those players are in their 30s, maybe the Eagles can no longer rely on the health of the big guys up front. In particular, both guards are 30, and the players the Birds trotted out to replace them—Andrew Gardner, Matt Tobin and Dennis Kelly—didn’t exactly kill it. It’s time to think about life after Evan Mathis and Todd Herremans. At 6’6”, 325 pounds, Josue Matias is a mountain of a man. The third-year starter is one of the anchors of a Florida State offensive line that has already paved the way for one national championship and is currently working on another. He’s been durable, too, preparing to make his 43rd consecutive start at guard. Matias may be a little rough around the edges, but he wouldn’t necessarily have to play right away in Philadelphia. After a full year working with a veteran group that boasts three Pro Bowlers, he could be ready to replace Mathis or Herremans permanently as early as 2016. Round 4 (1): Ramik Wilson, ILB, Georgia This is the pick the Eagles received from the Buffalo Bills in last year’s Bryce Brown trade. Thanks, Buffalo! For what it’s worth, don’t be surprised if Philly packages one of these picks in a trade up the board somewhere along the way. For now, we’ll operate as though it hangs on to both. Given all the Ealges holes, it’s not like they couldn’t use the extra choices. For instance, they could fill an underrated need at interior linebacker, where DeMeco Ryans is 30 and coming off his second torn Achilles and has one year remaining on his contract at $6.9 million, per Spotrac. Ramik Wilson wouldn’t necessarily be somebody the team could count on to take over right away, but the productive two-year starter out of Georgia has the make of an NFL linebacker at 6’2”, 234 pounds. As a junior, he led the SEC in tackles, while also racking up 4.0 sacks and three pass breakups, indicating some degree of versatility. His numbers dipped in 2014, but he still finished sixth in the conference in tackles. Wilson can play downhill or drop into coverage, which would seemingly make for a good tandem with Mychal Kendricks. In any event, it would be unwise to wait much longer to address the position if they haven’t already done so in free agency. Round 4 (2): Bryce Petty, QB, Baylor It’s not a great year for teams that happen to need quarterbacks. On the bright side, the Eagles probably aren’t sure which column they belong in yet. That being said, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to bring in another passer to develop in case things ultimately don’t work out with Nick Foles. And while Bryce Petty won’t be heralded as the future of the franchise fans are hoping for this offseason, there are reasons to believe he might be a good fit in Philadelphia. Petty already ran an uptempo offense at Baylor, so that works in his favor. And a major complaint about the two-year starter in scouting reports such as Dane Brugler’s for CBSSports—that he’s played exclusively from the shotgun in college—shouldn’t matter much to the Eagles, as they primarily operate from the formation as well. Petty has some issues, but athleticism isn’t one of them. He has decent size (6’3”, 230 lbs) and an NFL arm, rarely turns the ball over (nine career interceptions) and runs just well enough. With the Eagles uncertain about their current quarterback situation, this feels like a good spot to add a prospect without committing an early draft pick. Round 5: Josh Shaw, CB, USC If this doesn’t drive home just how enormous the problems are in the Eagles secondary, nothing will. Here we have our third defensive back of the draft, and it’s only Round 5. Josh Shaw could’ve been a Day 2 pick or better had he not lost the majority of his senior season to a suspension stemming from a bizarre offseason incident with police. Ultimately, no charges were ever filed against the USC cornerback. In the two seasons prior, Shaw intercepted six passes, and a quality senior season likely would’ve cemented his status as a top prospect. Now a 6’1”, 200-pound corner can be had on the cheap. No doubt, the Eagles will look further into potential character issues with Shaw, but at a certain point in the draft, it gets hard to pass on talent—especially when you’re desperate for help. Round 6: Za’Darius Smith, DE/OLB, Kentucky Za’Darius Smith is listed as a defensive end and has zero documented experience dropping into coverage, so you might be wondering why I’ve listed him as an outside linebacker. To be honest, it’s nothing more than a shot in the dark that he could be an intriguing prospect to the Eagles at this stage of the draft. As Smith’s story goes, via his CBSSports scouting report, he only began playing football in 2010 at the junior college level. Up until then, he had been a basketball player. Is it so unreasonable to think a two-sport athlete could learn to play linebacker? Trent Cole and Brandon Graham were pure defensive ends, and they did it. Smith is already listed as 6’6”, 263 pounds, which may make him a tad stiff for certain aspects of the role. Of course, the Eagles could always have him continue bulking up and give him a look at end in a 3-4 as well, which would also be new. He’s a project for sure, but hes also a natural athlete with a potentially vast ceiling. Round 7: Marcus Murphy, RB, Missouri After the Eagles mysteriously parted ways with DeSean Jackson last offseason, people will always be left wondering whether similar out-of-the-box moves could be coming. Why, the team may not want to pay LeSean McCoy the 11.9 million cap hit he’s due in 2015, according to Spotrac. I think McCoy will be back, but the fact remains the 27-year-old running back isn’t getting any younger, not to mention Darren Sproles won’t be carrying a full load. Chris Polk is in the mix, but adding another back might not be a bad idea. The Eagles could look to get a jump on any possible changes with another back, and while Marcus Murphy may not be of the every-down variety, the Missouri runner can hurt defenses in different ways. In 2014, he carried 165 times for 767 yards and four touchdowns, while reeling in 26 passes for 196 yards and one score. For his career, he has 2,102 yards from scrimmage and 18 TDs. It’s just a thought. The Eagles will reveal their plans in the coming months, which will certainly help when it comes to projecting what they might do in the draft. As always, though, be on the lookout for potential surprises. -Brad
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 23:56:57 +0000
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