Eagles 7-Round Mock Draft: Howie finds his Javon Hargrave replacement; WR room becomes unstoppable

I’ve done it everyone. I’ve put together the perfect Philadelphia Eagles seven-round mock draft.
Okay, maybe perfect is a strong word. I’m no Howie Roseman, but I did try to do my best Howie impersonation with this mock using PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator.
Looking at all the possibilities for the Eagles in round one, trading back to acquire more picks in the middle rounds seems like the most logical thing to do. Philly doesn’t have any picks between the fourth and sixth rounds of this year’s draft and Howie could use some extra draft capital to fill out his roster.
So, at tenth overall, I decided to pull the trigger and move back, teaming up with the Patriots to swap first-round picks, acquire their third-round selection (76th overall), while snagging another third-rounder for 2024.
Draft Day Trade:
Eagles receive: No. 14 overall, No. 76 overall, 2024 third-round pick
Patriots receive: No. 10 overall
Moving back to 14th, the Eagles were still in prime position to take one of the most promising defensive tackles in this entire draft class.

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Round 1, pick #14 – Pittsburgh DT Calijah Kancey
Is drafting a defensive tackle in back-to-back first rounds overkill? For any team not named the Eagles, probably.
After losing Javon Hargrave to the San Francisco 49ers during the free agency period, the Eagles defense is left with a massive hole in the middle of their line. The trio of Jordan Davis, Fletcher Cox, and Milton Williams – along with the offseason acquisition of Kentavius Street – is a fine defensive tackle group. But it’s not elite without a presence like Hargrave.
Insert Pitt’s Calijah Kancey, widely considered the second-best DT prospect in the draft class behind Jalen Carter. He’s drawn a lot of comparisons to Aaron Donald – mostly due to their play style and alma mater. Saying he’s the next Donald is a stretch, but the Eagles don’t need him to be. They just need him to pick up the pass rushing production left behind by Hargrave, and best believe Kancey is more than capable of doing that.
He posted elite marks across the board in 2022, earning a 91.8 overall grade from PFF, along with a 92.4 pass rushing grade while posting a 22 percent pass rush win rate. Kancey is a bit undersized at 6-foot-1, 281 pounds, but his explosiveness off the ball and pass rushing acumen separates him from a lot of the interior defensive lineman populating this draft class. His 4.67 40-yard dash time at the combine was the fastest time any DT has posted since 2003.
Kancey’s absurd athleticism and pass rushing ability fits perfectly into the Eagles DT group. They just don’t have an interior lineman who can wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks on a consistent basis. Kancey will. Playing alongside a walking fridge in Jordan Davis and a savvy veteran like Fletcher Cox will only bolster Kancey’s production early on.
Adding an athletic specimen at DT is way too on-brand for Howie here. If the Eagles do end up moving back on day one, Kancey will more than likely be the target.
Round 1, pick #30 – Boston College WR Zay Flowers
It’s hard to get a gauge on where WR Zay Flowers gets drafted come April 27. Some scouts and pundits have him as their WR1, while others label him as a day two prospect. Nevertheless, if he falls to 30, I wouldn’t be shocked if Howie pulled the trigger.
We’ve all heard this argument for drafting Texas RB Bijan Robinson: “If the Eagles get a guy like Bijan, their offense will be unstoppable.” The same can be said for a guy like Flowers, who would instantly make the Eagles WR corps the best in football.
PFF calls Flowers the, “best pure separator in this draft class,” and it’s not hard to see why once you put on the tape. His quickness and change of direction are second to none in this wide receiver class and his skill set would be a perfect complement to AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. Essentially, he’s a more polished version of Quez Watkins – a guy who a lot of Eagles fans want to replace this offseason.
Flowers is a little undersized at 5-foot-9, 182 pounds, but that shouldn’t be an issue for the role the Eagles will likely utilize him in. He’s not a pure slot receiver – he spent the majority of his playing time on the outside. But he’s versatile enough to lineup all over the formation and that’s probably how you’ll get the most production out of him early on.
The Eagles can use Flowers as their matchup nightmare for opposing defenses. There’s no way defenses will be able to stop Brown, Smith, Dallas Goedert, and Flowers.
Howie could look in a number of different directions at the bottom of the first. Taking a guy who puts your offense into unstoppable territory is a safe bet.
Round 2, pick #62 – Alabama S Jordan Battle
Safety is arguably the biggest need facing this team entering draft weekend. They lost both starters from last year in Marcus Epps and CJ Gardner-Johnson. As of now, the starting duo is probably Terrell Edmunds and Reed Blankenship. Alabama’s Jordan Battle would come in and instantly compete for a starting spot. At the very least, he’d provide great depth at the position with the potential to be a long-term starter if Edmunds isn’t resigned next offseason.
Battle is a high floor player with his high football IQ and physical brand of football. His physical traits don’t jump of the screen but he’s more than capable of playing a third safety role around the line of scrimmage – which is what the Eagles will likely ask him to do in year one.
He has a ton of experience, logging 3,091 defensive snaps for Nick Saban’s defense over the past three years, while posting an 80.0 grade or better during each season. Battle spent time as a deep safety in two-high looks, down around the box, and even in the slot during his collegiate career. He’s the type of player any defensive coordinator would love to have.
Battle is the complete package for a safety, he just doesn’t have the elite physical traits you’d like to see from top-tier prospects, which is why he’ll probably slide to the second or third-round. Nevertheless, the Eagles instantly upgrade their safety room with this selection, despite it coming on day two.
Round 3, pick #76 – Wisconsin EDGE Nick Herbig
There’s no shot in hell the Eagles are leaving this draft without adding a defensive end at some point. While Wisconsin’s Nick Herbig isn’t your typical hand in the dirt defensive end, he remains one of the best pass rushers in this year’s class and he was undoubtedly the best pass rusher left on the board at 76th overall.
In 2022, Herbig notched 11 sacks, six QB hits, and 17 hurries. Despite his smaller stature (6-foot-1, 240 pounds), he was unblockable at times in passing situations. He recorded a 23.9 percent pass rush win rate as junior, and followed that up with a 40.9 percent win rate against true pass sets as a senior, fourth-best in the nation among edge rushers with at least 150 snaps.
Entering year one, Herbig is really a pass rushing-only type of player, but that’s fine for what the Eagles need. He’ll likely be the pass rushing rotation right off the bat and produce. The Eagles are pass rush obsessed and they’ll need all the help they can get to recreate the insane sack production they achieved last season. Herbig would certainly help with that.
Round 3, pick #94 – North Carolina State G Chandler Zavala
North Carolina State’s Chandler Zavala has gained a lot of momentum following his impressive pro day in late March.
Drill | Zavala |
40-yard dash | 5.01 seconds |
Shuttle | 4.53 seconds |
Three-cone | 7.56 seconds |
Vertical | 32.5 inches |
Bench | 30 reps |
For a guy who’s 6-foot-3, 322 pounds, those are all elite marks. It’s possible that he’s elevated his draft stock into the second-round, but it’s no guarantee – especially for a guard. Although the Eagles starting five lineman are essentially set in stone, their depth isn’t as plentiful as it typically is. Along with losing starter Isaac Seumalo to free agency, Andre Dillard’s departure leaves a sizable hole on the depth chart as well.
Zavala could come in and compete for the starting guard job left behind by Seumalo, but all signs are pointing towards second-year lineman Cam Jurgens getting the job. Drafting Zavala would at least give the Eagles some flexibility along their line if they prefer keeping Jurgens behind Jason Kelce or one of the starters goes down for an extended period of time.
He was one of the best pass blocking guards in the country last season, allowing just four pressures on 422 pass blocking reps. His run blocking could use some work, but with his athleticism, that should be an easy fix for Jeff Stoutland.
Keeping the offensive line depth in tact is always a top priority for the Eagles brass. Zavala provides instant depth at a priority position while also being in line for a starting job in year two or three.
Round 7, pick #219 – UCLA QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson
When in doubt, add another guy to the QB Factory.
Even though Jalen Hurts is the guy and the team just signed Marcus Mariota to a one-year deal, we know Howie loves getting developmental signal callers whenever he can. We also know the team has some interest in UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson after they hosted him for a top-30 pre-draft visit earlier this week. The team also met with the QB at the scouting combine.
His skill set is an obvious fit for the Eagles offense. A five-year starter in college, DTR improved his play with every season. During his senior year, his completion percentage reached 69.6 percent, while tossing a career-best 27 touchdowns with a passer rating of 157.4. He did a lot of damage with his legs as well, amassing 645 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns in 2022.
Given the team’s obvious interest in the kid, I’d be shocked if they passed up on him in the seventh-round. If DTR can be a long-term backup for Hurts, it’ll be a huge win for the organization.
Round 7, pick #248 – Ole Miss LB Troy Brown
Linebacker is a clear need for the Eagles. But with Howie running the show, I don’t see them investing serious draft capital into the position. They clearly have faith in Nakobe Dean heading into year two. Otherwise, they would’ve fought harder to keep TJ Edwards or Kyzir White this offseason.
Ole Miss’ Troy Brown won’t be anything more than a depth piece in year one. He’s undersized for the position at 6-foot-1, 220 pounds and he was more of a sub package backer at the collegiate level. Brown was an excellent coverage backer when called upon, but proved to be a liability in run defense. Nevertheless, the Eagles have drafted a ton of these undersized coverage backers in year’s past.
For the sake of adding depth at a position of need, I wouldn’t be surprised if they did it again this year.
So, there you have it. The perfect Eagles mock draft.
Think I made a bunch of terrible picks? Leave a comment and I’ll argue with you because I am right and you are wrong. I got all night buddy. Try me.
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