Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Potential 2016 NFL Draft First-Round Picks
It has been a busy offseason to say the least for the Philadelphia Eagles so far, but there is plenty of work left to be done. The Chip Kelly era is officially over and there is a lot of rebuilding to do from the decisions that he made when he was in charge of coaching as well as roster moves.
Philadelphia has made a few moves this offseason already, but the 2016 NFL Draft is going to be extremely important for the future of their franchise.
Looking ahead at the draft, the Eagles have made it clear that they want to bring in a franchise caliber player. They traded up to the No. 2 overall pick, and it wasn’t cheap. It appears that they will be taking a quarterback with the selection, but there are plenty of options for the Eagles should they decide to go another direction.
Doug Pederson is going to have a tough job ahead of him getting the Eagles back into playoff contention. Whether they draft a quarterback or not, they have a lot of changes to make. He will coach a completely different style from what the Eagles saw with Kelly and that big of a change is hard to do in a short period of time.
All of that being said, which five draft prospects are potential first round targets for the Eagles?
At this point in time it appears that the Los Angeles Rams will be taking Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick. Even though he likely won’t be on the board, Goff has to be No. 1 when it comes to the Eagles’ wish list. There are a couple of other great quarterback prospects, but Goff would be the best fit for Pederson.
Carson Wentz, Quarterback, North Dakota State
Adding the second quarterback to the list, North Dakota’s Carson Wentz is the player that most have the Eagles taking with the second pick. Wentz is a fairly unknown prospect, but his physical ability and strong arm have rocketed him up draft boards. Philadelphia will likely end up with Wentz and that would be just fine for their future.
Ezekiel Elliott, Running Back, Ohio State Buckeyes
If the Eagles decided to shock the NFL and take a running back, Ezekiel Elliott would be their guy. DeMarco Murray was traded earlier this offseason and Elliott is the type of workhorse back that the Eagles could be looking for at some point in the draft. Elliott has superstar potential, but taking him with the No. 2 overall pick doesn’t seem too terribly likely.
The last quarterback on the list is Memphis Tigers’ quarterback Paxton Lynch, who could be a surprise pick. Lynch was at one point considered a potential candidate to be taken with the No. 1 overall pick, but the hype has since subsided. Philadelphia likely could have avoided trading up and still drafted Lynch, but he is another option for them to consider.
Jalen Ramsey, Cornerback, Florida State Seminoles
Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey is the final prospect that the Eagles could consider. They need a lot of help in their secondary, and Ramsey has major playmaking potential. Philadelphia’s defense would receive a major boost by drafting Ramsey, but it isn’t likely that they traded away a big portion of their future for him.
Expect to see the Eagles take one of the top quarterbacks in the draft with the No. 2 overall pick. They have three different players who can all make an immediate impact. Things are beginning to look up in Philadelphia and whoever they get with their first round pick should be a long-term impact player.
Do you think that one of these five players are the best fit for the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft? Who do you think they should take?
[AP Photo/Gregory Payan]
