The Eagles did not make a trade in the second round and selected Andrew Mukuba, Safety, Texas, at 64. But the storms wouldn’t stay quiet for long, with the Birds making two trades to recoup some draft capital.
Day 2 recap
Philly’s newest Safety thrives against the run. He is a willing tackler who packs a punch when he hits. In his first season at Texas, he also displayed some impressive coverage skills. Per Sports Reference, he had 7 PBUs, five interceptions, 4 TFLs, and one forced fumble last year. Mukuba returned to the Longhorns for one more rodeo to prove his worth, and he did exactly that to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Trader Howie did show up in the third round, and when it was time for the Eagles to make a selection at 96, they traded five spots to 101, then made another deal to leave the third round without a draft pick.
Some have speculated that Eagles GM, Howie Roseman, may have misread the board due to moving down again at 101, as to suggest the player we wanted was no longer there. The player they were seemingly speculating for is William and Mary OL, Charles Grant.
I loved Grant as a fit for the Eagles and thought he would be the pick at 96. When Grant was selected at 99 by the Raiders, I was disappointed, but in no way do I believe that Howie misread the board. Missing out on a player you wanted to add to your team, to acquire a late-round pick, would be a rookie mistake. That is not Roseman. Howie deserves the benefit of the doubt here. More than likely, the Eagles’ war room has numerous players ranked very similarly, and they have two early picks today to address them. He explained his decisions to trade those two picks late last night.
“When we were picking where we were in the third round, we were really watching the board, looking for opportunities to move up and watching where it was and where we felt like there was an opportunity to maybe get someone who was a little higher on our board. And then the opportunity where there was kind of a sweet spot on our board. As we got closer to our pick, we had a couple of opportunities there that we felt like maximized where we were on our board and getting that pick next year, I think we’re going to be at 12 or 13 picks next year and a lot of them in the first five rounds.
And so, I think obviously that’s exciting. Not saying we don’t have things we want to improve on this football team right now because we do. But we then felt like the move down to tomorrow gave us an opportunity in the fourth round here to kind of sleep on it and kind of get our board set and ready for tomorrow. Having six picks tomorrow, great opportunity to improve our football team on the third day. It’s a really fun day for us. We just felt like it made sense to make those two moves with where the board was at.” – Howie Roseman via SI
They enter day three armed with 6 picks and have great options at OL, Edge, and TE still on the board, including a few of my favorite fits, OL- Jalen Travis, Edge- Bradyn Swinson, David Walker, and TE- Gunnar Helm.
Round 4– 111 and 130
Round 5–161, 165, and 168
Round 6–191
Offensive targets Eagles fans should be aware of:
Tight End:
Gunnar Helm, Tight End, Texas
Helm has the a prototypical frame for the position and is a true student of the game. He excels in run-blocking which would really suit the Eagles.
Jake Briningstool, Tight End, Clemson
Jake is a quick yet physical TE with a strong route-tree. He has a knack for dominating in open space and should only improve his blocking fundamentals in the NFL. He flashed well at the Senior Bowl against some of the top talent in this class.
Running Back:
Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech
Tuten has been one of my favorite RB targets for the Eagles for months now. After his standout performance in Indianapolis where he ran the fastest 40 at the combine for a running back at 4.32 and ranked first overall in the RB class with a 40.50-inch vertical jump, it’s safe to say his stock soared. The Eagles LOVE their athletic anomalies and Tuten is another one with home-run potential.
Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas
Blue comes in at 5’9, 196 lbs and brings blazing 4.3 speed to the table. He’s slippery and explosive in motion and would be a great compliment to the Philadelphia RB room. The Eagles have had a top-30 visit with Jaydon which could play a role in this decision.
Offensive Line:
Hollin Pierce, OT, Rutgers
Hollin is the dream prototype for someone like Jeff Stoutland. Standing at a massive 6’8 and weighing in around 340 lbs, Pierce is a human roadblock. He’s a natural mauler in every sense and rips through double teams for fun.
Jalen Travis, OT, Iowa State
Travis gets out of his stance as impressively as any other tackle in this class. He then uses his impressive length, leverage, and core strength to dominate pass-pro reps. He turned heads at the combine and the Senior Bowl where he kept newly-drafted Edge Rusher Femi Oladejo at bay.
Jalen is also a menace in the run game and has experience at both sides of the offensive book end The Eagles did also use one of their visits to meet with him..
Defense:
Defensive Tackle:
Aeneas Peebles, DT, Virginia Tech
Peebles has some of the best pass-rushing moves in this class which led to a eyebrow-raising 27.3 pass-rush win rate at Virginia Tech. His agility allows for a lot of versatility when it comes to a potential role in Fangio’s defense and this is the kind of replacement for Milton Williams that the Eagles would be looking for.
Edge Rusher:
Bradyn Swinson, Edge, LSU
Swinson is a high-motor edge rusher who wins consistently with power and speed. He’s violent and possesses a high football IQ which makes him dangerous against the run. Swinson is coming off his best season and there’s plenty of gas left in the tank.
David Walker, Edge, Central Arkansas
He was a sleeper for much of the College season but that’s no longer the case. His processing of the game is beyond what should be expected and that should only grow over time. He’s a strong tackler who plays with a nasty streak. If that wasn’t enough, a scout mentioned to me that he reminds them of Eagles Edge, Brandon Graham. If there was ever a player comparison to have for Philadelphia…that’s the one.
Antwuan Powell-Ryland, Edge, Virginia Tech
APT has a lightning first-step and the energy only continues through the rep. He’s also got a versatile skillset, allowing him to drop into coverage. Despite being short on size, he sheds blocks well and has a gorgeous spin move in his arsenal.
Cornerback:
Dorian Strong, CB, Virginia Tech
Dorian is twitchy corner who boasts elite awareness and technique. Strong rises the sideline elegantly and leans on his WR instincts to get the best of his opponents, which he did well at the Combine.
As always, thank you for reading!
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