Philadelphia Eagles
2014 Draft Preview
Eagles head coach Chip Kelly proved how successful his turbo-charged offensive strategy can be at the highest level of football. There were plenty of skeptics, but the hurry-up, no-huddle offense turned out to be quite prolific.
Picks
Draft picks (by round)
- 1st round.22
- 2nd round 22
- 3rd round 22
- 4th round 22
- 5th round 22
- 5th round 29 (Traded from NE)
- 7th round 22
Eagles 2014 NFL Draft Predictions
Kelly will doubtlessly want Eagles brass to select some players in this year’s Draft that can fit into that scheme.
First Round: (#22 overall) Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt
There are a couple of wideouts that could fit the bill here, but the Eagles are mainly looking for a big, fast WR. Matthews goes at 6″3, 210-lbs and ran a 4.46 at the NFL Combine. The Vanderbilt star also snagged 262 passes in the football-mad SEC.
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Matthews couldn’t be stopped even though every ferocious SEC defense keyed in on him week in and week out.
There are other similarly impressive physical wideouts on the draft board, but Matthews looks like a sure thing in terms of immediate contributions on the roster in 2014. Philly could also trade up to grab a player like WR Mike Evans, DB Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix or OLB Anthony Barr.
Second Round: (#54) Jeremiah Attaochu, OLB, Georgia Tech
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If Philadelphia takes a WR as expected in Round 1, the Eagles will covet a pass-rusher off the edge to shore up the aging Trent Cole. Attaochu would probably go even higher if he didn’t have some health issues, and he looks to be a nice fit for the Eagles defense. This pick obviously changes if the Eagles were to trade up to take Anthony Barr.
The Eagles could also look at a higher-ceiling, more developmental guy like OLB Demarcus Lawrence from Boise State.
Third Round: (#86) Brent Urban, DE, Virginia
If Urban is available when the Eagles make this pick, he’d be a steal. Word is that Philly is also interested in LB Christian Kirksey from Iowa, so he’d be a nice consolation prize if Urban is gone. With the exception of grabbing a WR early, the Eagles will look to improve their defense in this year’s draft.
Urban would be a nice fit because he’s very tall (pushing 6″7) and could use his length to disrupt passing lanes. Urban is also a gifted athlete as he grew up playing junior hockey outside Toronto, Canada, and earned a football scholarship to Virginia. Urban is broad and muscle-bound and you’d never know he carried 295 lbs.
The red flag on Urban is a slew of repeated leg injuries, which may lean the Eagles toward Kirksey.
Fourth Round: (#122) Dontae Johnson, S, NC State
As high-scoring as Philly’s offense was, its defense was terrible last season. The Eagles hope to upgrade at several positions on “D” and safety is included. Malcolm Jenkins was signed, but Philly needs another body to potentially come in and start, as Nate Allen is unreliable. Johnson could be a nice fit in Round 4.
Other possibilities for the Eagles: Cody Latimer (WR, Indiana), Kelvin Benjamin (WR, Florida St), Kyle Fuller (CB, Virginia Tech), Demarcus Lawrence (OLB, Boise St), Christian Kirksey (OLB, Iowa)
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