The Linc – The “ideal top two picks” for the Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 4/16/23.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

2023 NFL Draft: Ideal top two picks for every team – NFL.com
Round 1: No. 10 overall — Nolan Smith, Edge, Georgia. Round 1: No. 30 overall — Cody Mauch, OL, North Dakota State. Smith is a bit undersized as an edge (6-2 1/4, 238 pounds), but his speed (4.39 40) and strong hands remind me of Haason Reddick when he came out of Temple. The Eagles would love to pair Smith and Reddick on their front. Mauch’s versatility and nastiness as a blocker would allow him to compete for the starting right guard spot in Philly as a rookie and replace Andre Dillard as the backup left tackle.

NFL Mock Draft Simulation: Will Anderson Jr. falls further than expected – BGN
Pick 10: Will Anderson Junior, Edge, Alabama. This would be a surprising but welcome scenario where one of the best players in the class falls into the Eagles’ laps. With four quarterbacks projected to go top five in the draft, stranger things have happened. In this case, the Eagles get an instant impact pass rusher that would rotate in with Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat to give the Eagles the fastest set of edge rushers in the league.

The EPA Podcast #21: Players the Eagles should target at No.30 overall – BGN Radio
Shane Haff and Victor Williams each share three players they think will be good fits for the Eagles at No.30 and discuss the possibility of the Birds trading out.

A look at 10 wide receivers who could interest the Eagles in the 2023 NFL Draft – PhillyVoice
In the leadup to the 2023 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles’ biggest needs — defensive tackle, edge rusher, defensive tackle, etc. — have been covered at length. Oh, and Bijan Robinson. I think there might be some articles about him, too. One of the undiscussed needs for the Birds in the 2023 NFL Draft is at wide receiver, and, well, since we love our wide receivers in Philly, let’s cover them. The Eagles’ top 4 receivers in 2022 were A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, and Zach Pascal. The only other receiver to get any snaps in the regular offense was Britain Covey, who got 21 snaps in garbage time. The Eagles never needed to dip into their reserves because everyone stayed healthy. As for performance, Brown and Smith were everything the Eagles could have hoped they’d be and more, while Pascal did his job in the Eagles’ “enforcer” role. Watkins struggled as the No. 3, and got a bump in pay to $2,785,415 in 2023 for hitting playing time benchmarks over his first three seasons in the league.

Sunday Notebook – Iggles Blitz
I’m guessing the Eagles don’t make a move here, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t as least fun to think about. Baker is the kind of player Sirianni would love to have. Talk about Dawg mentality, that is Baker in a nutshell. He’s a fiery leader and relentless player. I watched the Amazon Prime show on the Cardinals last year. There was one week where Baker sprained his ankle was supposed to be out multiple weeks. He spent his time trying to get his backup ready to play. Then Baker somehow took the field on Sunday. It was also great to see assistant coaches showing tape of him to other players and saying “That’s what we want.” Baker plays as hard as anyone in the league.

Jalen Carter’s decision to attend draft seems to confirm he’ll be a top-10 pick – PFT
It’s entirely possible (and this is speculation, but it’s informed by the circumstances) that the Eagles have made it clear to Rosenhaus that, if Carter is there at No. 10, they will take him. That sets a firm floor that coincides with Carter’s cutoff for pre-draft visits. Carter could also go before that, possibly as high as No. 5 to the Seahawks. Or someone could trade up to the top 10. There’s been some chatter about the Steelers trading up from No. 17 to No. 9 with the Bears, and who better than Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to press the right buttons on Carter to get him to commit to playing hard all the time on the field, and to making all the right decisions off the field?

1 WR the Cowboys could target in each round of the 2023 NFL Draft – Blogging The Boys
Smith-Njigba is the most pro-ready and QB-friendly wide receiver in the 2023 draft class. He projects best playing out of the slot, which can make his fit with the Cowboys a little more difficult to project. With CeeDee Lamb’s usage in the slot over the past few years Mike McCarthy would have to find a happy marriage between the two. As a rookie, JSN could thrive in the role of a chain mover on third downs due to his precise route running.

Ed’s Giants mock draft: 7 rounds the way I would handle the draft – Big Blue View
Round 1 (No. 25) — TRADE!!! I looked at the board here and decided to move down six spots with the Kansas City Chiefs. There are a number of interesting players here. Safety Brian Branch, guard O’Cyrus Torrence, cornerbacks Emmanuel Forbes and Cam Smith, centers John Michael Schmitz and Joe Tippmann, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, edge Will McDonald IV, linebackers Drew Sanders and Jack Campbell. If I sat right here and made this pick I would likely pass on the centers and choose between Branch, who I think is a fantastic fit for the Giants, and Forbes, who might be a guy who could match up with DeVonta Smith, CeeDee Lamb and Terry McLaurin. With what I’m staring at on the board, I’m very comfortable moving down a few spots. I also got the Chiefs’ third-round pick (No. 95 overall), and I think that is a pretty realistic value should the Chiefs want to move up.

No surprise: Commanders fans think the team should prioritize OT in the draft and grab a mid- to late-round QB – Hogs Haven
There’s been surprisingly little discussion about the quarterback position given the attention it has received in just about every offseason since (at least) the drafting of RG3. I attribute that to Ron’s early offseason declarations about Sam Howell; the fans’ desire to see if Howell is the guy who was drafted in the 5th round in ‘22 or the top draft prospect in the nation in ‘21; the near-zero balance in Washington’s available cap space account; and the signing of Jacoby Brissett a few weeks ago. It seems clear to just about everyone except Kay Adams that Ron Rivera is serious about going to training camp with Sam Howell and Jacoby Brissett filling the roles of QB1 and QB2, though not necessarily in the order named.

Alabama’s Brian Branch is the ultimate do-everything safety in the 2023 NFL Draft – SB Nation
Any team looking for a premier nickel defender or versatile safety should begin their draft board in the 2023 NFL Draft with Alabama safety Brian Branch. Branch is the rare Alabama prospect who has been a major contributor as a true freshman for the Crimson Tide. Branch is a former highly rated four-star recruit who compiled 172 tackles and 4 interceptions over the course of his career in Nick Saban’s defense. He was named a first-team All-American in 2022 after dominating primarily from the nickel. Branch is an extremely clean prospect with the ability to align from the nickel and deep safety. A team should be extremely pleased with him wherever they choose to play him at the next level.

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