2009 NFL Draft: Philadelphia Eagles First Round

This entry is the next in a series that will be looking at what the consensus is amongst 15 mock drafts posted on main stream websites.  The drafts being utilized are ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay, The National Football Post, DraftScout’s Rob Rang, Chad Reuter, Michael Lombardi, Clark Judge, and Pete Prisco, NFL.com’s Pat Kirwan, Steve Wyche, Charles Davis, Jamie Dukes, Pro Football Weekly, SI.com’s Don Banks, and Scout.com.  So with that being said let us look at what the consensus on the Philadelphia Eagles is.

The Eagles own two first round picks this year after dealing for the Panthers #1 pick last spring and the consensus is that they need to address two needs in the first round: Find a young offensive tackle and draft a back who will eventually succeed Brian Westbrook and provide a competent backup.  This draft is deep on talent at the offensive tackle position so finding one should not be a problem for the Eagles.

Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno has emerged as the top candidate to be the 21st pick of the draft with nine drafts pegging him here.  Oklahoma State tight end Brandon Pettigrew is mentioned on three mock drafts with Maryland’s Darrius Heyward-Bey, Arizona’s Eben Britton, and Mississippi’s Michael Oher getting mentions as well.

The overwhelming consensus is that the Eagles will until 28 to pick up a tackle with Britton, seven picks, and Connecticut’s William Beatty, two picks, being the top choices.  Oklahoma’s Phil Loadholt and Oher each get a mention as well.

The non-offensive tackles being mentioned at 28 for Philadelphia include UConn running back Donald Brown, Tennessee defensive end Robert Ayers, Cal center Alex Mack, and Southern Mississippi tight end Shawn Nelson.

Bottom Line: The thought is the Eagles need to find a tight end but they should be okay with Brent Celek for the time being and the offense really struggled when Westbrook was dinged up and by the end of the year one could clearly see that Jon Runyan and Tra Thomas were struggling to hold the edge on running plays.  Westbrook was consistently being knocked down in the backfield becaus Thomas or Runyan got beaten on the play.

Moreno would give the Eagles an eventual successor to Westbrook and would be someone who should be able to step in and handle the workload if Westbrook were to go down.  I only wonder if he would provide him with the between the tackles kind of runner the Eagles so sorely lack right now.

The Eagles let Thomas go to Jacksonville and Runyan’s status is up in the air after having to undergo knee surgery over the winter.  They need to find a young stud to anchor the left side of the line.

Look for the Eagles to grab Moreno with their first pick and the best available tackle, liekly to be Britton or Beatty, with its second pick.

However there are a couple of x-factors in play here.  First is that it has been long reported the Eagles are interested in moving way up in the draft in an effort to grab one of the top two or three tackle prospects available in the draft.  Second is that they have been linked in several trade rumors involving Braylon Edwards, Anquan Boldin, and Chad Ocho Cinco.  There is a strong possibility they could sacrifice one of their two first round picks if it means landing Edwards or Boldin.

Update: The Eagles have agreed to deal the 28th pick to the Bills for left tackle Jason Peters meaning that, with the previous addition of Stacy Andrews at right tackle, it is unlikely the Eagles will be looking to land a tackle in the first round.