After their dominant Super Bowl run that ended with them lifting the Lombardi Trophy, the Philadelphia Eagles had a significant roster turnover. Such is life in the NFL: successful teams get their players poached by the rest of the league and have to replace them.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Eagles lost Mekhi Becton, Fred Johnson, and Kenneth Gainwell. They brought in offensive lineman Kenyon Green from the Texans as part of the CJ Gardner-Johnson trade, but their need in the OL is obvious. Green hasn't proven himself to be an NFL-caliber guard yet, and Lane Johnson will turn 35 before the start of next season.
The recent reports of the Eagles' pre-draft visits suggest that the team is also prioritizing the offensive line. According to Eagles insider Brandon Lee Gowton of the Bleeding Green Nation, Philadelphia has recently hosted four offensive tackle prospects.
Eagles Looking for OL Prospects in the NFL Draft
These prospects are Josh Conerly Jr. of Oregon, Marcus Mbow of Purdue, Anthony Belton of NC State, and Jalen Travis of Iowa State. Conerly, Belton, and Travis have spent the majority of their time at left tackle, while Mbow has lined up at guard and right tackle.
The fact that the Eagles are eyeing multiple OT prospects suggests that they are looking to add someone to Jeff Stoutland University. A talented prospect that they can develop while Lane Johnson gets closer to retirement makes a ton of sense.
The Eagles have eight draft picks in the draft, all in the first five rounds. Conerly is seen as a late-first, early-second round pick who could be an option at No. 32 for the Eagles. Mbow and Belton are projected more as third-round picks, while Travis is likely a Day 3 pick or a UDFA candidate.
Regardless of which direction the Eagles go, they have a track record of developing quality offensive linemen. After losing a few key pieces this offseason, Eagles fans hope that this trend continues going forward.