It’s mock draft season.

You think Howie is gonna use all three picks? 15, 16, 19? The popular opinion is that he will not. Seems like the consensus is that he uses two, either packaging to trade up or gaining another asset for next year. That latter thought might make sense if the Birds want to punt a bit here and give themselves some leverage next offseason to move on a quarterback.

But Mel Kiper Jr. released his latest mock, and here’s who he has the Eagles taking:

 

15. Jermaine Johnson II, DE, Florida State


“The Eagles haven’t been super active in free agency, though they did add impact edge rusher Haason Reddick and bring back defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. I don’t think any of their needs have changed since my last mock draft. I’m looking at wide receiver, cornerback, safety, off-ball linebacker and defensive end — yes, they still need one — to fill out their three first-round picks.

That leads me to Johnson, a one-year starter who transferred from Georgia to FSU and had a stellar 2021 season. He was excellent at the Senior Bowl and has moved from a possible top-50 pick to likely landing in the top 20. NFL teams always want pass-rushers, and he could help immediately”.

Johnson is a pre-draft riser. Lance Zierlein compared him to Maxx Crosby in his profile writeup.

Thing about Johnson is that he had limited DE1 experience, though he logged 12 sacks on a FSU team that lost more close games than I can remember. They were 5-7 and lost to Florida and Notre Dame by a field goal each.

Feels like the Eagles are definitely going EDGE at 15 or 16. They definitely need to add the position.

16. Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State

“Olave can play early and often for a Philadelphia team that has to get more out of its passing game with quarterback Jalen Hurts. Olave is a speedster (4.39 40-yard dash at the combine) who had 13 touchdowns last season. This would be the Eagles’ third straight draft taking a wideout in Round 1, but it should be a priority if they want to get back to the playoffs.”

Another mock draft sending a receiver to the Birds. Olave was awesome for the Buckeyes but he’s as big as me (6’1″, 189 pounds), and the Eagles don’t need a speedster. They need a possession receiver. They need Drake London out of USC or Treylon Burks out of Arkansas.

Don’t get me wrong, Olave is a fantastic player and would start and improve this offense immediately, but there are other guys in this draft with skill sets that better complement what the Eagles have in DeVonta Smith and Quez Watkins. Olave plays kind of like Terry McLaurin, which is sick, but the Eagles need somebody to come in and play like Mike Evans.

19. Devin Lloyd, ILB, Utah

“Here’s a spot to fill Philadelphia’s void at off-ball linebacker. Lloyd was one of the best all-around defenders in college football last season, racking up 111 total tackles, eight sacks, 20 tackles for loss, four interceptions and a forced fumble. He has some juice as a blitzer and can cover tight ends and running backs in the passing game. Lloyd’s 4.66 40-yard dash at the combine means he doesn’t have the straight-line speed of former top-five pick Devin White (a linebacker I’ve compared him to), but I don’t think he should drop past the Eagles.

That’s three early starters for the Eagles here, with Lloyd, Chris Olave and Jermaine Johnson II.”

If Devin Lloyd falls to 19 and the Birds don’t draft him, then we should all march down to NovaCare and demand that Howie Roseman be shoved back into storage closet B, where he worked during the Chip Kelly years.

Lloyd is that good. He’s going top-12 in most mocks, and I wouldn’t rule out drafting him at 15 or 16 if he’s there. If you can get Lloyd at 19, incredible. If you can go Lloyd/EDGE or EDGE/Lloyd at 15 and 16, then that’s something you should feel very good about. Burks might be there at 19, so you could theoretically get a linebacker, EDGE, and receiver out of this class.

Time’s yours.