Philadelphia Eagles 7-round 2021 mock draft after trading down

While the Eagles do have Darius Slay locked up to a long-term contract, the secondary has struggled quite a bit over the past few years. And those issues are now set to only get exacerbated by the fact that the depth is now lacking with free-agent departures this offseason. That’s why they waste no time in the second round in taking a player like Eric Stokes.

Looking at his film, Stokes has developed a ton in terms of his feel for the position and that’s evident in his ability to play in both man and zone coverage schemes for the Bulldogs. He’s also improved with his ball skills. The one concern many had was his play speed, which seemed to be lacking at times.

Yet, Stokes did his stock a ton of favors at the House of Athlete mock combine when he blazed a 4.25-second 40-yard dash. That’s elite speed from a player with questions about that. Now, that doesn’t mean he plays that fast but it does mean he could potentially play a lot faster as he continues to develop mentally and with his footwork.

In any case, the Eagles need a reliable option opposite of Slay in the secondary to boost the unit and also fill in some depth. Stokes would accomplish that and, if he lives up to his physical potential, perhaps well outperform being a second-round pick.