With the draft just a mere few days away, here is my final stab at predicting what Howie is going to do on draft day (sans trades):

1st Round (22) - Tyler Guyton OT Oklahoma - My previous pick at this slot in mock draft 1.0 was OT/G prospect Troy Fatuanu from Washington, who I now anticipate will not make it past the Seahawks selection at pick 16, given their need at OL and their new OC being the former OC at Washington. The cost to trade up from pick 22 to pick 15 would be the equivalent to second round pick 53, which is just too rich in a strong OL draft class. I'd personally argue the value at CB is better here at 22, and that we're better off with either Cooper DeJean or Kool-Aid McKinstry, but in keeping with Howie's draft tendencies, the most likely pick here will be OL/DL. Guyton doesn't have the versatility to slide to guard like Fatuanu, but can provide much needed depth at OT in the interim and can be groomed under Lane Johnson to be the RT of the future.

2nd Round (50) - Edgerrin Cooper LB Texas A&M - No change with my selection here as this is the perfect intersection between need, talent, and value on the board. Howie drafts a LB in the 2nd round for the first time since Mychal Kendricks in 2012. Cooper could easily go in the first round based on his talent alone, but in a draft class that isn't particularly strong at the position, he finds his way here with the first of the Eagles two 2nd round picks. The team did bring him in for a Top 30 visit and he would be a good fit in Vangio's scheme.

2nd round (53) - Max Melton CB Rutgers - The selection of Melton here would make him the highest drafted CB under Howie Roseman since Sidney Jones in 2017. A local prospect who has been rising up draft boards after his Combine performance, Melton is a little undersized for an outside corner, but has top level playing speed, is a solid tackler, and possesses scheme versatility to play both zone and man coverage, while lining at either outside or nickel CB. The downside is that he's needing some refinement in technique, so it would be a bit of a stretch to expect him to be starting as a rookie.

4th round (120) - Brandon Coleman OT/G TCU - Another selection from mock 1.0 that remains the same, where need meets value once again. The Eagles double-dip with OL picks to secure depth with another player that was brought in for a Top 30 visit. The team has had success with mid-round TCU OL in the past (Halapoulivaati Vaitai in the 5th round in the 2016 draft) and Coleman has the positional versatility to play both tackle and guard. Since Guyton projects to strictly be an OT prospect, Coleman actually has a shot to push Tyler Steen for the RG spot as a rookie.

5th round (161) - Johnny Wilson WR Florida State - I went with a different WR here in mock 1.0 but switched the selection to Wilson in this iteration. Unlike the undersized Ainias Smith, Johnny Wilson is a 6'6, 230 lb WR prospect who could potentially even be moved to TE. He would bring an interesting skillset for the red-zone offense if he pans out and could certainly go higher than this based on his size profile, even though he's considered a raw prospect. The Eagles brought Wilson in for an official visit. 

5th round (171) - Sione Vaki S Utah - While the team has brought back CJ Gardner-Johnson as a starter and extended Reed Blankenship to another year, additional depth at safety is a must, especially with Sydney Brown still recovering from his ACL tear. The Eagles met with Vaki at the Combine as well as his Pro Day along with his teammate Cole Bishop who is a projected Day 2 pick. Another selection I have kept from mock 1.0.

5th round (172) - Jalyx Hunt DE Houston Christian - It would be uncharacteristic of Howie to exit a draft without a DL selection, so here we are with small school prospect Jalyx Hunt, whom the team brought in for an official visit. A former safety at Cornell who converted to a hybrid OLB role with Houston Christian, Hunt is definitely a project pick here in the 5th round, but one cannot have enough pass rushers.

6th round (210) - Dylan Laube RB New Hampshire - While Saquon Barkley projects to be the workhorse back in this offense, his injury history underscores the need for depth at RB. My previous selection here was Carson Steele from UCLA in mock 1.0; in mock 2.0 he is switched to Laube given the upside as a returner (4 career kick/punt returns for TD in college).

I like it.. I’m on board with all the players I could see several of them going a little higher then slotted but not out of the possibility they are there.. I would think the eagles will make some type of trade but for a straight draft well done. 

2 hours ago, Cheesteakitis said:

I like it.. I’m on board with all the players I could see several of them going a little higher then slotted but not out of the possibility they are there.. I would think the eagles will make some type of trade but for a straight draft well done. 

Agreed! Some could wind up getting taken roughly a round earlier, some a little later.

Guyton in the first is very likely and smart but I would utterly hate the selection. Not the worst but near the bottom of what I’d like Howie to do…

8 hours ago, Cheesteakitis said:

I like it.. I’m on board with all the players I could see several of them going a little higher then slotted but not out of the possibility they are there.. I would think the eagles will make some type of trade but for a straight draft well done. 

 

6 hours ago, Ray75 said:

Agreed! Some could wind up getting taken roughly a round earlier, some a little later.

Guyton in the first is very likely and smart but I would utterly hate the selection. Not the worst but near the bottom of what I’d like Howie to do…

I agree with both of you here, thanks for the feedback. Would be unlikely for the Eagles to exit the draft without a single trade under Howie. Some of these guys I have seen projected earlier in other mocks but I've seen a wide range, so you never know.

Guyton is definitely not my personal favorite selection at 22, but it just feels like the type of pick Howie would make based on who I think will be available at that juncture. Would personally rather have one of the top CBs there instead IMO.

does Guyton give anybody else Andre Dillard vibes...I really hope he is not the choice ...