With Nick Foles now in Jacksonville, the safety net has been removed for the Philadelphia Eagles, who fell a big short of repeating as champs in 2018. The Eagles can add some difference makers, though, thanks to having three top 60 picks -- though pinning down what they might do in the first round is a bit more difficult after adding guys like DeSean Jackson, Jordan Howard and Malik Jackson at positions of need this offseason.
Check out which picks the Eagles currently have below, as well as our projection of their top positional needs. I'll then build a war-room big board based upon players I think have some kind of chance of making it to their first pick before sharing multiple draft classes that make sense for the team from myself, Ryan Wilson and Chris Trapasso.
As for the actual draft, you'll be able to stream our live coverage right here on CBS Sports HQ (or download the CBS Sports app for free on any mobile or connected TV device) breaking down all the picks and everything you need to know during draft weekend.
Current draft picks
| Round | Overall | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | |
| 2 | 53 | from Baltimore |
| 2 | 57 | |
| 4 | 127 | |
| 4 | 138 | Compensatory |
| 5 | 163 | |
| 6 | 197 | |
Team needs
The CBS Sports NFL writing staff recently compiled positional rankings to identify needs for each team heading into the draft. A helpful guide: any position group that had an average ranking worse than 16.0 (on a scale of 1 to 32) was considered a "need," while any that ranked worse than 23.0 (bottom-third of the league) was considered a "pressing need."
| QB | RB | WR/TE | OL | EDGE | INT DL | LB | DB |
| 15.8 | 22.4 | 12.4 | 4.0 | 2.0 | 4.2 | 16.5 | 30.5 |
Needs: RB, LB, DB
Pressing: DB
Did you see how the Eagles' secondary completely fell apart last year? Yeah, that needs to be rectified. Byron Murphy and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson are popular mock picks for a good reason.
War room big board
I think the Eagles would love to get one of the top two linebackers in this draft, but it's not going to happen without a big trade up the board. Don't count out that possibility, especially considering the team has two second-round picks to use as trade bait, but a trade back might be more likely, especially if a team is willing to offer a premium 2020 pick. Here's how I'd project the Eagles' draft board for their first pick, considering only players I feel have some chance of making it in range:
- LB Devin White, LSU (trade up)
- LB Devin Bush, Michigan (trade up)
- G Cody Ford, Oklahoma
- G Chris Lindstrom, Boston College
- OL Dalton Risner, Kansas State
- WR N'Keal Harry, Arizona State
- RB Josh Jacobs, Alabama
- WR Parris Campbell, Ohio State
- CB/S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Florida
- CB/S Juan Thornhill, Virginia
Seven-round mock drafts
| Round | Overall | Player | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 25 | to Cincinnati | |
| 2 | 42 | G Chris Lindstrom, Boston College | from CIN* |
| 2 | 53 | FS Juan Thornhill, Virgnia | from BAL |
| 2 | 57 | to New York Jets | |
| 3 | 68 | WR Miles Boykin, Notre Dame | from NYJ* |
| 4 | 127 | DT Greg Gaines, Washington | |
| 4 | 138 | to Detroit | |
| 5 | 146 | OT Dennis Daley, South Carolina | from DET* |
| 5 | 163 | RB James Williams, Washington State | |
| 6 | 197 | C Hjalte Froholdt, Arkansas | |
| 6 | 198 | OLB Porter Gustin, USC | from CIN* |
| 7 | 224 | WR Alex Wesley, Northern Colorado | from DET* |
| | | ILB Darron Lee (from NY Jets) | |
The Eagles have the option of trading up to the 13-15 range and getting one of the top two LBs thanks to their extra second-round pick, but when both are off the board in the first 11 selections, they reverse course and move down to allow Cincinnati to come up for a quarterback. The move nets the Eagles No. 42 plus a sixth-rounder and a 2020 second-rounder as they again build draft capital in a future class.
With their new first pick, the team selected Lindstrom, a plug-and-play guard who can step right in between Jason Peters and Jason Kelce. Thornhill is an excellent free safety prospect who might also be able to play corner. No. 53 should be a great spot of the draft to find secondary talent. The team uses its other second-round pick to trade back 11 spots and pick up Lee, a middle linebacker who has fallen out of favor in New York, before using the early third-round pick on Boykin, who tested through the roof at the combine and has future No. 1 receiver potential even if he's not one of the most touted WR prospects in this class.
After adding some depth at defensive tackle with the beefy Gaines, the Eagles trade back a few spots for an extra late pick, then take a developmental tackle in Daley as insurance for Peters. Williams is an excellent receiving back who can fill the Darren Sproles role and should serve as a good complement to Jordan Howard. Froholdt is another developmental lineman who can back up Kelce, Gustin is an edge rusher who I might try as a strongside linebacker who can defend the run if he loses some weight, and Wesley is a small-school sleeper who can develop into a deep threat for whenever time is up on DeSean Jackson.
More seven-round mocks:
(*) indicates pick acquired via trade
Check out more first-round mocks from CBS Sports.