Philadelphia Eagles Draft: Potential Day 2 Targets and Mock Draft

Round 1 is in the books, and Derek Barnett is a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. Who could they target on Day 2?

Defense wins championships–have ya heard?

With a slew of talented defensive prospects on the board–Alabama LB Reuben Foster, Alabama DL Jonathan Allen, Missouri DE Charles Harris, to name a few–the Philadelphia Eagles elected to go for Derek Barnett, the productive defensive end out of Tennessee.

I recapped the pick and broke down Barnett’s pass-rushing game here, grading the pick overall. You can take a read to understand why I’m cold on Derek Barnett, but I’ll let you know right now: I gave him a C grade. That’s not a good pick.

But Round 1 is in the books. It’s time to turn our eyes to the second round.

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Vice President of Player Personnel and indisputable savior of Philadelphia Joe Douglas shared earlier on Thursday that the team was oriented on supporting second-year QB Carson Wentz. With their top-2 WRs only under contract for this upcoming season, and with an RB stable full of question marks, you have to imagine Philly will look for offensive playmakers on Day 2.

A reminder: the Philadelphia Eagles will draft at #43 OVR, the #11 pick in the second round. After that, they have a long wait–56 picks long, as they wait until #99 OVR, the third round pick to which they traded back in the Timmy Jernigan deal with Baltimore.

As of right now, here are the Top-20 ranked players left on my Big Board. You can check out the full board, positional rankings, and war room board here.

1. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State (#10 OVR)
2. Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida (#11 OVR)
3. Budda Baker, S, Washington, (#13 OVR)
4. Joe Mathis, EDGE, Washington (#14 OVR)
5. Joe Mixon, RB, Oklahoma (#17 OVR)
6. Sidney Jones, CB, Washington (#18 OVR)
7. Carl Lawson, EDGE, Auburn (#19 OVR)
8. Forrest Lamp, G, Western Kentucky (#21 OVR)
9. Zach Cunningham, LB, Vanderbilt (#26 OVR)
10. Chris Godwin, WR, Penn State (#28 OVR)
11. Cam Robinson, OT, Alabama (#33 OVR)
12. Teez Tabor, CB, Florida (#34 OVR)
13. Obi Melifonwu, S, UConn (#35 OVR)
14. Caleb Brantley, DL, Florida (#39 OVR)
15. Carlos Henderson, WR, Louisiana Tech (#41 OVR)
16. Chidobe Awuzie, CB, Colorado (#42 OVR)
17. Tim Williams, EDGE, Alabama (#43 OVR)
18. D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas (#44 OVR)
19. Kevin King, CB, Washington (#45 OVR)
20. DeShone Kizer, QB, Notre Dame(#46 OVR)

It’s clear, after a cursory glance through that list, that players with red flags took a big hit. Injuries to Reuben Foster, Joe Mathis, Sidney Jones, and Carl Lawson dragged them down in value, while character concerns impacted the stock of Dalvin Cook and Joe Mixon.

Both of those running backs are very interesting cases for Philly at #43 OVR. A bell-cow back would go a long way in galvanizing the Andy Reid/Doug Pederson offense that ran oh so smoothly behind electric, pass-catching backs like Brian Westbrook and Jamaal Charles. Both Cook and Mixon have the open-field elusiveness and pass-catching upside to replicate the danger presented by Darren Sproles, but with much higher three-down ceilings.

Sidney Jones could be a clever look for the Eagles. An unfortunate achilles tear during his Pro Day submarined the stock of this consensus first-round corner, who is incredibly fluid in man coverage and competitive at the catch point despite poor size. He isn’t a great measurable fit, but the value at #43 is undeniable.

Dark horse names to consider: Obi Melifonwu, who the Eagles brought in for a visit. D’Onta Foreman, the Texas running back who, unlike his peers, has a clean rap sheet. Either of those linemen (Forrest Lamp, Cam Robinson) can shore up this offensive unit for years to come.

Let’s take a look at some positions of need for Philly before we dive into how their Round 2 and 3 positions might flip out.

Positional Rankings

My top 5 WRs remaining:

1. Chris Godwin, PSU, WR3 (#28 OVR)
2. Carlos Henderson, Louisiana Tech, WR6 (#41 OVR)
3. Zay Jones, East Carolina, WR7 (#57 OVR)
4. Josh Reynolds, Texas A&M, WR8 (#65 OVR)
5. ArDarius Stewart, Alabama, WR9 (#73 OVR)

Chris Godwin is a very interesting case. He met with Philadelphia at his Pro Day and had a workout with them afterward, as we reported from the PSU Pro Day. With WR1 skills that are reminiscent of Alshon Jeffery‘s, such as a huge catch radius and the ability to snag the ball through traffic, he surpassed John Ross as my WR3 and is worthy of the #43 overall selection.

Don’t sleep on jitterbug playmakers ArDarius Stewart and Carlos Henderson, who have the deadly YAC ability coveted in a West Coast offense.

My top 5 CBs remaining:

1. Quincy Wilson, Florida, CB1 (#11 OVR)
2. Sidney Jones, Washington, CB4 (#18 OVR)
3. Cordrea Tankersley, Clemson CB6 (#30 OVR)
4. Teez Tabor, Florida, CB7 (#34 OVR)
5. Chidobe Awuzie, Colorado, CB8 (#42 OVR)

It’s easy from this view to see the corners that came off the board–the scheme-agnostic ones. Players like Tre’Davious White out of LSU, Adoree’ Jackson out of USC, and the pair of Gareon Conley and Marshon Lattimore from Ohio State, all fit in multiple systems, and all left the board in Round 1.

That hurts Philadelphia, a team that runs a solid blend of zone and man. Wilson and Jones are Round 1 talents, but Quincy will struggle in short zones like Cover 2. Sidney Jones doesn’t fit the classic Schwartz measurables, but as discussed previously, he could be great value at #43. I love that pick.

Directly out of this group is Jones’ teammate, Kevin King. My #45 OVR who met with Philadelphia over the draft season, he has incredible physical upside and the ability to fit in Schwartz’s scheme. He’s raw, but he fits, and if he’s there at #43, don’t be surprised if they bite.

My top 5 RBs remaining:

1. Dalvin Cook, Florida State, RB1 (#10 OVR)
2. Joe Mixon, Oklahoma, RB3 (#17 OVR)
3. D’Onta Foreman, Texas, RB5 (#44 OVR)
4. Alvin Kamara, Tennessee, RB6 (#66 OVR)
5. Kareem Hunt, Toledo, RB7 (#72 OVR)

If one of Cook or Mixon drops to #43, that’s the talent-based pick I can’t imagine passing up on those dynamic talents unless you’re dead set against their off-the-field issues.

In Round 3, if one of those later RBs drop–Foreman, Kamara, or Hunt–the Eagles could look to snatch them up at solid value. Kamara is a particularly interesting athlete who fits nicely in Philly’s scheme. He has Jamaal Charles athleticism, just must work on the mental aspect of his game. He’ll be able to rotate in with the other talented Eagle backs.

Let’s run a quick little Mock up to the Eagles’ spot in Round 2, to see who they may land on Friday.

Philly could go a number of different directions, but Godwin at 43 rings true for me, at this juncture. Ahkello Witherspoon, the CB out of Colorado, is a dark horse candidate. But he might be available in their striking distance come Round 3. Also keep a weather eye out for Dan Feeney, the guard from Indiana that some teams had as a first round player, and Fabian Moreau, the corner from UCLA, another Round 1 rumor who is slipping due to a pec injury. While I’m not as high on his tape, he fits Schwartz’s scheme and measurables.

Next: Meet The Prospect: Derek Barnett

At #99, expect the Philadelphia Eagles to attack the cornerback position hard if they hadn’t already. Ahkello Witherspoon out of Colorado, Howard Wilson out of Houston, and Cameron Sutton out of Tennessee are some interesting Round 3 names to watch. Wide Receivers that could be on the board include Chad Hansen out of Cal and Josh Reynolds out of Texas A&M. Both have similar styles of play to Godwin.

If they mix out on Cook and Mixon, expect Philly to go for a running back on Day 3. If they want a bruiser, I like Samaje Perine out of Oklahoma; a scatback, on the other hand, could be Donnel Pumphrey out of San Diego State.