The Philadelphia Eagles lost a lot of talent from their coaching staff and roster this offseason. That is unfortunately part of the business, especially when you are a successful team; other franchises want a piece of it. But, teams as successful as Philadelphia rarely are in the position that they are heading into the 2023 NFL Draft.
Despite playing in the Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles will be selected in the top 10. They own the No. 10 overall pick courtesy of a trade with the New Orleans Saints last year. In addition, they still have their selection, which landed at No. 30.
Being able to add a top prospect to an already strong roster is a luxury, not many teams have. The Eagles have a chance to add an impact player despite already being contenders and reportedly have their sights set on a pass rusher.
Philadelphia lost Javon Hargrave in free agency to the San Francisco 49ers and Robert Quinn remains a free agent. Fletcher Cox, Haasan Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett remain on the roster, giving the team a solid group of veteran pass rushers to rely on. However, getting younger wouldn’t be the worst idea.
According to Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network, the Eagles are a team to keep an eye on when it comes to moving up the board for one of the premier edge rushers. Will Anderson of Alabama and Tyree Wilson of Texas Tech are the highest-ranked edge rushers in this year’s draft class and both are expected to be off the board by the time the 10th spot comes on the clock.
If Philadelphia is unable to move up, two players to keep an eye on are Nolan Smith out of Georgia and Lukas Van Ness out of Iowa. The Eagles are viewed as fans of Smith and are intrigued by Van Ness.
Last season the Eagles’ pass rush was truly dominant as they racked up 70 sacks and four different players registered double-digit sacks. If they can land one of the top pass rushers in this year’s draft class, they will once again be among the league leaders in sacks during the 2023 season.
