It is the bye week. For the first time all season, we have no Eagles game to preview. They thankfully get to rest up, get healthy, and prepare for their week 11 matchup vs the Chiefs. It leaves us with a lot less to do this weekend though. So I figure what better time than to take our first look forward to the 2024 NFL. even though the season isn’t over, let’s do what is still a way too early Mock Draft.
Just looking at it from an Eagles perspective, there are a few needs. The secondary stands out most of all through the first 6 games of the season. The Eagles are 29th in passing yards allowed per game. Both of their starting corners are north of 30, and the younger guys have not done enough to garner trust going forward. But the Eagles haven’t taken a Corner in the first round in a long time. Will they change that up this year?
There is also the matter of Lane Johnson. How much longer will he keep playing, and do they have to start thinking about his replacement? The Eagles have been known to use draft picks at O-Line even when there is not an immediate need. And they could definitely take the RT of the future, and sit him for the year, even with their first-round pick.
We don’t know where they will be picking yet. But we all hope it will be the 32nd pick. So for the time being we will just pretend that is where their pick will be, and we will still be riding the high of an Eagles Super Bowl going into the draft. But who will they add to the Super Bowl-winning roster? Let’s find out.
Here is our first shot at a Mock Draft this season:
Pick 01- Arizona Cardinals- Caleb Williams- QB- USC
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
As of now, the Cardinals are in line to have the first overall pick. Which sets up a very interesting scenario. Would they draft a QB even though they still owe Kyler Murray nearly $200 million? They would if there is a chance at a guy many are calling a generational talent like Caleb Williams. They could also trade the first overall pick for a huge load of picks. But doing a Mock Draft nearly 6 months early is bad enough. Doing a mock draft with trades this early would just be overkill.
Pick 02- Chicago Bears- Drake Maye- QB- UNC (From Panthers)
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Coming into the season, Caleb Williams was far and away the best QB prospect. He still probably is. But Drake Maye has made it a question. While Williams has underperformed a bit, Maye has been fantastic. Williams should still be the number 1 guy because the talent is just too good to pass up. But Maye is a hell of a consolation prize.
Pick 03- New York Giants- Michael Pennix JR.- QB- Washington
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Signing Daniel Jones was a mistake, proven by this season. Even before the injuries, he did not look like a guy you could build a team around. The Giants will be a definite trade-up candidate come draft time. If the Cardinals don’t want to draft Caleb Williams for some reason, the Giants would definitely be trying to get up to 1. If they can’t, they still go QB and take Pennix. Pennix has been the best QB in College Football so far this year and would be tough to pass up for a QB-needy team.
Pick 04- New England Patriots- OT Joe Alt- Notre Dame
(Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
Predicting what the Patriots will do is hard because we don’t know if Bill Belichick will even be there. For the first time in decades, that is not a lock. And a full restart is in the cards. But taking the 4th best QB in the draft may not be the most inspiring start to any rebuild. If they are in a position to take one of the top 2 QB prospects or can trade up for one, they may do that. But if the draft plays out like this, why not rebuild in the trenches? The massive Alt could give them a Star LT for the next decade, that way whoever is their next QB is guaranteed to have their blindside protected.
Pick 05- Chicago Bears- Marvin Harrison Jr. - WR- Ohio State
(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Well, the Bears got their QB, why not give him a weapon? Harrison may be the best player in the draft period, but QBs will always get first billing. Pairing Harrison, with DJ Moore, would give new QB Drake Maye an elite WR core right from the start. His O-Line would still be a work in progress. But the Bears have a lot more picks with which they could, or at least should, address that. The Bears have had very few successful QBs and WRs in their history. They would have a chance to change both of those trends in one draft.
Pick 06- LA Rams- TE Brock Bowers- Georgia
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
The Rams have a lot of issues. It is probably time to move on from Stafford, but that won’t be an option unless they can trade up. There are so many needs that it may make sense to just go best player available. That is Brock Bowers. There may be some reservations after Kyle Pitts got similar hype at TE. But to be fair, his failures may have more to do with Arthur Smith, who is currently also failing to utilize Bijan Robinson. Bowers is a Super Star in the making, and adding him to an offense with Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua would at least make their offense a force to be reckoned with.
Pick 07- Tampa Bay Buccaneers- EDGE- Laiatu Latu- UCLA
(Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Finally, a defensive player. The Bucs are yet another of those teams that need QB help. But if they can’t get it, getting an elite-edge rusher is a decent plan B. Teams can never have enough D-Linemen, the Eagles have proven that.
Pick 08- Green Bay Packers- OT Olu Fashanu- Penn State
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
This is getting repetitive, but yet another team that needs a QB, but won’t be in a position to get a good one. Jordan Love’s debut season has gone less than ideal. But he may get a second chance just because there are no better options. And if that is the case, they have to put him in a better position. That could mean taking a weapon like Malik Nabers, or Brock Bowers if he is there. But the real way to help him is to give him a great O-Line. And Fashanu has a strong case for being the best in the class, especially in Pass Protection.
Pick 09- Tennessee Titans- OT- JC Lathan- Alabama
(Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
Will Levis in two games may have done enough to deserve another chance. We will see if that continues to be the case later in the season. But if they are going to give him a proper chance, they need to build a real offense around him. A good O-Line is the best way to do that. Latham is what one may call a people mover. He is massive and feels like exactly the type of player Mike Vrabel will love.
Pick 10- Denver Broncos- WR Malik Nabbers- LSU
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
We need a shorthand for ‘this team needs a QB but won’t be in a position to get one in the draft,’ because it applies to way too many teams in this draft. The Broncos definitely fit that, but they may be stuck with Russell Wilson. So why not give him some more help? Jerry Jeudy hasn’t lived up the the WR 1 hype so far and could be a trade candidate this offseason. But Nabbers has the makings of a WR 1. And you cant argue with the recent history of LSU WRs in the NFL.
Pick 11- Washington Commanders- Dallas Turner- Edge- Alabama
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
The Commanders had an elite D-Line. Then they traded Montez Sweat and Chase Young. Restocking at EDGE will be a huge need this offseason, and they will have a chance to get a great one here with Dallas Turner falling to them. O-Line is another pressing need, but with the top 3 Tackles already off the board, they go defense instead.
Pick 12- Atlanta Falcons- Kool-Aid McKinstry- CB- Alabama
(Photo by Brandon Sumrall/Getty Images)
Yet another QB-needy team. If Shedeur Sanders comes out, maybe he goes to one of these teams. But he probably returns to Colorado. Instead, they improve their secondary taking the guy with the best name in the draft. He also just so happens to be a great CB prospect.
Pick 14- Las Vegas Raiders- JJ McCarthy- QB- Michigan
. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
One of these teams is going to reach for a QB. Why not the Raiders who are desperate for something good after the disaster of Josh McDaniel’s following Jon Gruden? McCarthy is having his best season yet with Michigan and has them looking like a National Champion. If he continues to play like that, he could easily go in the first round.
Pick 15- Arizona Cardinals (Via Texans)- Keon Coleman- WR- Florida State
(Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Getty Images)
They got their QB of the future, now they get a star WR to pair him with. Coleman has 9 TDs already through 8 games. In 3 games he had multiple TDs. Coleman and Hollywood Brown would give Caleb Williams a great pair of WRS to start his career with.
Pick 17- Los Angeles Chargers- CB Cooper DeJean- Iowa
(Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
Finally, a team not in need of a QB. The Chargers offense is mostly good. Their biggest problem there is poor coaching, an issue that should finally get resolved with Brandon Staley being fired this off-season. The defense needs help though. There is some talent there, just not enough. They could go D-Line, but with a talent like Cooper DeJean on the board, CB is the way to go.
Pick 18- Buffalo Bills- Emeka Egbuka- WR- Ohio State
(Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
You can’t go wrong with taking WRs out of Ohio State. The Bills offense has sputtered this year. And giving Josh Allen another weapon to throw to should be a major priority regardless of if they bounce back from the 5-4 start or not.
Pick 19-Minnesota Vikings- CB- Nate Wiggins- Clemson
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Vikings needs could change a lot based on what happens with Kirk Cousins. But in the event he returns, the obvious needs are on defense, and in the secondary. Nat Wiggins is a playmaker who would go a long way to fixing the issues on the defense.
Pick 20- Pittsburgh Steelers- Chop Robinson- EDGE- Penn State
(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The on-field production has not wowed yet from Chop. There have been some games where he looked elite and others where he disappeared. But teams are going to fall in love with him at the Combine because of his explosiveness. You can teach technique, but you can’t teach the type of athleticism Chop has.
Pick 21- New Orleans Saints- Jer'Zhan Newton- DT- Illinois
(Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
This would be considered a fall for Newton, who is the DT in the draft. And the Saints, even if they have other needs would be more than happy to scoop up a talent like him if the draft broke this way. I am probably crazy for having him fall this far, but hey, it’s how the board broke here. Congrats Saints.
Pick 22- Seattle Seahawks- Troy Fautanu- OL- Washington
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Seahawks are set at WR, and after trading for Leonard Williams, and having some great draft picks on that side of the ball, have a decent defense going forward. But they could definitely improve along the line. And Troy Fautanu is the best option available. He is a tackle right now, but most believe his future in the NFL is at Guard.
Pick 23 Houston Texans (Via Browns)- Xavier Legette- WR- Washington
(Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
You have the stud QB in CJ Stroud, why not continue to build out the offense around him? The Texans are okay at WR, but they could be great. And Legette has the makings of a star. Some scouts compare him to AJ Brown because of his size, speed, and power. Put him and Nico Collins out there, with Stroud throwing to them, and that is a dangerous offense.
Pick 24- Dallas Cowboys- Jared Verse- EDGE- Florida State
(Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
Micah Parsons is one of the best players in the league. But there is no such thing as having enough Edge Rushers. Adding another potential star Edge Rusher would take a good Cowboys Defense to another level. They would not be as reliant on Parsons causing havoc. See Eagles having both Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat for a similar situation.
Pick 26- San Francisco 49ers- Bo Nix- QB- Oregon
(Photo by Lydia Ely/Getty Images)
I am mostly just putting this here to piss off 49ers fans. Because Brock Purdy ain’t it. Will the 49ers actually realize that after this year? Maybe. It took them forever to figure that out about Jimmy G. Yet when they went up and spent a lot of draft capital on Trey Lance, they gave up on him super fast. But after the 49ers sputter out again because of poor QB play, they should realize they need actual talent under center.
Pick 27- Miami Dolphins- Bralen Trice- EDGE- Washington
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
The Dolphins offense is mostly set, especially at the skill spots. They may look into replacing Terron Armstead after another injury-filled season. But instead, they start building up their defense and get a dangerous edge rusher in Bralen Trice.
Pick 28- Jacksonville Jaguars – Kamren Kinchens- S- Miami
(Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The Jaguars would have a few options here, but Safety feels like a big need, and they can get the best one in the draft if they take Kinchens. He even gives them the versatility to move him into the slot if needed.
Pick 29- Detroit Lions- Kalen King- CB- Penn State
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
King gets to face a lot of tough competition in the Big 10 and mostly holds up. Marvin Harrison beat him up a little bit, but he does that to everyone. CB is probably the Lions’ biggest need at this point, and King would be a great get for them. They need it going up against Justin Jefferson twice a year, and if the draft goes like this, Marvin Harrison twice a year.
Pick 30- Baltimore Ravens- Brian Thomas JR.- WR- LSU
. (Photo by Michael Chang/Getty Images)
The Ravens finally have a good WR room. But Odell is a one-year deal and is on the older end. They don’t want to take a step back, and getting a big-bodied WR like Thomas would go a long way to guaranteeing Lamar continues to have good weapons.
Pick 31- Kansas City Chiefs- Ja'Lynn Polk- WR- Washington
(Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
The Chiefs clearly miss Tyreek Hill. You saw it last year, but now it is even more evident. Having that WR who could take the top off the defense took the offense to another level. This year none of their WRs are reliable. Polk may not be Hill, but he would give them another deep threat that they badly need.
Pick 32- Philadelphia Eagles- Kamari Lassiter- CB- Georgia
(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
The Eagles picking Georgia players is a meme, but is also just the pick that makes the whole sense. It has been too long since the Eagles invested draft capital in cornerback, and it is starting to show. Their two main CBs are north of 30, and we are seeing some regression. They need to get younger, and better. Lassiter has stepped into the CB1 position at Georgia and passed with flying colors so far this season. So the Eagles add yet another Bulldog.
