Eagles mock draft: Finding potential replacements for C.J. Gardner-Johnson and James Bradberry

With the scouting combine now complete, prognosticating the NFL draft is becoming slightly easier.

This year’s class presents its own challenges; there’s a handful of physical outliers that will create a variance among each team’s rankings, quarterbacks hovering at the top of the first round, and a lack of consensus on players outside of the first 15 or so.

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With those necessary caveats, here’s an early guess on which players the Eagles will select during the first two nights of next month’s NFL draft:

Witherspoon spent most of the draft cycle to this point considered the No. 1 cornerback in the class with a real chance to go before the Eagles select at 10. He didn’t test because of a hamstring injury last week, while Oregon cornerback Christian Gonzalez impressed and has jumped Witherspoon in some draft rankings. That’s good news for the Eagles, who can secure a Day 1 starting cornerback to replace James Bradberry in Witherspoon.

The 6-foot, 181-pound corner was excellent in press man coverage during his college career and could be deployed in press under new Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai if he joins the Eagles. He is also a tone-setter and has the nasty, competitive demeanor most coaches covet in defensive backs.

I considered both Northwestern tackle Peter Skoronski and Pittsburgh defensive tackle Calijah Kancey for a lengthy time. Skoronski feels like an Eagles pick, as he could start at guard right away and serve as the heir apparent for Lane Johnson at right tackle. Kancey is one of the fastest risers coming out of the combine and would be an ideal fit at the 4i-technique defensive tackle spot, where the Eagles will have a significant need if Javon Hargrave and Fletcher Cox sign elsewhere.

Witherspoon is the pick because, even though the Eagles will always value trench players, the team should view corner as a premium position in its own right. An analytically focused team like the Eagles is certainly aware of the infrequency of finding after the first 20 picks or so. Look at the vast majority of the NFL’s top corners and you’ll see a group of players the league saw coming from a mile away. At the very least, Witherspoon’s blend of athletic traits, college production, and translatable skills gives the Eagles a chance at landing a top-end corner.

It’s hard to envision a scenario where the Eagles leave the first round without a trench player.

This could very well be a trade-back scenario to secure a few more Day 3 picks, but an interior lineman, especially one like Torrence, seems like a logical target either way. The 6-5, 330-pound lineman would slot into Isaac Seumalo’s right guard spot as a Day 1 starter and would solidify the Eagles’ interior line long term.

With a contract extension for Jalen Hurts likely to come this offseason, the Eagles will need to continue finding offensive cornerstones on rookie deals. They’ll also need to continue building around a scheme that’s foundation is rooted in zone-reads and Hurts as a plus-one in a dominant running game. Torrence would give the Eagles an imposing interior line to create running lanes and keep the middle of the pocket intact on passing downs.

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If Texas running back Bijan Robinson is here, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Eagles run the card in. Alabama back Jahmyr Gibbs is also tempting, but again, the Eagles have long valued future-proofing their offensive and defensive fronts, making Torrence the more logical choice.

The Eagles selected defensive teammates in last year’s draft with Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean, so why not do it again?

Continuity with Witherspoon aside, Brown is an ascending defensive back prospect with the versatility to play from multiple alignments. The Eagles may need to replace both safety spots this offseason, especially with the franchise-tag deadline now passed and C.J. Gardner-Johnson potentially looking for a payday the Eagles can’t or won’t dish out.

Enter Brown, a five-year starter for the Illini who profiles as a Day 1 starter because of his athleticism, strength, and instincts. At 5-10, he’s a muscled-up 211 pounds and held his own as a box defender punching above his weight class as a result. He’s got the strength to cover tight ends, the movement skills to cover receivers, even in the slot, and his top-end speed is sufficient for him to stay over the top as a deep safety.

Free agency could leave the Eagles just as barren on the interior defensive line as the secondary, but the best-player-available approach favors Brown over similarly positioned interior rushers.

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Securing Achane might require trading up, but there’s a cluster of Day 2 running backs who figure to be in play.

Aside from Robinson and Gibbs, Achane has a legitimate case as the most electric of the group. The former Aggies 100-meter dash standout ran a 4.32-second 40-yard dash and it shows when you watch him outrun SEC defenders during his junior year. He only had one season with a heavy workload at A&M and has impressive contact balance to go along with his explosive jukes and quick acceleration.

In a class full of “bell cows,” Achane is a situational back at best. He’s only 5-9, 188 pounds, and, full disclosure, doesn’t offer much as a pass protector. That’s reason enough to believe he could fall into the third round, but not reason enough to pass on him much later than this. He’s a good fit for the Eagles both because of his ability to generate explosive plays and the team’s historical disinterest in having a single back handle the majority of the carries.