It’s that time of the year again! The NFL Draft is now upon us which means that the Eagles‘ title defense is just around the corner. Our team has kept your finger on the pulse of everything Eagles this offseason including everything you need to know about the prospects that are heading to the NFL Draft. With that being said, we put together a panel to give you their predictions on how the first two rounds will go for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Bryan Cameron
TRADE ALERT! Eagles trade the 32nd overall pick and the 164th pick in the draft to Buffalo in exchange for the 30th overall pick.
Round 1: DL Walter Nolen
The Eagles are strangers to skipping the line when it comes to the NFL Draft. Back in 2018, Philadelphia jumped the Dallas Cowboys in the second round to steal away TE Dallas Goedert. Then in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Eagles took it upon themselves to scorched the Giants and their entire fanbase when they traded with the Dallas Cowboys to leap over the Giants for WR DeVonta Smith. Howie Roseman is a master of his craft. With that being said, I have the Eagles leapfrogging the Chiefs in favor of selecting Walter Nolen.
Kansas City was once interested in Nolan Smith and tried trading with the Eagles for that pick but once the Eagles figured out what they were up to, Roseman and company declined the offer. Philly now needs to replace the production of Milton Williams who signed a very big deal with the New England Patriots. Nolen is just the guy for the job. He was several questions about his character and immaturity but if there’s any team that can truly maximize his potential, it’s Philadelphia. Just imagine what Nolen and Carter can accomplish together.
TRADE ALERT! The long awaited Dallas Goedert trade is here folks… Philadelphia sends the 96th overall pick, a 2026 fifth-round pick and TE Dallas Goedert to the Chicago Bears in exchange for the 41st overall pick, the 148th pick and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
Round 2: Safety Kevin Winston Jr.
The Eagles love making an entrance and what better way to do it then to selected the one glaring defensive need. After trading away C.J. Grander-Johnson to the Texans, Philly now has a bit of a hole at the starting safety spot that is opposite of Reed Blankenship. I would’ve loved for them to trade up for Malaki Starks but I feel that building in the trenches is still very important for this team. Winston suffered an ACL injury that pushed him out of the first round. He is one of the top, if not THE top, safeties in this draft. This is home run move for the Eagles.
Cory Nidoh
Round 1: Trade Up to get Malaki Starks
Round 2: Shemar Turner
The Eagles have plenty of options to mull over come Thursday night as the NFL Draft gets underway. I think Howie Roseman and the Eagles have in the back of their minds that the league is not going to allow more top tier talent fall in the laps of the defending Super Bowl champions like it did last year with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, or with Jalen Carter in 2023. That’s why Roseman is proactive and strikes a deal to get up into the 25-27 range to get safety Malaki Starks to add another Georgia Bulldog to the defense.
The safety can be a plug and play starter for the Eagles opposite of Reed Blankenship and can do a little bit of everything. He’s not afraid to step up and stack the box to help stop the run, he can cover and has solid closing speed to cover any over the top shots. Adding him to a secondary with Mitchell, DeJean and Blankenship would be more than an above average DB room.
In round two, the Eagles stay put and addresses the defensive line selecting defensive tackle Shemar Turner out of Texas A&M. The 6-foot-4, 300-pounder has excellent power and upper body strength to hold his own as a starter in the league. Get him alongside Jalen Carter and let defensive line coach Clint Hurtt coach up the youngster who has shown some flashes of inconsistency and penalties and Turner could make an impact early in his career.
Christopher Babos
In Round 1, Howie Roseman plays the long game and bets on a high upside athlete recovering from an injury, just like he did with Cooper DeJean last season. This time, Roseman patience pays off at #32 after tackle Josh Simmons from Ohio State slides down the draft board lands in Philadelphia. The Eagles can showcase the patience necessary to ensure Simmons is healthy and enrolling him in Stoutland University to become one of the top players from the 2025 NFL Draft in a few years.
On Day 2, the Eagles GM addressed the defensive line to continue building up the tranches. Oluwafemi “Femi” Oladejo impressed the Birds front office during his official visit. With Femi having some linebacker experience, Vic Fangio could utilize his raw skills and bring another unique skillset into his defense while finding some reps for the rookie. The former UCLA product is raw, so he might not hit the field right away. Like the offensive line situation, the Eagles can be patient and allow Olajedo’s talent to surface as he gets familiar with the pro-style game.
Mike Greger
Eight draft picks. Say it with me, eight draft picks. There is no way Howie Roseman stays put in the first round. This is his Mount Everest and he will ascend …
Round 1, Pick 32
I’m agonixingly torn on two guys, OT Josh Simmons (Ohio State) and LB/DE Jalon Walker (Georgia), in the first round.
I think the board will dictate how far he jumps up to get one of those above names. Walker — the freak “tweener” who looks like a bigger version of Nolan Smith — is predicted to go Top-10. If he slips past Carolina at pick 8, look for Howie to pounce. Or at least ponder pouncing. The Georgia pipeline never disappoints.
Or, in a move that has Howie SZN written all over it, the Eagles trade up a few spots to grab Josh Simmons out of Ohio State. The 6-foot-5, 310-pounder is projected to go anywhere from pick 20-30. It would be an easy decision for Howie to swap pick 32 and a pair of fourths to move up and get Lane Johnson’s replacement at right tackle. Simmons was considered by some to be the best offensive tackle in this draft, then a torn patellar tendon in his left knee shut him down after six games in 2024.
Remember when a knee injury plummeted Landon Dickerson’s stock? Same deal. The Eagles splurge at a luxury position and land an anchor — his “rapid-fire foot quickness”has scouts drooling — who can sit for a year or two and mentor under Johnson. The future Hall of Famer wants to play three more seasons. We’ll see. Either way, stealing Simmons sets them up for long-term stability at right tackle.
Round 2, Pick 64
Mason Taylor, TE, LSU
It’s the logical pick, almost too logical. The 6-foot-5, 251-pounder is a carbon copy of Dallas Goedert, plus he has a legendary pedigree being the son of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor. Legit athleticism. Polished route running. He gets a year to study under Goedert and hone his blocking skills before taking over TE1.
Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa
Just floating one more name out there in Round 2. If Johnson drops — and he probably won’t — I think the Eagles get tempted. He’s a bruiser, similar to Tyler Allgeier, perfect in a two-back system especially to complement Saquon Barkley. Running back isn’t a need — not with Will Shipley on the roster — but Johnson is too good to pass up.
David Neisz
TRADE- The Eagles trade with the New Orleans Saints and move picks 32 and 168 for 40 and 93.
RD2 Pick 40 Mason Taylor, Tight End, LSU
With the 40th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the Eagles select Mason Taylor! Mason is a chain mover; he makes receptions from any spot on the line, often creating mismatches and making a quarterback’s life easier. Taylor has a knack for getting open, provides good YAC, wins contested catches, and shows off above-average hands. He had a 1.8% drop rate. In the right scheme, he will flourish. Mason showed off a more advanced route tree at the Senior Bowl than during his time with LSU. He is one of my two favorite tight ends for the Eagles in this draft cycle. Mason could go as early as the 32nd pick, but at the least likely requires a significant move up to acquire.
TRADE- Eagles Send pick 93 and 96 to Washington for pick 61. RD2 Pick 61 T.J. Sanders, DT, South Carolina.
Sanders has elite length, which he uses well to eliminate passing lanes. He displays a quick burst, is disruptive, and causes havoc in the backfield. T.J. provided an interior pass rush in college (8.5 sacks in 2 seasons), sheds blocks well, and is a solid tackler with high TFL totals. He is one of my favorite players for the Eagles at the position. T.J. is a toolsy and high-upside player who would thrive in the Vic Fangio defensive scheme.
RD2 64 Pick Charles Grant, iOL, William & Mary
Grant is an explosive, strong player with 35+ inch arms. He played 227 pass-blocking snaps in 2024 and lost eight snaps. His 96.48% win rate was good for 6th in class at iOL. Charles has a wrestling background, which I LOVE for OLs. He is a fluid, disciplined athlete blessed with vice grips for hands. Grant did not play for Georgia, but he has the mentality to fit in with them from day one. “On the field, I’m a dawg.”
Anthony DiBona
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has made 25 trades during the NFL Draft since 2020. Roseman is going to continue that trend and make moves with both of Philadelphia’s first two picks. The Eagles will trade back and pick-up extra draft capital to select LSU tight end Mason Taylor with their first pick. Then Philadelphia will make a slight trade up to land C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s replacement in Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr.
Liam Jenkins
This is a really hard draft class to read and the Eagles are in a very unique spot. In any other situation, I’d adore a trade up for Walter Nolen or Derrick Harmon, but the Eagles need developmental depth and unless they’re eyeing a move-on from Jordan Davis over the next couple of years, it’s hard to forecast another first-rounder being spent here.
Likewise, drafting an EDGE automatically surrenders the Bryce Huff experiment and I don’t think they’re ready to do that. I do like Malaki Starks, and he should be one of the few players worthy of a first-round selection that doesn’t require a huge trade up in this slightly wonky class.
In the second round, I could absolutely see the Eagles pulling the trigger on James Pierce Jr. if he slides. The Tennessee product does have some lingering concerns but his tape is absolutely sensational. This could warrant a trade up in the second round and that way, he’s still technically going to be a ‘project’ player without the lofty expectations of going in the top-15 as his tape would suggest. The Eagles could build a really strong defensive end core around him in the long run and still give Huff time to grow into those very large cleats he was expected to fill.
Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
