Eagles 7-Round Mock Draft: Reloading Defense Following Free Agent Departures

Round 3, Pick 94: Jordan Battle, Safety, Alabama

Yet another position that was hurt by free agency for the Eagles is safety. Marcus Epps signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, while C.J. Gardner-Johnson (safety/nickel cornerback) remains a free agent. At this point, Reed Blankenship and K’Von Wallace are slated to start at safety for Philadelphia.

Bringing in a player like Jordan Battle from Alabama could give the Eagles defense another viable option to see some valuable snaps in 2023 at the safety position. Battle has the skill set to help out at either free or strong safety, with the physicality to excel in the box and the instincts and ball skills to make plays in zone coverage.

Regardless of where he aligns at the beginning of the play, Battle has the aggressive style of play to find his way to the football and deliver a huge hit by the end of it. He is incredibly instinctual, always finding himself in the right place at the right time. This is evidenced by his three career pick-six interceptions returned for touchdowns, all of which were near walk-ins after jumping a pass.

While Wallace is a serviceable safety and Blankenship showed flashes of potential in 2022, the Eagles would be wise to continue to look for options at the position. They will likely add some sort of veteran presence, but adding a player like Battle would be great for the development of the defense.

Round 4, Pick 109: Tank Dell, Wide Receiver, Houston

The Eagles already have two of the league’s best wide receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Giving quarterback Jalen Hurts another weapon like Nathaniel “Tank” Dell would allow him to take this offense to a whole new level.

Right now, the Eagles have a similar type of receiver in Quez Watkins. Both Watkins and Dell have homerun speed, with the ability to take the top off of any defense. But with Watkins only under contract for one more season, and a lack of true production as the offense’s third receiver, the team will likely be looking in a different direction for the future.

Dell would be a great addition because he not only has that blinding, deep speed to help open things up underneath for Brown and Smith, but he is very athletic and shifty when running routes and with the ball in his hands. He is an absolute touchdown machine, leading the nation in both receiving yards (1,398) and touchdowns (17).

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Dell could very well be off the board earlier than the fourth round where he was available in this mock draft, but he was available and was the clear choice here. Whereas many players helped their draft stock at the Combine, Dell’s may be going in the wrong direction, as he did not run as fast as many anticipated (4.49 forty-yard dash) and measured at just 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds, causing some teams to potentially worry about his size and durability at the next level. This could allow Dell to fall right into the waiting arms of a wide receiver-needy team, such as the Eagles, at a bargain price.