1 (10): DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
The 2020 Heisman winner reunites with his former Alabama teammate Jalen Hurts, who will once again be throwing him passes as he once did.
Smith’s lack of size is likely all that prevented him from being the first receiver off the board in the 2021 NFL Draft. He’s the total package here and should be an instant impact player.
2 (37): Landon Dickerson, OL, Alabama
Dickerson also rejoins his former Alabama battery mate and could play any of the three interior line spots. The Eagles need him to stay healthy but when he’s on, he’s very good.
3 (73): Milton Williams, DL, Louisiana Tech
At nearly 285 pounds, perhaps no player in this draft class — pound for pound — put on a better show than Milton Williams.
He ran a 4.63 in the 40-yard dash, a 38.5-inch vertical jump, a 6.96 in the three-cone drill, and a 121-inch broad jump. All of his testing numbers had him in the 99th percentile for defensive tackles.
4 (123): Zech McPhearson, CB, Texas Tech
This guy has intriguing position flexibility in the NFL as a nickel/outside corner and he showed off his ball skills this past year with four interceptions. He spent three years at Penn State before transferring to Texas Tech where he really showed what he can do as an all-around player (104 tackles in two seasons).
5 (150): Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Memphis
At this juncture of the draft, Kenneth Gainwell was an absolute steal. Gainwell has some of the best pass-catching abilities of any back in this class, and he gives the Eagles a guy who can legitimately motion out into the slot and run some routes there.
6 (189): Marlon Tuipulotu, DL, USC
Although he’s not flashy as a pass rusher, Tuipulotu should be a strong NFL run defender. It’s surprising that he lasted to this point of the draft even considering his ceiling as a pass rusher.
6 (191): Tarron Jackson, DE, Coastal Carolina
Jackson has pretty average or even below average traits off the edge, but he was extremely productive in his years with Coastal Carolina as a pass rusher. You could have him play an outside/inside role in the NFL with his strong punch.
6 (224): JaCoby Stevens, S, LSU
Stevens is going to give the Eagles a playmaker on special teams right away, and he also could be a hybrid player defensively for them at some point. He had a huge year in 2019 for the Tigers (who didn’t) with 92 total tackles, 9 tackles for loss, five sacks, three interceptions, and nine passes broken up.
7 (234): Patrick Johnson, EDGE, Tulane
Another highly productive pass rusher at the college level, Johnson might be a better pick than Tarron Jackson a round earlier. He had 24.5 sacks and six forced fumbles over the last three seasons at Tulane.