The 2016-17 NFL season is slowly winding down and will wrap up in a couple of weeks at Super Bowl 51, where the Atlanta Falcons will take on the New England Patriots in Houston, Texas.
However, for teams such as the Philadelphia Eagles, they are getting ready for the NFL draft, trying to upgrade at positions of need to become a possible Super Bowl contender down the road. Heading into the offseason, the three positions of need for the Eagles (in no particular order) are cornerback, running back, and wide receiver.
Currently, the Eagles do not have any playmakers at those positions, but could fill them in this year’s draft. On Monday, Chad Reuter of NFL.com released his first three-round mock draft and has the Eagles addressing all three positions with their first three picks.
For starters, Reuter has the Eagles selecting perhaps, the best cornerback in this year’s class, Ohio State’s Marshon Lattimore. In Mel Kiper Jr.’s first mock draft, he had Lattimore going sixth overall to the New York Jets.
Here’s Reuter’s explanation on why he has Lattimore going to the Eagles with the No. 14 overall pick:
“Desperate for help in the secondary, the Eagles find the draft’s top corner waiting to be picked.”
If the Eagles could land the draft’s top corner, it would be a Godsend to defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Lattimore, who declared for the draft as a sophomore, had an excellent season for Ohio State. This past season, Lattimore had 41 total tackles, nine pass deflections, and four interceptions.
Lattimore missed his entire freshman season due to surgery and only played in seven games in 2015 because of prior leg issues. However, Kiper Jr. shares the same sentiments as Reuter.
“When you look at Lattimore, every time you watched him you saw a guy who could be a shutdown corner,” Kiper Jr. said. “He was able to elevate his game. He just jumped out at you as a player.”
The Eagles need a shutdown cornerback because the combination of Leodis McKelvin and Nolan Carroll did not get the job done this season.
After they take Lattimore in the first round, Reuter then has the Eagles taking Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara in the second round and Oklahoma wide receiver Dede Westbrook in the third round.
This season, Kamara was a weapon running and catching the football for the Volunteers. The 5-foot-10, 215-pound back had 596 yards on 103 carries and nine touchdowns. He also added 40 receptions for 392 yards and four touchdowns.
In a deep running back class, Kamara gets lost in the shuffle, but the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock is impressed with what he’s seen from him.
“All I know is that I watched two tapes and what I saw was a running back with first-round potential,” he told the Knoxville News Sentinel. “He’s got acceleration, he’s got burst, he’s got balance, he’s got good hands and he can play out wide. What surprised me a little was his play strength was a little bit better than expected. He fits today’s NFL.”
Kamara could be a solid selection in the second round as the Eagles love to feature their running backs in both the running and passing games.
Last but not least, speedster Dede Westbrook could be a good selection in the third round for the Eagles, despite his red flags. This past season with quarterback Baker Mayfield, Westbrook had a breakout year that got him to New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. He finished with 80 receptions for 1,524 yards and 17 touchdowns.
Westbrook has the ability to blow the top off of opposing defenses and can stretch the field, something that the Eagles have not had since DeSean Jackson. However, as I mentioned, he does have some off the field issues and will be 24 years old in November.
Those two factors alone, may scare off some teams. But if the Eagles feel like he can be an asset rather than a detriment, grabbing him in the third round would be a value pick.
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