NFL Mock Draft Simulation: Eagles improve their defense (and add a punter!)

Projecting all seven rounds.

Welcome back to the Mock Simulation Series! In this weekly column, I use the awesome draft simulator over at The Draft Network every week to play out different draft scenarios for the Eagles. Philadelphia has 10 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, so there are many avenues for roster improvement that we will explore leading up to late April.

Pick 15: Jordan Davis, DL, Georgia

Davis falling into the teens feels less and less likely with every week, but he is a special prospect that would be a building block for the Eagles defense going forward. The Eagles are showing interest in him.

Pick 16: George Karlaftis, Edge, Purdue

The Eagles have paid Haason Reddick and brought back Derek Barnett to beef up their depth on the edges of their defense. Even with those financial commitments, the Eagles could still stand to upgrade the starting edge positions. Reddick figures to be a hybrid defender and Barnett is best used in limited snaps. George Karlaftis could be the pure edge to pair with Josh Sweat and give the Eagles athletic bookends to their defensive line.

Pick 19: Kaiir Elam, CB, Florida

The Eagles get a big, physical, and athletic presence on the perimeter of their secondary to pair with Darius Slay. Elam has great upside and would finally give the Eagles a long term answer at outside cornerback.

Pick 51: Christian Harris, LB, Alabama

Christian Harris has been quarterbacking Alabama’s defense for two seasons and would bring high level athletic ability and football IQ to the Eagles defense. Linebacker is a gaping need in Philly and Harris is tremendous value here.

Pick 83: Calvin Austin III, WR, Memphis

Even with the Zach Pascal signing, wide receiver is a pressing enough need that the Eagles could take one as high as the first round again. In this simulation, it shook out that Austin felt like great value at pick 83. Calvin Austin may be diminutive in size, but he is a game breaking athlete who was the catalyst of the Memphis offense in two straight seasons. Austin would give the Eagles a dangerous playmaker in their passing game to take pressure off of DeVonta Smith and give Jalen Hurts another weapon.

Pick 124: Justin Shaffer, IOL, Georgia

“Draft Georgia players” should be every team’s maxim heading into this draft. Justin Shaffer was a key component of the Georgia offense and a physical presence on their line. Shaffer would give the Eagles needed depth and could develop into a starting guard.

Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images

Pick 154: Matt Araiza, P, SDSU

A punter?! Yes, a punter! Matt Araiza might be the best college special teamer of the 21st century and the type of player you make a rare move and use a draft pick on. Araiza’s punting proficiency would give the Eagles a secret weapon to flip fields on a regular basis and give the defense a great starting point on every drive.

Pick 162: Bryan Cook, Safety, Cincinnati

With Anthony Harris and Rodney McLeod coming back for another season, the Eagles have short term answers at the safety position. Long term, however, the team needs some young guys to bring along. Bryan Cook has prototypical size and speed at the position while being a key part of one of the best defenses in college football. Seems like a great bet at this point.

Pick 166: Cole Turner, TE, Nevada

Cole Turner is going to make regular appearances in this series, as he already has. He is a viable pass catching tight end that would give the Eagles needed depth at the position.

Pick 195: Pierre Strong Junior, RB, South Dakota State

The Eagles could still add another playmaker to their backfield in this draft. Pierre Strong Junior was highly productive at the FCS level and is a home run hitting athlete, having career 10 TD runs over 50 yards. Strong is exactly the type of running back the Eagles could bet late on and see a huge pay off.

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