5 Eagles Draft Targets in the First Round
With the 2023 NFL draft coming up this Thursday, many football fans are eager to see what their team does in the first round. One of the teams that hold a significant number of cards in the draft is the Philadelphia Eagles, with the 10th and 30th overall picks in the draft. Coming off a Super Bowl appearance last season, having the capital that the Eagles do in the draft is not ordinary, and being able to massively improve using those picks could be just the thing the Eagles need to boost them over the top. Here are five Eagles draft targets in the first round of the NFL draft.
1. Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
Bijan Robinson has been the talk of the town for months now, and it’s not hard to understand why so many Eagles fans want him to be the 10th pick overall. Many of the people that cover the draft all agree on the type of phenomenal player Bijan Robinson is, and many of the draft experts and followers have him as a top-five player in the draft per the industry consensus board.
At 5’11” and 215 pounds, Robinsons is big, fast, explosive, and shifty, with a highlight reel that would make many Eagles fans reminiscent of some of the highlights that former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy produced during his stint with the team. More than that, Robinsons is a complete player, with real receiving ability and vision that allows him to always at least get the yards that are available for him, with the potential of creating much more. While running backs’ value has dipped from what it once was 5-10 years ago, the Eagles have the luxury to take this player in the top 10. He could completely transform an already explosive offense, to potentially becoming the next greatest show on turf, which should make him the number one Eagles draft target.
2. Nolan Smith, Edge, Georgia
Nolan Smith is a very intriguing player who has some major upside attached when he gets drafted to the NFL. Smith was the number one recruit coming out of high school per 247sports, and he really blew up in the draft process with an electric combine performance. While he is undersized, weighing 238 pounds, his forty-time showed he is more explosive and faster than many receivers when he ran a 4.39. Watching him play, the athleticism is evident, and while he is small, he never gets pushed around in the run game and often can shed blocks and make plays on the running back.
He has also shown himself to be able to do some linebacker-type things for a defense, dropping into coverage and even having a few reps as a stand-up linebacker. The bottom line is that Nolan Smith can do everything the day you draft him and has some untapped potential to be better than an average speed rusher in the NFL. If the Eagles are sitting there at 10, and the top prospects including Bijan Robinson are all gone, don’t be shocked if they take a swing on an exciting player like Smith.
3. Brian Branch, CB/SAF, Alabama
The first thing that comes to mind after watching Brian Branch play is the intelligence and instincts that he displays. This year at Alabama, he played mostly in the slot for the Crimson Tide, and boy did he make play after play. He was an eraser in coverage, and possibly even better in the run game this year with 14 tackles for loss as a slot cornerback in Nick Saban’s defense. While Branch is not one of the most athletic players you’ll see, he more than makes up for it with his ability to read his keys and figure out where the offense is going and make plays behind the line of scrimmage.
There should be no trouble for Branch to transition into a free-safety type of role, but his versatility could add extra value for a team like the Eagles. Cornerback Avonte Maddox has dealt with injuries last year and in the past, and having someone like Branch that could do what Chauncey Gardner-Johnson did and move into the slot could be very beneficial. Adding a player like Branch will not only be an improvement to their current safety situation, but his versatility could prove to be very useful deep into the playoffs with potential injuries in the secondary.
4. Calijah Kancey, DT, Pitt
Another undersized defensive tackle coming from Pitt? Well, it would be extremely unfair to compare anyone to Aaron Donald, but the skillset and ability that Calijah Kancey shows will have people in the NFL intrigued. Kancey is a defensive tackle at 6’1” and 281 pounds, extremely small for a normal player at that position in the NFL. But it’s hard to write Kancey off when you see him rush the passer, he has such an explosive first step paired with well-refined technique and pass-rush moves that will immediately make it hard to stay in front of him. Along with the first step, he has excellent change-of-direction and functional strength in his pass-rush that allows him to slide and squirm through little openings and creases in the offensive line.
This guy can be an absolute terror in the NFL and pairing him with last year’s first-round pick, Jordan Davis, could make a perfect complimentary pair of defensive tackles. Davis takes on more of the run-stopping responsibilities where Kancey may struggle, and Kancey provides the pass-rush where Davis may struggle. All in all, Kancey’s draft value might fit in between the Eagles two first-round picks, but assuming the Eagles have nobody they love at 10 or Kancey falls into the mid-late 20’s the Eagles could trade down or up and grab this unique player and interesting target for the Eagles.
5. Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
This would likely be another luxury pick for the Eagles at the 30th pick, with them already set with Dallas Goedert at tight end, people may believe this is a surplus and not worth drafting in the first round. But Darnell Washington’s potential impact could add a lot more value than another normal tight end in this draft or anyone already in the league. Washington is as freaky of an athlete as you’ll ever see, standing at 6’7” and 264 pounds and running a 4.64 forty-yard dash with an extremely freaky 4.08 20-yard shuttle time. This guy is a matchup nightmare because he moves extremely well for a player his size, automatically making him a threat within the red zone.
But the best thing that Washington does is his blocking, which is offensive tackle-worthy, driving people into the dirt routinely. While he would be the number two tight end for the Eagles, having him in for two tight end formations will be a nightmare for opposing defenses to try and defend the pass and the run. There are some concerns about his potential durability, a guy that size will often have to face defenders going straight for his legs. But, if the Eagles can get past those concerns, they can take another player that can transform their offense, just in a different way than a typical star receiver or tight end.
The Eagles success will not necessarily be determined by these picks, but hitting on these picks could be something that makes this team the one to beat in the NFL. There’s a bevy of options for them at many different positions, but in a draft class, many say is underwhelming, getting the best overall players regardless of the position that fits the team should be the priority.
Main Photo: Mikala Compton – USA TODAY Sports
