If they go, here are some who could come
Some starters likely to be lost in free agency, so this mock draft offers possible replacements
The Philadelphia Eagles’ season ended in devastating fashion with a 38-35 Super Bowl loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
We could sit here and talk about the past, but instead we look forward to the future.
Philadelphia enters the offseason with 18 pending free agents. Obviously, not every one is an impact starter. However, ESPN ranked seven of those 18 free agents in its top 50 list.
Those seven are Javon Hargrave at No. 3, James Bradberry at No. 13, C.J. Gardner-Johnson at No. 14, Isaac Seumalo at No. 35, T.J. Edwards at No. 37, Brandon Graham at No. 39 and Miles Sanders at No. 43. It will be near impossible to bring all of those guys back, so that means the Eagles are likely going to lose a few starters in free agency.
Any Eagles mock draft before free agency will be more about whom you believe the Eagles will retain and whom you believe the Eagles will let walk. For our first Eagles seven-round mock draft (1.0), I believe that they will bring back Gardner-Johnson, Seumalo and Graham.
Gardner-Johnson should be the Eagles’ top priority this offseason. I believe Bradberry will be too expensive for the Eagles, as well as Hargrave and Edwards. I
t will be interesting to see if the Eagles bring Sanders back after his career year, but I do not believe they will pay big for a running back.
How will the Eagles fill these holes? The 2023 NFL draft.
The Eagles have a top-10 pick they acquired from the Saints, as well as the 30th pick in Round 1. The Eagles have their secondround pick and a third-round pick, but as of now they only have two seventh-round picks after their pick in the third round.
With that in mind, let’s fill some of these holes free agency will cause with our first Eagles 2023 mock draft.
Bradberry was awesome for the Eagles this year, but all signs are pointing to him getting a big contract. Philly likely won’t be able to match a massive offer, so unless Bradberry wants to play for less, he will be gone.
That is why the Eagles take cornerback Christian Gonzalez with the 10th overall pick. Gonzalez is a prototypical NFL cornerback with a great blend of size, strength, speed and ability.
Gonzalez will need to clean his technique up a bit in the NFL, but starting his career as the No. 2 cornerback opposite of Darius Slay could do wonders for him.
The former Oregon Duck’s combine will be interesting because his testing numbers could make his draft stock rise even higher.
Philadelphia would be thrilled if he is on the board at 10, especially if it loses Bradberry.
If the Eagles lose Hargrave and former Clemson defensive linemen Bryan Bresee is on the board at 30, they need to run the card up. Bresee, paired with 2022 firstround pick Jordan Davis, would give the Eagles a nasty defensive tackle tandem.
If you like watching guys play with a motor, you’ll love Bresee. He is always flying around and being disruptive as a defensive lineman.
Bresee has some injury history, so his medicals would need to check out, but adding this stud to the defensive line would be awesome.
Even if the Eagles bring back Miles Sanders, former Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs should be on their radar.
The Eagles passed on Alvin Kamara years ago, and general manager Howie Roseman will not make that mistake again. Gibbs could end up finding himself in the first round by the end of the draft season, but since the running back position is devalued the Eagles may get a chance to swoop in and grab him in the second round.
Gibbs can do it all, like Kamara. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, run between the tackles, line up at wide receiver and take a screen pass to the house.
Every year I have a draft crush, and this year that’s Gibbs. Pairing him with Jalen Hurts would give the Eagles the deadliest backfield in the NFL.
T.J. Edwards had an awesome year, earning second-team All-Pro honors. However, with no disrespect to him, a lot of his success this season stems from the elite play of the others around him on the defense.
Edwards had things easy, and instead of needing to make plays with instincts, a lot of the time the play was right in front of him.
I would love for him to be back because he fits what the Eagles want to do, but he may cash in on the payday he has earned. And as an undrafted player, how could you blame him?
That’s why the Eagles take former Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders in the third round here.
Sanders is a monster, listed at 6-foot-5, 233 pounds, but he moved like a cornerback. Sanders is able to line up at middle linebacker, as well as an outside backer, and blitz off the edge. His versatility would be a perfect fit in the Eagles’ defense.
The Eagles could use Sanders the same way as the Cowboys use Micah Parsons, and he would thrive in that role.
In the seventh round you’re just taking fliers with the hope they can make the roster. Former Old Dominion (and Penn State transfer) tight end Zack Kuntz is an exceptional pass-catching tight end.
The only issue is he is a terrible blocking tight end, so it will be hard to get him on the field without the defense knowing it’s a pass or knowing they can attack him in the run game.
His athletic ability at his size is enough for the Eagles to take a chance on him developing behind Dallas Goedert.
Georgia’s edge defender Robert Beal Jr. will be an interesting name to watch as we get closer to the draft.
His draft stock varies, with some people believing he could be drafted as early as the third or fourth round, while others think he will go in the seventh. If he is there for the Eagles’ last pick, he has enough talent to draft him and see what they can do with him.
He is undersized but plays with a motor. He reminds me a little bit of Graham with the way he plays, so why not see if he can become even half the player Graham is?