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Philadelphia Eagles Draft | Seven Round Mock 2.0

By Benjamin Solak

Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces the number one overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2016; Chicago, IL, USA; NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announces the number one overall pick in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft at Auditorium Theatre. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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Philadelphia Eagles
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Round 2: Forrest Lamp, G, Western Kentucky

Another round, another small-school standout. Just as Davis, you’ve probably heard of Forrest Lamp. An athletic offensive tackle, Lamp dominated in the Hilltoppers’ spread offense, particularly in his standout tape against Alabama’s elite edge-rushers. Many had him projected as a first-round offensive tackle.

But then, Senior Bowl weigh-ins struck.

The commonly held floor for offensive tackle arm length is 33″. Can you play the position at a high level with shorter arms? Probably–I mean, OT Jason Peters has almost exactly 33″ arms, and you have to imagine if he lost 1/8″ he would still be a stud. But you need to have reach as an OT; you must be able to out-punch a pass-rushing technician and stonewall a bull rush. The shorter your arms are, the tougher your job becomes.

Forrest Lamp came in with 31 1/8″ arms. Eek.

It wouldn’t surprise me if, one day in Lamp’s career, he played a few snaps at OT–and it wouldn’t surprise me if he played well, too. But teams aren’t drafting Lamp as a tackle anymore–they’re drafting him as a guard, who may be able to play tackle in a pinch.

Speaking of teams drafting Lamp, drafting Lamp would be an incredibly wise move for the Philadelphia Eagles. They’d gain nice size in the interior line without sacrificing any athleticism. Lamp plugs in and plays at LG on Day 1 and may even compete with OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai for the RT position after Peters eventually retires and OT Lane Johnson moves to the left side.

An offensive line with Lamp, Johnson, and Seumalo could make a case for the most athletic in the NFL. The Eagles could easily run pull blockers outside of the tackle box or regularly move QB Carson Wentz’s launch point–a great strength of the young quarterback.

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