NFL Mock Draft 2015: Philadelphia Eagles Select Florida State Cornerback P.J. Williams

It wasn’t all that long ago that in Philadelphia we were able to sit back after the Eagles let us down in December and January and just wait for the Phillies to bail us out with a long Summer of great baseball. It also wasn’t that long ago that the Phillies were the team that “got it” in Philadelphia, and the Eagles were the team that no one trusted. Given their late-season collapse and front-office power-struggle that ensued in the early days of the New Year, the Eagles recent honeymoon phase of being the team in the city ahead of the curve may very well have worn off. But with the aforementioned collapse of the Phillies organization and that the Sixers and Flyers are going to spend the rest of their respective seasons competing for top-five draft picks, the Eagles remain Philadelphia’s biggest hope to win a championship in the next few years.

So using Fansided’s NFL Mock Draft tool, I decided that it wasn’t too early for our first Eagles-centered mock-draft. Yeah, it’s going to be that type of off-season.

Pre Draft Notes

• One upgrade to this year’s system from last year’s is that you can make trades. Last year, I could make trades up and the system had no choice but to accept it. This year, I can propose a trade, but that doesn’t mean the system will accept it. So gone is the idea that I can flick my wrists and the Eagles will be in a position to draft Marcus Mariota.
• The NFL Mock Draft simulator is not a perfect system. It follows a handful of big-boards, but only really takes those into account. It can’t take into account whether a team is wary of Jameis Winston’s off-the-field history or if a team feels Marcus Mariota would not be able to thrive in their non-spread offense.
• Another example of the system’s flaws; each team has a list of six positions that need to be upgraded. This is before free-agency, and for some teams on the list, it’s before their season even ends. So teams tend to draft for their needs in April, which is with their free-agent additions and subtractions. The draft is not perfect, neither are most picks in early January.
• Prior to the draft starting, numerous teams in the bottom half of the top 10 were interested in discussing trades with me. I passed, knowing that Mariota would not be there and even with a pick in the latter half of the top ten, it would be impossible to move up more, which is what it would take to go get Mariota.
• There was also one offer to move out of the first that would have brought back an early second, early third, and fifth-round pick. For the purposes of this post, I declined. But if Chip (and whoever the GM is) wouldn’t at least consider taking that, they are foolish.

So, here goes nothing.

While I think that Mariota is a lock to go one or two, this simulation is a great teaching point. In this draft, Mariota “falls”, but is still taken with the sixth pick by the Jets. It is possible that the first Quarterback taken off the board is Winston, but it feels like with the Bucs, Titans, Jets and Rams all in the top 10, both of those Quarterbacks are likely to be gone within the top 10. That isn’t to say that Chip Kelly and whoever the new General Manager is won’t feverishly try to trade up for Mariota, but unless they are willing to move three first-round picks and potentially a player like Fletcher Cox on top of those picks, they aren’t getting up even above the Rams. And frankly, even if you land Mariota with that pick, you lose your best defensive player and keep your team from seriously upgrading the secondary, linebacking corps and aging offensive-line. I’m not sure getting Mariota like that even makes you a better team in the short-run, like some have suggested.

Jameis Winston, who fell to 10 in this draft, seems more likely to fall because of his off-the-field issues. He will be discussed at a further time. The thing about Mariota is that he has won a Heisman, will play in the National Title game, and is the type of guy that you would want your daughter to bring home. Just because he ran the spread in college and appears to fit most perfectly in Chip’s offense doesn’t mean that a team who doesn’t have Chip Kelly won’t take Mariota. The same way some people in Philly, not me, value Mariota more than three first-round picks and potentially a player, Quarterback-starved organizations may feel the same way. Someone will take Mariota before the Eagles have an opportunity.

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So let’s look at the other needs for the Eagles. The system felt that ILB, S, DE, CB and RG were the Eagles biggest needs. Certainly, the Eagles need to build more depth at the linebacker position–banking on a DeMeco Ryans return would be foolish–and OLB/DE need will be determined by what happens this off-season with Vinny Curry, Trent Cole and Brandon Graham. Given the performances that divisional-rivals Dez Bryant, DeSean Jackson and Odell Beckham Jr. had against the Eagles in the final three weeks of the season, the secondary feels like the most pressing need.

In the war-room–my basement–I pushed hard to make a play to get above the Dolphins, but the price-tag was too high. Certainly, Landon Collins would be a fit for the Eagles, but not if it means moving your first-round pick and second-round pick, when there are players at 20 that still fill needs. If the Eagles aren’t going to go all-in for a Quarterback, they need to sure-up every other position on the field, and they need as many picks as possible to do so.

So with the 20th pick, after the team probably let Bradley Fletcher walk in free-agency and released Cary Williams, the Eagles take Florida State’s P.J. Williams. The Florida State Junior announced earlier this week that he would forego his Senior year to enter the NFL Draft.

What the Eagles do in the off-season will likely determine whether they take Williams here. Fletcher being allowed to walk is a lock. Williams being released isn’t a lock, but it’s the next closest thing. Brandon Boykin isn’t being moved to the outside, and given his unhappiness with that and the fact that he is entering the final year of his deal, it isn’t a slam-dunk he returns to the Eagles next year. Nolan Carroll will, but preferably as the team’s third corner. And then what?

Tramon Williams, Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Byron Maxwell are among the many cornerbacks who are set to become free-agents this off-season, but that doesn’t mean that they all will actually reach free-agency. Certainly, the Eagles should be a player for one of the bigger-name cornerbacks this off-season, but then they are left with trying to find a second starting cornerback. They could sign a veteran stop-gap, but that doesn’t really lend itself to the whole “not that far away from being a Superbowl team” idea that Jeffrey Lurie spoke of after the season.

So with the 20th pick in the draft, the Eagles select Florida State Cornerback P.J. Williams, who has been an integral part of the winningest college program in the nation over the past two seasons.

Williams is 21 years-old, 6’0 tall (6’1 depending on what outlet you look at), and by the time of the combine, will likely weigh over 200 pounds. The former high-school track star, provides insane athleticism and certainly won’t struggle to compete with receivers at the NFL level from a speed standpoint.

Our friend Joe Wedra of Fansided’s NFL Mocks, said this of Williams’ strengths heading into the draft.

"He has the potential to be very good at the next level due to his raw skill and speed. When you talk about a guy that just goes out and play football, that’s Williams, and it shows in his above-average ability to keep up with great receivers"

Williams saw the most extended time of his career in his third season at Florida State, but that still wasn’t enough for Wedra to be convinced that he was best served having entered that draft. Still, he has first-round talent and the versatility that the Eagles have chased in the past.

Some have wondered whether Williams, who isn’t the best pure cornerback in this draft, wouldn’t be better suited towards playing as a safety in the NFL. Doesn’t that sound kind of like Jaylen Watkins, and even to a certain extent, Nolan Carroll?

Talent-wise, I like Marcus Peters better strictly as a cornerback. But Peters was dismissed from the Washington football program last year, following an incident where he reportedly grabbed a coach by his throat. That was far from his first time being a negative influence on the team, and according to an NFL.com report, Peters’ mentor being Marshawn Lynch isn’t something that will enamor scouts.

"“A huge red flag. He’s a talented kid, no doubt. And it only takes one team (to fall in love with a player). From all the stuff that he’s been involved in and the chances he’s gotten and the immaturity he’s shown, it’s going to be tough for him,” the scout said. ” … They’re all professionals up here and they won’t put up with that (expletive). Hanging out with Marshawn (Lynch), that was probably the worst thing for him.”"

Peters feels like the type of player that will fall to the second-round, end up with the Bengals, and magically put aside all past issues and realize his tremendous on-field potential. He does not feel like the type of player that Chip Kelly would like in his locker-room, even if they had the chance to take him in the second-round.

That said, Williams, like seemingly ever player that plays for Florida State, has a history with the law. During his Senior season, Williams was involved in an accident in Florida. The problem? He was driving with a drivers licence that was already suspended and didn’t wait around for the police to show up, as he instead left his car and ran away. Williams, also like many Florida State players, was saved through the legal system, as his hit-and-run charge ended up getting downgraded and turned into a hefty fine.

In the grand scheme of things, scouts could very easily chalk-up the trouble that Williams has had off the field as just things that he did when he was “young and stupid”, and not damning to his character. On the field and in the locker-room, he doesn’t appear to have the same issues that Peters does. I’ll let you take a guess at which one Chip Kelly cares more about.

Personally, I don’t love Williams, but he is one of the three best corners in this draft, and none necessarily come without baggage. In addition to Peters and Williams’ troubles, Oregon star Ifo Ekpre-Olomu suffered a “severe” knee injury while the Ducks were preparing for their eventual Rose Bowl win over Florida State. If healthy, Ekpre-Olomu will be out of the Eagles reach at 20, and if not, he probably isn’t the type of player that can make an impact for them next year. (BUT HE’S FROM OREGON!!!)

So without an ability to move up for Landon Collins at Safety, the Eagles take the safest cornerback in this year’s draft, who could slide to safety if things don’t work out at cornerback.

It’s worth noting, that the simulator had Amari Cooper falling to 19. First, that won’t happen. If it would, it’s hard to imagine Chip not taking him. Still, using a first-round pick (Cooper), second-round pick (Jordan Matthews) and third-round pick (Josh Huff), all in a two year span, isn’t ideal.

The Eagles, depending on how things go with Brandon Graham/Vinny Curry and if they feel he fits the 3-4, could take Dante Fowler out of Florida. They could also move down and select South Carolina Guard A.J. Cann, who could replace either Todd Herremans or a contract-unhappy Evan Mathis. He could also learn behind both, but given that Herremans is coming off of an injury and the Eagles could allocate his $6.2 million against the cap elsewhere, it seems possible that Herremans doesn’t come back in 2015 and is replaced through the draft.

All in all, this is the first mock-draft of the season. A lot, hopefully in a positive way, will change between now and the draft. This should not be taken as my attempt to predict how the draft will go. Rather, this is my real-life attempt, in January, to make a selection based on the Eagles’ needs and how the draft-board falls in front of me. In a real life-scenario, things likely would have been done differently than how they were in this draft, and that’s great. What should be taken away is that P.J. Williams is someone that will likely be on the Eagles radar come the 20th pick in this year’s draft.