NFL.com Mock Draft has Eagles Filling Major Need

As soon as the Super Bowl ended, every team turns their attention to the 2021 season. NFL.com draft analyst Chad Reuters released his first mock draft, which goes three rounds.

Reuters is well respected when it comes to the draft and he has the Eagles staying at No. 6 and addressing a major need by taking Alabama cornerback Patrick Surtain II.

“The Eagles could take a receiver here, but no team has selected first-round wideouts in consecutive drafts in 15 years, and I don't see that streak ending with Philly. Instead, the Eagles nab a much-needed shutdown corner in Surtain, who will be the highest-rated defender on many teams' draft boards.”

It makes plenty of sense. The Eagles could use a young impact corner to play opposite veteran Darius Slay, something they’ve been missing big time the past few years.

With new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, filling that role makes a lot of sense, his background is as a defensive backs coach.

Surtain could certainly fill that role.

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The team has failed in finding its own cornerbacks via the draft, missing in the 2017 draft on Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas.  They also tried 2018 draft pick Avonte Maddox and signed free agent Nickell Robey-Coleman before the 2020 season.

Surtain and Slay would be a pretty solid tandem and give Gannon something to build with in the secondary.

In round two, Reuters went with another SEC player, taking wide receiver Terrace Marshall of LSU.

Marshall led the Tigers with with 48 receptions for 731 yards and 10 scores. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound wideout left the team with two games left to play, but still was the Tigers leading receiver in 2020.

In the third-round, Reuters has them taking Pittsburgh edge rusher Patrick Jones II, who had 41 tackles (11.5 for loss), 8.5 sacks and four forced fumbles during the 2020 season.

Overall Jones had 17.5 sacks over the last two seasons and would give the Eagles another edge rusher with veteran Vinny Curry likely gone.