2023 Eagles Mock – 1.0

Posted: April 3rd, 2023 | Author: Tommy Lawlor 

The draft is just over three weeks away. We all love mock drafts so here is a brilliant one for you to devour. Any picks you don’t like were forced on me by Jimmy Bama.

1st round – Pick 10 – Edge – Nolan Smith – Georgia – 6-2-238

I don’t love the thought of adding an edge rusher at this point, but I can see Howie Roseman trying to find a special talent with a pick that high. I’m guessing CB Christian Gonzalez, OT Peter Skoronski and DL Jalen Carter are gone. Smith might be the best talent after that.

His Combine performance was outstanding.

40-yard dash – 4.39
10-yard split – 1.52
Vertical jump – 41.5 inches

That is one fast, quick, explosive pass rusher. We know the Eagles are interested in Smith. They love pass rushers and brought him to Philly for a pre-draft visit. He is a high character prospect and that is another reason to like him. Nick Sirianni believes high character players are more likely to reach their ceiling.

Smith would give the Eagles great depth up front. Sean Desai would have the freedom to be creative with lineups, but still know that he’s got top talent on the field. Smith played in Georgia’s creative scheme and he is more than just a pass rusher. He can play the run. He’s got the speed to chase plays all over the field.

I mentioned recently that he might remind you of Micah Parsons, the kinda decent LB down south. Parsons was 6-3, 245 at the Combine.  Smith ran 4.39 in Indy. Parsons ran 4.37 at his Pro Day. Parsons gets moved around and the Eagles could do the same with Smith.

1st round – Pick 30 – DL Mazi Smith – Michigan – 6-3, 323

The Eagles lost Javon Hargrave, Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh. Jordan Davis will take over the NT spot. Milton Williams could take over for Hargrave. They brought in Kentavius Street to add depth. His specialty is rushing the passer. Smith would give them a bigger body who can play the run and get after the QB. The Eagles struggled with run defense in the Super Bowl. They like playing with a light box. Smith would give them another guy up front who can 2-gap and free up other players to get to the ball.

Smith would also give the Eagles insurance at the NT position, in case Jordan Davis got hurt or was struggling.

The Eagles have shown interest in several big DL. We don’t know if Smith has made a visit to Philly, but he would make a lot of sense for them. He’s not just a big run-stuffer. Smith is a good athlete. He’s the kind of versatile, athletic player they like up front.

2nd round – Pick 62 – OL Matthew Bergeron – Syracuse – 6-5, 318

Andre Dillard is gone. Jack Driscoll is in the final year of his contract. The Eagles need depth up front. Bergeron played RT for two years at Syracuse before moving to LT for his final two seasons. He had a terrific senior season and then played well at the Senior Bowl.

Bergeron fits the description of an Eagles O-lineman perfectly. He’s experienced, versatile and has an unusual background. Bergeron grew up in Canada and played hockey when he was younger. I don’t know if he can sing or not. We’ll have to wait to find that out.

Bergeron could cross train at OG and OT, giving the Eagles the kind of versatility and depth they like up front. I think he’s got the skill set to play at both spots. Dillard struggled with physicality early in his NFL career. I don’t see that as an issue for Bergeron. He is a good run blocker and physical player.

3rd round – Pick 94 – SAF Ja’Ayir Brown – Penn State – 5-11, 203

The Eagles have a group of safeties with potential and question marks. There is no question that they need someone else to add to the mix. Brown has shown the ability to make plays in the box or down the field. Desai likes to play his safeties back a lot, but needs them to be playmakers. Brown picked off 10 passes over the past two seasons. That’s the kind of playmaking ability the Eagles could use on the back end.

Brown isn’t a great athlete. He only ran 4.65 in Indy. Safety is a position where instincts can be more important than pure speed. Brown does a good job of reading plays and getting to the ball. He’s a classic example of a prospect playing faster than he times.

7th round – Pick 219 – RB Cam Peoples – Appalachian State – 6-1, 217

At some point in my lifetime the Eagles will take a player from my alma mater, Appalachian State. Could this be the year? If Howie Roseman knows what’s good for him. After all, he doesn’t want Yosef coming after

him.

The scariest, most intimidating mascot of all time!

Peoples would be a good fit in Philly. He has good size and is a downhill, physical runner. He showed good ability as a pass blocker and pass catcher in Senior Bowl practices.

You can see in that clip that Peoples has good feet and vision. If the middle is clogged, he can break runs to the outside and deliver big plays. I think he would love running behind the Eagles OL.

Peoples ran for 319 yards in the bowl game a couple of years ago. Lots of big plays. He averaged 6.2 ypc for his career and ran for 33 TDs.

7th round – Pick 248 – WR Antoine Green – North Carolina – 6-2, 199

AJ and DeVonta are stud receivers. That’s great, but Quez Watkins is coming off a disappointing season and Zach Pascal is gone. The Eagles need depth. Green is a big, athletic receiver. He ran 4.47, which shows good speed. He had a 3-cone time of 6.99, which shows good agility.

Last year Green was 43-798-7. He can make plays without being a volume receiver. That’s exactly what the Eagles need. There just aren’t going to be a ton of passes going around so you need guys who can deliver in that setting.

*****

1 – Edge Nolan Smith
1 – DL Mazi Smith
2 – OT Matthew Bergeron
3 – FS Ji’Ayir Brown
7 – RB Cam Peoples
7 – WR Antoine Green

The Eagles would get deeper and better up front. They would also add depth in spots that need it.

I would prefer the Eagles to move back a time or two. I’d like to see the team have more picks in the middle rounds. They could use even more young talent as backups in multiple spots.

http://igglesblitz.com/2023/04/2023-eagles-mock-1-0/

I think maybe I have been sleeping on Nolan Smith.  Man, he looks like a stud.  

5 hours ago, EricAllenPick6 said:

I think maybe I have been sleeping on Nolan Smith.  Man, he looks like a stud.  

And he's got the intangibles a team looks for - great presence in the locker room.  Good team player.

As for Peter Skoronski, can't see the Eagles burning a 10 overall pick on a 6'4" lineman with short arms, notwithstanding reports that he came for a visit.

I actually like this mock draft. I want to draft Smith if the DT isn't available but I think maybe they can hopefully trade back a couple spots to the low teens and still get him while picking up an extra pick. That would be ideal to me. Also, everyone here knows how the Eagles value players who shine in Senior Bowl week so taking guys who played well during that week would be no surprise. 

I like it, but wouldn’t take Smith that high given his size and lack of production. However, if they trade back to 15-18 or so as many expect, it might make sense. They’d likely get an extra 2nd or 3rd rounder for the trade back and then would have options to trade back one of their remaining 4 picks in the first three rounds to fill their need for a pick or two in rounds 4-7.