2025 NFL mock draft: A realistic Eagles-only version originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
An offensive tackle, an interior lineman, an edge rusher, a defensive tackle, a tight end, a wide receiver, a safety and a linebacker.
That’s our projected haul for Howie Roseman in the draft later this month.
The Eagles have eight picks – one each in the first four rounds and four in the fifth round – and there’s about a 0 percent chance those will be their picks when all is said and done.
Roseman has made – at last count – 47 draft-weekend trades in his 14 years as general manager (2010 through 2014, 2016 through 2024), including eight just last year.
But for now, here’s a look at what this year’s draft might look like if Roseman decides to stop making trades cold turkey.
Round 1-32: Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon
I had Conerly going to the Eagles at No. 32 in my 1st-round mock draft last month and so far I haven’t seen any reason to change. In Conerly, you get a right guard candidate from Day 1 and Lane Johnson’s eventual replacement whenever he does decide to retire. There’s a lot to like about Conerly, and he’s probably not ready to be a starting NFL tackle right away. So guard gives him an opportunity to learn the NFL game and keep working on his technique under the best offensive line coach in the business and continue getting bigger and stronger so whenever Johnson does hang ‘em up, he’s ready to go. And it also gives you a likely upgrade over Tyler Steen, Kenyon Green or Trevor Keegan. What you like best about Conerly is the improvement he showed as this past season went along. If he continues in that direction, he’ll be the right guy.
Round 2-64: J.T. Tuimoloau, Edge, Ohio State
Tuimoloau is a steady, productive, gritty edge prospect who had a breakthrough season this past year with 12 ½ sacks, including 6 ½ in OSU’s College Football Championship tournament wins over Tennessee, Oregon, Texas and Notre Dame. Like the departed Josh Sweat, he’s tough against the run and gives great effort on all downs. A good enough athlete at 6-5, 265 pounds that he was recruited out of high school to play Division 1 basketball, Tuimoloau could be an ideal outside rotational pass rusher in a group that will include Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt and perhaps Josh Uche, Azeez Ojulari and, who knows, maybe even Bryce Huff.
Round 3-96: Gunnar Helm, TE, Texas
It sure seems like Dallas Goedert won’t be here in 2025, and there’s no way the Eagles are going with Grant Calcaterra, Harrison Bryant and Kylen Granson. Tight ends play such a huge role in this offense. Including the postseason, they netted 87 catches for 1,030 yards and five TDs for the Eagles last year, and the Eagles have quite a lineage of tight ends, from Chad Lewis to Brent Celek to Zach Ertz to Goedert. So who continues that tradition? After catching just 19 passes for 236 yards and two TDs his first three years in Austin, Helm had a huge senior year, with 60 receptions for 786 yards and seven TDs this past fall. After three years as a non-factor, he was 5th among tight ends in the BCS with those 60 catches, 6th in yards and tied for 5th in TD catches, and his 13.3 average was 3rd-highest among all tight ends with 50 or more catches. Helm, who stands 6-foot-5, 240 pounds, runs good routes and has soft hands and like most tight ends coming out of college needs to work on his blocking. I can’t imagine taking a tight end earlier than this, but I also can’t imagine them not taking one somewhere in the middle rounds.
Round 4-134: Rylie Mills, DT, Notre Dame
You know Howie’s going to snag an interior lineman at some point, and it could be much earlier than this, but Mills in the fourth makes a lot of sense. Mills probably would have gone higher if he hadn’t suffered a right knee injury in a College Football Playoff win over Indiana in South Bend in December. But if the medicals are OK, I like Mills. At 6-5, 295 pounds, he’s a capable combo lineman who has the size and power to line up inside on first and second down and the athleticism to swing outside on passing downs. The Eagles haven’t taken anybody out of Notre Dame since Trevor Laws in the second round in 2008, and Mills isn’t going to replace Milton Williams, but he’ll definitely help as part of a rotation with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and whoever else Vic Fangio decides on – perhaps Thomas Booker or Gabe Hall.
Round 5-161: Nick Nash, WR, San Jose State
Here we go with the first of four 5th-round picks in the span of eight selections. The Eagles will have Jahan Dotson back for a second season and 2024 draft picks Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson are still around and the Eagles still have Elijah Cooks, but another young playmaker to get a look at in training camp can’t hurt. Nash, who stands 6-2, 200 pounds, arrived in San Jose back in 2019 as a quarterback and threw 10 touchdown passes in spot duty his first three years before moving full-time to wide receiver in 2022. He caught only six passes that year but improved to 48-for-728 with eight TDs in 2023 and then had a massive senior year, with 104-for-1,382 and 16 touchdowns. He was second in the BCS in catches and yards and first with those 16 TDs. His 24 TDs the last two years are also most in the BCS. He’s the first BCS player with at least eight touchdowns both passing and receiving since Ryan Tannehill of Texas A&M in 2008 (really). Nash isn’t super big or fast — his 4.57 40 at the Combine was terrible — but his competitive fire jumps off the tape and the improvement he showed from 2023 to 2024 is eye-opening. The last player the Eagles drafted out of San Jose State was Olympic sprinter John Carlos in the 15th round in 1970.
Round 5-164: Dylan Fairchild, IOL, Georgia
Nobody expects the Eagles to really pick four guys in the fifth round, but if they do, at this point, Howie is just going Best Available Georgie Dude. Fairchild, who had a top-30 visit with the Eagles, was a two-year starter at left guard in Athens and he’s an ideal Jeff Stoutland project. He’s got some serious tools in terms of size, strength and athleticism but needs work with his technique and recognition, and that’s where Stoutland comes in. You get the sense the Eagles want to upgrade their offensive line depth both inside and outside and Fairchild will give them a chance to do that.
Round 5-165: Jaylen Reed, S, Penn State
With C.J. Gardner-Johnson gone, Sydney Brown still unproven and Lewis Cine a longshot, it makes sense to add a safety piece somewhere in the draft. Reed had a productive last couple years in State College, with five interceptions, 11 tackles for loss, 3 ½ sacks and three pass breakups in 2023 and 2024. He’s more of a box safety who likes to mix it up against the run and play physical on the line of scrimmage than a polished coverage defender, but you’re starting out with a tough, physical guy who should be able to help on special teams from the jump while developing his coverage skills.
Round 5-168: Collin Oliver, LB/Edge, Oklahoma State
Oliver is a big question mark after suffering a season-ending foot injury in a win over Arkansas in Stillwater just two games into the 2024 season. But he’s an intriguing prospect who, if healthy, should be able to contribute on special teams right away while learning how to take his traits and potential and trying to become a functional NFL off-ball linebacker. At 6-foot-2, 240, he’s not going to be an NFL edge rusher, but he’s got the athleticism and instincts to give him a chance to be a linebacker and a situational pass rusher, although he has a lot of work to do to get there.
Read the full article here