Philadelphia Eagles: Pro Bowl weekend first round mock draft

Welp, it’s official: NFL Draft season is officially upon us.

The East-West Shrine game takes place on Thursday in Las Vegas, the Reese’s Senior Bowl is two days later in Mobile, and before long, we’ll be talking about 40 times, weird interview questions, and the ever polarizing hand sizes, which has already come up about Pitt quarterback Kyle Pickett.

For the Philadelphia Eagles, this is a particularly important evaluation period because of the sheer number of picks Howie Roseman has amassed in the first round and the potential for the team to make a bevy of moves to position themselves for a prolonged future of success.

For a team that went from Super Bowl champions to a 4-12 record in the span of three years, a successful draft could deliver onto South Philadelphia a team built for long-term success. And if not… well, let’s not think about that now; this is the offseason, at least for the Philadelphia Eagles, where the team is undefeated, and the next Super Bowl is within reach. So let’s fire up the old mock draft machine and see which players could be wearing midnight green six months from now.

And with the 15th overall pick, the Philadelphia Eagles select…

In last week’s draft, picks 15 and 16 belonged to Tyler Linderbaum and Devin Lloyd, but in this particular spin of The Draft Network’s mock machine, the former was already off the board to the Baltimore Ravens at 14, so why not address the opposite side of the field while still loading up on talent in the trenches?

If Howie Roseman decides to take things in that particular direction, which has been a staple of his draft strategies, selecting a player like DeMarvin Leal could bolster a position of strength and set the team up for success for years to come.

Measuring in at 6-foot-4, 290 pounds, Leal was a three-year contributor at Texas A&M, where he shredded SEC offensive lines to the tune of 133 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 13 sacks, including 8.5 in his final 11 games of action at College Station. He had a lethal first step, a wide base for a 4-3 defensive tackle, and an uber-athletic frame far leaner than one would expect from a 290-pound man.

While defensive tackle may not be the most pressing need for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, as Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Milton Williams should all be back with the team this fall, adding a legit difference-maker like Leal could set the team up for prolonged success with two Pro Bowl-caliber defensive tackles both born after the year 1992.

With three selections in five picks, the Eagles don’t have to draft for need. If they believe Leal is the best player on the board when they pick, be that at 15, 16, or 19, they should take him regardless of how many snaps are available during his rookie season.