The NFL Draft is officially just over two weeks away. The Eagles have added a few players along the margins, but there are still areas where they can improve, both in the now and for the future.
The first wave of free agency has passed. The NFL Scouting Combine has come and gone. Teams are putting the finishing touches on scouting reports. Things are coming into form.
The Eagles currently hold eight picks in this year’s draft.
Here’s my spin on how it could play out.
Round 1 – Pick 32: (DT) Walter Nolen – Ole Miss
This offseason, the Eagles lost Milton Williams, who signed the largest deal in New England Patriots history. Williams played 48% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps last season.
Compare that to the in-house candidates to replace Williams’ production in Jordan Davis and Moro Ojomo, who both accounted for 37% of the Birds’ defensive snaps last season, and there is a seismic hole left by Williams’ departure.
The Eagles turn to Walter Nolen to fill that hole. At 6-foot-3, 305 pounds, Nolen adds some of the same versatility that Williams possessed. Nolen’s power and agility pop off the screen when you turn on the tape. The athleticism is the selling point with Nolen.
He’d complement the flat-out dominance of Jalen Carter well on passing downs, and he’d benefit from Jordan Davis’ gravity on run downs.
TRADE: Eagles send 64th and 164th overall picks to the Jaguars in exchange for the 70th and 107th overall picks
The Eagles elect to move back out of the 3rd round with the Jaguars, who elect to move up and leapfrog the Browns to take RB Quinshon Judkins at the back end of the second round.
Round 3 – Pick 70: (G/T) Jonah Savaiinaea – Arizona
The Eagles have done a ton of work into offensive tackles during the pre-draft process. While Lane Johnson has said he expects to play “three more years,” it’d behoove the Eagles to start thinking about life without Johnson.
They do so with the selection of the versatile Jonah Savaiinaea, who has played both tackle and guard spots during his collegiate career. Savaiinaea is a physical and powerful offensive lineman. He is a mauler whose hands are padlock-like. The 6-foot-4, 324-pound Savaiinaea also doesn’t lack in the athletic department, as he posted a 4.95 40-yard dash and a 1.72 10-yard split.
With about 2-3 years under the tutelage of Lane Johnson and Jeff Stoutland, Savaiinaea could eventually be the Eagles right tackle of the future. And if that doesn’t work, he can kick inside and be an absolute stallworth at guard.
Round 3 – Pick 96: (TE) Harold Fannin Jr. – Bowling Green
Dallas Goedert isn’t getting any younger. In fact, Goedert is the same age Zach Ertz was when Philadelphia elected to draft Goedert as Ertz’s replacement.
There have been a ton of rumors surrounding the future of Goedert and whether the Eagles will elect to draft a tight end early in the draft. Here, they sort of find the sweet spot, and somewhat of a familiar face with the selection of Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin Jr.
Fannin Jr. is one of the most productive players in FBS history. In 2024, he led all receivers (not just tight ends) in receiving yards (1,555) and receptions (117) — both of which were single-season FBS TE records.
Fannin Jr. is a bit of a Swiss army knife as he lined up pretty much everywhere (in-line, slot, in the backfield, and out wide). Bowling Green did a lot to get him the football. There were a ton of designed and schemed up touches for him, and sure, you could say ‘that won’t translate to the NFL’, but in this specific situation with the Eagles, I beg to differ.
The man responsible for scheming up those same touches, former Bowling Green head football coach Scott Loeffler, is now with the Eagles as their QB coach. With Kevin Patullo taking over as offensive coordinator for the Birds, leaning on Loeffler, who has playcalling experience, will be huge. But on the Fannin Jr. front, Loeffler was instrumental in the way Fannin Jr. was used.
And with the Eagles, who feature an all-star cast of weapons at both wide receiver spots and running back, Fannin Jr. would slot in as the 4th option (depending on what happens with Goedert). The selection of Fannin Jr. makes a lot of sense.
Round 4 – Pick 107: (S) Jonas Sanker – Virginia
This might be my favorite pick of the entire mock draft. The Eagles shipped Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to the Texans this offseason. That leaves Reed Blankenship and (checks notes) Sydney Brown as the current starting safeties for the Eagles at the moment.
While Brown definitely will get the opportunity to prove himself, he’s far from a sure thing. That brings me to the selection of Sanker. The guy just gets how to play football.
At an even 6-foot, 206 pounds, Sanker is seemingly everything you’d want in a Vic Fangio safety. He’s physical in run support, coming downhill and filling alleys. Sanker has experience as a split field safety, middle of the field as a single high safety, and down in the slot. He’s even spied QBs and played special teams.
At Virginia, he was asked to take on a lot from a schematic and responsibility standpoint, and while he wasn’t this all-world, amazing safety, he more than did his job well.
The Vic Fangio defense is all about executing your responsibility and doing your job as a defensive back. Sanker has more than proven he can do that and do it well. He’d be a nice get at the top of the 4th round.
Round 4 – Pick 134: (EDGE) Tyler Baron – Miami
The Eagles lost both Brandon Graham and Josh Sweat at the EDGE position. They added Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari to make up for the departures, but both are expected to contribute on a complementary level (at least right now).
With the selection of the 6-foot-4, 258-pound Tyler Baron, Philadelphia adds some size and pass rush juice to their EDGE room. Baron just gets how to rush the passer. He posted a 30.1 pass rush win rate on true pass sets last season. Baron is an efficient pass rusher who wins more with his motor and power than he does with bend.
Baron would add a different element to the Eagles pass rush room from a size and length standpoint. It could be a worthwhile contrast.
Round 5 – Pick 161: (CB) Tommi Hill – Nebraska
The Eagles continue the trend of replacing players they lost in free agency (or at least adding competition at those positions).
Philadelphia lost Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers in the offseason. At the moment, Kelee Ringo, Adoree Jackson, and Eli Ricks are the presumed challengers at the number two cornerback spot opposite Quinyon Mitchell.
While they could potentially address the position earlier, the way the board fell, they hold off until the 5th round and they select one of the more underrated players in the draft class with Tommi Hill.
Hill is a versatile defensive back who offers inside-outside usage. Hill is a really sound athlete with a good height-weight-play speed combination. As a former WR, who didn’t transition full time to cornerback until his junior year, he plays with a good feel for zone coverage. Hill is a reliable tackler in run support as well.
Hill has dealt with injuries in his collegiate career, though, as he missed 6 games in 2024 due to plantar fasciitis.
But with more experience, the upside is clearly evident.
Round 5 – Pick 165: (WR) Isaac TeSlaa – Arkansas
The Eagles elect to add more size (in addition to Johnny Wilson) to their wide receiver room with the selection of the 6-foot-4 Isaac TeSlaa. TeSlaa is a big slot who just has a knack for getting open.
His strong hands, size, and length give him a leg up from a catch radius standpoint, evidenced by his 54% contested catch rate.
He’s also sneakily athletic, as he ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and posted a 39.5″ vertical. He can run, and he can go up and get the football.
TeSlaa would slot in behind Jahan Dotson, with some potential red zone usage.
Round 5 – Pick 168 (LB) Teddye Buchanan – California
Linebacker isn’t necessarily a need (especially after they just paid Zack Baun), but with Nakobe Dean’s injury and the timeline for his return still relatively unknown, the Eagles elect to add the athletic and rangy Teddye Buchanan to compete with Jeremiah Trotter Jr. until Dean is fully healthy.
The 6-foot-2, 233-pound Buchanan is a twitched-up mover who operates well in space when he’s in coverage.
He’s a smooth mover in man or zone and offers some versatility as he’s operated as an EDGE rusher during his collegiate career.
Against the run is typically where he struggles, as he can tend to get lost in the shuffle at times.
Buchanan also offers special teams usage.
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