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Eagles Select DT Moro Ojomo From Texas with 249th Pick

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Author and Dylan MacKinnon
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 02: Defensive lineman Moro Ojomo of Texas participates in a drill during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 02, 2023 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The Eagles finished out their draft by adding to the same position they started with. Another defensive tackle. This time selecting the DT from Texas, Moro Ojomo, with the 249th pick of the draft.

He closes out a draft class that includes Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Tyler Steen, Sydney Brown, Kelee Ringo and Tanner McKee. On top of those draft selections, the Eagles also traded for D’Andre Swift during the draft.

The 6 foot 3 tackle moved from Nigeria to The United States when he was 7. Eventually, he found his way to Texas, where he became a standout player in High School, he rose to being a 3-star recruit, receiving offers from Schools like Texas A&M and Alabama. But he chose Texas, spending all 4 of his college seasons there. In that time he got 5 sacks and 93 total tackles.

Despite the low production, it was a surprise more many that Moro Ojomo fell the way to the 7th round. Most mock drafts had him going in the 4th round, with some putting him all the way up in the 3rd. Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings put up in his top 75 players in the draft. This is what he wrote about Ojomo before the draft.

“With his blend of explosiveness, power, leverage, knock-back force, and urgency, Ojomo can be a tremendous rotational add right away. He’s scheme and alignment-versatile, and with some development, has the potential to be an impact starter at 3-tech, with the flexibility to sway up and down the front.”

What is unclear of what type of playing time he could get here if any at all. The Eagles at DT already have Fletcher Cox, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, and Kentivius Street. Some scouts think he has the versatility to maybe slide outside. But even if that is true, the Eagles have Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, and Haason Reddick off the edge.

Moro Ojomo should get a chance to compete for a spot with guys like Street and Tuipulotu. But he is by no means guaranteed a spot. If he is as good as some of the draft writers think he is though, he may just beat those guys out.

The 7 Holes The Eagles Could Still Address After the First Round

Howie Roseman did not just hit an HR in the first round. It was a Kyle Schwarber-esque moonshot. Landing both Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith. Howie earned himself a long leash worth of goodwill from Eagles fans. Both Edge Rush and Interior Rush were needed for them coming into this draft, and they land two guys who many draft experts thought they may take at 10. But the work is not done. This is a very good roster, but there are some holes.

Even if those holes are very small. Howie has 4 more picks as of now, along with a ton of UDFAs he can sign after the draft. The good news is many of these holes, are not all that big. There are not many glaring issues on this team, and most of them are depth issues.

But just because there are not major needs on this team, does not mean there are no holes to fill. There are positions where they could get better, or deeper. So as we go into day 2 of the draft, let’s take a look at some of the holes the Eagles still have to fill. The places they could upgrade a starter, or maybe just add someone to strengthen the rotation, or maybe just get some depth in case of injury.

Here are 7 holes the Eagles should look to fill on days 2 and 3 of the draft:

 

  • Safety

    Terrell Edmunds was a solid signing. He is no star and is probably a downgrade from CJ Gardner Johnson. But he has been a reliable starter at the position for years with the Steelers. He can hold down one of the two Safety spots well enough. B

    But can we trust Reed Blankenship to immediately step into the other spot? He did well as a backup last year. And held up somewhat well when filling in for CJ. But even if he is good enough to start, they want someone behind the two of them in case of injury. Outside those two, they have no one you could trust to play significant time at Safety.

    Fans are all about trading for Budda Baker. That may be a bit too pricey for the Eagles. Though after they did the same thing for CJ last year you can’t rule it out. Brian Branch is still on the board too. So is Antonio Johnson from Texas A&M. Both could represent upgrades to the team, and allow Reed to be the backup. Short of that, they could find another sleeper they like the way they did Blankenship to at least have a backup. Because K’Von Wallace is not going to cut it if he has to come in and play.

  • Punter

    You know you are in good shape if you ask what one of the biggest issues on the team is, and you say, punter.

    Arryn Siposs did not do a good job last year. Even before the injury. He was 26th in average punt distance with 45.6 yards per punt. And he was 26th with punts that landed inside the 20. Special Teams outside of Jake Elliott was the Eagles’ biggest weakness last year.

    You won’t address punter tonight obviously. But with one of their two 7th-round picks, or as a UDFA? I think they need to. Punter is a position that does not get a ton of love. And the Eagles don’t punt very much, to begin with. But field position is important. Having a good punter does not only put your defense in a good position but can in turn get you a better field position when you get the ball back.

    And as a Rutgers alum, there is one guy I am dying to see in an Eagles jersey. Adam Korsack. The Australian has been the only thing my school’s Football team has consistently done well over the last few years. He pinned the other team behind their own 20 52.7% of the time. 32 in total. He won the Ray Guy Award this year, given to the best Punter in the Nation. Adding him in the 7th round, or as a UDFA, could take the Eagles from having the worst punter in the league, to one of the best. 

  • A Young Cornerback

    For the sake of just 2023, the Eagles have a great cornerback room. James Bradberry is an All-Pro, and Darius Slay is not far off of one. Not to mention Avonte Maddux who has been very reliable in the slot. They also added Greedy Williams as a good project behind those 3. For this year, they should be in very good shape. But Slay and Bradberry are in their 30’s. Eventually, they will need a young corner who can play outside.

    Joey Porter Jr and Kelee Ringo are still there. They would not be as immediate of impact players in the draft as either of the safeties, just because there won’t be much playing time for them. But Howie has shown he is willing to draft people to stash them for future years. They could also wait another year to get this. They have been putting it off to the next year for a long time. It is just something they eventually need to do. Howie has struggled to draft corners more than any other position.

  • OL Depth

    The Eagles’ starters on the Line are great. The only thing that is even a small question there is Cam Jurgens, who will be playing RG for the first time. But otherwise, you have two All-Pros, and two guys you could see being future All-Pros. Where it gets a bit more sketchy, is the backups. They lost Andre Dillard. Without him, the only backup Tackle with any experience is Jack Driscoll. And Sua Opeta is the only other backup period with experience.

    They definitely need to bring someone in that could be a potential backup in the case of an injury. Whether that be later in this draft, as a UDFA, or just as a normal free agent.

     

  • Linebacker

    If they go into the season with Nakobe Dean and Nicholas Morrow, they should be fine. Dean has a huge upside, and Morrow is a passable starter. But Morrow is also on just a one-year deal. And it’s unclear if anyone beyond those two can be trusted if there is an injury.

    Whether it is for depth this year, or to have someone who can replace Morrow when he likely leaves next year. They need linebackers. Howie has shown a willingness to spend 3rd round picks on them. Jordan Hicks, Davion Taylor, and Nakobe Dean are all 3rd round picks. Only one off-ball linebacker has been taken so far. But Trenton Simspon and Drew Sanders are still available. If they lasted to the Eagles picks, it could be worth considering.

    Even if not there, it would help to add another LB somewhere.

  • Running Back

    You may be noticing a trend. This is not a huge need that they will be in trouble if there don’t fill. They can do pretty well with a rotation of Rashaad Penny, Kenny Gainwell, and Boston Scott. But… it would behoove them to add someone else too. Gainwell played great in the playoffs, but we don’t know if he is capable of being the guy. Penny is great when healthy, but very rarely is.

    Miles Sanders had his issues, but he was a big reason why the offense was so damn productive. Adding a Tank Bigsby, Devon Achane, Zach Charbonnet, or any of these remaining backs in rounds 2 or 3 may not be the worst idea. They have also had some success signing UDFA backs over the years.

  • Second TE

    Dallas Goedert is an elite TE. He was one of the more productive Tight Ends when healthy last year. Not to mention he is a great blocker. But none of the guys behind him stood out. Grant Calcaterra has some potential as a pass catcher, but he didn’t show enough to lock him onto the roster. Stoll is a good blocker but doesn’t give you much as a pass catcher. And Tyree Jackson has yet to live up to his hype after switching to TE.

    Them going with a Michael Mayer if he falls would be a little surprising. It would certainly add another dimension to the offense, but it feels unlikely.  But taking another flyer on a guy in the late rounds, or bringing in a UDFA, not the worst idea.

 

Dylan MacKinnon is The Digital Content Coordinator For 97.5 The Fanatic. he has been an Eagles, Flyers, Sixers, and Flyers fan his whole life. He graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelors in Journalism. Dylan has worked at the Fanatic since 2016, starting as an Intern, moving to the Street team, and eventually was hired as an Associate Producer before settling into his current role in the Digital Department. You may hear him referred to on-air as "The D-Train."

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