Eagles 7-Round Mock Draft 2023: Bouncing Back After Super Bowl

An organization on the heels of a Super Bowl loss, the offseason has arrived for the Philadelphia Eagles. While a record-breaking quarterback, dominant front five, and an explosive edge rotation holstered headlines in Philadelphia all year long, loading up for a ring saw them fail to reach the ultimate goal at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs. 

While the foundation remains and their core athletes should remain in town for some time, a laundry list of expected departures has created a lot of “to-dos” to check off this spring. With six picks in his back pocket, here is an early seven-round mock draft (including scheme fit) of how the board could fall for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman.

Round 1 (No. 10 overall): Brian Branch DB, Alabama

This has been a popular spot to see the Eagles taking a pass rusher, but adding a player like Branch into a secondary that may lose C.J. Gardner-Johnson, James Bradberry, and Marcus Epps would provide an athlete that can wear a multitude of hats, and wear them well. Throw him at nickel, align him at safety, or stick him in the box on the edge of the line of scrimmage, it doesn’t matter where Branch aligns—he’ll knock your chin strap loose. 

One of the most versatile and productive defensive players in the country this fall, and the headliner within a DEEP pool of secondary talent for Alabama this year, his impact is felt most in a stat often left for the big boys in the trenches: TFLs. He was credited with 14 this fall, the most ever by a defensive back in the Nick Saban era and a huge nod toward his willingness to tackle and mix it up at the line of scrimmage. While most teams look to force corners to tackle as it’s not usually in the M.O. of outside defenders to want to wrap up in one-on-one scenarios, Branch has become one of the premier pound-for-pound tacklers in the entire class. 

One of the top safeties available this spring due to his elite change of direction ability and physicality when asked to work inside a phone booth, he’s a hunter at the third level that plays with a high level of intelligent violence at contact, awareness, and ability to cover grass. A savvy blitzer as well whose instincts jump off the screen when quarterbacks attempt to evade the pocket, his body is constantly in a position to make a play on the football no matter where he may end up during the duration of a play. 

We often talk about “football IQ” and how some have it and some don’t. For a few, it’s engraved in their DNA. For some, it never arrives. For Branch, who’s made it a living working within the tight confines of the slot, his ability to not only understand leverage in coverage with open grass outside either shoulder, but his knack for sniffing out the run, blowing up a would-be screen play, or ranging back in coverage only to come off his guy to make a play on the football, are all the little things teams look for in a well-rounded third-level defender. He’s one of my favorite athletes in the class and someone who could challenge for the DROY award in his debut campaign. 

Round 1 (No. 31 overall): Jahmyr Gibbs RB, Alabama

Back to the pipeline that is Tuscaloosa. I expect Gibbs to be the second RB taken off the board behind Texas’ Bijan Robinson, and slotting him into a high-powered Eagles offense could raise the performance ceiling of the group to even loftier heights. Gibbs has excellent footwork, accelerated vision amongst chaos, and is one of the smoothest pass-catching backs in the 2023 class. 

A chess piece that has the ability to holster a massive workload from day one, filling the shoes of Miles Sanders with Gibbs is a heck of a transition for a team that will once again tout one of the league’s top offensive lines.

Round 2 (No. 63 overall): Felix Anudike-Uzomah EDGE, Kansas State

One of the most explosive edge rushers in the class, the aptly nicknamed ‘FAU’ would provide a heck of a jolt working behind Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat—a situation that could allow him to serve as a designated pass-rusher (DPR) from day one. He’s an uber-athletic talent with excellent hands that should allow him to wreak havoc often throughout his career.

Round 3 (No. 95 overall): Darius Rush CB, South Carolina

Why should the Eagles be interested? Rush’s ability to flash was a common theme down at the Senior Bowl. While the WR convert received little buzz heading into the week, three days of work saw him showcase extremely well against some of the class’ elite at the wideout position. A late addition to the event, Rush checked every possible box on the outside, including the old eye test. At 6-foot-1 with nearly 33-inch arms, there was little he did wrong throughout the week. During portions of practice tailored toward wide receivers finding success, Rush’s knack for mirroring and running the route for some of the wideouts in attendance popped every single day. 

Love what I saw from Darius Rush up close this week. Size, length, his instincts drip off his 6’1” frame.

Nearly 33s for arms.

pic.twitter.com/cszcYgUN8F

— Ryan Fowler (@_RyanFowler_) February 3, 2023

Technique, working with leverage, eyes… those are things you’re able to control and ingrain into guys, but having a “feel” for the game that allows an athlete to consistently make plays on the football is unteachable. From a technical standpoint, he’s not perfect—and his tape this fall oftentimes saw him get caught peeking in the backfield in an attempt to read eyes—but he’s a ball of clay dripping with tools that any DB coach would, and should, pound the table to get their hands on. 

If Bradberry does indeed depart, the Eagles need a CB2 opposite of Darius Slay, and while there will be some speed bumps along the way, Rush has an immense ceiling on the perimeter.

Round 7 (No. 222 overall): Bryce Ford-Wheaton WR, West Virginia

A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are an excellent duo, but more is needed from Quez Watkins and Zach Pascal is a free agent—which invites fresh legs in the form of Ford-Wheaton. A big target at 6-foot-3, he won’t have the seam-busting ability of Watkins as a WR3, but I have no concerns about throwing him into the fire as the third progression in an offense. He’s got excellent hands, and at worst would become a “play above the rim” target in the red area from day one. 

Round 7 (No. 251 overall): TJ Bass, IOL, Oregon

Adding depth within the front five is never a bad thing. With Isaac Seumalo set to enter free agency, adding a versatile player like Bass who allowed just three sacks in 1,078 snaps in pass pro could be a nice piece late on day three. He’s got experience at both tackle and guard and is someone that could provide a nice amount of value for the Eagles as a flier late in the process.