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Eagles

Guy Who Always Seems to Have Good Eagles Knowledge Drops First Mock Draft

Kevin Kinkead

By Kevin Kinkead

Published:

photos from USA Today Sports

You know Lance Zierlein?

He’s the NFL.com analyst who was ahead of the curve in 2016 when the Eagles traded up for Carson Wentz. Zierlein also was the guy who noted that the Birds were “enamored” with Jalen Reagor and mocked him to Philly shortly before they actually drafted him. His stuff is pretty good and he seems to have quality Eagles-related draft knowledge.

That said, he dropped his first mock on Tuesday, and these are the players he has the Eagles taking, with the short blurbs he wrote:

  • #15 – Kenyon Green, guard, Texas A&M – “With the Eagles likely in need of a replacement for pending free agent Jason Kelce, Landon Dickerson could slide into the starting center role, leaving a spot open for Green. He will become a Day 1 starter as a drive-blocking guard with size, athleticism and toughness.”
  • #16 – Drake London, WR, Southern Cal – “This might not be the pick I would make, but the Eagles need a possession receiver with size and contested-catch talent. London fits the bill.”
  • #19 – Jaquan Brisker, S, Penn State – “Brisker’s play has steadily progressed over the last two seasons. He’s instinctive, can run and is a terrific tackler on the back end.”

Draft a guard at 15? I didn’t consider that. If Jason Kelce does retire, it’s either Dickerson or Isaac Seumalo moving inside, though you do have Nate Herbig available as well. With those three guys in the fold, it seems like a serviceable line, but maybe the Eagles are thinking differently.

London is really good, though he missed the second half of this past season with a fractured ankle. He’s huge, actually, standing 6’5″ and weighing about 210 pounds. He can go up and catch anything. It seems like a hard sell, the thought of drafting a first round receiver for the third straight year, but London really does fit a position of need. Not sure if you draft that receiver though or try to find a bigger-bodied target guy in free agency.

Brisker is a solid player. Athletic and sees the field well, really has fantastic awareness. Safety is a position of need considering that Rodney McLeod and Anthony Harris are both free agents and the next guy on the depth chart is Marcus Epps.

In all honesty, this seems like somewhat of an underwhelming mock. This team needs help on defense, so if they come out of the first round with only one defensive draft pick, that might be a little goofy, especially if they snag yet another receiver. But all three of those players are good, and Zierlein is pretty dialed in and typically knows what Howie Roseman and company are looking for, so we typically more stock in what he has to say.

Some videos on each of these guys:

Kenyon Green

Drake London

Kevin Kinkead
Kevin Kinkead

Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com

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