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Philadelphia Eagles Address Offensive Line in Mel Kiper’s First 2024 Mock Draft

In his first mock draft, ESPN's Mel Kiper has the Eagles addressing the trenches in the first round.

By Jovan Alford

Oct 8, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; Oregon State Beavers offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga (75)
Oct 8, 2022; Stanford, California, USA; Oregon State Beavers offensive lineman Taliese Fuaga (75) / Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
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The Philadelphia Eagles’ 2023 season came to a crashing halt last week in the Super Wild Card round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The team will now look towards the offseason, which includes free agency and the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Eagles are projected to have nine picks in this spring’s draft and will need them as they have multiple needs on both sides of the ball. Many fans believe the team should use their first-round pick at No. 22 overall to address the defense, which struggled mightily down the stretch.

However, ESPN’s NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper has Philadelphia using their first pick on the offense in his first mock draft, which might surprise some fans.

Eagles Rumors: Philadelphia Takes Offensive Tackle at No. 22 in NFL Mock Draft

In his first mock draft on ESPN.com (subscription required), Kiper has the Eagles building up the trenches and taking Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga. 

Kiper explains how the offensive line is getting older, especially with Lane Johnson at right tackle, and the looming retirement of All-Pro center Jason Kelce. The NFL Draft expert believes that Fuaga is a “top-tier talent” and has the versatility to play at tackle or inside at guard. 

If Kelce retires this offseason, Cam Jurgens would likely be the heir apparent to fill that void, leaving the Eagles with an opening at right guard. Fuaga is 6-foot-6, 330 lbs, and was graded as the country’s best run blocker this season by Pro Football Focus (90.7).

The Eagles would consider Fuaga at No. 22 on paper, especially since they love to address the trenches and use early draft capital on it. However, the Eagles have more pressing needs at linebacker and in the secondary. 

Nonetheless, with draft season slowly getting underway, it’ll be interesting to see what the mock drafts project the Eagles to do after we get past the East-West Shrine Game, Senior Bowl, and into the NFL scouting combine. Philadelphia needs to hit on most of their picks, as they were one of the oldest teams in the NFL this season.

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