It's draft day and, in our Fan Mock Draft, the Eagles are on the clock. With over 50 percent of the vote, Sharrif Floyd was your selection as the third overall pick of the draft by the Oakland Raiders. That leaves an interesting crop of prospects available for the Eagles at No. 4.
There have been rumblings throughout the draft process that the Eagles would like to fortify the offensive line in the first round and, in this scenario, one elite offensive tackle remains. Lane Johnson of Oklahoma is relatively new to the offensive line - he was a quarterback as recently as junior college. But at 6-6, 303, Johnson moved to the offensive line for Oklahoma after one season at tight end. Though Johnson was impressive as a tackle in college, he's so highly regarded as a prospect because of the perceived upside. In addition to being relatively new to the position, Johnson is also a rare species of athlete for an offensive lineman. He ran a 4.72-second 40-yard dash at the Scouting Combine (second best at the position), while topping all offensive linemen in the broad jump and finishing second in the vertical jump. For what portends to be an up-tempo offense in Philadelphia, a player of Johnson's skillset certainly would make a lot of sense.
The other player most often linked to this pick for the Eagles is a familiar one to Chip Kelly and his staff holdovers from Oregon. Dion Jordan is perhaps the most versatile defensive prospect in the draft. Like Johnson, Jordan underwent a position change in college. Recruited to Oregon as a wide receiver and moved to tight end initially at Eugene, Jordan didn't play the defensive side of the ball until his redshirt sophomore season. There, under the tutelage of Eagles defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro, Jordan emerged as a weapon on defense. At 6-6, 248, Jordan has all the tools to be a disruptive pass rusher at the next level and he consistently made plays in the backfield against the run at Oregon as well. But Jordan was also often utilized in coverage, where he would even line up against opposing wide receivers at times. That could be the kind of versatility the Eagles find too difficult to pass up.
Utah's Star Lotulelei presents versatility in a different way as a disruptive defensive lineman. Lotulelei has the ability to line up anywhere across a three-man defensive line and would immediately boost that unit for the Eagles. He remains a very real possibility for the Eagles at No. 4. And then there's a pair of West Virginia products who could intrigue Kelly and general manager Howie Roseman as they search for playmakers. Geno Smith rates as the top quarterback in the class and the Eagles sent a contingent that included Chairman/CEO Jeffrey Lurie to scout Smith earlier in the draft process. If Kelly deems him worthy of quarterback-of-the-future status, Smith makes as much sense as anyone. Then there's the speed demon that worked so closely with Smith as a Mountaineer - do-it-all jitterbug Tavon Austin. At 5-8, 174, Austin is certainly undersized, but in an offense that is likely to covet speed, speed, and more speed, Austin's 4.34-second 40-yard dash times and his track record of leaving opposing defenders in the dust could move the needle for the Eagles.
So who will it be? Someone to beef up either side of the line of scrimmage? An offensive playmaker? We'll find out tonight, but for now, you make the call ...
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