Mock draft season is here. Oh yeah.
It is January. All of these will be wrong, because January mocks are purely speculative. Take for example Dane Brugler, who I think is the best in the business, his mock from this time last year had Will Johnson 5th overall, Shedeur Sanders 6th, Luther Burden 12th, Kaleb Johnson 24th, Shavon Revel 29th, and the Eagles taking JT Tuimoloau at 30. None of them were 1st round picks. Not picking on Dane at all, just showing that right now it’s just a guessing game.
Mel Kiper – ESPN: Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson
Philadelphia could go a lot of directions, especially if it moves on from wide receiver A.J. Brown this offseason. But one spot that has received a lot of attention is actually on defense. The Eagles tried to fix the CB2 position opposite Quinyon Mitchell (Cooper DeJean is in the slot) with trades for Jaire Alexander and Michael Carter II, but neither move did the trick. Carter barely played down the stretch, and Alexander stepped away from football in mid-November.
Terrell, though, would be a reliable answer. He broke up nine passes and forced five — yes, five — fumbles in 2025. He’s terrific in man coverage, and coordinator Vic Fangio had his defense in man 55% of the time this season, third most in the NFL.
Though a reliable outside CB opposite Quinyon Mitchell is definitely a need, it may not be a 1st round need. The Eagles already have elite players at CB1 and slot CB. Thinking long term, Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, and Cooper DeJean are going to have to get paid. It may not be exciting but the team may be better off going through cheap free agents and later round draft picks. Over the past two seasons, 20 CBs have changed teams in free agency with an AAV of between $1.5-4M.
As for Terrell, well, at 5-11 180, he’s smaller than Cooper DeJean. That doesn’t disqualify him from being a top prospect, he is a really good player. But the Eagles have bigger needs than an undersized outside corner in the 1st round.
Eddie Brown, San Diego Union Tribune – Caleb Lomu, T, Utah
Five-time All-Pro tackle Lane Johnson is under contract through the 2027 season, but he’s 35 years old and missed eight games this season while battling neck and back issues before suffering a Lisfranc injury in Week 11. The Eagles were 3-5 without Johnson, including a 23-19 season-ending loss in the wild-card round to the 49ers. Lomu earned Freshman All-American honors in 2024, and possesses this draft class’ highest ceiling at offensive tackle. He’s already a technically proficient pass blocker with prototypical size (6-6, 305), elite athleticism and solid footwork. He’ll need to add strength to improve as a run blocker, and hold his own against powerful pass rushers in the pros.
Lomu is a popular pick in January for the Eagles. I’ve been wanting the Eagles to prioritize a Lane Johnson replacement for a couple of seasons now.
Lomu doesn’t seem like the Eagles type though. He is big, 6-6 308, he’s mobile, and a good pass protector. But the big concern with him is his strength and ability to run block. That is not the kind of player that gets admitted to Stoutland University. The OT class this year had several guys in line to step up in Lomu, his team mate Spencer Fano, Miami’s Francis Mauigoa, Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor, Oregon’s Isaiah World, and none of them really stepped up this year.
Vinny Iyer, Sporting News – Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
Dallas Goedert had a career year scoring touchdowns but he just turned 31 and is a pending free agent. Sadiq would add another welcome explosive element to create mismatches between A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith to get open down the seam for Jalen Hurts.
Sadiq is TE1 in a draft with a huge gap until the next guy. Whoever TE2 is (Max Klare? Eli Stowers? Michael Trigg?) might not go until the 4th round. So if you need a TE, you can’t wait.
The Eagles may need a TE, because they kept waiting to find a Goedert replacement. They could have drafted one in 2025, when seven went in the first four rounds, or in 2023 or 2024, when nine did in each. This is another position I have been wanting them to draft for a few years. Zach Ertz was in his 6th and age 28 season when Goedert was drafted. Goedert’s 6th and age 28 season was in 2023. Now Goedert is 31, not under contract after catching half the Eagles TD passes, and the Eagles have no replacement plan waiting in the wings.
Sadiq probably won’t be their replacement plan. The Eagles offense, whether it be because of the coach, the QB, or both, doesn’t throw to the middle of the field. There’s little point in spending a premium pick on a player who will be getting a lot of cardio. Sadiq, 6-3 245, is not a traditional big red zone target like Goedert is, and I think he needs a lot of work as a blocker. It is also concerning that over his last four games he had just 15 catches for 5.4 yards per catch.
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