PFF 7-Round Mock: Eagles Go Heavy on Defensive Side of Ball

The NFL Draft is finally here.

After months of speculation and conversation, the Philadelphia Eagles will make their 11 selections (unless they trade some of them, which is very possible)tomorrow night in Cleveland.

On the day before the festivities, Pro Football Focus released their seven-round final mock draft and has the Philadelphia Eagles selecting seven players on the defensive side of the ball - including at No. 12.

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With that first-round pick, PFF projected the Eagles to select Michigan edge rusher Kwity Paye, who has been touted as one of the best defensive ends in this year's draft class.

The Eagles could go in several different directions here, including trading down again given the potential rebuild they are looking at. This defense has been at its best when it has rolled seven pass-rushers deep, and Kwity Paye would add to that rotation and give them positional flexibility to always be a threat in obvious rushing situations. After all, the likes of Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox aren't getting any younger.

So do the Eagles land a wide receiver or corner with pick No. 37? Not yet.  PFF has the team taking Missouri linebacker Nick Bolton, which fills a definite need at a position that has been neglected for years.

The Eagles had one of the worst linebacker situations in football in 2019, so Bolton would be a huge addition to the defense. Bolton doesn't have the absurd workout numbers of some of the other players at his position, but his athleticism is more than good enough and he demonstrates exceptional instincts and a nose for the football. Bolton was able to track down and tackle players like Kadarius Toney in the open field, and that's a good enough endorsement of his tools..

The 6-foot, 232-pounder had a fine junior season with 95 total tackles (61 solo, eight for loss), 2.0 sacks, one fumble recovery, one quarterback hurry and five pass breakups in 10 games for the Tigers in 2020 and is considered to be a excellent coverage linebacker.

Barring a trade, the Eagles will have two picks in round-three and in this particular mock draft, the team will go with defense in both of their selections. First, landing Syracuse cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu and then landing defensive end Osa Odighizuwa from UCLA.

Melifonwu is a long 6-foot-2, 205 pounds corner with impressive size and ball skills for the position. The Syracuse corner broke up 21 passes during his tenure with the Orange and would likely step in and play right away opposite Darius Slay in Jonathan Gannon's defense.

As for Odighizuwa, the 6-foot-2, 280-pound defensive end had 46 total tackles (10.0 for loss, 3.5 sacks), three quarterback hurries and one pass breakup during the 2020- season for the Bruins.

Next up for the Eagles would be their fourth-round pick, and they finally land an offensive player, going with Clemson wide receiver Amari Rodgers. Rodgers is versatile and productive 5-foot-10, 210-pound wideout with good speed.

Its back to the defensive side of the ball in round-five, with another corner D.J. Daniel, a 6-foot-1, 185 pounder from Georgia.

The team has three picks in round-six with PFF has them taking, guard Larry Borom from Missouri, quarterback Felipe Franks from Arkansas, and defensive end Taquon Graham from Texas.

Franks is an interesting prospect at quarterback, who completed 68 percent of his passes for 2,072 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions.  The 6-foot-6 228-pound QB, who transferred from Florida, adds the ability to run with 204 rushing yards and a touchdown in 2020.

Finally in round-seven the Eagles head down tobacco road to land North Carolina wide receiver, a likely slot guy who had 54 passes for 684 yards and six touchdowns in 2020. Their final pick is Duke defensive end Victor Dimukeje, who 6-foot-3, 265-pound edge rusher, who started every game during his time with the Blue Devils and had some eye-popping numbers with 32 tackles for loss, 21.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles as a senior.