The Eagles Draft Preview - by Barreldelphia Media

The NFL Draft will take place tonight in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and our Philadelphia Eagles have the best pick possible.

No, not number one. Instead, number 32 - the final pick of Round 1. Of course, the NFL Draft order is conducted in reverse order of league standings, meaning the 32nd denotes your status as Super Bowl Champions.

The Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles will have the final selection of Round , assuming they don’t trade it away - which they certainly could. Let’s take a look at some of the guys they’ve been linked to.

Malaki Starks, Safety, Georgia

The Eagles have never drafted a safety in the first round - which is incredible, considering the first ever NFL Draft took place in Philadelphia and the Eagles had the number one overall pick, in 1936. The Eagles have taken place in every draft since and have never taken a safety in round one. Interesting.

They could buck that trend this year if they select Georgia’s Malaki Starks, to add to a defense already littered with Bulldogs. The Eagles traded away CJ Gardner-Johnson earlier this offseason in a relatively controversial move. In that transaction, they picked up G Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth rounder. The move to pick up Green makes sense, if the Eagles envision 2023 3rd rounder Tyler Steen stepping up and becoming their starting right guard, after Mekhi Becton left in free agency. They have an opening at safety after saying goodbye to CJGJ - Sydney Brown is currently their starter - and Starks could fill that role.

All of that being said, it’s reported that it’s very possible Starks isn’t on the board when the Eagles step up to the podium. 

Jihaad Campbell, Linebacker, Alabama

Jihaad Campbell is from Erial, NJ, and attended Timber Creek High School in South Jersey for three years, before heading to IMG Academy in Florida for his senior year. Campbell ran the third fastest 40-yard dash time for linebackers at the Combine in February and has been projected to go anywhere from top 10 to being on the board when the Eagles pick.

Campbell is recovering from a torn labrum and that would be the reason we could see him fall into the Eagles lap. Speaking of injuries, Eagles LB Nakobe Dean will miss the first few games of the 2025 campaign and if Campbell is healthy by then, he could step in. We could see the Eagles take advantage of an injury the same way they did when they drafted Dean himself, as he fell to the third round despite being considered a first rounder aside from his shoulder problem. Campbell has been praised for his humility and character. 

James Pearce Jr., EDGE, Tennessee

James Pearce Jr. is quite the opposite of Campbell, in regards to that last point. Anonymous NFL sources have accused Pearce of having “severe character concerns,” causing his draft stock to drop. Only time will tell if there’s serious character problems with Pearce, but I’m not really seeing them? In December 2023, he was arrested for speeding, driving with a suspended license, and failure to present insurance. All charges were dropped. This is the only real thing that he’s ever done wrong, that we know of.

I’m not saying it’s a good thing, but we’ve seen guys do worse things and be okay. The Eagles are a franchise who are very focused on bringing in good people - Howie Roseman said this offseason they instantly take any player who has committed domestic violence off their board. But, Jalen Carter got into some trouble at Georgia and it allowed him to fall to them. In the NFL, he’s seemingly had some disagreements with Nick Sirianni at times, but he hasn’t had any actual issues. Similar to Campbell’s injury concerns, a terrific player can fall to them, in Pearce, if NFL teams are really concerned about these supposed character issues. Rest assured, the Eagles will be committed to getting to the bottom of it and will make the decision they believe is best.

Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss

Walter Nolen could be a potential Milton Williams replacement for the Eagles. He’s a first round talent, no doubt, but like James Pearce Jr., he had some character concerns. The difference is his aren’t related to one incident - there’s been “multiple” NFL scouts who have expressed “maturity concerns” with Nolen. Just yesterday a report came out that Nolen has poor practice habits and a “sense of entitlement.”

Apparently, Nolen “has a history of walking off the practice field” and there was an instance last year where he told Lane Kiffin couldn’t go back in the game, due to injury (Kiffin thought he should’ve). We’ll see how far Nolen falls - if at all - and if the Eagles decide to take a chance on him if given the opportunity.

Donovan Ezeiruaka, EDGE, Boston College

Donovan Ezeiruaka, similar to Jihaad Campbell, grew up in South Jersey, attending Williamstown High School before committing to play college ball at Boston College. Ezeiruaka is projected to go in the late first round and positionally, could be a great fit for the Eagles.

The Eagles lost edge rushers Josh Sweat (free agency) and Brandon Graham (retirement) this offseason, leaving them with a hole to fill. If the Eagles choose to spend a first round pick on this position, Ezeiruaka is probably the guy.

Still don’t understand how the Eagles beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59?How they completely dismantled a dynasty that nobody else has been able to touch? No need to wonder, the answer is here, in the video from the Barreldelphia Media YouTube channel: Here’s How the Eagles Won the Super Bowl. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TBEuVPWsxw&t=6s