One would suppose Mel Kiper Jr. may need to wait till after the NFL Mix to difficulty a brand new mock draft. You already know, perhaps issue athletic testing and medical outcomes into the train? Apparently not, although, since he revealed a brand new simulation to ESPN on Wednesday morning.
Right here’s who Kiper has the Eagles taking with the No. 22 general choose:
Laiatu Latu, OLB, UCLA
This week is large for Latu, who medically retired from soccer as a consequence of a neck harm when he was at Washington in 2021. Will NFL groups be happy along with his medical stories? It’s not precisely remarkable — Jaelan Phillips, a Spherical 1 choose in 2021, medically retired when he was at UCLA earlier than transferring to Miami — but it surely’s why these pre-combine mock drafts are robust. As a result of for every part Latu did on the sphere for the Bruins — he had 112 pressures and 23.5 sacks the previous two seasons — it gained’t matter if groups flag his medicals and take him off their board. Based mostly on what I noticed on tape from 2022 on, nevertheless, Latu is a first-rounder.
As for the Eagles, you watched the tip of their season, proper? Their go rush actually struggled. They bought only one sack and 10 whole tackles from 2023 first-round choose Nolan Smith. I nonetheless consider in Smith’s expertise, and including Latu would give their entrance seven one other toolsy edge rusher.
There’s some logic to the Eagles taking Latu.
The draft worth seems to be practical. He’s thought of to be the most effective edge rusher prospects on this 12 months’s class. Former Eagles scout Daniel Jeremiah has him ranked No. 21 on his Prime 50 massive board.
Everyone knows the Eagles aren’t shy about pouring assets into their go rush. And it’ll be much more of a urgent want for them if Haason Reddick is traded.
However then there’s this:
UCLA’s Laiatu Latu stated he would have turn into a firefighter if his medical retirement from soccer would have been everlasting. He even took just a few courses in LA.
He desires to get into it when he’s performed enjoying and hopes he can work his manner as much as Chief. pic.twitter.com/fVrfXGAoN4
— Nolan Bianchi (@nolanbianchi) February 28, 2024
Danny Watkins 2.0?!?!
Maybe not. Maybe Latu really cares about being an excellent soccer participant much more than Watkins did, which was little or no.
The Eagles higher really feel assured that’s the case in the event that they need to draft him. In any other case that will be a reasonably embarrassing mistake to make twice.
