It's that time of the year.
ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. released his first mock draft on Thursday and gave the Eagles help in the secondary in the form of Florida cornerback Quincy Wilson with the 14th overall pick. The Eagles will pick either 14th or 15th pending on the coin flip between the Vikings and the Colts at the NFL Scouting Combine.
"This is a spot in which the Eagles need immediate help," Kiper wrote of the selection of Wilson.
The 6-1, 213-pound Wilson was the fourth defensive back to go off the board in Kiper's mock. In fact, Wilson's teammate, cornerback Teez Tabor, was chosen one pick ahead of him.
"I think Wilson may be a little bit more well-rounded. Tabor's the big-play guy, kind of like Marcus Peters, that type of player. He's got tremendous ball skills, a nose for the ball, opportunistic," Kiper said on a conference call. "Wilson may be a little more complete, well-rounded."
Here are some other news and notes from Kiper's mock draft:
1. Cleveland selected Texas A&M defensive end Myles Garrett with the No. 1 overall pick.
"Garrett is the top prospect on my Big Board, and he's a premier pass-rushing talent who had 32.5 sacks in three seasons for the Aggies. The Browns are in the beginning stages of a rebuild, and Garrett would be a foundational piece," Kiper wrote.
2. "It's a great defensive line draft and a great defensive draft, overall," Kiper said on the conference call.
In the mock draft, seven edge rushers and two other interior defensive linemen were selected in the first round. Ten defensive backs went off the board in the first 32 picks.
3. Temple's Dion Dawkins is one of three second-day offensive tackle prospects who will provide good value along with Troy's Antonio Garcia and Western Michigan's Taylor Moton, according to Kiper.
"It's not a great year at all, probably a mediocre year for offensive tackles in general," Kiper said.
4. Clemson might have won the National Championship, but Alabama had six projected first-round selections as compared to three for the Tigers.
5. The success of Ezekiel Elliott has not changed Kiper's philosophy when it comes to taking a running back in the first round.
"My philosophy has always been to never take a running back in the first round. That stands right now even after what Elliott did. I knew he was going to be a great player. I knew Adrian Peterson was going to be a great player. Has Adrian Peterson ever been in the Super Bowl? No," Kiper said.
Kiper noted that 11 of the 12 playoff teams do not have a first-round talent at running back.
"I think that's proof positive that it's a good philosophy," he said.
Kiper has the Panthers taking LSU's Leonard Fournette at No. 8, the Browns using the Eagles' original pick at No. 12 to select Dalvin Cook and the Packers - one of the playoff teams still alive - choosing Christian McCaffrey in the first round.
