Are you like me, and are worried about the talent that may be available to the Eagles at pick 14 in this year's draft? If the answer is yes, then this article is for you! If the answer is no, then I'm jealous at your composure/indifference towards the NFL Draft, and you should keep reading anyways.
Yes, pick 14 in the draft is a very good place to be, as a team is guaranteed a top-15 prospect from the college football world. The only problem is that there are 13 teams picking the best players they can before you. The Eagles are looking for a cornerback, a pass-rusher, potentially a linebacker, and it's entirely possible they could choose a wide receiver in the first round. They could also, of course, simply pick the best player available (BPA), which is a sound option.
My fear has consistently been that the Eagles will not have a BPA guy sitting at 14 who could fill a need. I understand that BPAs don't need to fill needs, but the Eagles desperately need help at some of these spots (corner). Before Sidney Jones hurt his achilles, he was that guy, that BPA at 14 who fit the needs of the team, but now that he suffered such a rough injury, his draft stock has plummeted and he would not be of value at 14, or in the first round, and maybe not even in the second round. In regard to the rest of the top corners in the draft, Marshon Lattimore, heralded as the top corner in the draft (except by Matt Miller), will almost definitely not be there at 14. Quincy Wilson floats up and down mock drafts from being a top-ten player, to falling to the second round, as does Marlon Humphrey, Tre'Davious White, and Gareon Conley. This means that, if the Eagles take one of these corners at 14, it'll be based on personal preference of the types of players, and it will almost definitely be considered a reach, which leads me to believe that the team will draft someone else in the first round.
So the question is...who? Will they be worth it? What kind of talent will be there?
I used Matt Miller's draft board to determine the top prospects, as he is the leading scout of Bleacher Report, which I follow most religiously. Of his top 50 players, I ruled out the positions that the Eagles will almost definitely not draft in the first round, even if they're the BPA, including quarterback, (most) running backs, offensive linemen, and (most) tight ends. From there, I listed the 20 best prospects remaining. That list is as follows:
1. Myles Garrett, EDGE, Texas A&M
2. Leonard Fournette, RB, LSU (only RB on the list because at 14 he'd be an absolute steal)
3. Reuben Foster, LB, Alabama
4. Jamal Adams, S, LSU
5. Malik Hooker, S, Ohio State
6. O.J. Howard, TE, Alabama (only TE on the list because he is such a well-rounded player, could be a legitimate BPA option)
7. Solomon Thomas, EDGE, Stanford
8. Jonathan Allen, DL, Alabama
9. Mike Williams, WR, Clemson
10. Quincy Wilson, CB, Florida
11. Marshon Lattimore, CB, Ohio State
12. Corey Davis, WR, Western Michigan
13. Gareon Conley, CB, Ohio State
This is where the Eagles' pick is, so absolute worst case scenario, from here on are guys that should almost definitely be available to the Eagles
14. Charles Harris, EDGE, Missouri.
15. Haason Reddick, LB, Temple
16. Taco Charlton, EDGE, Michigan
17. John Ross, WR, Washington
18. Derek Barnett, EDGE, Tennessee
19. Budda Baker, S, Washington
20. Takkarist McKinley, EDGE, UCLA
So, according to this list of talent, assuming that no QBs, O-Linemen, RBs and TEs (except Howard and Fournette) are drafted before 14, Harris, Reddick, Charlton, Ross, Barnett, Baker, and McKinley will be available to the Eagles.
Baker and McKinley seem to be where the talent begins to drop off, and so I do not believe the Eagles will draft them, especially with the other players available.
This leaves a core set of guys who are of pretty good value who will almost definitely be available for drafting at 14. Of that group of players, I would put money on Ross, Reddick, or Barnett being the choice. I wrote on Ross and Barnett being "allowed" to be picked at 14 in last week's article, and the Eagles have been tied to both names for the last few weeks. Reddick is a player whose stock has risen quickly since the combine, especially having run a 4.52 second 40-yard dash (to put that in perspective, the FSU speedster RB Dalvin Cook ran a 4.49).
There will, of course, be better players available at 14, seeing as there are QB-starved teams, and teams who may shoot to get a running back a little early in the draft. Therefore, I would say that the players that I listed above that will likely be available for the Eagles could include guys like Quincy Wilson, Corey Davis, and Gareon Conley.
This means that the Eagles should be able to grab a solid WR in Ross, a risky pick at DE (choosing Barnett, Charlton, or Harris), a linebacker in Reddick, or a talented corner in Conley or Wilson (or Marlon Humphrey, who Miller does not have rated very highly, but is also often considered a top-15 pick).
So breathe easy, Eagles fans. There should be decent talent at pick 14, even if the top-tier cornerbacks are no longer within reach.
