It’s NFL draft season and with Super Bowl 55 now complete, all 32 NFL teams can turn their focus to restocking the roster via the selection process.
Todd McShay just released his second mock draft for ESPN.com, and he has Philadelphia going with LSU star wideout Ja’Marr Chase over Heisman Trophy winner, DeVonta Smith.
6. Philadelphia Eagles
Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSUThe Eagles’ wide receivers room ranked No. 30 in yards this season (2,082), and they were one of three teams to catch fewer than 60% of their WR targets (56.3%). Those numbers came even after drafting Jalen Reagor in the first round last April. The Eagles need to give quarterback Jalen Hurts — who is taking the reins as the team moves on from Carson Wentz — tools to succeed, and that of course starts with a game-breaker on the outside.
Chase vs. Alabama’s DeVonta Smith is a tough call, but I think Chase might have slightly better traits and certainly more size at 6-0 and 200-plus pounds. You might have forgotten because he opted out in 2020, but Chase had 20 touchdowns and nearly 1,800 yards in 2019. It’s win-win for Philadelphia if both receivers are still on the board, but the LSU product gets the call here.
McShay went with Chase and his athletic makeup over the sneaky smooth Smith, with both players, already proving that they can dominate against some of the top competition in college, which should translate to the NFL level.
