The 2020 NFL Draft is fast approaching and with the Eagles looking to make changes up and down the roster, Howie Roseman and company could have a few surprises in store.
The Eagles have been linked to Henry Ruggs III and Tee Higgins for weeks now, but what if Howie Roseman believes in the depth at receiver in the draft and decides to lean another way in the first round?
With the Eagles looking to make a splash, here are five players who could be sleeper picks for Philadelphia in the first round.
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1. Antoine Winfield, Jr. — Safety — Minnesota
With a name to match his game, Winfield Jr., the son of a former Ohio State and NFL star, is rising up draft boards because of his ability to dictate a game at different levels.
Winfield Jr. announced that he was skipping his final two years of eligibility after earning consensus All-American honors and tying the single-season Gophers record with seven interceptions.
Winfield led the Gophers with 88 total tackles while helping them knock off Auburn in the Outback Bowl to finish 11-2 for the most wins in program history since 1904.
2. Isaiah Simmons — LB-S — Clemson
In a perfect world, Howie Roseman wakes up on the draft day, looks around the league at the Minkah Fitzpatrick and Tyrann Mathieu’s of the world, and decides he wants a gamechanger on defense, who can disrupt an offenses flow from any position.
The Eagles don’t normally put a ton of value into the linebacker position, but Simmons isn’t your typical linebacker. A versatile hybrid, Simmons can play linebacker or safety, allowing Malcolm Jenkins to be an even more versatile player.
In this new era of spread offenses and mobile quarterbacks, having a guy like Simmons who can go from elite pass rusher to locking down the middle on a pass play makes him extremely valuable for any style of defense.
During the first three drives of the National Championship game, Simmons line up at linebacker, cornerback and edge rusher.
It would take the Eagles trading far up in the draft, but it would be a surprise that would delight all Philadelphia fans.
3. K’Lavon Chaisson — Edge — LSU
The Eagles can get younger along the defensive line and the LSU star wouldn’t be a bad player to start with. Chaisson is a Danielle Hunter clone and is versatile enough to play on the edge or in space.
4. Grant Delpit — Safety — LSU
Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod could both be on the move this offseason, although the Eagles are likely to keep one at safety. Delpit is rangy and could be a perfect fit to learn from the veterans. The 2019 Jim Thorpe Award winner is viewed as one of the top two safeties coming out of the 2020 NFL Draft class and the type of young and elite playmaking talent the Eagles need.
5. Xavier McKinney — Safety — Alabama
The Crimson Tide star has the skills and versatility to be the first safety off the board, as he combines athleticism, physical tools and the ability to operate in space or from the slot.
Howie Roseman missed on getting Minkah Fitzpatrick, and by adding McKinney to the roster, he could make the Eagles secondary, Avonte Maddox and Jim Schartz that much better.
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