An Eagles Senior Bowl-only mock draft: 10 players who could make sense

MOBILE, Ala. — With the week of Senior Bowl practices wrapped up and the game on tap for 2:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, it’s time for a mock draft of what the Eagles’ haul could be if they selected only players who practiced this week. Think of it as an exercise to show what a potential draft class could look like, given the Eagles’ projected slate of draft picks, which includes a compensatory pick at the end of Round 3 and two in Round 4.

Round 1 — South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw

I know, you want a wide receiver, and so do I. But the only wide receiver in Mobile who has any possible first-round traction is Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk, who didn’t practice because of a failed physical, so he’s not eligible for this exercise (but you can joke that the injury makes him a perfect fit for the Eagles).

It’s probably a consensus that Kinlaw is the highest-rated non-quarterback practicing this week, and there’s a good chance he’ll be off the board before the Eagles are scheduled to pick at No. 21. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Kinlaw 10th in his pre-Senior Bowl top 100. But those rankings are early and fluid, and an early run on quarterbacks and wide receivers could push Kinlaw down the board within the Eagles’ reach.

I’m on the record as believing defensive tackle is the second most-likely position the Eagles could address in the first round, because even though cornerback is a more dire short-term need, I expect them to address it in free agency. They can’t afford to enter the draft needing to rely on a rookie corner to start, whereas they are unlikely to address the defensive tackle position with a starting-caliber veteran after signing Malik Jackson last season. Jackson and Fletcher Cox will be 30 and 29, respectively, next season. The Eagles need a young, impact player at the position, which is theoretically what Kinlaw would provide.

At 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, Kinlaw was dominant through two days of practice before shutting things down for the week. He had six sacks and six tackles for loss as a senior at South Carolina. Here’s what Brugler wrote about Kinlaw:

“Entering his senior season as a projected top-20 pick, Kinlaw didn’t disappoint in his final collegiate season and has a legitimate chance to land in the top 10. He looks like an NFL player with his broad-shouldered frame, length and explosive quickness to be a homewrecker on the interior.”

Pairing Kinlaw with Cox would then give the Eagles a pair of homewreckers at defensive tackle.

Round 2 – Alabama pass-rusher Terrell Lewis

Again, no wide receiver. There’s a good chance USC’s Michael Pittman Jr. will be the first Senior Bowl wide receiver drafted, and he would make sense here, but I don’t think there’s enough separation between him and some of the players who figure to be available in the third and fourth rounds.

With six sacks as a junior in 2019, Lewis doesn’t quite fit the mold of proven production the Eagles have leaned on over the past few drafts, but general manager Howie Roseman has acknowledged that can be too much of a crutch. At 6-foot-5 and 258 pounds, Lewis is a projectable athlete on the edge. He missed the 2018 season with a knee injury. With Alabama prospects, keep in mind the Eagles brought back Joe Pannunzio as director of team development after he spent two years with the Crimson Tide, so he has added insight into those prospects’ personalities.

Writes Brugler: “Different than most Alabama pass-rushers under Nick Saban, Lewis has a long, explosive frame with the sudden athleticism to disrupt the pocket. While still unrefined with his setup and feel as an upfield player, he flashes Danielle Hunter-like upside if he can stay healthy.”

Alas, the Eagles already have a Hunter clone in Josh Sweat.

Round 3 — Baylor wide receiver Denzel Mims

Mims had as impressive a week as any wide receiver at the Senior Bowl, including a few highlight-reel catches.

Denzel Mims really has been special all week, such an explosive players with advanced route-running technique.

pic.twitter.com/bIc8Rz4Fy6

— Austin Gayle (@PFF_AustinGayle) January 23, 2020

The arm bar by Denzel Mims to hold Troy Pride Jr. away from the catchpoint was one of the most advanced WR techniques we’ve seen in Mobile this week pic.twitter.com/7brMzdZDiQ

— Brad Kelly (@BradKelly17) January 23, 2020

At 6-foot-3 and 206 pounds, Mims is not quite the blazer Eagles fans covet, but he has enough speed to get open down the field. His Senior Bowl performance may have pushed him up the board, but the depth of the class of underclassman wide receivers limits how high Mims can go. At Baylor, Mims had two seasons with more than 1,000 receiving yards, including an impressive sophomore season.

Round 3 — Kansas offensive lineman Hakeem Adeniji

Adeniji was a four-year starter at Kansas, splitting his time between left tackle, right tackle and left guard. He also played center the spring before his senior year, but the coaching staff decided it needed him more at left tackle. At the Senior Bowl, Adeniji bounced between the two guard spots and impressed.

I love this initial punch from Hakeem Adeniji (78). Jumped right on him. pic.twitter.com/ptFPgGgn2M

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) January 22, 2020

The Eagles have some young depth in the coffer behind their three starters over 30 (Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks and Lane Johnson), but unless they’re prepared to start Matt Pryor at left guard or Nate Herbig at center, the succession plan for Kelce is still unclear. Adeniji would give them options down the line.

Round 4 — Wyoming linebacker Logan Wilson

Wilson, a Brugler favorite, had a good week and appeared to be the most comfortable in coverage of the linebackers in attendance. Wilson, 6-foot-2 and 241 pounds, also has experience at safety, which means he could join Nate Gerry as the second former safety from the Great American West among Eagles linebackers. According to Wyoming, Wilson and Marcus Epps are the only three-time captains in the program’s modern history.

We know the Eagles don’t value linebacker highly, but there could be sweeping changes at the position this offseason, especially if they move on from Nigel Bradham.

Round 4 – SMU wide receiver James Proche

Proche (pronounced pro-SHAY) is a prototypical slot receiver at 5-foot-11 and 196 pounds. Of the wide receivers at the Senior Bowl, only three had multiple seasons in which they topped 1,000 yards receiving — Mims, Proche and Liberty’s Antonio Gandy-Golden.

Proche does not have blazing speed, but he’s quick in and out of his breaks and he showcased impressive hands in traffic compared to the rest of the wide receivers here this week. He went to DeSoto High School in Texas, the same school Jalen Mills attended.

Round 4 – Southern Illinois safety Jeremy Chinn

Kyle Dugger of Lenoir-Rhyne was probably the most impressive safety in Mobile, but he projects as a likely Day 2 pick, and it’s hard to imagine the Eagles pulling the trigger on a small-school safety that early. Of the remaining safeties, Chinn looked the most comfortable covering tight ends in the slot, and he has the size (6-foot-3, 219 pounds) to not be a pushover against the run.

A four-year starter at Southern Illinois, Chinn has some experience at cornerback as well.

Round 5 — Pittsburgh cornerback Dane Jackson

Jackson, 6 feet and 180 pounds, is an outside corner who doesn’t have top-end speed but is feisty and physical in the mold of Mills. He played on both sides in college and credited Avonte Maddox as being his mentor at Pittsburgh. At the Senior Bowl, he was voted as the outstanding practice player of the week at his position for the South team.

Obviously, it would not be ideal for the Eagles to wait until rounds 4 and 5 to address the future of their secondary, but they can only patch so many long-term holes at once.

Round 5 — Purdue tight end Brycen Hopkins

Whether the talk of committing to 21 personnel long term is bluster or not, the Eagles could probably use an upgrade over Josh Perkins to maintain some flexibility in the offense for games in which they’re without Zach Ertz or Dallas Goedert. Hopkins, 6-foot-4 and 241 pounds, was productive at Purdue, including 61 catches for 830 yards as a senior.

Round 6 — TCU running back Darius Anderson

With 10 picks, the Eagles can take some luxuries late in the draft. They probably still need to add another running back to complement Miles Sanders and Boston Scott, and while Anderson (5-foot-10 1/2, 195 pounds) isn’t the downhill bruiser one might expect that person to be, he has some downhill decisiveness and upside in the passing game, where he was seldom used until his senior season.

Let’s look again at the final draft haul in this theoretical:

If that were the Eagles’ actual draft class, would it be a success? The bar is so low at wide receiver that even without adding an early-round receiver, you would feel better about the position overall after the draft than entering it. Defensive line talent has been a concern for the Eagles given how Jim Schwartz wants to play, and this class goes a long way in theory toward addressing that. A few other minor long-term needs are addressed, but the bummer remains the secondary, especially safety, where the Eagles have little in the way of long-term reliability.

(Top photo of Denzel Mims: Matthew Pearce / Getty Images)