ESPN and NFL Network have the Eagles drafting the same cornerback in latest NFL mock drafts

After a week of free agency, we’re starting to get a better picture of the players the Eagles may take with their first-round pick in next month’s NFL draft.

The Birds plugged a few holes on defense, signing defensive end Bryce Huff and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. They also restructured Josh Sweat’s contract, though where that leaves fellow defensive end Haason Reddick remains to be seen.

That leaves cornerback, where the projected starters are currently Darius Slay and James Bradberry, who struggled with the Birds last season but remains under contract. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman told reporters last month Bradberry remains “part of our plans,” but that doesn’t mean the Birds won’t look to the draft to find a better option to start alongside Slay.

Releasing new mock drafts Tuesday morning, both ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah not only predict the Eagles will select a cornerback in the first round, they’re projecting the same player will end up in Philly — Clemson cornerback Nate Wiggins.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft prospect tracker: USC’s Brenden Rice, son of Jerry Rice, schedules top-30 visit

After last month’s scouting combine, my colleague EJ Smith wrote Wiggins has the physical build of a wide receiver, “which is fitting considering the way he can mirror routes and accelerate out of breaks like one.” Smith wrote he wasn’t as technically advanced as the other top cornerbacks in this year’s draft, but has upside as “a sticky press-man cornerback.”

Here’s how Smith thinks Wiggins could fit in with the Eagles’ defense:

Other NFL draft experts also predict the Eagles will go the cornerback route. NBC Sports’ Connor Rogers thinks the Birds could take Alabama’s Terrion Arnold, while Will Brinson at CBS Sports thinks Philly could end up with his Roll Tide teammate, Kool-Aid McKinstry (his birth name is Ga’Quincy, but he’s said he’s gone by “Kool-Aid” since he was a baby).

As of now, there’s only one defensive back reportedly slated to visit with the Eagles — Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, who is still recovering from a broken fibula he suffered in November.

The NFL draft doesn’t take place until April 25, and a lot can change between now and then. And mock drafts are rarely very accurate — last year, Jeremiah was the best of the draft analysts at the major networks, but only got six of the first round’s 32 picks correct.

» READ MORE: The Eagles have two second-round draft picks. Here are seven prospects worth targeting.

That being said, here’s a roundup of the players national media pundits think the Eagles could end up selecting in the first round:

No. 22: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

No. 22: Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson

No. 22: Chop Robinson, edge rusher, Penn State

No. 22: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama

No. 22: Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington

No. 22: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama

No. 22: Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia

We’re about a month away from the 2024 NFL draft, and the Eagles are currently projected to have eight picks.

The Birds gave up a third-round pick (No. 98) in the upcoming draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers in a trade for quarterback Kenny Pickett. But they also acquired the Steelers fourth-round pick (No. 120), essentially moving back 22 draft spots.

The Birds also agreed to give up the highest two of the four seventh-round draft picks they’re projected to have in the 2025 draft.

The Eagles would’ve also had another fifth round pick from the Minnesota Vikings as part of the Jalen Reagor trade, but the Birds dealt that to the Tennessee Titans as part of the Kevin Byard trade. Byard was released earlier this month and signed with the Chicago Bears last week.

Here are the Eagles’ current projected 2024 NFL draft picks: