Ranking the Eagles’ 5 biggest needs ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft

Boston College edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku could be a target for the Eagles early in next week’s Draft.

Even teams as good as the defending world champion Philadelphia Eagles have holes.

Sure, after blasting the Chiefs 40-6 (those last two touchdowns didn’t happen) in the Super Bowl, the Eagles have lost a number of key contributors in free agency. There appear to be capable replacements in-house, although the team is projecting for some of them.

It is not a guarantee Jalyx Hunt adequately replaces Josh Sweat, nor Kelee Ringo replaces Darius Slay, nor Sydney Brown replaces CJGJ, nor Moro Ojomo replaces Milton Williams, nor Tyler Steen replaces Mekhi Becton. But even if they do, the departures we’ve seen over the last month have left the Birds short on depth at some key spots, depth the team will look to acquire starting with next Thursday night’s first round of the NFL Draft.

As the world champs, the Eagles pick last in each round (before comp picks factor in):

Round 1: No. 32

Round 2: No. 64

Round 3: No. 96

Round 4: No. 134

Round 5: Nos. 161, 164, 165 & 168

There are no picks in the 6th or 7th round at the moment, although one can be sure the Eagles will likely trade most of their fifth round picks to move around on Day 3. They also have a plethora of picks in the 2026 Draft, 11 in all, with three 3rd-rounders, two 4th-rounders and three 5th-rounders. Expect at least some of them to be used to move up or down in this year’s draft.

So as Howie Roseman gets ready to spin the wheel once again, here are the team’s biggest areas of need heading into Draft Night.

1) Edge Rusher

It’s possible the Eagles view EDGE as their greatest position of need, having welcomed five college prospects in for official visits: Boston College’s Donovan Ezeiruaku, SMU’s Elijah Roberts, Tyler Baron from Miami, UCLA’s Olwuafemi Oladejo and Nic Scourton of Texas A&M.

I agree with them.

Josh Sweat was a very good edge rusher for the Eagles who happened to play the greatest game of his career on its biggest stage, helping to secure the mega contract that Philadelphia could never have afforded. But it’s also fair to note Sweat would disappear for long stretches of a season, and while his eight sacks a season ago were most welcome, a generational pass rusher he is not. Still, his loss will be felt, as well the retirement of Brandon Graham.

Nolan Smith Jr. appears ready to make “the leap” in 2025 after piling up four sacks in the Eagles’ four postseason games and going on a late season terror campaign of opposing QBs. Last year’s third round pick Jalyx Hunt, also came on late and looks to take another step forward this season.

The biggest in-house wild card remains Bryce Huff, the Eagles’ most expensive off-season free agent pickup last year. Huff missed most of the season with a hand injury and, when he was on the field, appeared to lack the drive or ability Fangio needed to see from his edge rushers. That said, Huff did record 10 sacks in 2023 and will be entering the second year of his three-year, $51.1 million deal. If the Eagles do trade him with a post-June 1 designation, it would free up $4.3 million in cap space and add $3.3 million in dead money. I doubt there is a team out there willing to give up a fourth round pick for him, so let’s assume he’s staying.

This is a deep edge rusher draft with a lot of high ceiling guys who also have lower overall production statistics due to the changing nature of rotations in college defenses. The Eagles are good at spotting these types of players (Nolan Smith is a prime example), and I guarantee Roseman will prioritize landing a quality edge rusher early in this draft.

2) Interior Defensive Lineman

As of Tuesday, April 15, three defensive tackles have visited the Eagles for interviews: Ohio State’s Tyleik Williams, South Carolina’s T.J. Sanders and Shemar Turner of Texas A&M. With the departure of Williams to the Patriots in free agency, the interior defensive line rotation consists of future 1st Team All Pro Jalen Carter, run stuffing specialist Jordan Davis, and second year player Moro Ojomo, who came on late in the season and appears headed for a larger role in Vic Fangio’s defense. Williams played both inside and outside, his versatility will be sorely missed.

Gabe Hall and Booker Thomas IV are also on the depth chart, but it’s reasonable to expect the Eagles will spend a Day 1 or Day 2 pick on a defensive tackle, and it wouldn’t surprise anyone if one of the three players above got the call. Another DT many mocks have sent to the Birds is Walter Nolen of Ole Miss, whose ability to rush the passer could come into play in his rookie season as the fourth member of Fangio’s rotation. If he falls to 32, he could be the guy.

Either way, look for the Eagles to fill this position of need with their first or second pick.

3) Tight End

It would be unwise for the Eagles to trade Dallas Goedert for the reasons I enumerated previously, but to sum up — there isn’t much here if Dallas goes away.

Grant Calcaterra is a fine back-up, but not someone you want starting 17 games, unless there’s another gear in there somewhere we haven’t seen yet. The additions of Harrison Bryant and Kylen Granson are not needle movers, and even if they hold onto Goedert, it’s clear they need to find the heir apparent now.

It’s unlikely the Eagles would take a tight end at 32, as evidenced by the fact they have not welcomed one for an official visit. But if Roseman doesn’t land a defensive lineman he really likes by trading up or holding pat, he could trade back into the second and do what he did when they drafted Goedert in 2018, selecting him 49th overall as their top draft pick following Super Bowl 52.

This is regarded as a strong tight end class, so if they do go tight end at 32, there are a couple of potential Goedert replacements, including LSU’s Mason Taylor and Miami’s Elijah Arroyo.

It would be a total shock if the Eagles don’t spend a Day 1 or 2 pick on a tight end.

4) Offensive Guard

Becton is gone, one of the true feel-good stories of the Birds’ magical run to the Super Bowl, but with four of the five members of the O-line already under long-term, expensive contracts or about to get one (Cam Jurgens), Roseman had to let him go. At the moment, Tyler Steen would be the starting right guard, and it would make sense if he enters the season in that slot. Of course, he was the leader in the clubhouse this time a year ago, but didn’t perform as well as Becton and lost the job.

The Eagles signed another Becton-like recovery project in Kenyon Green to provide some competition for Steen, but even beyond the right guard situation, the Eagles always prioritize adding depth. Lane Johnson sounds like he wants to play another two or three years, which is fantastic news, but he can’t go forever, so drafting and training his eventual replacement would be wise.

Eight offensive linemen have visited the Eagles over the last month, but only two of them were guards in college, the rest were tackles. Many college tackles are converted to guards, but whatever their ultimate position in the NFL, it’s clear the Eagles are making sure they have good intel on all the offensive linemen who could be there late in the first or early in the second round.

5) Safety

I went round and round with this last positional grouping. You could argue that the Eagles should draft Kenny Gainwell’s replacement, but Will Shipley appears ready to handle that roll, and the off-season pickup of AJ Dillon kicks that can down the road, or at least into a potential Day 3 pick. I considered cornerback, and with the departure of Slay, it is unquestionably a need. But Kelee Ringo’s youth and size, as well as some valuable experience and the presence of Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean back there, makes this less of a need than safety. It should be noted, though, the Birds welcomed four corners in for official visits over the last month, so their calculus may be different than mine.

The trade of Chauncey Gardner-Johnson was a shocker, and even though it makes sense on the Excel spreadsheet, his playmaking ability will be missed on the field. Even if Sydney Brown can fill in, the position lacks depth outside Brown and free safety Reed Blankenship. Tristin McCollum and Lewis Cine are next man up if one of those guys gets hurt, and while I do believe the team will still add a free agent later this summer, pursuing a safety in the draft should be a priority.

They certainly won’t take one at 32 or probably even 64. But one could easily see them using a third, fourth or fifth round pick on a safety on Friday or Saturday. They need more horses in that particular barn. And if one of Penn State’s Jaylen Reed or Georgia’s Malaki Starks falls to them, two players brought in for official visits, you could see Roseman pull the trigger on safety earlier than one might have imagined.