Since our last mock draft here on The Philly Blitz, the Philadelphia Eagles have made a trade involving 8 draft picks. Philadelphia sent the 16th, 19th and 104th overall picks to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for the 18th and 101st overall picks in the 2022 NFL draft and a 2024 2nd round pick.
This is a deal that certainly creates some optionality for Philadelphia both in the current and future. With that, we present out TPB Eagles 7-Round Mock Draft 8.0 by Pierrot Baptiste Jr.
TRADE: Eagles send the 15th, 83rd, and 124th overall picks to the New York Jets in exchange for the 10th and 117th overall picks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Round 1 – Pick 10: Derek Stingley Jr. (CB), LSU
Philadelphia trades up and leap frogs the Minnesota Vikings and acquires it’s number one corner of the future. Stingley Jr. is essentially the perfect cornerback. He possesses a rare combination of tools at the cornerback position.
Stingley Jr. has enough speed to excel in press or off man coverage. His instincts and IQ allow him to thrive in zone coverage as well. And putting the cherry on top is his elite level ball skills. In his three year career at LSU (25 games played), he amassed 6 interceptions and 20 pass break-ups. He’s adept at understanding leverage and reading the opposing quarterback’s eyes. Stingley is the absolute total package.
However, he does come with a small amount of concern as he’s played just ten games over the last two seasons. Stingley Jr. suffered a Lisfranc fracture at the start of the 2021 season which caused him to play in just three games and he played in seven games in the COVID shortened 2020 season.
However, the talent and traits are undeniable with Stingley Jr. And they are enough for a team to part with valuable assets in order to secure his services in my opinion. Pairing Stingley Jr. with Darius Slay would create the perfect environment for development and growth for Stingley Jr. It’d also create havoc for opposing wide receivers.
Philadelphia had Stingley in for a private workout.
Round 1 – Pick 18: Devonte Wyatt (DT), Georgia
In most of our mock drafts, a common name has been Georgia defensive tackle, Devonte Wyatt. The Eagles will undoubtedly address the trenches with their initial first round pick, and if Wyatt (or his D-Line mate Jordan Davis are available) the Eagles should and will pounce.
As stated, Wyatt is effective as both a run stuffer and pass rusher. Wyatt also adds alluring athleticism with his 4.77 40-yard dash at 304 pounds. Wyatt also possesses a really deep bag of tricks as a pass rusher. He has some strong hands combined with some surprising quick twitch movements and agility.
The Eagles will add to their defensive line room early on in the 2022 NFL Draft, with Fletcher Cox likely entering his last year with Philadelphia and Javon Hargrave entering the last year of his contract.
Philadelphia hosted Wyatt on an official pre-draft visit.
Round 2 – Pick 51: George Pickens (WR), Georgia
The Eagles selected two members (DeVonta Smith and Landon Dickerson) from the 2021 National Champion Alabama Crimson Tide in back-to-back rounds in last year’s draft and they do the same with Devonte Wyatt and George Pickens.
Pickens arguably would’ve been one of the first few (if not the first) receivers taken in the upcoming draft if it wasn’t for injury concerns.
Pickens is a long and lanky high ceiling receiver. At 6-foot-3, 195 pounds, and 32 3/8 arms, Pickens is a quarterback’s dream. He shows a willingness to go all out for the football. That length and willingness combined with vice grip like hands, deceptive speed and refined route running and you have yourself the makings of a very good wide receiver.
Also, he blocks, like physically blocks.
The challenge for Pickens will be putting it all together at the next level.
Pickens would also allow for some interchangeability among the wide receivers in Philadelphia as he’s savy enough to contribute as a big slot, quick and agile enough to spend sometime as a Z receiver, and is built to be a full-time X receiver.
Pickens pairs well next to DeVonta Smith and would be an intriguing fit with Quez Watkins, who Philadelphia wants to keep as a big part of the offense in 2022-23 and beyond.
Philadelphia hosted Pickens on an official pre-draft visit.
Round 3 – Pick 101: Brian Asamoah (LB), Oklahoma
Jonathan Gannon introduced the HITS Principle as the core values of his defense last offseason. Hustle. Intensity. Takeaways. Smart.
Brian Asamoah is as close to a perfect match as they’re gonna get. Asamoah is adept at reading and diagnosing in a hurry in the run game. He’s is fast, rangy, physical and as explosive of an athlete as they come. He plays with true sideline-to-sideline range and is a legit see it, hit it linebacker.
Asamoah is a violent football player who throws caution to the wind when tackling. His play is a bit reminiscent of that of Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah from last year’s draft.
Asamoah is a bit undersized at 6-foot-1, 228 pounds, but he more than makes up for it with the reckless abandonment he flies around the field with. To put it best, he’s a frenetic football player.
As stated, Asamoah fits Jonathan Gannon’s core values that he identified last season, but on the field, it’s just as much of a match. The Eagles played one of the highest rates of 2 high shell coverages in the league last season. If you’re going to play a ton of zone that leaves the middle of the field open, you have to have linebackers who can cover with depth and range. Asamoah can do that and much more.
Round 4 – Pick 117: Jelani Woods (TE), Virginia
Jelani Woods is one of the most physically imposing prospects in this entire draft class. At 6-foot-7, 275 pounds with 34 and 1/8″ arms, Woods is a matchup nightmare waiting to happen. Woods also measured in the 88th percentile in the 40-yard dash, running an impressive 4.61.
Woods flat out bullies defenders with his combination of length and athleticism. He isn’t the most fleet of foot, but he’s a deceptively crafty route runner. Add in his massive catch radius and Woods has some very enticing traits that could develop into a really good tight end at the next level.
As a blocker, Woods competes fiercely but does struggle a bit with maintaining leverage and sustaining blocks.
The Eagles will undoubtedly be in the market for a number two tight end, and they’ll likely want someone who can be on the field at the same time as Dallas Goedert, as they played the ninth highest rate of two tight end sets in the league.
Round 5 – Pick 154: Jeffrey Gunter (DE), Coastal Carolina
Jeffrey Gunter is an athletically gifted EDGE rusher. The 6-foot-4, 260 pound defensive end wins primarily as a power rusher, both against the run and pass. Gunter’s legs are constantly churning and he combines this with quick and powerful hands. The hand quickness really helps him against the run.
The Coastal Carolina product offers a ton of versatility within his usage as well. As a bit of a tweener, he’s able to line up as a defensive end or linebacker, has played both with his hand in the dirt and stood up, and has aligned at the wide-9 position.
Gunter possesses an intriguing combination of size, strength, and athleticism. His 79 and 7/8″ wingspan and 122″ broad jump are two examples of this.
Round 5 – Pick 162: J.T. Woods (S), Baylor
The selection of J.T. Woods adds youth to a secondary that desperately needs it. Woods has experience playing all safety alignments at Baylor. He is also a former track star with legitimate 4.3 speed. Woods also picked off 9 passes in the last two seasons. Over his four year career Woods tallied 157 total tackles.
Woods is another player that embodies the HITS principle.
Woods has all the tools, but he has yet to put everything together and utilize those tools at a high level on a consistent basis.
Round 5 – Pick 166: Cade Mays (IOL), Tennessee
Cade Mays is an interesting offensive line prospect that’d create a ton of intrigue for Jeff Stoutland. He’s a powerful offensive lineman who has some very strong hands. Mays has experience at all five offensive line positions.
The 6-foot-5, 325 pound offensive lineman has a nasty demeanor to him and is a finisher of defensive linemen. He flat out kicks guys out of the club.
His experience at all five offensive line spots gives him an added perspective and makes for high football IQ. Having the perspective of what it takes to play both tackle spots, both guard spots, and call out protections as a center is a huge plus in Mays’ basket.
Round 7 – Pick 237: Keaontay Ingram (RB), USC
Keaontay Ingram is a hard-nosed runner. Ingram plays with nice contact balance and patience. He has a clear second gear that is evident when he sees green grass. At 6-foot, 215 pounds, Ingram has good agility that (combined with his contact balance) makes it tough to tackle in space and in one on one situations.
Ingram is an aggressive runner. I’d describe him as a poor mans Nick Chubb. His legs are always churning forward and he’s a running back that manages to seemingly always fall forward. He isn’t the best in pass blocking back and doesn’t offer much in the receiving game.
Cover Image Credit: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Philly Blitz 