3 prospects the Eagles could target with the No. 10 pick in 2023 NFL draft

In the midst of locking up the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC and becoming NFC East division champs, the playoff-bound Eagles also clinched a top-10 draft pick Sunday.

With the Saints falling to the Carolina Panthers in their regular-season finale, New Orleans finished 7-10 and have the 10th overall pick, which the Eagles own after last year’s trade. The Eagles also have a second first-round draft pick based upon how they perform in the playoffs.

At one point, the Saints’ pick was inside the top five before they won three of their last four games after a 4-9 start, including a win over the Eagles in Week 17.

With top-end players such as Alabama’s Will Anderson and Georgia’s Jalen Carter, both of whom might have filled positions of need for the Eagles, expected to go off the board within the top five, here are players the Eagles could target with the No. 10 pick in April’s NFL draft.

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With Brandon Graham and Robert Quinn scheduled to hit the open market this offseason, the depth behind Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick looks bare. The Eagles won’t be able to retain all of their defensive playmakers, so dipping into a talent-rich pass rusher class in the draft seems like an ideal outcome. Enter Clemson’s Myles Murphy, listed at 6-foot-5 and 275 pounds, who finished the 2022 season with 45 tackles (11 for losses) and 6½ sacks.

His active yet heavy hands, impressive first step, and quickness at his size make him an ideal fit for the Eagles’ multiple-alignment defensive front. Murphy thrives in getting his hands into the chest of offensive linemen and is a strong run defender who can maintain gap integrity. He has consistently been in the top 10 in most mock drafts, and would fill a potential hole for the Eagles.

Eagles beat writer EJ Smith weighs in on the fit: Few draft prospects possess the height-weight-speed combination that Murphy offers, so it’s easy to see the Eagles doing their due diligence on the edge rusher. Like Travon Walker last season, Murphy could test his way out of the Eagles’ range in a few months. If not, he’s an ideal fit for a multitude of reasons. His ability to stop the run would give him a chance to play on early downs in place of Reddick and his size would suggest he might be able to hold up at the 4i-technique in the Eagles’ odd fronts for a handful of snaps each game.

Because Reddick and Sweat are well-established, Murphy would have to earn his pass-rushing snaps. Still, the Eagles value having difference makers throughout the pass-rushing rotation and Murphy’s size makes it possible for him, Reddick, and Sweat to share the field at the same time on known passing downs.

Determining exactly where Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson, the powerful and physically imposing pass rusher, will go in the draft is a mystery, but his skill set as a first-rounder is undeniable. Imploring a bully-ball style of rushing similar to Walker, the 2022 top overall pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars, Wilson, listed at 6-6, 275 pounds, finished his senior campaign with 61 tackles (14 for losses) and seven sacks, including two multi-sack games.

The intriguing aspect to Wilson’s game is when coaches reduce him inside to a three-technique, and allow him to rush from the interior. The type of versatility and size could give the Eagles flexibility on passing downs to move him along the defensive line. His pass-rush plan needs work, mostly relying on a bull rush and speed to power conversions, but his hand usage is violent and he has the athleticism to knife through an offensive line on run plays. He accounted for 84 quarterback pressures over the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus.

He’ll get a chance to solidify himself as an early first-rounder with a dominant week at Senior Bowl practices starting later this month.

Smith on the fit: The Eagles’ defensive front figures to slowly transition to one centered around Jordan Davis at the nose and will need some difference makers to flank him on the interior. Wilson is listed as an edge and has certainly proved he’s athletic, powerful, and long enough to play on the outside, but there’s also some upside with him being a twitchy rusher out of the aforementioned 4i-technique.

Davis was dominant at Georgia with Walker and Jalen Carter playing similar alignments, and the Eagles already have Milton Williams developing in that role, but the possibility of adding Wilson will be enticing. Wilson is another player who can find work on early downs spelling Reddick by being a force against the run. Wilson is also the type of late bloomer that general manager Howie Roseman typically covets in the draft.

It has been more than 20 years since the Eagles selected a cornerback in the first round (Lito Sheppard in 2002), but with James Bradberry set to become a free agent this offseason, a playmaking defensive back to play opposite Darius Slay could be the pick at 10. With several options, including Georgia defensive back Kelee Ringo and Oregon’s Christian Gonzalez, the size and production (one interception, 11 pass deflections) of Penn State defensive back Joey Porter Jr. is an intriguing fit for the Eagles’ secondary.

Porter started off 2022 with a bang, with six pass breakups in the Nittany Lions’ season-opening win over Purdue, and teams stopped targeting him after that game. His physicality at the catch point, smooth hip mobility, and natural length (6-2, 194) will allow him to match up with NFC East wideouts like CeeDee Lamb and Terry McLaurin. The improvement from his first year starting, 2020, until now revolves around his ability to play the ball better while it’s in the air. Also, his involvement in the run and screen game this season rounded him out as a more complete defensive back.

Smith on the fit: Ringo is a better fit for the Eagles’ zone-coverage-heavy scheme, but I suspect he will climb draft boards out of their range by April. Although Porter would probably be best-suited in a scheme that deploys him in press man more often, it’s important to note that the zone-match coverages the Eagles often use play out like man.

The biggest positive for Porter, who would presumably replace Bradberry if the veteran corner signs a lucrative deal elsewhere, is his physicality. The Eagles have found a winning formula pairing Slay’s finesse with Bradberry’s physical coverage style this season. It makes them more flexible when choosing matchups and makes for a complementary secondary. Porter would maintain that, even if he has to work on his discipline at the catch point to avoid drawing so many flags at the next level.