The NFL Draft is just around the corner and the Philadelphia Eagles find themselves in a favorable position. Sitting pretty with the 22nd overall pick, Howie Roseman could quite literally do anything with that selection on Draft night, although there is certainly a case to be made for moving up.
The Eagles have a few primary needs going into the NFL Draft, but none of them can really be solved in the first round. Their secondary needs (offensive tackle depth, defensive line depth, and potentially a future CB1) certainly could be, but it’s unlikely they’ll be able to land a real blue-chip prospect at 22nd overall.
Here are 5 targets the Eagles could well move up to snag in a couple of weeks:
JC Latham, OT, Alabama
As far as blue-chip prospects go, they don’t come much better than a dominant offensive tackle who stands at 6’5, 342 lbs. The Eagles need to find a future heir to Lane Johnson’s throne and it makes sense to target cream of this crop who just so happens to be a monstrous athlete that fits the bill.
Latham was graded 79.6 against the run by PFF last season which is bound to intrigue the esteemed Eagles general manager.
The Eagles did try this experiment once with Andre Dillard, but it’s safe to say that as a complete prospect, Latham packs more of a punch out of the gate and doesn’t have the same wingspan/power concerns that Dillard once did.
Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
Staying on that train of thought, what better way to kickoff the Draft than adding another Georgia Bulldog? Mims comes in at 6’7, 340 lbs, and has a RAS score of 9.59. Not only is he a behemoth, but a freak athlete too.
Mims only has eight college starts to his name but has played at both tackle spots. There might be a few too many question marks about his experience to trade up for him, but this could be situation akin to last year where the Eagles have more assets than most to do their due diligence and take a shot.
If Mims somehow falls to them at 22, it feels like an obvious choice. If it comes to trading up, Latham feels like the safer prospect, but the Eagles might well see an opportuntiy to snatch a generational gifted player with plenty of rubber left on the tyre.
Byron Murphy II, DT, Texas
Byron Murphy II might even slide to the Eagles at 22, but his incredible explosiveness and relentless motor should see him taken much higher. With 5 sacks and 8.5 TFL last year, he’s a penetrative menace who plays like a Bull in a china shop.
The Eagles do have Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis on the interior and both were first-round selections. Making another doesn’t exactly seem entirely logical, but if they really want to build a monstrous rotation, trading up for the most dominant DT in this class is away to keep contracts cheap and power at an all-time high.
Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
Drafting an EDGE here would make a lot of sense given that the team recently traded Haason Reddick and there are long term questions at the position. Nolan Smith is unproven and BG won’t be around forever.
Turner is a relentless athlete who is currently my highest-graded player when it coms to fits for the Eagles. I have him scored as a 52/60 (10 points per category that’s specific to wha tthe Eagles need from the position) and while Lantau Latu is appealing, he does have some injury concerns that Turner doesn’t.
There’s a big drop off in EDGE talent after the first round and Dallas Turner might be the best in terms of a complete package. He’s an explosive athlete, instinctive in coverage and his hand-usage is super impressive. This feels like a plausible trade-up target for the Eagles.
Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
If the Eagles did want to draft a future CB1 under the premise that someone likes James Bradberry will be moved on, then Terrion Arnold does make sense. He’s by far the best corner in this class and I don’t really rate the other first-rounders that highly.
Arnold is only 21-years-old and was recruited by Alabama as a Safety. He enjoyed a stunning breakout in 2022 and followed it up by leading the SEC in interceptions and 12 passes defensed one season later.
Standing at 6’0, 189 lbs, Arnold is another lab-build athlete who ran a 4.5 40-yard-dash. He can hold his own in man coverage and glues himself to the hip pockets of opposing wideouts. His quickness allows him to be aggressive at the line, knowing he can make up ground on the occasions he is beaten.
There’s still a lot of meat on the bone here. According to Jacob Brockhoff of GiveMeSport, Arnold has only played in 785 coverage snaps, nearly half off teammate Kool-Aid McKinstry and draftmate Quinyon Mitchell. That could explain some of his technical struggles, but also inspire confidence that if he’s this good already, the Eagles could be the perfect landing spot given that they have guys like Darius Slay in the building to mentor him.
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
