Mid-April Mock

[BuckroeEagle]

Okay.  Listen to my logic before you burn me at the stake.   Let's get it over with.  

TRADE.  #12 to Chicago for #20 and #52.  

DRAFT.   #20:  Rashad Bateman, WR, Minnesota.  Big, tough, excellent hands, runs supurb routes.  Starter.  

#37:  Landon Dickerson, IOL, Alabama.  Big, mean, immediate starter, 2022 replacement at OC for Kelse.  

#52:  Asante Samuel II, SCB, Florida State.  Shorter, compact, good coverage and tackler.  Starter.  

#70:  Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford.  Good size and speed.  Willing tackler and good ball skills.  Starter.  

#84:  Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Memphis.  Big play RB should pair nicely with Sanders.  Primary backup.  

#123:  Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama.  Good all round player with good size and speed.  Rotational starter.  

#150:  Jamie Newman, QB, Georgia.  Good size and weight.  Needs a year or so to develop.  

#189:  Jaylen Twyman, IDL, Pittsburgh.  A little undersized but strong and quick.  4th DT behind Ridgeway in rotation.  May be best as a DE.

#224:  Quinn Meinerz, OG, Wisconsin - Whitewater.  Div 3 AA.  Could also play OC.  Needs to add functional strength.  Possible year 2 starter.  

#225:  Tommy Doyle, OT, Miami [OH].  Tall and thick.  Plays with an attitude.  Needs a couple years to develop.  

#234:  Zach Davidson, TE, Central Michigan.  Big, tough player.  Can add 15 pounds.  Excellent blocker.  2021 TE 2/3 if Ertz traded.  Dominated at Div 2.  Emergency punter.  

#240:  Kenny Randall, IDL, Charleston WV.  Good size and footwork.  Excellent pass rusher.  Needs a year or so to put on some weight, gain strength, and develop under NFL coaches.  

RECAP.   What did we get for #6?  #20, #52, #123 and a 2022 1st/2nd.  What did we get in the draft?  Four starters, 2 rotational starters, a potential #2 QB, and  3/4 high potential developmental players.  An A or A- draft.  IMO much more value than anything we could expect from #6.

WHAT ABOUT 2022?  Let's be optimistic and say that Hurts plays well this year and we don't need to draft a new QB next year.  Then we have 4 picks in the first 45 or so.  How about WR, DT, SS, and IOL.  If Hurts craps out then we're in position to either draft a QB with our 1st or use two of our 1st to move up.  That leaves us with 2 more picks in the top 45.  Say WR and DL.  Either way we have 8 to 10 players from this year draft with a year's experience and 3 impact players from next year's draft and we're in a much better position to replace Kelse, Ertz, and potentially Johnson, Graham, Seumalo, Brooks, and McLeod.

Constructive comments please.  WTF is not constructive.  

[ManchesterEagle]

On 4/16/2021 at 6:57 PM, BuckroeEagle said:

Okay.  Listen to my logic before you burn me at the stake.   Let's get it over with.  

TRADE.  #12 to Chicago for #20 and #52.  

DRAFT.   #20:  Rashad Bateman, WR, Minnesota.  Big, tough, excellent hands, runs supurb routes.  Starter.  

#37:  Landon Dickerson, IOL, Alabama.  Big, mean, immediate starter, 2022 replacement at OC for Kelse.  

#52:  Asante Samuel II, SCB, Florida State.  Shorter, compact, good coverage and tackler.  Starter.  

#70:  Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford.  Good size and speed.  Willing tackler and good ball skills.  Starter.  

#84:  Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Memphis.  Big play RB should pair nicely with Sanders.  Primary backup.  

#123:  Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama.  Good all round player with good size and speed.  Rotational starter.  

#150:  Jamie Newman, QB, Georgia.  Good size and weight.  Needs a year or so to develop.  

#189:  Jaylen Twyman, IDL, Pittsburgh.  A little undersized but strong and quick.  4th DT behind Ridgeway in rotation.  May be best as a DE.

#224:  Quinn Meinerz, OG, Wisconsin - Whitewater.  Div 3 AA.  Could also play OC.  Needs to add functional strength.  Possible year 2 starter.  

#225:  Tommy Doyle, OT, Miami [OH].  Tall and thick.  Plays with an attitude.  Needs a couple years to develop.  

#234:  Zach Davidson, TE, Central Michigan.  Big, tough player.  Can add 15 pounds.  Excellent blocker.  2021 TE 2/3 if Ertz traded.  Dominated at Div 2.  Emergency punter.  

#240:  Kenny Randall, IDL, Charleston WV.  Good size and footwork.  Excellent pass rusher.  Needs a year or so to put on some weight, gain strength, and develop under NFL coaches.  

RECAP.   What did we get for #6?  #20, #52, #123 and a 2022 1st/2nd.  What did we get in the draft?  Four starters, 2 rotational starters, a potential #2 QB, and  3/4 high potential developmental players.  An A or A- draft.  IMO much more value than anything we could expect from #6.

WHAT ABOUT 2022?  Let's be optimistic and say that Hurts plays well this year and we don't need to draft a new QB next year.  Then we have 4 picks in the first 45 or so.  How about WR, DT, SS, and IOL.  If Hurts craps out then we're in position to either draft a QB with our 1st or use two of our 1st to move up.  That leaves us with 2 more picks in the top 45.  Say WR and DL.  Either way we have 8 to 10 players from this year draft with a year's experience and 3 impact players from next year's draft and we're in a much better position to replace Kelse, Ertz, and potentially Johnson, Graham, Seumalo, Brooks, and McLeod.

Constructive comments please.  WTF is not constructive.  

I'll be honest - I don't love it. My thoughts below:

Okay - so positives:

1) Decent value on trade with Chicago.

2) Love Samuel at 52 - he could fall there - good value.

3) I like how you have focused on the lines - still important and interior OL is something we definitely need to address with Kelce close to retirement and Brooks injuries. 

4) Bateman would be a good fit.

Negatives

1) Although you got decent value for the trade down in the first, I'm not a fan of dropping to 20. We get a really good player at 12. 20 we are in danger of missing out on even our second targets (Farley, Parsons, Paye etc).

2) Although I like Bateman and think he will be in the mix with Marshall Jr and others for pick 2, I think he's a big reach at 20.

3) I'm not a fan of going O with the first two picks. The D needs young talent big time.

4) I'd actually swap Samuel and Dickerson - think Dickerson will still be there end of 2nd. I think Samuel goes early 2nd.

[BuckroeEagle]

Thanks for the comments.

I thought about defense for at least one of the first two picks but decided that it takes longer to develop skilled offensive players than defensive line players.  If everything goes well in 2021 then I'd probably go IDL or LB early in 2022.  As for Dickerson v. Samuel, IMO Dickerson is much more likely to go earlier than Samuel; maybe as early as 30.  If so, we could try to package Ertz with #37 to move up and grab Dickerson.  Samuel is moving up the board and may not be there at #52.  If Ertz wasn't needed to move to #30 then he is available to package with #52 to move up maybe as high as #40 for Samuel.  In fact, Ertz is valuable to facilitate a move to get any player we want in rounds 2 and 3.  

As to the drop off in talent available at #20 v. #12, IMO it isn't much.  When you add in #52, IMO it swings much more strongly toward moving back.  I think the chances of getting one truly elite player from #20 & #52 far exceeds that of a single player at #12.   Now, if that were #4 - #8, probably different.

The one area I'm a little leary of is DE.  Graham, Sweat, and Barnett are fine but behind them isn't much.  Twyman could be the answer as he has the quickness and power to become a force.  Rotating in as 4th DT and DE may be the perfect role for him.  Ostman may also have a say.  Help in 2022 is definitely needed but with 4 picks in the first 50 or so, filling holes left from 2021 shouldn't be too much of an issue.  And, we haven't even considered FA where we'll have the cap space to make a couple serious moves.  

8-9, 10-7 in 2021 and 11-6, 12-5 in 2022.  SB in 2023.  Go Iggles! 

[Right4thePicking]

I see alot of good safeties in this draft. Although I like that you addressed alot of needs in with this draft. It seems you went away from the strength positions of this draft. Alot of good safeties and lbers in this draft.

[BuckroeEagle]

I get your point and believe me I gave safety and LB a lot of thought before I worked the draft.  I intentionally didn't pick a safety as I believe that below the mid-2nd round the quality lessens out and I didn't believe safety warranted that high a pick.  Next year, different story.  At least one of our top 4 picks goes to McLeods eventual replacement.  And maybe more if Harris is a one year rental [although I doubt it].  Safety is also in play in the FA market.

As to LB, I think we're in pretty good shape.  Singleton and Wilson give us a good foundation and Edwards is a plus.  Avery gives us size and a strong pass rusher.  Bradley and Taylor have excellent potential and should improve given the proper instruction and mentorship.  Adding Moses through the draft is another plus.  We should easily find 4 to 5 NFL quality starters /rotational starters from that group.  Considering we don't play a lot of 3 LB sets, IMO we're at least NFL average at LB.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

You know what? I quite like it. 

Look I'd still be concerned at CB because Samuel is likely a slot and we'd have passed on investing a premium pick in the position again. But I do like what you've done. 

Bateman has a chance to be really good in the NFL. Not necessarily elite but a good go to guy. Dickerson is a top IOL in this draft. He can play guard or C so could be plug and play for now and be the successor for Kelce. 

And then there's a lot of depth guys potentially to be had.

[Right4thePicking]

I mean it's a solid draft. But do you really think Howie is smart enough to pull it off?

[UK_EaglesFan89]

4 hours ago, Right4thePicking said:

I mean it's a solid draft. But do you really think Howie is smart enough to pull it off?

Howie is the smartest man in the room don't you know this? 😉

[BuckroeEagle]

On 4/19/2021 at 2:36 AM, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

You know what? I quite like it. 

Look I'd still be concerned at CB because Samuel is likely a slot and we'd have passed on investing a premium pick in the position again. But I do like what you've done. 

Bateman has a chance to be really good in the NFL. Not necessarily elite but a good go to guy. Dickerson is a top IOL in this draft. He can play guard or C so could be plug and play for now and be the successor for Kelce. 

And then there's a lot of depth guys potentially to be had.

I also have concerns at CB.  Slay is very good and will be better with better cohorts.  Maddox is too small to play outside but is okay in the slot.  I spent two early picks on CB; Samuel at #52 and Paulson Adebo at #70; Samuel in the slot and Adebo outside.  Along with Arnold, that gives us 5 potentially NFL average to above average CBs.  Thats better than its been for the past couple years and allows us to add an impact player next year with 4 picks in the first 50+/-.

[BuckroeEagle]

On 4/19/2021 at 9:01 AM, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Howie is the smartest man in the room don't you know this? 😉

No.

[BuckroeEagle]

I have a question for all the guys who prepare prospect lists or team roster listings.  How can all of you list Rashad Bateman as 6'1 and 210 pounds and describe him as a big, powerful WR?  Then, on his pro day, he turns out to be just over 6'0 and 190 pounds.  What a screw up.  This info drops him to the end of the 2nd round or early 3rd; not mid to late 1st round.  And, more importantly, screws up my draft.  I had him as a solid #20, now more like #60.  Got to rethink.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

1 hour ago, BuckroeEagle said:

I have a question for all the guys who prepare prospect lists or team roster listings.  How can all of you list Rashad Bateman as 6'1 and 210 pounds and describe him as a big, powerful WR?  Then, on his pro day, he turns out to be just over 6'0 and 190 pounds.  What a screw up.  This info drops him to the end of the 2nd round or early 3rd; not mid to late 1st round.  And, more importantly, screws up my draft.  I had him as a solid #20, now more like #60.  Got to rethink.

Does it? I'm sure teams knew his rough size and height and who knows whether he lost some bulk for his pro day. The most important thing is the tape and how he plays the game isn't it?

[matchew88]

On 4/16/2021 at 1:57 PM, BuckroeEagle said:

Okay.  Listen to my logic before you burn me at the stake.   Let's get it over with.  

TRADE.  #12 to Chicago for #20 and #52.  

DRAFT.   #20:  Rashad Bateman, WR, Minnesota.  Big, tough, excellent hands, runs supurb routes.  Starter.  

#37:  Landon Dickerson, IOL, Alabama.  Big, mean, immediate starter, 2022 replacement at OC for Kelse.  

#52:  Asante Samuel II, SCB, Florida State.  Shorter, compact, good coverage and tackler.  Starter.  

#70:  Paulson Adebo, CB, Stanford.  Good size and speed.  Willing tackler and good ball skills.  Starter.  

#84:  Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Memphis.  Big play RB should pair nicely with Sanders.  Primary backup.  

#123:  Dylan Moses, LB, Alabama.  Good all round player with good size and speed.  Rotational starter.  

#150:  Jamie Newman, QB, Georgia.  Good size and weight.  Needs a year or so to develop.  

#189:  Jaylen Twyman, IDL, Pittsburgh.  A little undersized but strong and quick.  4th DT behind Ridgeway in rotation.  May be best as a DE.

#224:  Quinn Meinerz, OG, Wisconsin - Whitewater.  Div 3 AA.  Could also play OC.  Needs to add functional strength.  Possible year 2 starter.  

#225:  Tommy Doyle, OT, Miami [OH].  Tall and thick.  Plays with an attitude.  Needs a couple years to develop.  

#234:  Zach Davidson, TE, Central Michigan.  Big, tough player.  Can add 15 pounds.  Excellent blocker.  2021 TE 2/3 if Ertz traded.  Dominated at Div 2.  Emergency punter.  

#240:  Kenny Randall, IDL, Charleston WV.  Good size and footwork.  Excellent pass rusher.  Needs a year or so to put on some weight, gain strength, and develop under NFL coaches.  

RECAP.   What did we get for #6?  #20, #52, #123 and a 2022 1st/2nd.  What did we get in the draft?  Four starters, 2 rotational starters, a potential #2 QB, and  3/4 high potential developmental players.  An A or A- draft.  IMO much more value than anything we could expect from #6.

WHAT ABOUT 2022?  Let's be optimistic and say that Hurts plays well this year and we don't need to draft a new QB next year.  Then we have 4 picks in the first 45 or so.  How about WR, DT, SS, and IOL.  If Hurts craps out then we're in position to either draft a QB with our 1st or use two of our 1st to move up.  That leaves us with 2 more picks in the top 45.  Say WR and DL.  Either way we have 8 to 10 players from this year draft with a year's experience and 3 impact players from next year's draft and we're in a much better position to replace Kelse, Ertz, and potentially Johnson, Graham, Seumalo, Brooks, and McLeod.

Constructive comments please.  WTF is not constructive.  

WTF

[BuckroeEagle]

26 minutes ago, matchew88 said:

WTF

What I'd expect from someone from Atlanta.  Where's your all star game?  

[BuckroeEagle]

11 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Does it? I'm sure teams knew his rough size and height and who knows whether he lost some bulk for his pro day. The most important thing is the tape and how he plays the game isn't it?

Agree to a degree.  Size does make a difference in many situations.  As Andy said; "If my big guys are better than your big guys, then we'll be okay".  Todays football game is one of trying to set up mismatches.  With equal skill, a 6'1 210 pound WR is more of a mismatch than a 6'0 190 pound WR against a 5'11 190 pound CB.  Maybe as much as 1 or 2 more catches and 25-30 yards a game.  That's more than a 10% increase in offensive passing game production just because of a relatively minor difference in size.  I like Bateman and I'd like to have him on the Eagles.  However, because he doesn't have outstanding speed nor jumping ability I can't see spending #20 on him.  #37 maybe but I don't think he makes it that far down.  Ah, what the hell, maybe we get lucky and he turns out to be a stud.  Can't think of anyone better.  I'll stick for now.  Final mock next Tuesday.  Maybe things will change.

[matchew88]

5 hours ago, BuckroeEagle said:

What I'd expect from someone from Atlanta.  Where's your all star game?  

How'd you know I'm in Atlanta? And I'm from Philly.

[BuckroeEagle]

From your profile.  And you sound like Atlanta.  You may be FROM Philly but it's been a while.