Last week I published an article on why the Eagles should draft Kyle Pitts in the first round. I received a lot of positive feedback on it, but a lot of people believe that would be a big mistake.
The consensus argument was the Eagles have bigger needs. The Eagles have a lot of issues that need to be addressed in the draft. People seem to forget, the Eagles have more than one draft pick. Even if the Eagles do not get the player you want at 6, there are plenty of options for upgrades that can be selected on all 3 days of the draft.
TRADE ALERT!
I will not be surprised if the Eagles trade back in the first round. Draft capital has not been a strength the past few seasons, and in a rebuild, capital is the most important thing. When there are 4 franchise caliber QB's going in the top 10, teams have to be willing to trade up even one or two picks to select them. In both the trades below, the Panthers (Justin Fields) and 49ers (Trey Lance) both took a QB. The Eagles move back 6 picks, get an extra 3rd round pick ,and a1st round pick in 2022. If Howie Roseman is smart he capitalizes on moves like these.
Philadelphia Eagles receive: 1.08 and 3.73
Carolina Panthers receive : 1.06
Philadelphia Eagles receive : 1.12 and a 2022 1st round pick
San Francisco 49ers receive : 1.08
*I ran a mock simulator exactly 10 times. 90% of the time Ja'Marr Chase was already off the board by 6. Come April 21, I do not believe Chase will be available for the Eagles. He will be selected very early in the draft and the Eagles should not give up assets to select him. This would allow the decision to move back to be made much easier.
With the 12th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select...
Kyle Pitts Playmaker Florida
Please note that I do not have Pitts listed as a TE, he is a playmaker. The Eagles need playmakers. We have no competent wide receivers, Zach Ertz will not be on the team next season, and Dallas Goedert can not stay healthy. Pitts is as good of a receiver as anyone in this class and is an overall elite impact player. If you need any reasons why the Eagles should draft him, take a look at my article below!
We have ourselves another trade!
New England Patriots trade: 2.39 and 3.96
Philadelphia Eagles trade: 2.37 and 5.151
With the 39th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select...
Terrace Marshall Jr WR LSU
The forgotten member of the 2019 National Championship LSU Tigers. Overlooked playing behind Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson, but Marshall was still able to put up solid numbers. In 2019, he was the WR3 and had 671 yards and 13 TDs. In 2020, he stepped up as the WR1 and had 731 yards and 10 TDs. Before someone says those numbers are worse, he played in 12 games in 2019 and 7 games in 2020. Half the amount of games and put up almost the same amount of numbers. He is sitting in the shadows of the top 3 WR's in this class, and he could prove to be an amazing hidden gem. Let's be honest, he would be better than any WR we have and it is not even close.
With the 70th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select...
Eric Stokes CB Georgia
Eagles have a need at CB. After the first round, there is a nice drop off of CB's. If the Eagles do not pick a CB in the 1st round, I do not see them taking a CB until late day 2 or early day 3. Some people have a first round grade on Stokes. The opportunity to select him in the 3rd round should be a perfect opportunity.
With the 73rd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select...
Liam Eichenberg OT Notre Dame
It is no secret the Eagles offensive line was inconsistent last season. 14 line combinations, that sounds like a hockey team not a football team. Andre Dilliard has had injury problems in his first two seasons ,and there is no certainty on his future with the team. Eichenberg is pro ready and will step in day 1 to help protect Jalen Hurts blindside.
With the 84th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select...
Jabril Cox LB LSU
Here is the LB the Eagles desperately need. I am sure someone is asking, Why are we now just addressing this? The response is simple, Howie Roseman has never valued the LB position in drafts, and there is no reason why he would ever change. Still not certain he would address the position this early.
With the 96th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select...
Patrick Jones DE Pittsburgh
The Eagles are more than likely going to move on from Derek Barnett to help with the cap problem. When the Eagles do that, we will need to address the edge position. He is not big for a player at his position, but when you watch him play it doesn't seem to effect him. He will need to gain weight, but once he does he will power through the NFC East offensive lines with ease.
With the 157th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select...
Chuba Hubbard RB Oklahoma State
Eagles fans will love to have a player with this name on our team. Boston Scott is a restricted free agent this year ,and the Eagles will not be able to match any offer made by another team. Miles Sanders will then be the only RB on the roster. The Eagles will need to bring in a 2nd RB to help play along side Sanders.
With the 191st pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select...
Jack Anderson OG Texas Tech
The same reason as Eichenberg. The Eagles need help at the offensive line. No guarantee that Brandon Brooks will be an Eagle come week 1, and Anderson would provide his replacement. After 2020, the Eagles will need as many lineman as they can possible get.
With the 12th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select...
Dez Fitzpatrick WR Louisville
The Eagles need WR help. There is no hiding this secret. With DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffrey both getting released, Greg Ward is a restricted free agent, the Eagles need to add more depth to their receiver room. The Eagles filled many holes in this draft so far, and by now it is time to start adding depth. Imagine the memes coming from Eagles fans during Dallas week when we have a player named Dez on our roster.
With the 232nd pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select...
Feleipe Franks QB Arkansas
The Eagles need a BACK-UP QB. I can not emphasize this enough, the Eagles will draft a clear back-up QB not a Jalen Hurts replacement in the draft. Franks and new QB's coach Brian Johnson have a previous connection at Florida. They get a back-up QB for very cheap.
Recap
13. Kyle Pitts Playmaker Florida
39. Terrace Marshall Jr WR LSU
70. Eric Stokes CB Georgia
73. Liam Eichenberg OT Notre Dame
84. Jabril Cox LB LSU
96. Patrick Jones DE Pittsburgh
157. Chuba Hubbard RB Oklahoma State
191Jack Anderson OG Texas Tech
220. Dez Fitzpatrick WR Louisville
232. Feleipe Franks QB Arkansas
2022 SF 1st