• Round 1, Pick 28: WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSU — The 6-foot-4, 205-pound receiver is a true vertical threat with good explosiveness and speed for a player of his size.
• Round 2, Pick 45: CB T.J. Tampa, Iowa State — Tampa, listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, has earned coverage grades of 81.6 and 78.4 over the past two seasons, respectively.
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Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes
With the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 15 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, it’s time to turn the page and look toward the 2024 NFL Draft.
We’re kidding.
The Eagles are next up in our team mock draft series, and though Philadelphia is in a winning window and has its sights set on a Super Bowl this year, it’s never a bad idea to look ahead.
Here’s a five-round Eagles 2024 NFL mock draft.
Round 1, Pick 28: WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSU
DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown make up one of the NFL's best wide receiver duos. This pick is not disputing that. But the team did sign 34-year-old Julio Jones to try to improve the unit's depth beyond Brown and Smith, and Quez Watkins is a pending free agent this offseason. Not to mention, the Eagles could have some decisions to make with Brown's and Smith’s contracts over the next few years. For a roster already with many established key pieces, taking a dip into a very talented wide receiver class in the first round could be in the cards.
Thomas has enjoyed a breakout 2023 season. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound receiver recorded more than 1,000 yards this season with 32 explosive plays of 15 yards or more. He is a true vertical threat with good explosiveness and speed for a player of his size.
Round 2, Pick 45: CB T.J. Tampa, Iowa State
Cornerback feels like the most pressing area of potential improvement for the Eagles in this draft. They have not been afraid to go small at cornerback before, but they won’t have that worry with this selection.
Tampa, listed at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, is a fiery competitor at his outside cornerback spot. He has earned coverage grades of 81.6 and 78.4 over the past two seasons, respectively. Though he doesn’t have as much experience in press coverage as you’d expect for a player of his size, his reps in off coverage have enhanced his instincts, and he can be taught the technique associated with press early on.
Round 2, Pick 60: WR Xavier Worthy, Texas
As previously discussed, wide receiver isn’t that big of a need for the Eagles. And truth be told, we probably would have passed on any other wideout here. But Worthy has legitimate difference-making speed. He can take a screen or a slant route to the house in the blink of an eye. His lower weight profile (172 pounds) does lead to some strength deficiencies. But if you put him on the field as a WR3 or WR4, the defense would have no choice but to respect how he can stretch the field. In that light, he’s a better prospect than Jalin Hyatt was last offseason.
Round 3, Pick 97: LB Marist Liufau, Notre Dame
The Eagles don’t draft linebackers early, no matter how many times people have tried to give them one in mock drafts over the years. But in the third round, it's fair game. They drafted Nakobe Dean in the third round two years ago.
I love how Liufau plays the position. He is explosive and instinctual, and he can pack a punch when lowering a shoulder to make contact. He has also graded out well in coverage over the past two seasons, earning 75.9 and 82.5 marks, respectively.
Round 4, Pick 137: CB Max Melton, Rutgers
Where T.J. Tampa can be a long outside cornerback for the Eagles, Melton can be a do-it-all secondary player. He has played mostly as an outside cornerback, recording more than 1,000 snaps at that position over the past two years. But he also has more than 200 snaps as a slot defender/box safety. He also brings plenty of experience on the punt coverage team. He recorded the best coverage grade of his career this past season (73.6) and seems to only be getting better with experience.
Round 5, Pick 156: QB Joe Milton III, Tennessee
A Jalen Hurts replacement? No, not exactly. But Milton and Hurts in the same room would create a very talented quarterback depth chart. Milton still needs work. Throughout his time at both Michigan and Tennessee, the gunslinger did not show the consistent accuracy and decision-making needed to be the top quarterback prospect his rare arm talent warrants.
Milton has an absolute cannon and can make some crazy throws. But his adjusted completion percentage has never been above 73.5% for a season, and he still finished 2023 with a 2.1% turnover-worthy play rate. He won’t be called upon to start right away, and that’s ideal. But it could be worth it for Philadelphia to invest in his talent.
Round 5, Pick 172: OT Nathan Thomas, Louisiana
The massive 6-foot-5, 335-pound Thomas has played left tackle for the Ragin’ Cajuns for the past two seasons but could be more of an interior player at the next level. He is strong, but most of his issues come from when he has to overextend his arms and get off balance when going up against edge rushers with longer arms.
The Eagles do have that kind of player already in Tyler Steen, but if we’ve learned anything about how general manager Howie Roseman drafts, it’s that he’s never going to shy away from bringing in players at premium positions that he believes can be upgrades or create good competition for backup roles.
Round 5, Pick 178: S Malachi Moore, Alabama
The Eagles just drafted Sydney Brown in the third round last year to potentially be their safety/nickel hybrid player of the future, but you can never have too many smart secondary players, and Malachi Moore is that.
Moore started as a true freshman for the Crimson Tide (high praise in a Nick Saban defense) but eventually lost snaps to Brian Branch. This year, with Branch in the NFL, Moore gained some snaps back and showed his versatility once again. How he tests athletically at the NFL Combine will go a long way toward determining where he is eventually drafted, as there are some speed concerns. However, he is a smart player with a ton of experience in Alabama's defense.
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