Eagles 2022 NFL Mock Draft Version 1.0: Senior Bowl Only Edition

[time2rock]

Eagles 2022 NFL Mock Draft Version 1.0: Senior Bowl Only Edition

The first major step in the NFL Draft Process begins this week in Alabama as the Senior Bowl kicks off with every general manager, head coach and scout watching.

This year is, obviously, a big one for the Eagles. Armed with three 1st-round picks, and 10 picks overall, the Eagles have to find talent to continue to build the team with. The Senior Bowl is a great place to do that.

So as draft season kicks off, here is Eagles 2022 NFL Mock Draft Version 1.0: Senior Bowl Edition, filled only with players that will be available for the Eagles to scout this week in Alabama:

Round 1, Pick 15: Desmond Ridder 
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 220 pounds
Stats: 12,303 yards, 81 TD, 32 INT, 62.4%, 52 games
Analysis: Let’s stop fooling ourselves. The Eagles have three first-round picks and will have their choice of pretty much any quarterback they want in this draft class. They are not going to be using their top pick, willingly, on a linebacker or safety. They will use it on a quarterback. Ridder isn’t QB1 for many, but it wouldn’t be surprising at all if he was for the Eagles. Ridder is young (22), mobile, has a strong arm, great size and has mechanics that one scout described as "picture perfect.” He has plenty of advantages over other quarterbacks in the draft. He is younger and has bigger hands than Kenny Pickett. He played against better competition than Malik Willis. He is more mobile than Carson Strong. He also has a better set of tools (starting with arm strength) than Hurts. Ridder checks off a lot of boxes for the Eagles — and he will almost definitely be available at No. 15.

Round 1, Pick 16: Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State 
Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 184 pounds
Stats: 183 catches, 2,757 yards, 25 TD, 42 games
Analysis: Roseman’s never-ending search to fix the Eagles’ receiver position continues. The Eagles are likely to sign a receiver in free agency, but they still need help at the position, considering the only sure thing they have right now is Devonta Smith. What makes Dotson so appealing is his strengths are all of Jalen Reagor’s weaknesses. Dotson is an excellent route runner. He can win at the line of scrimmage. He is actually dangerous with the ball in his hands. He can be an effective punt returner. Dotson is a bit undersized, but a trio of Smith, Dotson and a veteran free agency could finally give the Eagles the talent at receiver they have been looking for.

Round 1, Pick 19: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah 
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 235 pounds
Stats: 256 tackles, 43 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, 5 interceptions, 36 games
Analysis: It might kill Roseman inside to do it, but the time has officially come — a linebacker in the first round. The need is too big, and with three first-round picks, Roseman can make Eagles fans happy without having to use his only pick in the top round on a linebacker. Lloyd is an elite athlete for the linebacker position and should be a three-down, playmaker on defense. Lloyd is also viewed as a high-character player that could be a leader on the defensive side of the ball, something the Eagles need as they rebuild their defense, especially in their back seven.

Round 2, Pick 51: Darian Kinnard, OG, Kentucky 
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 345 pounds
Analysis: With (basically) four picks inside the top 50, there is a very strong chance the Eagles once again go to the offensive line early on in the draft. Roseman believes in building along the lines, and as he found out this season, a strong, deep offensive line can be enough to get you into the playoffs. Kinnard is viewed as a guard in the NFL, but played tackle at Kentucky, giving him the versatility that is required by the Eagles. This is a situation where the Eagles simply take an elite offensive line prospect and figure the rest out once he is in the building.

Round 3, Pick 83: Myjai Sanders, EDGE, Cincinnati 
Height/Weight: 6-foot-5, 258 pounds
Stats: 119 tackles, 24.5 tackles for a loss, 13.5 sacks, 38 games
Analysis: Going into the third round without drafting an edge rusher seems unlikely, but there aren’t a ton of great edge rushers at the Senior Bowl. A more realistic outcome is the Eagles trading picks to move up in the draft to try to grab one of the elite edge rushers at the top of the first round. Sanders, however, feels like an Eagles’ edge rusher since he has a quick first step and is a great athlete.

Round 4: James Cook, RB, Georgia
Height/Weight: 5-foot-11, 190 pounds
Stats: 230 attempts, 1,503 yards, 14 TD, 67 catches, 730 yards, 6 TD
Analysis: The Eagles’ running back group is in an interesting spot. On one hand, they just set a franchise record for rushing yards in a season. On the other, their top rushers (Miles Sanders) might not be with the team in 2023, and their other running backs outside of Kenny Gainwell are on a year-to-year basis. Cook could be a long-term option for the Eagles, as he is a homerun threat in the running game, but is also strong as a pass catcher. Plus, on a fourth-round salary for four years, he resets the clock on having to pay their top running back once Miles Sanders moves on.

Round 5: Amare Barno, EDGE, Virginia Tech
Height/Weight: 6-foot-6, 245 pounds
Stats: 78 tackles, 21.5 tackles for a loss, 10 sacks,  21 games
Analysis: The Eagles need to take multiple shots at finding young, impact pass rushers in this year’s draft. Brandon Graham is coming off of a serious injury, Derek Barnett might not be back and Ryan Kerrigan almost certainly won’t be on the roster in 2022. Barno has great size for an edge rusher and made plenty of plays behind the line of scrimmage.

Round 5: Cam Taylor-Britt, S/CB, Nebraska 
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 205 pounds
Stats: 140 tackles, 10 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks, 5 INT, 40 games
Analysis: The secondary is a position the Eagles need to focus on this offseason, even if they do bring back Rodney McLeod, Anthony Harris and Steven Nelson, which is a very possible outcome. The uncertainty about the future of the secondary, however, could make the Eagles focus on players that project to be able to play either spots. Taylor-Britt checks that box, as he is projected to be able to play either safety or cornerback, and had a nice track record at Nebraska of making plays with 10 tackles for a loss, 2.5 sacks and five interceptions.

Round 5: Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Alabama 
Height/Weight: 6-foot-1, 228 pounds
Stats: 545 attempts, 2,704 yards, 29 TD, 52 catches, 446 yards, 2 TD
Analysis: The Eagles have shown they can be a dominant running team despite having a somewhat average group of running backs. Adding some fresh, new legs in the draft would be a wise strategy. Robinson Jr. showed last season he can carry a heavy workload, and despite having a somewhat concerning 545 attempts in college, he should be able to contribute right away for the Eagles.

Round 6: Joshua Williams, CB, Fayetteville State 
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 197 pounds
Stats: 75 tackles, 22 passes defended, 5 INT in 27 games
Analysis: The Eagles have always loved trying to find the next small-school prospect in the draft, and this year, Williams is one of the most intriguing options. Standing 6-foot-3, Williams has elite size for the position and plenty of speed as well. Williams is more of a developmental project than a play-now option, but in the later rounds, he has the physical makeup worth taking a chance on.

Round 6: Jordan Stout, P, Penn State 
Height/Weight: 6-foot-3, 210 pounds
Stats: 25 games, 100 punts, 44.5 average
Analysis: It understandably didn’t get a ton of attention, but punter Arryn Siposs did not have a strong second half of the season. Using a draft pick on a punter might be a waste of a pick, and might kill Howie Roseman inside, but the need is real — and finding a rookie that they can trust for the next few seasons would be a big relief for their special teams.

https://www.audacy.com/94wip/sports/eagles/eagles-2022-nfl-mock-draft-version-1-0-senior-bowl-edition

[Perforator]

No way they pick another WR in round 1. That would be 3 years in a row. Shorr is an idiot.

[time2rock]

ESP has one too many picks in his mock - we have one pick in round 6, not 2.  

[UK_EaglesFan89]

I'd be, on initial reaction and on paper, disgusted with that. Ridder? A WR? No thank you. This defense needs talent in the worst way. 

[time2rock]

1 hour ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

I'd be, on initial reaction and on paper, disgusted with that. Ridder? A WR? No thank you. This defense needs talent in the worst way. 

Agreed.  Ideally at least 2 of our day 1 picks and 3 of the first 4 picks overall are on defense (whether that is our 3 1s on defense and our 2 on someone like Green or a WR like Dotson or 2 1s on defense and Linderbaum with the other 1st then pick 53 on defense).  

My nearly perfect rounds 1-2:

15 - Ojabo

16 - Linderbaum

19 - Booth

53 - Johnson II