Making sense of the nonsense

Free agency officially unofficially starts today!

This week was the sweet spot of bad mock drafts, between the Combine and free agency, giving us overreactions to testing and no foresight into signings and trades that will change some needs. Hard to see free agency changing the top of the Eagles draft needs though.

Dane Brugler, The Athletic

CB Terrion Arnold, Alabama - Projected trade up to 17

Projected trade: Eagles send No. 22, No. 97 and a 2025 fourth-round pick to the Jaguars for No. 17

Another perfect match in terms of need and fit, the Eagles move up here to nab Arnold. Head coach Nick Sirianni talks about his players competing with a “dog mentality,” and that might be the No. 1 trait that sticks out in Arnold’s game. He dominated during DB drills at the combine.

Also on the board: Nate Wiggins, Cooper DeJean, and Kool-Aid McKinstry.

The only CB drafted at this point in the mock was Quinyon Mitchell. Arnold and Mitchell are considered by some to be in their own tier within the 1st round CBs tier along with Wiggins, DeJean, and McKinstry. Brugler is of that view, which is why he’s got this trade happening, and if the Eagles think so too then this trade makes sense.

It also fits with Howie Roseman’s past. It reminds me of the trade up to draft Andre Dillard, the second of four OTs taken in the 1st round.

I wouldn’t make this trade, but I don’t think it’s crazy. This one though:

Charles McDonald and Nate Tice, Yahoo

OL Graham Barton, Duke

The Eagles might look to move down a bit here, but they are only going to look at a few positions early in the draft, one of those positions being offensive line. Not sure if you heard, but the Eagles’ starting center has recently retired, and while they already have Jason Kelce’s successor at the center position on the roster in 2022 second-round pick Cam Jurgens, Barton gives Philadelphia and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland more options and another potential multi-position starter to build around. Barton played at left tackle in college, but will move to the interior once he enters the NFL (he does have playing time at center in college, too), with the right guard position being wide open for him to start at in Philadelphia. Barton will continue to make the line a strength of this Eagles franchise.

Players at positions of interest on the board: Kingsley Suamataia, Tyler Guyton, Jordan Morgan, Chop Robinson, Jared Verse, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Nate Wiggins, Ennis Rakestraw, Kamari Lassiter.

You have to be kidding me with this. The Eagles are not taking an interior offensive lineman, which Barton projects to, in the 1st round. (As a tracker of bad draft takes, I am aware of how bad that will look if he’s the pick.) This is a massive overreaction to Kelce’s expected retirement. They even acknowledge that the Eagles have already planned for this.

Give me Tyler Guyton here if the pick is OL; I can get behind Verse or Robinson but it feels unlikely that both will actually be available at 22, and possibly neither, and no problem going CB.

Lance Zierlein, NFL

WR Adoni Mitchell, Texas - Projected trade back to 28

Mitchell didn’t play a ton of college football, and he’s still very raw as a route-runner, but his blazing 40-yard-dash time at the combine (4.34 seconds), along with his game tape from the Longhorns’ win over Alabama, will move him into this spot — or earlier in the draft.

On the board at 22: Laiatu Latu, Tyler Guyton, Amarius Mims, Kool-Aid McKinstry; on the board at 28: Cooper DeJean

No. (I’ll take the trade back though.)

Charles Davis, NFL

EDGE Chop Robinson, Penn State

The Eagles value defense, and they might lose key veterans Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox. Robinson blew the NFL Scouting Combine away with his speed and athleticism. I expect Philly to consider OT and CB at this spot, too.

On the board: Nate Wiggins, Kool-Aid McKinstry, Ennis Rakestraw, Tyler Guyton, Troy Fautanu

I also expect the Eagles to consider OT and CB at this spot, too!

You can’t go too wrong projecting Howie Roseman drafting DL in the 1st round. But Brandon Graham will be back. If Haason Reddick is traded, then going with an edge rusher makes some sense, but they just drafted Nolan Smith who is pretty similar in profile. And if Reddick is staying, they’re better served going with an OT or CB.

Multiple - CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa

A bunch of mocks have the Eagles taking Cooper DeJean, replacing Quinyon Mitchell—who as predicted is out of reach to the Eagles in mocks after a strong combine— as the CB du jour.

After DeJean’s pro day he’ll move up or out of the 1st round, and then the Eagles will have a new prospect of the week. As for DeJean himself, as I have said before I am not enthusiastic about a CB who may actually be a safety. Not a bad outcome, but not one that excites.

And quite a few mock drafts have Kool-Aid McKinstry “falling” out of the 1st because it was discovered he has a foot fracture that needs surgery and didn’t work out the at the Combine, but it won’t stop him from being healthy when training camp rolls around, having him out of the 1st round as this and other mocks do is overreacting. After his pro day, he’ll likely be back in 1st rounds.

My turn

Once again three rounds using PFF’s sim. Let’s have some fun. Don’t take it too seriously.

22 - CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama

Considered: Laiatu Latu, Amarius Mims, Tyler Guyton, Chop Robinson

50 - EDGE Chop Robinson, Penn State

54 - LB Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M

Also on the board: Ennis Rakestraw (not available at 54), Ricky Pearsall, Jayden Hicks, Keon Coleman, Jonathan Brooks, Marshawn Kneeland, Edgerrin Cooper, Junior Colson, Xavier Worthy

97 - RB Ray Davis, Kentucky

Also on the board: Blake Corum, MarShawn Lloyd, Trey Benson, Cole Bishop, Tykee Smith, Max Melton, DJ James, Kris Abrams-Draine, Cam Hart, Jarvis Brownlee, Beaux Limmer, DeWayne Carter, Cade Stover, Javon Baker

How about a player for every level of the defense in the first two rounds. I wasn’t intending this, the board just fell this way in the 2nd round.

-McKinstry was the last of the top tier CBs, and I’m not worried about his injury and I don’t want to risk getting to 50 and picking from the bottom of the second tier of CBs.

-Robinson available in the 2nd is unrealistic, but then realism and draft simulators have never co-existed.

-Cooper fills an obvious need but also profiles as player that Fangio can get the best out of. I’m not wild about Cooper but the opportunity to import a three level potential core was too good to pass up. After all, it’s just for fun.

-In this scenario in the 3rd I’d prefer trade back and fill in some of the gap until they pick late in the 5th round but that’s no fun. And yes, this is too early for Ray Davis, but I don’t care. A speedy receiving running back? Done.

A week from now, one of these may not be a draft need, or at least not a high priority draft need. Let the chaos begin on Monday.