Eagles’ First Round Mock Draft: An Early Look At Day One In Philly’s 2023 NFL Draft.
The Eagles have one of the most well-rounded rosters in the NFL.
They have no apparent weaknesses on either side of the ball, as they have rolled through the NFL in 2022, entering Week 17 with a league-leading 13-2 record. As January rapidly approaches, fans may wonder why we are already looking toward the offseason.
Week 17’s significance is due to one of the most peculiar scenarios looming ahead of the Philadelphia Eagles entering their matchup against the New Orleans Saints. First, the Birds can improve their draft position by winning the game. The reason for this is the offseason trade that transferred ownership of the Saints’ first-round selection to the Eagles. The pick currently sits at 10th, but a win could push it even higher. Furthermore, the victory would clinch the top seed in the NFC for the Eagles. So this is a big, big game.
So, without further adieu, we once again explore some draft possibilities for the Eagles.
First Round, Overall 10th Pick – Myles Murphy, EDGE, Clemson
The Eagles love investing in the trenches.
Philadelphia has sunk a lot of resources into their offensive and defensive linemen. For example, in the 2022 NFL Draft, the Eagles selected Georgia’s Jordan Davis and Nebraska’s Cam Jurgens in the first two rounds. The previous year saw Philly snag Landon Dickerson from Alabama and Milton Williams from Louisiana Tech on Day Two.
Drafting Murphy with their first selection would be no different. The Eagles’ defensive line is aging quickly, with veterans like Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham in the twilight of their careers. Pair Howie Roseman’s affinity for dominant defensive fronts and Myles Murphy’s physical tools, and it is the perfect marriage.
The Clemson edge rusher has scouts salivating throughout the league with his production, prototypical size and length, and dominant play. Murphy is explosive and has a natural bend that will frustrate opposing offensive tackles. In addition, his production has been sound, as he has racked up 18.5 sacks and 36 tackles for loss in his 35-game career at Clemson. He has also defended five passes and forced six fumbles in his collegiate tenure.
The 6’5″, 275-pound prospect has all the physical tools that you could hope for in an edge rusher. Furthermore, Murphy’s size allows him to be scheme-flexible, and his style of play is malleable enough to slot in with whichever team drafts him. His raw power and fantastic dip and rip move will make him an absolute handful at the next level.
First Round, Overall 31st Pick – O’Cyrus Torrence, G, Florida
O’Cyrus Torrence is a beast.
The 6’5″, 347-pound guard is enormous. The Eagles tend to like bigger interior offensive linemen to flank Kelce, their lighter, ultra-athletic center. Second-year emerging star Landon Dickerson is 6’6″, 332-pounds, and current right guard Isaac Seumalo is 6’4″, 306-pounds. Torrence would compete with the incumbent immediately and add further depth to an already stout group.
The Florida Gator has been impressive in his 697 snaps this collegiate season. He is PFF’s top-ranked guard prospect on their Big Board and has achieved a stellar 88.0 overall PFF grade this season. In addition, he has allowed just eight hurries all year and not surrendered a hit or sack.
Torrence is truly an elite run blocker. The Florida product can move people in circles out of run lanes, having a knack for displacing multiple defenders and easily sealing off lanes. He is a people mover with great leg drive and quick feet to get to the second level. He created some great space for the Gators’ dual-threat quarterback Anthony Richardson, which would translate smoothly to the Eagles’ option designs with Jalen Hurts.
The guard prospect is solid in pass protection. In contrast to his run-blocking, which was nothing short of impeccable, Torrence needs to be more consistent in pass protection. He possesses fantastic processing skills when opponents are running games along their defensive line and can efficiently pass off rushers and identify defenders switching gaps. He has reps where his anchor looks good, fast, and vice-like. Alternatively, Torrence sometimes struggled with the sheer power and speed of Alabama’s Jalen Carter. Now, that is obviously to be expected, with the draft’s best defensive line prospect being a projected top-three pick for a reason. Yet there was one play where Carter had Torrence airborne twice and was pushed right into Richardson’s lap. The Floria Gator earned a sound pass-block grade of 76.1 but has areas to improve in preparation for the elite interior rushers in the NFL.
So the Eagles turn to the trenches again. While fans may clamor for reinforcements in the aging secondary or flashier selections like Texas Longhorn Bijan Robinson, Roseman likely sticks to his convictions. After all, Philadelphia is in the Super Bowl hunt with that strategy.
Let us know what you think of these two potential picks. Are you a fan of going after the trenches?
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