Who Looks Good in Midnight Green!? Your Eagles Draft Preview.
An interview with draft expert Al Calo on who the Eagles should target, who they should avoid, and who has the best YouTube highlights
In 2008, I was on my way back from a high school track meet when the Eagles drafted DeSean Jackson. As soon as I got home, I devoured his highlights on YouTube. I watched his kick return against Tennessee more than I’ve said my own name. With each passing highlight reel, I pinned every hope I had on a 5’10” wide receiver who was 175 lbs soaking wet with speed that could shatter the sound barrier.
In football, it’s the hope that kills you. But also, the hope is the entire point. Being a fan is about getting carried away, jumping guns, getting ahead of ourselves. It’s about being so enamored with hopes and dreams and visions of Lombardi Trophies dancing in our heads that we fall in love with the sheer potential of a young player.
The NFL Draft is one week away. One week until we pin our outsized expectations on college kids fresh out of frat parties. One week until we convince ourselves that some NFL rookie is just what our team needs to get over the hump. Some of us will be right. But unfortunately, most of us will be wrong.
The draft is a combination of art, science, and slot machine. Every prospect feels like a dice roll. But recently, fortune has favored Philadelphia. After years of Danny Watkinses and Jalen Reagors (sorry for the PTSD), Howie Roseman has solidified himself as one of the best general managers in the biz, due in part to his stellar results on draft night.
Since Nick Sirianni was hired in 2021, the Eagles have drafted players who directly contributed to their second Super Bowl win, including DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, Milton Williams, Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens, Nakobe Dean, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Moro Ojomo, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Jalyx Hunt. Howie’s been on a heater.
Roseman will look to carry that momentum into a draft that’s lowkey important for the team’s future. The Eagles have several present and future needs to address on both sides of the ball (i.e. who’s playing safety?), so there are a lot of directions they could go in. They sit at pick #23 in the first round and currently have 8 total picks in the draft, including 6 in the first 4 rounds.
To help make sense of all of this, I interviewed my guy Al Calo from Calo Football. Al is an incredible football writer and fellow Birds fan. He’s been covering the draft in-depth, providing excellent rankings on draft prospects by position and deep analysis on each player. I talked to Al about the best fits for the Birds, players they should avoid in the first round, and his favorite player to watch in the draft. Let’s see who looks good in midnight green (said in Bob Barker voice)!
What are the strengths and weaknesses of this draft class?
AL: The first weakness that comes to mind is how thin of a quarterback class this is. It’s trending that we won’t see more than 3-4 total taken before Day 3, and that might be generous. Don’t be surprised if the Eagles move Tanner McKee to a needy team after signing Andy Dalton.
There is also a lack of true blue-chip prospects at the top. I personally think it makes it more fun because of the uncertainty for almost every team, but it leads people to label this as a weaker class.
Strengths include edge and wide receiver depth. We should see a lot of edge rushers go in Round 1. In my latest article, I discuss how many starting caliber receivers there are, and I expect the Eagles to dip into that pool with one of their three picks on Day 2.
Which prospect is the best fit for the Eagles in the first round?
My first choice that is a realistic option at #23 would be edge rusher Keldric Faulk out of Auburn. He offers inside-out versatility with experience playing across the defensive line. Most evaluators believe he also has untapped upside as a pass rusher as he will be playing his first NFL season at just 21 years old. He’s a run defense upgrade and a rotational rusher as a floor outcome in year one.
We’ll talk about who I think they are considering on the offensive side of the ball a little later.
Which prospects should the Eagles stay away from in the first round?
Alabama QB Ty Simpson… just kidding. They visited with offensive tackle Caleb Lomu out of Utah recently. But I would rather not draft a left tackle who needs refinement with a first-round pick in a draft where they have plenty of other needs. His primary position isn’t one of those needs.
The Eagles have benefited from elite prospects tumbling down draft boards in recent years.
Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean fell in 2024, and the Eagles took advantage. Last year, it was Jihaad Campbell. Who has the potential to be that prospect this year?
Wide Receiver Jordyn Tyson out of Arizona State is my #1 WR in the class. He has some injury history, so if he makes it to near pick 20, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Howie make a move. Defensively, Faulk would be a slight slide that I could easily see happening and am hoping for. Unfortunately, there just aren’t many elite prospects that would get me as excited as Quinyon and DeJean did at those spots. Some potential for fallers on Day 2 for sure, though.
Who are the Day 2 and Day 3 prospects you love for the Eagles?
WR Chris Bell out of Louisville is higher in my receiver rankings than most. He’s been comped to A.J. Brown a little too much, but it’s a fit when it comes to body type and physicality. You won’t catch me comping Day 2 picks to All-Pros, but he would pair nicely with DeVonta Smith. He has a recent ACL injury, causing a bit of a discount right now. He was a projected first-round pick earlier in the college football season.
The Eagles are having a bunch of tight ends on visits, and most are fringe Day 2/early Day 3 guys. This tight end class is deep, so teams might just wait it out until a small run happens. Max Klare is my TE3 in the class and has visited. He’s more of a smooth-mover receiving weapon than an inline enforcer. Justin Joly, Oscar Delp, Jack Endries, and Tanner Koziol are more tight end names to keep in mind for Day 3.
Who’s your draft sleeper? The one player who fits well for Philly but who no one is talking about.
I’ll give a couple. Missouri Guard Keagan Trost, Arizona Safety Genesis Smith, and Cincinnati TE Joe Royer. Also really like De’Zhaun Stribling, wide receiver out of Ole Miss. He’s been a recent riser for teams, so he’s getting himself out of “sleeper” territory.
If the Eagles made up their mind about trading A.J. Brown, which WR should they explore drafting to help replace his production?
Tyson would be my 1st choice, and I mentioned Bell as a Day 2 pick. Omar Cooper Jr. out of Indiana is another name who has been tied to them and had a top-30 visit. Good player who would provide some yards after catch for a receiver room that will need that element replaced with the departure of A.J.
Made big time plays for Indiana in big games and has clear juice in the stem of his routes and with the ball in his hands. He’s relatively slot-dependent, but I wouldn’t be mad about it in the mid-20s.
The Eagles haven’t drafted an offensive lineman in the first 3 rounds in two years (Tyler Steen in 2023).
Should the Eagles draft an offensive lineman in the top 100? If so, who’s the best fit for the zone blocking scheme under the Eagles’ new offensive line coach, Chris Kuper?
I really like Max Iheanachor out of Arizona State. He’s an athletic right tackle with traits that show high-end upside. With a year behind Lane Johnson, he would get the refinement he needs and be ideal for the zone blocking scheme the Eagles are transitioning to. The unfortunate part about this draft in general is its lack of elite talent. So this is an upside play, which is always part of the criteria when you pick in the 20s.
Which draft fit for the Eagles has the best YouTube highlights?
The top receivers are all fits for the Eagles, with the expectation for me that A.J. Brown will be traded. I think they are going to see where the board plays out, but I would say WR is one of the top-3 positions they will be looking at in Round 1. Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Makai Lemon (USC), and Jordyn Tyson all have great highlights, same with KC Concepcion (Texas A&M) and Omar Cooper.
Who’s your single favorite player to watch in this draft?
RB Jeremiah Love out of Notre Dame and it’s not particularly close.
What’s your biggest hot take about this draft?
For the Eagles specifically, I think there is enough starting potential depth at safety and TE that I don’t want them to draft #1 TE Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon) in Round 1 or Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt) in Round 2. Those two have been mocked to them frequently. They signed FOUR tight ends in free agency, they will draft one, but there are plenty I like that won’t require premium draft capital. That seems to be the route they are trending at the moment.
Check out more draft coverage from Al at Calo Football