FanPost

Start of the Offseason mock draft


What's up BBV. IT was a great ride, but it comes to an end. The Eagles game showed us a lot. Mainly, that we have a long way to go. It could take a few years, it could take one good offseason. It all depends on how we hit on players we acquire and how the ones we have develop. Schoen has some more room to work with then last year, so let's see what we can do.

I'm gonna be doing another 4 round mock draft. This is the extent of what I know about college prospects, and that's a stretch atm, but I can talk about these guys. A few things, first and foremost, I used the PFN mock draft simulator. I want to say this, because there are players I missed out on, no doubt you may not agree with some of my selections, saying I should go with one player, but I will go ahead and say that either I felt the player I took was better, or the player you are mentioning wasn't available to me. The former statement can lead to discussion, the latter is kind of a discussion ender. I'll be upfront about one particular selection, cause that topic is always hot button, so when we talk about the pick, you'll know.

Finally, I made a trade. I wasn't going to, but the Bengals offered me a 3rd round pick to go from 25 to 29, the 93rd overall pick to be exact, so I'll be picking 29th overall, and will have an additional 3rd round pick. Which is huge, it's another talented player to add to the pool. Let's get drafting.

1) Devon Witherspoon, CB, Illinois- This is a great year for CBs, and Witherspoon hasn't been spoken about yet, but he will be. A perfect fit for Wink's defense between his skills in man, athletic traits, and playmaking ability. He'll stand to benefit from a little more muscle, but this is a big way to open the draft, with a player to help us with the likes of Lamb, Brown, Smith, and McLaurin, all in the NFCE.

2) Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College- Ok, so this is the pick that might get some push back. Before I talk about the player, who is one of my favorite WR targets for us in the class btw, he was the best of his cluster left (Downs, Rice, Hyatt, and Tillman were all taken). Even so, he falls into the same archetype WRs like Jaylen Waddle and prime Tyler Lockett fall into. Electric playmakers who can be moved around the offense to devastate opposing defenses. Flowers would be DJ's most electric WR. 4.37 speed, he's a 3 level threat, that is dynamic after the catch, with inside/outside versatility. Flowers in this offense would be absolute dynamite. Yes please

3) Ivan Pace Jr. ILB, Cincinnati- He was staring at me on the board, and honestly, while idk how much Wink values LBs, I felt the value was too good to pass on. He has nice range sideline to sideline offering coverage ability, is a good blitzer, and is tough as hell. He could be a long term piece in the middle of the defense.

3) Ricky Stromberg, OC, Arkansas- I was always going to show the OL some love. The middle of the draft is a wonderland for iOL, and Stromgberg is one of my favorites. Battle tested in the SEC, he will not at all be shocked by the NFL level monsters that await, him, particularly in the division. He's also position versatile, able to play guard, which is always a plus. Stromberg may never be Jason Kelce, but that's ok, he's a good player, that will hopefully solidify Center for us for a good while.

3) Emil Ekiyor Jr. OG, Alabama- Doubling down on the OL to close out day 2. Ekiyor is another battle tested iOL from the SEC, and a former teammate of Evan Neal, which should help with the familiarity for the two on the line long term. Ekiyor brings a very physical playstyle, and you will have to reign him in, but you rather that then teaching aggression. Ekiyor should help in building an identity of a tough and physical offense, that should hold up in this division.

4) Luke Musgrave, TE, Oregon State- Another option in the passing game. Musgrave is fairly raw, but his potential is sweet, and while a competitive blocker, it's his receiving ability that will earn him money. With Bellinger here for the blocking, Musgrave in the passing game is huge. He brings reliable hands, and solid route running, and some decent speed to boot.

I'm sure a theme was noticed here. I'm trying to bring in players to battle in the division. There were players that I missed out on that I was hoping to get, such as Mazi Smith and Will MacDonald, but that's how it goes sometimes. With the opening picks, I looked for dynamic perimeter playmakers on the boundary to help the team speed overall, especially since the trenches imo already have their cornerstone pieces in Thomas, Dex, and Thibs. As such, while I recognize we need to keep building out the trenches, I felt comfortable with waiting for day 2 of the draft to exploit the depth of the class for our needs, in particular, I really tried to make our iOL deep. Stromberg and Ekiyor should AT LEAST make for some fierce competition, ideally, they become starters at C and RG for us within the next year or 2. I was frustrated by my inability to add more to the DL and pass rush. Things will get easier when we see what happens in FA, and it may help me make other moves, for example, if we pick up a FA guard, I would have gone Mazi Smith over Ekiyor, but based on the knowledge I had, I did what I could to max out our picks.

This draft imo brings us closer to where we need to be.

FanPosts are written by community members. This is simply a way for community members to express opinions too long to be contained in a comment.