APC Community Mock Draft - Eagles are set to fly at pick 12

As the APC Community Mock Draft continued this morning, the New York Giants locked up Micah Parsons at 11, a linebacker who will come in and lead their defense from day 1. Known for an intense style of play, he has the capability to disrupt everything on the field. If Leonard Williams continues to fulfill his pass-rushing promise after a breakout year in 2020, he and Parsons could form quite the dangerous duo.

The Eagles are now on the clock with pick 12 and it’s no secret that they desperately need receiver help. Philadelphia ranked last in the NFL in completion percentage and yards per attempt last season. In addition, their receivers only caught 56.7% of their targets, the second-worst mark in the league. After trading down from pick 6, the Eagles should still be in position to get one of the draft’s top pass catchers. However, don’t be surprised if they decide to go with CB after selecting Jalen Reagor in the first round last year. Let’s take a look at how the draft has gone so far.

1. Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
2. New York Jets - Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
3. San Francisco 49ers - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
4. Atlanta Falcons - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
5. Cincinnati Bengals - Penei Sewell, OL, Oregon
6. Miami Dolphins - Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
7. Detroit Lions - DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
8. Carolina Panthers - Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
9. Denver Broncos - Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
10. Dallas Cowboys - Patrick Surtain, CB, Alabama
11. New York Giants - Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State

Time to run down the Eagles’ options:

Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama

The other part of the Crimson Tide’s terrifying receiver tandem in 2020 is Waddle, who had a tremendous freshman year in 2018. He was actually the Tide’s second-leading receiver that year, behind Jerry Jeudy and ahead of DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs. He took a step back to option number 4 in 2019, but was an exceptional deep threat again in 2020 before a broken ankle sat him down for the second half of the season. He did not work out at Alabama’s Pro Day, but he has blistering speed that should make him an elite deep threat on day one.

Jaycee Horn, CB, South Carolina

Another son of a former NFL player, Jaycee’s dad, Joe Horn, was a 4-time Pro Bowl receiver for the Saints. Jaycee is another big (6-foot-1, 205), physical corner who faced a murderer’s row of receivers during his three years in the SEC. Horn can be a bit aggressive with his hands, but he posted the best RAS of any corner in this year’s class (9.99, though he skipped agility drills). Expect him to be off the board early as his instincts and athleticism will have teams excited about him.

Kwity Paye, EDGE, Michigan

Think Rashan Gary 2.0. Paye is almost as impressive an athlete as Gary was coming out in 2019, though Paye is a bit smaller at 6-foot-2-½ and 261 pounds to Gary’s 6-foot-4, 277-pound frame. Still, the two players share similarities in that they both had production that did not quite live up to their pro projections, with Paye’s 2020 limited to four games by injury and the COVID pandemic. Still, Paye averaged one TFL per game over his last two seasons and posted 8.5 sacks in his last 16 games, and it’s not hard to imagine a team falling in love with his tools the way the Packers did with Gary.

With the 12th pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select…

The Eagles desperately need help at WR, and Waddle would slot in right away as their top option. However, Jaycee Horn could be just the kind of corner they need as they face an extremely tough slate of WR’s this year. Kwity Paye could also be an option, as he’d have time to sit behind an already good group of linemen. Tomorrow we’ll be looking at the Chargers at 11 AM EST and, sadly, the Vikings at 4 PM EST. As always, don’t forget to vote here and on Twitter @acmepackingco.