POD Community Mock: With the 19th pick, the Eagles select…

The Philadelphia Eagles draft three first-round defenders in our 2022 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft.

Are you sick of the Philadelphia Eagles yet? In our Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Eagles are on the clock for the third time in five picks. Thankfully, the Eagles traded one of these picks for some 2023 NFL Draft capital and more. But that’s neither here nor there. Our mock draft was well underway when that trade went down, so we’re all pretending it didn’t happen. Repeat after me:

IT.

NEVER.

HAPPENED.

One more time.

IT.

NEVER.

HAPPENED.

Okay, one more time.

NEVER.

DRAFT.

RUNNING BACKS.

IN THE TOP TWO ROUNDS.

Great. Let’s move on.

Sprtn66 is on the clock again after taking two big defensive weapons for the Eagles with Philly’s first two picks. Who will be the third to join Jordan Davis and Devin Lloyd? Let’s look at the board.

POD Community Mock Draft picks so far:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
2. Detroit Lions: Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
3. Houston Texans: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
4. New York Jets: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
5. New York Giants: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
6. Carolina Panthers: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
7. New York Giants: Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
8. Atlanta Falcons: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
9. Seattle Seahawks: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
10. New York Jets: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
11. Washington Commanders: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
12. Minnesota Vikings: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
13. Houston Texans: Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
14. Baltimore Ravens: Jermaine Johnson, EDGE, Florida State
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia
16. Philadelphia Eagles: Devin Lloyd, LB, Utah
17. Los Angeles Chargers: Trevor Penning, OT, Northern Iowa
18. New Orleans Saints: Drake London, WR, USC

With the 19th pick in the POD Community Mock, the Philadelphia Eagles have selected Daxton Hill, safety out of Michigan.

Here’s Sprtn66 with the explanation:

I know, I know, I know… with three picks in the first round I was supposed to address edge and wide receiver. I couldn’t do it. With the run on edge rushers, I decided to take arguably the best DT in the draft. I had the next pick, so I took arguably the best LB in the draft. Now here I am, two picks made after those picks and I take a safety. Bear with me. Malcolm Jenkins announced his retirement. Rodney McCloud is unsigned. That leaves Marcus Epps, a 26-year-old, sixth-round pick from 2019, as my starting free safety. Might as well address all three levels of a defense that was ranked #25 DVOA.

Dax Hill is ranked #19 by Daniel Jeremiah on his top 50 list. Here is what he had to say on Hill:

“Hill is a versatile safety with outstanding instincts and play speed. He spends time aligned in the middle of the field or covering in the slot. From the deep middle, he has very good anticipation and range. He is a fluid, smooth mover and he can close downhill in a hurry. In the slot, he has the hips to open up and mirror. He excels in underneath zone coverage, showing the ability to sort through traffic and make plays on the ball. He is an explosive blitzer and delivers some big hits upon arrival. He is a very dependable tackler in space. Overall, Hill is always around the ball, whether it’s a run or pass.”

We’ve all seen plenty of games from Hill. We all know he has a complete game. He excels in all phases of the game. I have zero regrets taking Hill over the receivers still available. The Eagles drafted DeVonta Smith in 2021 in the first round, and he has done well. The year before, they took Jalen Reagor in the first round. Okay, that hasn’t worked out as well. Maybe it’s a Matt Millen flashback, but I just couldn’t do it a third year in a row for the Eagles.

I’ve now got two players that can rush the passer well in Hill and Lloyd, and a DT that can collapse the pocket in Davis. The Eagles can find help later in the draft at WR and edge. Another hole that should be filled later in the draft is cornerback. A quality CB to pair with Darius Slay is on the priority list.

Erik’s thoughts:

In the previous two Eagles write-ups, I pushed for the Eagles to upgrade their secondary—either safety or corner—and named Hill as one of the players I would target, so needless to say I am happy with this selection by Sprtn66. You could argue Clemson corner Andrew Booth represents better positional value for the pick, but at the end of the day, the secondary os getting better.

You can follow along with every pick + grades in our Community Mock Draft tracker.