Eagles get 15th and 16th pick from Colts and Dolphins; players to watch in Alabama-Georgia

Sunday mostly broke the Eagles way and they now have two of their three first-round picks clinched at No. 15 and 16.

Carson Wentz and the Indianapolis Colts imploded against the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars, 26-11, on Sunday and were eliminated from the playoffs later in the day, securing the Eagles the 16th pick in the 2022 NFL draft. The Miami Dolphins, who were eliminated already, will also send the 15th pick to the Eagles.

If the Colts had beaten the Jags, they would have clinched a playoff berth and the pick the Eagles got in exchange for Wentz last offseason would have been no higher than 20th. Instead, Wentz had two turnovers in a stunning road loss to the Jags.

The picks settling comes just in time for the national championship game. Alabama and Georgia’s matchup on Monday night will be rife with future NFL players, and the reps those players get against each other. As a result, the game tape will be one of the most watched reels in the months leading into the draft.

Here are a few players Eagles fans should pay extra attention to:

Alabama has had four safeties taken in the first two rounds of the draft since 2014, and Battle figures to be the fifth.

At 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Battle has the requisite size and strength to line up against tight ends in man coverage and to be viable in the run game. He also has the athleticism to cover space in zone coverage. The Eagles primarily ask their safeties to take away deep routes over the top of the defense, which Battle can do, but his versatility will allow him to line up in multiple spots.

Pro Football Focus draft analyst Mike Renner told The Inquirer that Battle closely compares to his former teammate and current Giants starter Xavier McKinney.

“He’s extremely assignment sound and has better range than you’d expect for a bigger safety,” Renner said. “He’s great at recognizing routes from off-coverage and rarely allows big plays.”

The Eagles’ top defensive priority this season has been limiting big plays, so there’s a fit there. They’ve heavily relied on zone coverage in defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s first year, but Battle would give them options. Similar to Malcolm Jenkins, he’s capable of wearing different hats based on matchups.

While some Eagles fans are likely clamoring for Notre Dame hybrid safety Kyle Hamilton, Battle is a solid consolation who might even be available in the second round.

Could the Eagles take an Alabama wide receiver two years in a row?

It’s hard to imagine the team going three straight years taking a wideout in the first round, especially considering the Eagles’ needs elsewhere, but Williams fits the mold of a complementary speed receiver to pair with DeVonta Smith.

“Jameson Williams is the deep threat that they always wanted Jalen Reagor to be,” Renner said. “He could be one of their first-rounders.”

Having three first-rounders could give the Eagles the flexibility to invest a fourth top-50 pick at wide receiver. Williams is the second receiver on Renner’s big board behind Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson.

Let’s get this out of the way right now: Jordan Davis is a conventional nose tackle and doesn’t have a clean fit in an even-man front.

That said, the Eagles have used more odd-man fronts this year than in years past and they don’t really have much depth for the one-technique spot outside of Javon Hargrave, who can play at both the one- and three-technique.

If the Eagles want to go more toward an odd-man front next season, it would afford Gannon more flexibility to get one-on-one matchups for the team’s rushers, and Davis will be a difficult matchup for centers from Day 1 of his career.

“He’s a bull-rush only kind of DT,” Renner said. “Getting to learn from the best bull-rusher of the past decade in Fletcher Cox would be a massive plus. They really don’t have that kind of pure space-eating defensive tackle on the Eagles roster at the moment.”

Dean is one of the highest-ranked linebackers in this year’s class and for good reason. He’s been one of the standouts on a dominant Georgia defense and has the athleticism, instincts, and play strength to be a first-round pick this spring.

He’s got two forced fumbles and two interceptions this season, illustrative of his ability to read and react in the run game while also being capable in coverage.

Still, Renner points out why Dean and the Eagles aren’t exactly the most ideal fit, instead making the case for Utah’s first-round hopeful Devin Lloyd.

“One of Dean’s biggest selling points is what he can do as a blitzer and the Eagles rarely utilize their off-ball linebackers as blitzers,” Renner said. “Dean is a run-and-chase player in coverage, but isn’t one to shut down windows in coverage at his size like Lloyd can.”

If the Eagles continue their streak of avoiding linebackers early in the draft, Harris could make sense as a Day 2 option. The 6-foot-2, 232-pound linebacker has coverage skills and has been a physical, sure tackler. He’s had consecutive seasons with more than 70 tackles and has 7.5 tackles for loss.

“Harris is an explosive off-ball linebacker that can be a weapon as a blitzer,” Renner said.

Like Dean, Harris has shown some effectiveness as a blitzer, but he’s considered to be a more polished coverage player at this point.