Eagles didn't
need Jalen Carter (they had Jordan Davis that they drafted last year with a top fifteen pick, no less, Fletcher Cox, who has been a massive stud and a definite member of the Hall of Extremely Good, and a very good D-line already), but he's made them
better because they took him. Same with AD; we thought he
wasn't a massive need with Kendall Langford and Michael Brockers, but we took him anyway.
And I look at it this way: we need a kicker (Maher ain't it.), two edge rushers (free agency), a decent - not necessarily dominant, but decent - inside linebacker, a potentially better running back than K-Will, a young safety to replace Fuller and JJ3 (unless we re-sign JJ3 to a minor extension), backup corners (because Witherspoon is a UFA and you can never have enough corners, as was proven in 2011), O-line (for obvious reasons, although re-signing A-Jax to a minor boost would help), and D-line (because Donald, BB3, EB4,, Murchison, and J-Will or some combination of them are all gone in 2025 - Donald to retirement, most likely, or an excursion with the Steelers, which is his hometown team, and I wouldn't be able to judge him if he does, given all he's done for us - and the rest as UFAs.)
I'd have loved to add a tight end before Higbee re-signed, possibly a
Kyle Pitts in a trade with a third-round pick - credit to
@jrry32 for mentioning Pitts - so with Higbee, Pitts, Allen and Long, we're good. I'm also thinking that it's more than a possibility that Raheem Morris will become a HC after this year,
gaining a compensatory third-round pick, so we can afford to trade a third-round pick.
Most of those - O-line and D-line aside - can be solved in free agency or late in the draft. I'd go
hard after
Chase Young or Brian Burns, someone around Young's and Turner's ages (25/26) who can grow with them, maybe add a potential one-year edge rusher (I'd go after
Yetur Gross-Matos, personally). Lots of top running backs in free agency this year especially (
Jonathan Taylor, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, etc.), so we're good there.
Personally would
switch Nick Hampton to ILB. He's got sideline-to-sideline speed, right? Let's have him use that and his blitzing prowess. Speaking of ILBs,
I'd give a long-term extension to Ernest Jones. I feel that we'll deeply regret it if we don't.
What free agency doesn't have is a top interior pass-rusher that could replace Donald or a dominant nose tackle who can stuff the run with impunity. You only find them in the draft, first round or second round. You only find top offensive linemen in the draft because most of the good linemen are re-signed by teams.
That leaves the draft. I would not be upset at an offensive tackle, preferably a left tackle, in the first round. Fashanu, Alt, Latham, Mims, many good choices. I'd personally choose
Jer'Zahn Newton over any of them; I want a guy to eventually take AD's place, and Newton is probably the closest comparable to AD that I've seen since he was drafted. There's a lot of very good 3-techs in this class: Maason Smith, Ruke Orhorhoro, etc., but Newton, without a shadow of a doubt, is the guy who's impressed me the absolute most.
Honestly, I may even - and I KNOW this is going to sound like blasphemy -
TRADE AD to the Steelers for a first and a third. It would allow us to select a top left tackle with that pick, and the third could be used for all sorts of things. Let's just say the first goes for
Kingsley Suamataia (BYU). I think he falls to the late first because of injuries, but this kid is an athletic freak of nature, 6'6", 325 lbs., and he's just been absolutely dominant. I think we could get another BYU gem with him.
Then there's the second round. I will go with
Dontay "The Godfather" Corleone, and it's not because of his name. As I mentioned, he's an elite run-stuffer at nose, one of the best (and youngest) nose tackles in this class and has, in my opinion, untapped pass-rushing potential (he has a huge motor for 325 lbs. nose tackle, is versatile enough to play 5-tech, and reminds me, honestly, of A'Shawn Robinson). We lack beef in the middle aside from BB3. It also allows Kobie "The Conductor" Turner to play 5-tech, Desjuan Johnson to come in to give people a breather, and grab some more defensive linemen with moldable traits in the later rounds.
I'd also rob Peter to pay Paul. I love Rob Havenstein, I really do, but I truly, truly believe that a
third-round pick could be the difference between me keeping him or not. Why? Because I also love Warren McClendon. He's not as tall or big as Havenstein, but he has a lot of his traits. He's a technician who wins with intelligence, knowledge of leverage, and hand placement rather than strength or athleticism. I want to see what he can do at right tackle, I honestly do, and I think he'll excel.
And with the third-round picks, I'd go for an edge rusher in
Chris Braswell (Alabama) an offensive guard/tackle in
Cooper Beebe (Kansas State), and a cornerback who would fit the STAR position (leaving Cobie Durant on the outside where he clearly belongs) like a glove
Kris Abrams-Draine (Mizzou). KAD has been playing in a similar position at Mizzou that Cobie Durant has with us (STAR), and thus far, he has two picks, racked up a bunch of tackles, and has been quite physical. I'd select him with our second third round pick and upgrade two positions at once (moving Durant to outside, where he's excelled). Beebe is as dominant a guard in college as Avila was, but he doesn't have the athleticism that the others do, and he'll be strictly a guard at the next level, so he falls to our first third round pick. Braswell was an unknown before this year as a true senior, but his sheer athleticism is off the charts, and has 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception already. Third of the third-round picks, I'll go with his potential.
Fourth round pick goes for a guard/center:
Bryce Foster (Texas A&M). Sorry
@Riverumbbq , I think Foster slips out of the third round; he's simply not good enough in pass protection as of yet. But he has tons of potential, so I'd love to see what he could do with a fourth round pick.
Fifth round pick?
Ennis Rakestraw Jr. (Mizzou). The other half to KAD, Rakestraw doesn't have as many picks, but he's as sticky as they come and outshone KAD last year. I'd love to see the Mizzou corners compete with THT, see who gets the job.
Sixth round pick?
Harrison Mevis (Mizzou's kicker). I mean, come on, game winning 61 yard field goal against K-State isn't enough for people to want this kid? I don't care that he looks like an obese Pillsbury Doughboy; he just makes kick after kick after kick. Ask Georgia how good this kid is; he nearly beat them on his own last year. He's as dominant a kicker as I've seen at Mizzou, and there's been a ton of them.
The four comp picks will be used for inside linebacker, safety, and two defensive linemen, I don't particularly care whom. And there will probably be trades and such and UDFAs that will likely make the team. Still, that's what I'd do this trade deadline and offseason.
