New HC Mock Offseason

[eaglesfan0075]

With Doug Pederson no longer the head coach and in light of a new report that Howie Roseman and Don Smolenski apparently advocated to keep him another year, despite Jeffrey Lurie's decision to move on following a disappointing exit interview and final meeting, the Eagles are behind the 8 ball and scrambling to search for their next head coach. Quite frankly, this job is not as desirable as the PR department tries to spin it and might even be the least attractive in the league (even behind Detroit and Houston). There's already a report that Lincoln Riley is aware of the power structure here and might not particularly interested in the job.

Jeffrey Lurie has given a defensive coordinator, a QB coach, a college head coach, and an offensive coordinator their 1st opportunity to be an NFL head coach with his last 4 hires. He's never hired a retread HC candidate, but I'm projecting him to make his first ever HC hire via internal promotion. Lurie can put a nice PR spin about preserving the family atmosphere of the Eagles organization and even pull the diversity card too in light of the current sociopolitical climate. I'd love an external candidate personally, but I'm not so sure we land one of the top guys.

Duce Staley (Eagles Assistant HC / RB coach) - Head Coach - Jeff Lurie and Howie Roseman give Duce his shot as HC and supplement him with experienced outside candidates at both coordinator positions to help his transition, like they did with Doug in bringing in Frank Reich and Jim Schwartz to be OC and DC respectively.

Anthony Lynn (Chargers Head Coach) - Assistant HC / RB Coach - Lynn was predominantly a RB coach before getting a brief stint as an interim OC with the Bills and spending the past 4 years with the Chargers as their HC. His minimal OC experience may relegate him to only take RB coach / Assistant HC jobs at this time while he looks to rebuild his resume. Lynn takes over Duce's old job, freeing Duce up to focus on his new head coaching duties. The HC experience allows Lynn to be a valuable asset as a sound board while Duce makes his transition.

Pep Hamilton (Chargers QB Coach, ex-Colts OC) - Offensive Coordinator - The Eagles go back to the Chargers for their OC hire after their success with Frank Reich, and give Hamilton the opportunity to be an OC once again. He was previously Andrew Luck's OC on the Colts for 3 seasons before taking QB coach jobs elsewhere since. Hamilton should get some credit for the development of Luck and Justin Herbert as a rookie, and would be an asset to whoever the Eagles plan to start at QB. His extensive QB coaching experience (with some WR coaching experience too) would nicely complement Duce Staley's experience as an RB coach.

Kris Richard (Ex-Cowboys DB coach, ex-Seahawks DC) - Defensive Coordinator - With Dan Quinn and Gus Bradley already accepting DC positions with new teams, the Eagles scoop up the last available ex-Seahawks DC associated with the Legion of Boom era. Richard was the Seahawks DC from 2015-2017 and was their DB coach prior to that, helping develop Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas, and Kam Chancellor. (I was originally considering Marvin Lewis, currently co-DC at Arizona State, at this spot, but he's already received multiple HC interview requests from teams. He may not settle for an NFL DC job.) Richard on the other hand is back as an NFL coach after a 1 year hiatus, similar to Jim Schwartz when he interned with the league office before being hired by the Eagles, and allows the team to continue to run a 4-3 defense.

 

Notable restructures/cuts/trades:

I'm not projecting a Wentz trade in this scenario as the HC change could mean he sticks around

Zach Ertz traded to the Packers for a 2021 4th round pick.

Alshon Jeffrey, DeSean Jackson, and Malik Jackson are released

Fletcher Cox and BG are kept on restructured deals.

Derek Barnett signs a long-term deal around 10 million/year.

 

Draft:

Round 1: DeVonta Smith WR Alabama - I know it may seem unlikely for Howie to draft another WR in the first round after our speed movement in last year's draft, but keep in mind that the Eagles heavily scouted the three WR that ultimately went top 10 back in 2017 (Corey Davis, Mike Williams, and John Ross). I'd imagine the FO will do the same with Smith, JaMarr Chase and Jaylen Waddle this year. It could very well be a coin-flip as to which WR goes first between Smith and Chase, as both are excellent prospects. For the sake of this mock, I'll say size concerns at 175 lbs cause Chase to go first.

Round 2: Hamsah Nasirildeen S Florida State - At 6'4 and 215 lbs, Nasirildeen just needs to bulk up a little bit more to fill the Kam Chancellor role on Kris Richard's defense. He possesses the versatility to drop back in coverage or act as an extra linebacker as needed. His draft stock has risen on some sites from a 3rd round prospect to a 2nd rounder, and there isn't a true consensus top safety in this class yet. The hope is that K'Von Wallace can develop into a starter in his own right as well, in his 2nd year.

Round 3: Israel Mukuamu CB South Carolina - Mukuamu has the size profile (6'3 and 205 lbs) to fit the Richard Sherman mold of CB and should be in the mix for the CB2 spot as a rookie opposite Slay.

Round 4 (GB): Trey Hill C Georgia - Jason Kelce could very well retire, so a long-term replacement at C will be crucial for this team going forward

Round 5: Joshua Kaindoh DE Florida State - Kaindoh is raw and has a bit of an injury history but has great size for a DE at 6'7 to be a late round flier to add to the DE rotation after losing Malik Jackson

Round 5 (DAL): Stevie Scott RB Indiana - At 6'2 and 231 lbs, Scott comes in as the power back to spell Miles Sanders in what should be a more run-friendly offense with both Staley and Lynn on board

Round 6: Matt Bushman TE BYU - With Zach Ertz gone, Bushman comes in to compete for the TE2 spot with Richard Rodgers; he has decent size at 6'5 and 245 lbs

Round 6 (comp): Tony Fields II LB West Virginia - Fields joins the LB group and brings in some upside as a rusher, but with his size (6'1 and 225 lb) is likely limited to being a WILL linebacker in our 4-3.

Round 6 (comp): Ed Ingram OG LSU - With all the injuries the Eagles experienced on the OL this past season, including Brandon Brooks at RG, it helps to have additional depth on the roster

Round 7: Cole Van Lanen OT Wisconsin - More depth on the OL, but this time at OT, which should be an interesting situation with Andre Dillard returning, Jordan Mailata showing promise at LT, and Lane Johnson's injury.

[RUEagle]

No.  No no no. 
 

Duce not ready for head coach and Smith will be long gone by 6

[eaglesfan0075]

9 minutes ago, RUEagle said:

No.  No no no. 
 

Duce not ready for head coach and Smith will be long gone by 6

I agree with the first statement, but I'm a bit pessimistic in Howie and Jeff's ability to bring in a good external candidate. I would love to be wrong, and we did end up with Doug even after the Eagles job was considered undesirable in 2016.

Good news is that the Eagles expanded their interview list, so we have an increased chance of landing someone, not to mention coaches on teams still in the playoff hunt. Panthers OC Joe Brady was interviewed and the Eagles are showing interest in Ohio State HC Ryan Day and Patriots ILB coach Jerod Mayo (interesting choice)

On Smith I think it's really 50/50 on whether he or JaMarr Chase is the first WR off the board. Chase sat out the year but was dominant the previous season with Justin Jefferson getting all the national attention.

Unless you think both WR go in the top 5, then we'd have to look elsewhere with the 6th pick?

[IFB DOG]

Jags - Lawrence (All but a lock, no?)
Jets - WR for Darnold? QB?  Trade out?  I feel they'll lean more towards QB under a new regime.
Dolphins - WR or OT (Sewell?).  I feel they're a lock for WR.
Falcons - No WR. They'll probably go defense.
Bengals - Toss up.  John Ross has been a huge bust.  They may go offense to help Burrow - WR or OL.
 

I definitely see two of Chase, Waddle or  Smith being available.  I just don't know if that's the best pick...  Would honestly love to see Sewell here. I mean, the guy got freakin' Heisman votes as an OL.   

But, I am and always will be a big ugly fan in the first round.  OL or DL all day long.  If you cannot get protect the QB, the WRs don't matter. If you cannot get to the QB, the other team will eventually have a WR come open. 

[eaglesfan0075]

35 minutes ago, IFB DOG said:

Jags - Lawrence (All but a lock, no?)
Jets - WR for Darnold? QB?  Trade out?  I feel they'll lean more towards QB under a new regime.
Dolphins - WR or OT (Sewell?).  I feel they're a lock for WR.
Falcons - No WR. They'll probably go defense.
Bengals - Toss up.  John Ross has been a huge bust.  They may go offense to help Burrow - WR or OL.
 

I definitely see two of Chase, Waddle or  Smith being available.  I just don't know if that's the best pick...  Would honestly love to see Sewell here. I mean, the guy got freakin' Heisman votes as an OL.   

But, I am and always will be a big ugly fan in the first round.  OL or DL all day long.  If you cannot get protect the QB, the WRs don't matter. If you cannot get to the QB, the other team will eventually have a WR come open. 

I'm not opposed to OL or DL if the value is appropriate. Penei Sewell is the only OL or DL prospect that I would seriously consider at 6 (if he even makes it past the Bengals). My guess is that one of the Jets, Dolphins, or Bengals pick him up to protect their young QB. If he's off the board, I'll gladly take the best WR available, whether it's Chase or Smith. Waddle would be a reasonable option in a small trade down scenario, but otherwise a bit of a reach at 6.

[Rob331]

Thanks - I like your thinking. 

Some new draft names that haven't popped up on the board which makes it interesting. 

Maybe Nasirideen and Makuamu (wow - two hard to type names) could go just a little bit lower and Hill a round higher. 

Are you sure Kaindoh isn't really a 6 or a 7? Either way - I like taking a shot at a DE. 

Where have you seen Scott rated that high.  Please let ne know, I'm interested to look at that service/website. 

Like the Bushman pick but he might be gone also. I've seen the 4th for him. 

Thanks again - good read. 

[ibleedgreen1990]

Man, you had me ready to say "hell no” when you put Duce as hc. Don’t dislike him, just not sure if he has it in him. But then bring in and a little pep, some Richards, and it seems to come together ok. 
 

how interesting would it be to hire the charges hc and qb coach of last year and give lynn the smaller role? Lol

love the draft. Would be very happy coming out with this talent.

[eaglesfan0075]

15 hours ago, Rob331 said:

Thanks - I like your thinking. 

Some new draft names that haven't popped up on the board which makes it interesting. 

Maybe Nasirideen and Makuamu (wow - two hard to type names) could go just a little bit lower and Hill a round higher. 

Are you sure Kaindoh isn't really a 6 or a 7? Either way - I like taking a shot at a DE. 

Where have you seen Scott rated that high.  Please let ne know, I'm interested to look at that service/website. 

Like the Bushman pick but he might be gone also. I've seen the 4th for him. 

Thanks again - good read. 

I've been using Drafttek and CBS Sportsline rankings for this mock, so some players may ranked a bit higher or lower compared to other sites. 

For example, CBS ranked Nasirildeen as their 36th overall ranked prospect and 2nd highest safety after Jevon Holland. Mukuamu is ranked CB11 on Drafttek, which would fit with a Round 3 projection if you estimate 4-5 CBs go off the board in Round 1 and 2. Scott was the 12th ranked RB on Drafttek.

[eaglesfan0075]

13 hours ago, ibleedgreen1990 said:

Man, you had me ready to say "hell no” when you put Duce as hc. Don’t dislike him, just not sure if he has it in him. But then bring in and a little pep, some Richards, and it seems to come together ok. 
 

how interesting would it be to hire the charges hc and qb coach of last year and give lynn the smaller role? Lol

love the draft. Would be very happy coming out with this talent.

I'm on the same boat there. Duce isn't my top choice per se, but it's certainly a realistic possibility we miss out on our bigger name targets, so the next best thing is to bring in a strong supporting cast of coordinators like they did with Doug Pederson.

I would be surprised if someone gives Lynn an OC or HC job outright, but you are right it is interesting it worked out that way. 

[Right4thePicking]

At least we should start by promoting duce to oc

[eaglesfan0075]

34 minutes ago, Right4thePicking said:

At least we should start by promoting duce to oc

Not a bad idea, although I would imagine if we bring in an external candidate he will want all of his guys to fill in the coordinator and assistant coaching positions. If we were to hire Robert Saleh or one of the other defensive coaches, expect someone with experience playcalling at OC. If it's an offensive guy, then maybe there's a possibility Duce becomes the OC.

[jsdarkstar]

Chase, Smith and Surtain will all be on the board and Howie will Trade back like an idiot.

Our QB situation will prevent big names from wanting to coach here. 

[Rob331]

On 1/14/2021 at 8:24 AM, eaglesfan0075 said:

I've been using Drafttek and CBS Sportsline rankings for this mock, so some players may ranked a bit higher or lower compared to other sites. 

For example, CBS ranked Nasirildeen as their 36th overall ranked prospect and 2nd highest safety after Jevon Holland. Mukuamu is ranked CB11 on Drafttek, which would fit with a Round 3 projection if you estimate 4-5 CBs go off the board in Round 1 and 2. Scott was the 12th ranked RB on Drafttek.

Got it - the discussions are as much fun as the mocks themselves. Hope we all have a bunch of fun in the next few  months. 

[20dawk4life]

Would love Lynn as OC but not Duce as HC. Hell flip the titles and I'd be more on board.