Eagles Address Two Needs in Mel Kiper Jr.’s 2-Round Mock Draft

We are just about three weeks away from the 2025 NFL Draft, and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. just put out his first two-round mock draft of the offseason.

When it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles draft strategy, he certainly stuck with what the Eagles know, even after a busy offseason for general manager Howie Roseman, adding some low-risk, high-reward type of players.

In his last mock draft, Kiper had the Eagles landing Ole Miss defensive tackle Walter Nolen with pick 32.

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This time, he has Philadelphia nabbing Tennessee pass rusher James Pearce at No. 32 overall.

The defending Super Bowl champs lost some key parts of their defense in free agency, including edge rusher Josh Sweat. Being able to get after the quarterback is important for Vic Fangio's defense, and there's a glaring void now on the edge. There are mixed opinions around the league on whether Pearce is a first-rounder, but he has the traits to develop into a speedy disruptor in the right system. He had 17.5 sacks over the past two seasons and ranked second in the nation in pressure rate last season (19.0%).

Doubling down on first-round edge rusher after the Eagles added Josh Uche and Azeez Ojulari gives Vic Fangio's defense another weapon, with the team looking to replace Josh Sweat, who is now in Arizona with the Cardinals.

As Kiper mentioned, Pearce would provide Philadelphia with another option as a Josh Sweat replacement and take some of the pressure off 2024 third-round pick Jalyx Hunt in Year 2.

Eagles Target Safety Kevin Winston Jr. in Round 2 of NFL Draft

While adding a legit pass rusher makes sense in Round 1, the Eagles could look to replace another player they lost this offseason, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

At No. 64 overall, Kiper has the Eagles taking Penn State safety Kevin Winston Jr.

The Eagles could close Round 2 by staying in state. Winston played only two games last season after suffering a knee injury in September, but he had 40 tackles and five pass breakups the prior year. He could help replace C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was traded to Houston.

Bringing in Winston at safety would add more competition to the safety room, which currently has Sydney Brown, Tristin McCollum, and Lewis Cine.

Kiper also suggested the team could look at adding some depth to the offensive line here with Boston College's Ozzy Trapilo or LSU's Emery Jones Jr.

The Eagles have a question mark at right guard this year with 2024 starter Makhi Becton now with the Chargers. Tyler Steen appears to be the front-runner for the job, while former first-round pick Kenyon Green is also in the mix after coming over in the Gardner-Johnson trade.

Who do you think the Eagles should target in the 2025 NFL Draft? Let us know below.