The 2024 NFL Draft is just a week away, and the Philadelphia Eagles have plenty of options to choose from with three selections in the first 64 picks.
With needs surrounding the future depth of the offensive line, defensive line, and secondary, Philadelphia could go in different directions with the No. 22 pick.
One of Pro Football Network’s draft experts has left his own opinion on where the Eagles are heading a week from now in the draft.
Eagles Connected to Laiatu Latu in Latest Mock Draft
In his latest mock draft, Pro Football Network Draft Analyst Ian Cummings breaks down where he thinks Philadelphia will go with their eight draft picks next week.
With their first pick — 22nd overall — Cummings has Philadelphia drafting Laiatu Latu. The former college star was the first UCLA player ever to win the Lombardi Award, the Ted Hendricks Award, and the Polynesian Defensive Player of the Year honor. His 13 sacks last season were the most by a Pac-12 player and tied for third on the all-time UCLA single-season list.
When it comes to Latu and the Eagles’ pass rush, the idea has certainly opened up after the last few weeks.
Following Philadelphia’s trade of All-Pro edge defender Haason Reddick to the New York Jets, the Eagles are undersized at the position and could look to add more to the young group.
At 6’5″ and 265lbs, Latu would be one of the bigger players on the Eagles’ defensive line, and certainly one of the most athletic.
Latu’s strong workouts at his pro day and the NFL Scouting Combine catapulted his already impressive tape to the top of the leaderboards of edge defenders, and certainly into the first round.
KEEP READING: Top EDGEs in the 2024 NFL Draft
Despite other needs in the secondary and the offensive line, Cummings believes that Philadelphia’s best chance at remaining a contender in the NFC is to bring in a player who could immediately help transform the entire defensive line.
Later in the mock, Cummings predicts Philadelphia will address two other crucial needs on defense. At 50th overall, Cummings has the Eagles taking linebacker Junior Colson out of Michigan and then cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. out of Missouri with their other second-round pick.
Linebacker and cornerback were two huge areas of weakness for an Eagles defense that took a major step back in 2023. While the Eagles signed former Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Devin White in free agency and have a crowded cornerback room at the moment, these are two positions that are unresolved at this point in the offseason and could be addressed in the NFL Draft.
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