With the 2024 NFL Draft just three weeks away, mock drafts are ramping up even more and the excitement of fans hoping their favorite teams land a coveted college prospect increase. For the Eagles, they have been pretty busy this offseason adding to the team with notable signings of Saquon Barkley, Bryce Huff and CJ Gardner-Johnson.
So now who should the Eagles target in the draft? Here are two players at positions the team needs to address that should get some consideration without having to trade up to get.
CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa
The Eagles and CJGJ are reunited, but that still doesn’t mean they can’t add more to the secondary that was not very good last year with the aging James Bradberry and Darius Slay. We saw flashes of potential from Kelee Ringo and Sydney Brown and the team recently extended Reed Blankenship, but why wouldn’t the Eagles want to add the most versatile cornerback in this year’s draft class?
Reports have been swirling that the Eagles are quite interested in the former Hawkeye who could play both cornerback positions, safety and also be a weapon as a punt returner after being named the Big 10 Cornerback and Punt Returner of the Year.
There might be some hesitation as he missed the rest of the college season due to a broken fibula, but DeJean has been cleared to participate in football activities and plans to put on a workout later this week according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
DeJean checks plenty of boxes for the Eagles. His ball hawking ability which was on display racking up seven interceptions over his last two seasons with Iowa, is something the Eagles’ secondary lacked this past season. The Eagles’ defense picked off just nine passes, tied for the third fewest in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers. He also has the vision to flip the field on interception returns.
On special teams, the Eagles haven’t had a legitimate threat to take a kick back since Darren Sproles. No disrespect to Britain Covey who improved tremendously from 2022 to 2023 in the return game, but DeJean adds that element that could change a game on a dime with an explosive return.
Depending on what mocks you look at, DeJean could very well be there for the Eagles at pick No. 22. If the team doesn’t need to move draft capital to get a player who could fit this younger defensive unit, why not snag him?
Others to consider: CB Kool-Aid McKinstry (Alabama), CB Nate Wiggins (Clemson)
OT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
Drafting an offensive lineman is never the splashy pick in the first round. However, if you couple the old cliche “You win games in the trenches” with the Eagles’ history for reloading their offensive line through the draft, you have the perfect concoction for an offensive lineman to hear his name called to wear the midnight green.
That offensive lineman could be Tyler Guyton out of Oklahoma. Guyton is a physical specimen, at 6’8, 322 pounds and is great at pass protection, something the Eagles oddly struggled with at times, especially during the historic downward spiral to close out the 2023 season.
The former Sooner could be the heir apparent to Lane Johnson, also a former Sooner, drafted out of Oklahoma by the Eagles with their fourth overall back in 2013. Guyton could begin his career on the interior and be a good insurance policy if Johnson goes down with an injury. The Eagles drafted Jason Kelce’s replacement in Cam Jurgens, and it would make sense that they do something similar for Johnson to ensure the offensive line doesn’t take a huge step back once he decides to call it a career.
Although needing a little more fine-tuning than some other offensive lineman that will potentially go before him, getting Guyton in the building with Johnson as a mentor and Jeff Stoutland could do wonders for the athletic tackle who needs to work on his technique a bit. The Eagles could afford to wait and help him develop as he wouldn’t be thrown in to a plug-and-play situation right away.
A chance to add a young athletic lineman to help protect Hurts for the foreseeable future could be a solid path for the Eagles to take come Draft Day.
Others to Consider: OT JC Latham (Alabama), OL Jackson Powers-Johnson (Oregon)
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
