Howie Roseman gets aggressive in this final Philadelphia Eagles 7-round mock draft before the 2019 NFL Draft begins on April 25.
As the 2019 NFL Draft season is almost over, the Philadelphia Eagles have been a team that many people feel are a couple good draft picks away from getting back to the Super Bowl in 2019. The 2019 NFL Draft starts on Thursday, April 25. By Saturday, April 27, we will know if the Eagles secured those draft picks.
Executive Vice President of Football Operations for the Eagles, Howie Roseman, has had a fantastic offseason, so far. Roseman traded for wide receiver DeSean Jackson. The former Eagles star has been missed since former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly released Jackson back in 2014. Roseman also added running back Jordan Howard via trade.
Philadelphia also signed defensive tackle Malik Jackson, which will fill the hole left by Timmy Jernigan leaving in free agency. Along with Jackson, the Eagles kept one of their own, cornerback Ronald Darby, who re-signed with Philly on a one-year deal. Darby coming back was big for the Eagles as he is their best option at cornerback despite his injury concerns.
There are two main parts of the offseason, free agency and the draft. Currently, the Eagles can mark up free agency as a win, mainly because of those four moves already mentioned. However, they also need to win the draft and I expect them to do that as well.
Roseman has been aggressive since he took the reigns back in 2016, and I expect him to stay aggressive in my final Eagles 7-round mock draft.
Round 1, Pick 30 (From Green Bay): Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, S, Florida
*TRADE* Philadelphia receives: Picks 30, 44 and 75
Green Bay receives: Picks 25 and 53 + a 2020 fourth-round pick
There is talk on whether the Eagles should trade up or trade down in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. For me, it is easy: trade down. This draft class is extremely deep and, instead of adding one starter by trading up, the Eagles have a chance to trade down and add three starters to their roster. It would also likely give them the third-round pick back they lost in the Golden Tate trade.
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Roseman finds his dance partner, the Green Bay Packers, as this move sets the Eagles up nicely for the rest of the draft. I feel that, if the Eagles do trade down, they are going to be extremely aggressive in the second and third rounds.
After trading down, the Eagles get one of my favorite players in the 2019 NFL Draft, former Florida Gators safety Chauncey Gardner-Johnson. He is a perfect fit in today’s NFL as he can do it all. Gardner-Johnson can line up in the slot, at free safety and at linebacker. His versatility will be a big part of why he is so successful in the NFL. He can play center field and pick off passes or he can play down in the box and dominate in the run game.
If the Eagles are able to trade down and still get Gardner-Johnson at No. 30, it will be a huge win for them. Malcolm Jenkins is only getting older and Rodney McLeod is on the last year of his deal. Gardner-Johnson would help them a ton this year and then give them their safety of the future as well.
Round 2, Pick 34 (From Indianapolis): Jeffery Simmons, DT, Mississippi State
*TRADE* Philadelphia receives: Pick 34
Indianapolis receives: Pick 57, Pick 163 and CB Rasul Douglas
Like I said, if the Eagles trade down in the first round, they will be aggressive and this is an extremely aggressive move in the second round. Jeffery Simmons is a top-10 caliber player. However, a knee injury will cause him to slide on draft day. There is a real chance he makes it to the second round. When you add his injury with his off-field problems, it makes sense if he isn’t taken in the first.
So, with him sliding, the Eagles decide they will make a big move to get him. In the move, they trade cornerback Rasul Douglas as well as their own second-round pick and pick No. 163. It may be a lot in some people’s eyes, but getting Simmons in the second round would be a steal.
He is a dominant defensive linemen, who racked up 18 tackles for a loss last season. He is quick off of the snap and you can see that he is just on another level from the linemen he is going up against. Simmons is a stud and, if the Eagles allow him to recover from his knee injury, plugging him next to Fletcher Cox would be deadly.
Round 2, Pick 44 (From Green Bay): Parris Campbell, WR, Ohio State
A big part of the Eagles trading down with Green Bay in the first round was swapping their second round picks. Getting a higher second round pick will obviously give the Eagles more options on the guys they are high on. One guy they are high on, and should be high on, is former Ohio State wide receiver Parris Campbell.
Campbell tied for the fastest 40-yard dash (4.31 seconds) at the NFL Combine for wide receivers and it shows in his film. He can fly and, if he gets in open space, he is hard to catch. Campbell really wasn’t a deep threat in college, mainly because of the way Ohio State used him. In the NFL, Campbell should be able to develop into a deep threat, but his biggest strength is his ability to generate big plays on simple, generated touches.
Campbell has been in every one of my mock drafts for the Eagles because I love the idea of head coach Doug Pederson getting creative with Campbell and getting in the ball in space. In my opinion, Campbell could be what Tyreek Hill is for the Chiefs. That is why the Eagles take him early in the second here.
Round 3, Pick 85 (From Baltimore): Oshane Ximines, DE, Old Dominion
*TRADE* Philadelphia receives: Picks 85 and102
Baltimore receives: Picks 75 (From GB) and 138
After picking up a third-round pick earlier in the draft, Roseman turns that third-round pick into two third-round picks. The 2019 NFL Draft is deep at defensive line, so after adding Simmons earlier, the Eagles then add a small school player with big time pass rushing ability. Oshane Ximines a defensive end from Old Dominion and will be the first player from Old Dominion to ever be drafted when he hears his name during the 2019 NFL Draft.
Ximines is a consistent pass rusher who gets to the quarterback game after game. A big part of that is his ability to shoot his hands and be extremely effective at controlling whoever is trying to block him. He does struggle in the run game, but the Eagles would love to add another solid pass rusher, so he will have time to develop against the run.
Ximines will also need to show he can play with the big boys, but I think he will be able to do that, especially coming in as a rotational defensive end in the Eagles’ system.
Round 3, Pick 102 (From Baltimore): Yodny Cajuste, OT, West Virginia
The Eagles could very well go offensive tackle in the first round, or even in the second, of the 2019 NFL Draft. But in this mock, they decide to address the position at the end of the third round. After waiting until the third to draft a tackle, the Eagles get a good one, former West Virginia Mountaineer Yodny Cajuste.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Cajuste had surgery to repair his quad muscle, which will keep him out three months. That will definitely lead to Cajuste falling a little in the draft, mainly because he also had knee surgeries in 2015 and 2016. His durability will be a question, but his pass protection will not be.
Cajuste is dominant in pass pro and shows that, with a little coaching, he could be great at the next level. Sitting behind Jason Peters for a year will allow him to get that coaching and allow him to get better as run blocker. The 6-5, over 300-pound tackle may not play much in 2019, but he could certainly be the left tackle of the future for the Eagles.
Round 4, Pick 127: Vosean Joseph, LB, Florida
The Eagles biggest need in the 2019 NFL Draft is at linebacker. No matter what anyone else says, the Eagles need to draft a linebacker if they do no trade for one. This pick could be used to trade for New York Jets linebacker Darron Lee, but I think the Eagles will decide that a linebacker on their draft board makes more sense than hoping Lee turns into the player who was drafted in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft. That player is Vosean Joseph.
The former Florida Gators linebacker may not be a finished product, but he flashes on the field. He loves contact and he lets the ball-carrier know it’s him by always finishing his hits. His biggest struggles come in the run game, but Joseph just needs to keep progressing.
Joseph is solid in coverage and he flashes athletic ability to make impact plays all over the field. I think that he could start right away for the Eagles as their second linebacker, behind Nigel Bradham. Joseph would be a great addition to the Eagles defense and bring some extra nastiness to their team.
Round 6, Pick 197: James Williams, RB, Washington State
Eagles Twitter believes the Eagles need a pass-catching running back. While they may not be wrong, the need truly isn’t that big in my eyes. The Eagles won the Super Bowl in 2017 without throwing to the running back much at all.
Obviously running back Corey Clement had a big game in the Super Bowl, but throughout the season, the Eagles were near the bottom of the NFL for receptions from running backs. Roseman has shown he doesn’t value running backs as highly as others, so I think the talk about them taking a running back early could be a smokescreen.
Instead, they wait until the later rounds to find a new pass-catching running back to replace Darren Sproles. James Williams from Washington State would be a solid pick in the later rounds. He has great hands and showed in college that he can catch the ball a ton with 202 receptions for 1,437 yards and eight touchdowns in his career. He is also extremely elusive and can make defenders miss easily.