Eagles 2 Round Mock Draft

The Philadelphia Eagles have been in a “Rebuild” for just a little over a year now. After a lackluster 2020 season from former QB Carson Wentz, the Eagles officially began their rebuild.

Let’s jump forward one season, and see where we are:

The Eagles traded Carson Wentz for a 2022 First Round Pick (16) from the Indianapolis Colts. The Eagles later traded down from the number 6 overall pick in 2021 for the number 12 pick where they used a late round pick to move from 12 to 10 to select WR Devonta Smith who became the Eagles all time rookie receiving yards leader for the team. They also gained a 2022 First Round pick (15) from the Miami Dolphins. They also dealt TE Zach Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals for a 4^th Round pick. 

These are all clear signs of a rebuild, however, the Eagles went 9-8 in Jalen Hurts first year as QB1 and made the playoffs! In a year that the team was supposed to be rebuilding, they made the playoffs and proved to the rest of the football world that they are here to play. 

The Eagles have the potential to build a roster dominant for years this offseason. They have cap space, plenty of draft capital, and the building blocks of a young roster. 

Looking to the draft, here is what I see the Eagles doing in the first two rounds of the NFL Draft:

Round 1, Pick 15- Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah

The Eagles need linebackers and that has never been clearer. This year, there are two headliner linebackers between Lloyd and Nakobe Dean from Georgia. Dean is my LB1 in this draft, but I see him going anywhere from 7 to 13. Lloyd is my LB1B, as the only thing that gives Dean the edge is his ability to drop back in coverage. Lloyd is physical, he is fast, and he can stop the run as well as protect the middle on passing plays. Lloyd will be a dominant player in the NFL for years.

Round 1, Pick 16- Ahamad “Sauce” Gardner, CB, Cincinnati 

Slay and Sauce, Sauce and Slay, that’s something that I can get used to. Gardner has had a near perfect career at Cincinnati and finished it off with one last dominant performance against Alabama, shutting down Jameson Williams. 

Round 1, Pick 19- Traded to TB for Pick 27, 2023 First Round Pick, and a 2022 3^rd Round Pick

The Bucs need a lot. Tom Brady retired, so they need a QB desperately, Chris Godwin is likely to test free agency, and Antonio Brown is long gone, so WR is another position of need. With names like Matt Corral, Sam Howell, Desmond Ridder, and maybe even Kenny Pickett likely to be available at 19, as well as wide receivers like Chris Olave, Trylon Burks, and Jameson Williams, the Bucs will do anything to trade up and fill one of those needs. 

Round 1, Pick 27- Jahan Dotson, WR, Penn State 

The Eagles need a wide receiver badly. They have Devonta Smith, but then it just gets ugly. Next on the depth chart is Jalen Reagor, who has dropping issues, struggles to get separation, even with his elite speed, and looks like a failed project in only his second year in the league. Then there is Quez Watkins. Watkins gave the fans hope after the preseason that he could easily be the WR2 on the team, but somehow, he fell back below Reagor on the charts. Lastly there is JJ Arcega Whiteside. He was picked over DK Metcalf, Dionte Johnson, Terry McLaurin, and more. He needs to be replaced. That’s where Dotson comes in. Dotson is everything you can want in a wide receiver. He has elite speed, great separation, precise route running, and has strong hands and few drops.  He can return kicks and or punts, and line up outside or in the slot. He is a utility tool when it comes to the wide receiver position and getting him at 27 could be a steal. 

Round 2, Pick 51- Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State 

The Eagles double dip on Nittany Lions in this mock draft. Brisker is a first-round talent sliding due to injury concern. Though he didn’t miss many games during his career at Penn State, he frequently exited games due to injury, though most of the time he returned. He also played through many injuries as well. Brisker fits what the Eagles need. He is a fast, physical safety with great ball skills, a strong ability to track the ball, and can even line up at LB at times as well as rushing the QB from either position. In other words, Brisker is a stud, and to some is a day 2 steal. 

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What to expect from the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021?

With The Eagles season just 3 Weeks away. We already kind of know what to expect. Or do we? With a new Coaching Staff and New QB a ton of questions remain unanswered in this blog I will give you some players and some coaches to be on the lookout for as we move closer to the start of the regular season.

Jalen Hurts

How can you hate Jalen Hurts? Jalen looks like player ready for war. He is always counted out and has always played very well under pressure. NBC’s Chris Simms recently left Jalen Hurts out of his top 40 Qb’s in the NFL. How disrespectful is that. I truly believe Jalen Hurts can take a huge leap and become the future for the Philadelphia Eagles. Now that is if the team allows him to. The Eagles have been recently linked to Houston Texans’ QuarterBack Deshaun Watson and knowing Howie Roseman he is most likely extremely interested. Although his legal issues may hold him back I would not be surprised if the Eagles trade for the star QB (if he’s innocent). But for now the QB1 is Jalen and he has all of the fanbases’ attention.

Nick Sirianni

Personally, I was not high on Nick Sirianni when the Eagles first hired him. And quite frankly I’m still not. As an eagles fan I’ve learned to never be excited about anything it seems like the eagles never have anything good. Like Donald Trump once said “Bad things happen in Philadelphia”. Nick Sirianni’s First press conference was one to remember he seemed nervous as if he’s never spoken to the media or anyone before. Since then he seems more confident but maybe a bit of a overthinker which is a big change supposing Doug Pederson was a guy who thought he knew it all. Coach Sirianni looks like he is ready to learn from his mistakes and become a better coach every day. Just like Coach said yesterday in His press conference ” Like Jalen said ‘Rent is due every week and we don’t plan on missing a payment”. Coach added, ” If we pay rent every week we get better”. Seems like these two are very responsible with their bills. Lol.

Jonathan Gannon

Oh Boy. Jonathan Gannon also newly hired as a Defensive Coordinator. His run defense this preseason is something that makes me want to turn off my TV. I really hope this is just a thing that he is doing for the preseason. He recently stated that he wants to see everyone 1v1. Meaning he won’t blitz this preseason which is understandable. Coach Gannon looks to regain the eagles reputation of being the blitz heavy defense we all remember. I expect big things this season for the defense with additions Like Anthony Harris, Eric Wilson and Steven Nelson this defense should look a lot better. If the team wants to be successful it starts with the defense.

Howie Roseman

This man has managed to salvage his Job multiple times. For example, When Chip kelly took over he was on the verge of being fired. One year Later he built a Championship Roster. But after that whole Carson Wentz and Doug Pederson Mess you have to hope this is a make or break season for Howie. Howie has been able to hire 3 head coaches that is unheard of in the NFL. But I give credit when credit is due and with no money he was able to sign some solid players. And was able to pull off a crazy trade on draft night to move up to 10 and draft WR Devonta Smith. I truly hope that of the eagles are a competent team in the trade deadline he is able to pull off 1 or 2 solid trades. With a estimated cap space of $54 Million and 2 first round picks in 2022 (Could be 3 if Carson Wentz plays 75% of the snaps for the colts) it’s a big offseason next year for Howie.

Devonta Smith

Devonta Smith was such a surprise pick. When the eagles traded up to 10 I was ecstatic. So was the entirety of the Eagles Fanbase just take a look at this.

You think Eagles fans were happy to draft a Heisman Trophy winner? 🏆 (via @Eagles)@DeVontaSmith_6 | @AlabamaFTBL pic.twitter.com/2LlavcXYo5

— NFL (@NFL) May 4, 2021

Devonta Smith had his debut on Thursday against the patriots racking up 2 receptions for 19 yards. Does his body frame worry me? Watching his tape it seems like no one can catch him in the line of scrimmage so if no one can get physical with him then I don’t worry about his frame. The Former Heisman winner put up video game numbers in 2020. Making him the 2nd WR of all time to win the heisman award. With all the accomplishments it seems like the eagles finally got a WR1 but only time will tell. Wishing the best for Devonta.

.@DeVontaSmith_6 in and out of the whip route in 2 steps 🥶 pic.twitter.com/uTAIbZHj1q

— Receiver School (@ReceiverSchool) August 20, 2021

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76ers vs Thunder Preview

The Philadelphia 76ers will be taking on the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at 7:00 PM EST! This is a very important game for the 76ers; they’re on a 4-game skid, and this is a perfect time for them to turn it around before the end of the season. There’s also a chance they get some key reinforcements back!

Philadelphia 76ers

Philadelphia has blown their last 4 games to the Warriors, Suns, and Bucks (twice). However, injuries have played a major role in their — quite frankly, pathetic — losing streak. As a result of the losing streak, Sixers currently hold the 2nd seed in the Eastern Conference. It shouldn’t be a tough turnaround, though, as Philly has the easiest remaining schedule in the NBA, according to ESPN, while the Brooklyn Nets (who currently hold the 1st seed), have to play the Bucks (twice), Nuggets, and Mavericks.

PHI Injury Report:

• Joel Embiid – QUESTIONABLE
• Ben Simmons – QUESTIONABLE
• Danny Green – QUESTIONABLE
• Tobias Harris – QUESTIONABLE
• Furkan Korkmaz – QUESTIONABLE
• Paul Reed – QUESTIONABLE

Oklahoma City Thunder

Oklahoma City has been absolutely atrocious this season; they sit near the bottom of the Western Conference (13th seed; 20-40), and are in the midst of a 13-game losing streak. However, this is the youngest team in the NBA and one that is, thus, rebuilding. Thunder have also dealt with several injuries, and that doesn’t change tonight.

OKC Injury Report:

• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – OUT
• Luguentz Dort – OUT
• Josh Hail – OUT
• Mike Muscala – OUT
• Gabriel Deck – OUT
• Tony Bradley – QUESTIONABLE

A loss tonight would be absolutely embarrassing. Whether or not we are missing 2 guys on the injury report or all of them, we’d have to try to lose this game.

Important Information for Tonight’s Game:

• Against? – Oklahoma City Thunder
• When? – 7:00 PM EST
• Where? – Wells Fargo Center
• TV? – NBCSP

Potential Eagles 2021 Draft Gems, Episode 14: Dalton Holt

Player Preview:
Dalton Holt, Defensive back
College: Slippery Rock
6’0, 195-Pounds

Dalton Holt is a two-year starter at defensive back for The Rock. In those two years starting, he has become the emotional and physical leader for that secondary, as he helped them go undefeated in conference play back-to-back years. Racking up 40+ solo tackles years (40 in 2018 and 47 in 2019), while also having total tackles be in the 50+ range (59 in 2018 and 78 in 2019).

The Positives:
While looking at Holt’s game you notice positional flexibility, as he has been able to play free safety and shadow the faster receiver over the middle of the field, and he’s played the in the box safety similar to a Tyrann Mathieu of Kansas City. His ability to release and turn his hips is elite with swiftness and smoothness. This helps affect plays and break on the pass, either intercepting them or breaking them up. In his career, he has 16 pass deflections along with 5 interceptions. One of the other tools he has is tracking the quarterback’s eyes and then driving down making the play, which he’s done quite reliably.

Summary of why he would fit in Philadelphia:
This off-season with the lack of cap space, lots of players will be let go and I project Jalen Mills and Johnathan Ford, both safeties, will be heading elsewhere. This creates a spot for Holt to fill, as that leaves Philadelphia with only 3 safeties in Epps, Ford, and Wallace. Holt would provide great depth and can develop on special teams. He’s also from Pennsylvania, growing up across the state in Brownsville, Pennsylvania. I think as a UDFA (undrafted free agent), he would be an excellent pick-up.

Eagles can Pederson after abysmal 4-11-1 season and extremely soured relationship with Carson Wentz

Imagine there’s a crowd of people each pointing their finger in a different direction when asked of wrongdoing and whose to be responsible. The Eagles fired Doug Pederson following an awful season (4-11-1)and an extremely dramatic decline in the level of play from golden boy Carson Wentz which resulted in Carson’s benching after a week In doing so the relationship between both Wentz and Peterson continued to sour and (owner) Jeffrey Lurie has made it very keen that despite the drop-off, the team has, was and most likely will to continue to be on board the Carson Wentz train. Doug Pederson couldn’t fix Wentz and Wentz couldn’t fix Pederson, tomato, tomato. After all The Eagles have invested way too much in Carson Wentz to have it backfire. No of course we’re smart enough to know Carson Wentz may sometimes get a Raw deal. After all the organization has failed to load up on the right tools and talent for any quarterback to thrive. In came Jalen hurts with a great performance in his slime-green rookie debut upsetting the Saints. Despite a 1-3 record as a starter Jalen Hurts showed some upside but I think most know it wasn’t enough to put Wentz’s job in jeopardy. It came off as Wentz or Pederson and coming off of a 4-11-1 season it only added fuel to the fire en route to the firing of Doug Pederson as the Eagles now look for a head coach and a lot of other answers heading into next season.

EAGLES VS PACKERS GAME REVIEW“The Jalen Hurts experiment”

More times than not when a team loses consistently with no signs of improvement the first finger pointed is towards the quarterback.

Or in the case of the Philadelphia Eagles, it can be many fingers pointed in many different directions.

The Eagles rolled into Sunday or should I say limped sporting a 3-7 record,

Carson Wentz leading the league with interceptions at 15, sacked an abysmal 50 times so far this season, so what do you get when you combine awful o line protection, a lack of Wr star power, and poor play calling?

And on the other side of the field stood Aaron Rodgers who has been no Qb to mess with this season, leading the league in TD passes and a stellar QBR of 84.6.

It was a rather quiet 1st quarter with the Eagles mustering up just an FG for a 3-0 lead.

Two TD passes from Rodgers gave Green Bay a 14-3 lead at the half and just a lone TD pass stretched that lead to 20-3 at the end of the 3rd. That’s when the Eagles decided to put in Rookie draft pick Jalen hurts because at that point why not right? After all, despite sporting an awful 3-8 record this Eagles team can still make the playoffs. Only in the Nfc east is the impossible possible. A td pass and special teams play for the Eagles and just like that, it was a 23-16 game. A 77 yd run from Aaron Jones sealed the deal for Green Bay giving them a 30-16 win.

Philly announced this week they plan to start Jalen Hurts next week against New Orleans. Think of it this way Eagles fans whether your pro-Carson Wentz or Can’t stand the sight of him the team is 3-8 trending downwards fast despite still mathematically being in contention the way the Giants And Washington have been playing you shouldn’t have any reason to believe you have a playoff shot. So does Jalen’s hurts throw for 300 on Sunday and four TDS en route to an upset against a Taysom Hill lead Saints team, highly unlikely. But let Jalen hurts get his feet wet and experience life as an NFL quarterback, maybe address your problems at the end of the season because this one is long gone. It’s always sunny in Philadelphia but it seems like it’s been a little cloudy lately for the Eagles!

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A Darkening Future: The Tale of Carson Wentz

The Philadelphia Eagles currently have two quarterbacks in the NFL Hall of Fame, Norm Van Brocklin, and Sonny Jurgenson. The latter of the two played his last game for the Eagles in 1963. It’s fair to say that the Eagles haven’t found a great deal of success at the position. Of course, players such as Ron Jaworski, Randell Cunningham, and Donavan McNabb are the more recent examples of fruitful quarterbacks for the Eagles. 

Although, from the names I mentioned, none of them were the “future of football”. McNabb, having the best case to argue, didn’t even seem possible to overthrow Peyton Manning, and certainly not Tom Brady as the best player in the league. Yet, only a few distant years ago the Eagles, fans, and the league thought there might be one coming out of Philadelphia. 

Carson Wentz, the former second-round pick, former MVP contender, was thought at the start of the 2020 season to be fighting to reclaim his rank at the top of the NFL. Noone thought that within ten games he would be fighting to keep his job. Yet, that is where we currently stand, the future of Philadelphia football is at a critical standpoint as the team faces the Seattle Seahawks on Monday Night Football. 

Rumors from this past week have foreshadowed a potential change coming at the quarterback position, as Jalen Hurts, the team’s second-round pick, is waiting in the wings. Tonight could be the conclusion of an era that was believed to last decades. The stark reality of the Eagle’s current starting quarterback is in the most danger that it’s been since his arrival. 

Of course, the looming change doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone who has watched the Eagles play this season. The team’s putrid 3-6-1 record speaks volumes of the struggles that the team, and it’s quarterback, has faced this year. With errant passes, poor decision-making, and lack of consistency, Carson Wentz has become more of the problem than the solution. 

As mentioned, reports leading up to the game have drawn in the idea that Jalen Hurts will receive more playing time, potentially without Wentz on the field. When the Eagles drafted Hurts in last year’s draft, many assumed that this was merely an expensive insurance policy, few imagined he could be the future. When I state “many assumed” of course those set on the demise of Carson Wentz saw the draft pick as an easy decision to dump the former second overall pick. 

When it comes to replacing a quarterback, especially one that was deemed the future of the franchise last year, it isn’t easy. Considering that the Eagles tied themselves to Wentz by signing him to a 4 year, $128,000,000 contract, averaging $32,000,000 per year, they made it almost impossible to move on. But why would they? Wentz at the time was one of the best QB’s in the league, if anything the concerns of his health were the cause for concern. Never was his performance brought into question, when evaluating the contract when he initially signed.

 Wentz’s contract goes through the 2024 season, and it isn’t until next year, and the years after that his annual salary jumps even higher. 

The takeaway is, the Eagles crash if Wentz does. This isn’t an explanatory piece on how the Eagles can break or buffer the blow if the Eagles move on. Simply, I’m stating the implications of moving on. 

Further, bringing in Jalen Hurts draws into question of whether this decision would work for a team that doesn’t just have quarterback issues. If Doug Pederson truly believes that Hurts is the heir apparent, or at this point, the next best thing, to take over, the Eagles, is this the way to go at it?

Assuming in the next couple of games, Wentz is benched; throwing in a rookie quarterback to a dumpster fire, doesn’t scream great outcomes. Although, this is one of the reasons he was drafted for, right? Of course, the question that has yet to be fully examined is if Jalen Hurts is even good? When the Eagles drafted him, the conversation was more about the implication of the pick rather than the value of it. 

From evaluation, Hurts was deemed as second to third-round pick, so with that, this is the talent that the Eagles should expect. It doesn’t take a genius to review the history of second-round quarterbacks. They usually don’t work out. 

Mahomes, Jackson, Allen, Murray, the names have become synonymous with the future of the NFL, all of them were first-round draft picks. Again, this also isn’t an article breaking down if Hurts can succeed with the Eagles. But just showing the other aspects of a move as major as the one being considered, is needed to understand the full matter at hand. 

If the constant rain, and thunderstorms today is any sign for how the Eagles will fare tonight, it won’t be great. Yet, as the saying goes, “after every rain comes a rainbow”. The question is, will the sun have already set before the rainbow can reach across the sky? 

Second Half Sorrows,Eagles vs Rams week 2 Recap

Eagles vs Rams week 2 full recap

Once again The Philadelphia Eagles who were outplayed mostly in the first half against Jared Goff and the La Rams were able to nod the score at 21-16 just before halftime Sunday as the team was down 21-3 at one point. Similar to the opener against Washington in which the team surrendered 27 unanswered pointers after having a 17-0 lead, the Eagles got worse as the game went on. At the end of the 3rd quarter, the score was 24-16 La. A field goal from Jake Elliot would push the Eagles closer 24-19 and that was as close as they would get Sunday to their first win of the season. The Rams followed with 2 touchdowns en route to a 37-19 victory over the Eagles. Now surely this game wasn’t nearly as bad as the opener collapse against Washington but an 0-2 start has a large majority of Eagles fans rattled and looking for answers. But there are always 2 sides to every story so let’s look at the bright one for the Eagles. Miles sanders made his season debut Sunday and looked rather good running the ball(20 carries,95yds, TD) Desean Jackson as well caught a couple of balls for 6 receptions and 64 yards, and then of course there’s Carson Wentz who looked awful Sunday with a stat line of 26-43 242 yards and 2 interceptions and a car less than 40 Sunday. So what’s next for the Eagles? A lot of fans are prematurely taking a breather for next weekend’s game, but even next weekend is no guarantee. If we’ve learned anything from this Eagles team this will most likely be a season of some ups, twists, turns, and a lot of downs. The team stays put in Philly to host Joe Burrow and the Bengals next weekend. Despite(Cincinnati) 0-2, Mr. Burrow has looked rather nice so far in his short stint in the NFL. The team is coming off of an offensive battle they lost to Cleveland. Mixon had a tough time running the ball last week forcing Burrow to throw an unreasonable amount of football last week. 61 to be exact. The Eagles shut down the run quite well and Burrow might be in for a difficult game. One thing is for sure the Eagles can’t certainly let their guard down against a Cincinnati because most will agree it would be in the Eagles best interest to nod their first win next weekend because following next weekend the team faces a daunting schedule of three consecutive games against much more skilled teams. (the Eagles) following their match up with Cincinnati the team will travel to San Francisco, then Pittsburgh, then comes back home against Baltimore and the Eagles will most likely not have their way in a few of those games. So while many Eagles fans panic, it would be in the teams best interest to come out with a win next Sunday. Usually, the 31st of October is the scariest day of the month but if the Eagles do not start winning every October Sunday will be just as scary.

“Wentz” Did It Go Wrong?

17-0…17-24

*sighs*

For those who are unaware, the Philadelphia Eagles have lost to the Washington Football team. In rather embarrassing fashion might I add, squandering a 17-0 lead. Last year it was the Eagles who came out of the tunnel after halftime and rode hot handed DJAX to a eventual comeback of their own. This year, the Eagles came out hot, and lost all steam once Jack Driscoll was removed from the game.

The negatives of this game are abundant, and positives are few and far between, but, there are a few;

Jack Driscoll- The rookie tackle had a few hiccups, none resulting in anything catastrophic and all fixable mistakes. He’s a bright spot simply because once Mailatta was forced to replace him, the drop off was VERY evident. Overall, at this point Jack Driscoll is no Lane, true. I think more importantly we know he’ll be at worst servicable down the road, pending his injury diagnosis.

Defensive Line- Realistically Washington didn’t light us up offensively, Haskins took advantage of numerous short field situations. A product of our either a interception or failed 4th down conversion. The defense held up and players like Josh Sweat and Malik Jackson made some big plays, this is huge to see as they are key contributors going forward.

Wentz and DJAX are OK- As trivial as it sounds, we have to be happy two of our “projected” key contributors stood healthy. We have to assume they will move on to week 2 eager to erase the memory of the week 1 loss.

Rams are next….Let’s just say if this offensive line isn’t in tact by then, Aaron Donald may have a field day.

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Casey Toohil 7th Round Steal

Casey Toohil Earns Roster Spot

The ink is beginning to dry, leases are being signed, and moving trucks are being rented. The Philadelphia Eagles have announced their 53 man roster, and while there were many surprise cuts made, one man defied the odds and earned his spot.

When you think of 7th round picks, you think practice squad hopful, when Casey thinks 7th round pick, he thinks opportunity! The Eagles for much of their franchises life span has prided themselves on their ability to solidify the trenches. Our defensive line was a strength going into this year, while we knew there would be a couple people fighting for rotational spots, no one could have predicted the outcome.

At pick 233, The Eagles selected a 23 year old LB/DE out of Stanford. North of 240 pounds, Casey ran an impressive 4.6 40! Combine that with a 10.5 inch broad jump and some impressive cone drills, scouts took notice of the athleticism Casey possessed. At the time of the selection, the overlying issue was whether he’d be a stand up lb or DE at the next level.

Eagles signed him to add depth to a pass rush that is getting older by the minute. Anchored by veteran Brandon Graham, and a underwhelming Derek Barnett. Younger players such as, Shareef Miller, Genard Avery, Josh Sweat etc all fought for playing time. Well, that fight continued through training camp and Miller unfortunately was deemed the odd man out.

I’m excited to see what Casey can do, he needs to work on using his hands and becoming a solid run stopper, but let’s be honest if he can consistently get to the QB we can work with the rest.

What do you guys think? Who was a suprise cut for you? Watch this weeks Sunday Sports Talk now on youtube for my analysis on breaking news and the upcoming Thursday night game.

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