It seems like every year, the Eagles address most of their pressing needs in free agency, thereby opening a wide range of options for their draft picks.
That could even include trading up a few spots from No. 10 in the first round of the NFL draft, which begins Thursday night, for perhaps the top-ranked player in Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Carter is expected to drop at least to No. 5 in part because as many as three quarterbacks could be taken among the first four picks.
In addition, there are red flags associated with Carter. The biggest is Carter pleading no contest to reckless driving and racing after a car crashed, killing two people back in January. Carter was driving a different car.
The second is Carter’s poor workout in March. He reportedly had gained nine pounds and couldn’t complete one of the drills.
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While not addressing Carter directly, Eagles GM Howie Roseman emphasized that the team will do its due-diligence on Carter.
“I think every decision is unique to the player and the situation, and so we’ll have every piece of information at our disposal,” Roseman said.
Some of that research could include talking to two of Carter’s teammates at Georgia who were drafted by the Eagles last spring in defensive tackle Jordan Davis and linebacker Nakobe Dean. Both Davis and Dean played with Carter on Georgia’s national championship team in 2021.
But that can work two ways: Davis and Dean can vouch, or not vouch, for Carter’s character and work ethic. Davis and Dean were also close to the two people who died, and they have spoken about how much that has devastated them.
Either way, it gives the Eagles additional insight that other teams considering Carter won’t necessarily have.
These are the types of decisions the Eagles might have to make with both of their first-round picks. The other is at No. 30.
Here, then, are my rankings of the five players the Eagles should target at No. 10, and the five at No. 30:
1st round, No. 10
1.Bijan Robinson, RB Texas
It’s true that the Eagles haven’t drafted a running back in the first round since 1986. But I go back to not only what Roseman said last week about finding a “unique player” at No. 10, but what Eagles chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie said at the NFL owners’ meetings last month, about how “offenses dominate.”
All of this is to say that Robinson, who had 1,580 yards rushing last season, is the kind of back that would make Jalen Hurts even more dangerous as a runner and as a passer. And Hurts, in turn, would make Robinson a more dangerous runner, too, since defenses won’t be able to key on him.
Robinson would also be someone the Eagles could trade back a few spots for, thus recouping a pick in Rounds 4, 5 or 6.
2. Peter Skoronski, OL, Northwestern
One thing we also know about Roseman is that when in doubt, fortify the offensive and defensive lines. Skoronski, a tackle in college, could easily move inside to guard. While Cam Jurgens, the Eagles’ second-round pick, is likely slated at right guard, he was drafted last spring to be Jason Kelce’s heir apparent at center. If Skoronski doesn’t win the right guard spot, he could spend his rookie year learning from, and backing up, both left tackle Jordan Mailata and right tackle Lane Johnson.
3. Nolan Smith, edge, Georgia
Perhaps Roseman considers Smith a “unique player.” After all, he ran an astounding 4.39 40-yard dash at the Combine. And as 6-foot-2, 238 pounds, he has the size, speed and body type of Haason Reddick. Smith could spend his first season rotating in with Reddick, Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat and Derek Barnett. Talk about relentless pressure coming from the outside.
4. Paris Johnson, OL, Ohio State
He’s similar to Skoronski in that he can start out at guard and move to tackle. And he, too, would be in an ideal situation with veterans all around to learn from and refine his technique, and then eventually move out to tackle and replace Lane Johnson in a few years.
5. Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia
If the Eagles are going to draft Carter, three things have to happen. The first two, of course, involve the red flags. The third is that both Seattle at No. 5 and Detroit at No. 6 have to pass on Carter. Otherwise, it would cost too much for the Eagles to trade up to No. 3. But if Seattle and Detroit pass on him, then the Eagles could possibly trade with the Raiders at No. 7.
But that’s a lot that has to fall just right for the Eagles.
1st round, No. 30
1. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Alabama
This is the pick only if the Eagles don’t take Robinson earlier in the first round. Gibbs is appealing because of his perimeter speed and his pass-catching ability. Sure, many project him to go in the second round, but he works late in the first for a Super Bowl caliber team with a QB on a mega-contract. That essentially gives the Eagles six years of salary control. And that meshes perfectly with Hurts’ five-year contract extension.
2. Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Mississippi State
Sure, Forbes weighed just 166 pounds at his Pro Day, the same weight as DeVonta Smith when he was coming out of college. But it’s hard to argue with Forbes’ playmaking ability, much like it was hard to argue with Smith’s. And it will certainly help Forbes to spend a year learning behind Darius Slay, James Bradberry and even Greedy Williams, not to mention drinking many milkshakes.
3. Will McDonald, Edge, Iowa State
This is assuming the Eagles don’t take Smith earlier in the first round. McDonald makes sense because he’s explosive and he has lower-body bend, like Derek Barnett, who’s on the final year of his contract. It just so happens that Eagles coach Nick Sirianni is close friends with Iowa State coach Matt Campbell as the two were college teammates at Mount Union.
4. Adetomiwa Adebawore, DL, Northwestern
Yes, it’s possible the Eagles could use both of their first-round picks on Northwestern players if they take Skoronski at No. 10 along with Adebawore, an athletic D-linemen who ran a 4.49 in the 40 yard-dash at the Combine. Adebawore can play both on the outside and move inside if needed.
5. Myles Murphy, Edge, Clemson
Let’s just say if it gets to this point, the Eagles will be better off trading back into the second round. It’s not like Murphy is a bad player. But if the Eagles are spending a first-round pick on someone, they would want someone who could develop into a difference-maker. Many draft analysts don’t see that with Murphy.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
