Getty Former Oklahoma WR CeeDee Lamb.
How aggressive should the Eagles be in this draft? It’s a class loaded with elite receivers but it’s also crowded at the top.
Philadelphia has been increasingly linked to LSU’s Justin Jefferson at pick No. 21. He’s a talented pass-catcher who can play either in the slot or on the outside, plus his 4.43 40 time exceeded all expectations.
But, it has to be tempting to a team devoid of play-making receivers to possibly trade up and draft one of the most electrifying guys on the board. Jerry Jeudy, Henry Ruggs and CeeDee Lamb have been the consensus top three and new rumors have the Eagles locked in on one of them.
In the latest mock draft from CBS Sports, the Eagles package three picks — No. 21 and No. 85, plus a fifth-rounder — to Tampa Bay in exchange for the 14th overall pick in April’s draft. The move would help them climb the ladder into the upper echelon where they can land Oklahoma’s CeeDee Lamb. He had 173 receptions for 3,292 yards and 32 touchdowns in three years at Oklahoma.
This is what CBS Sports’ R.J. White wrote about a potential trade:
The depth at receiver in this class has caused the teams in the top 13 to focus on other positions, so when we get to the Bucs and no receivers are off the board, the Eagles package No. 21 with 85 and a fifth-round pick to jump the Broncos for Lamb, who can raise the ceiling of Philly’s passing attack.
.@OU_Football WR CeeDee Lamb made some UNREAL catches at the 2020 #NFLCombine. 😱 @_CeeDeeThree
Eagles Select Henry Ruggs in Alternate Mock Draft
The opinions on what the Eagles will do next month are all over the map, as you can see. While CBS Sports has the team trading up to grab CeeDee Lamb, the league’s official website has them staying put and targeting Henry Ruggs III.
How is that even possible? Ruggs has been projected to not last beyond the Broncos at pick No. 15. Maybe not.
According to NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks, the Eagles find themselves in luck as Ruggs is sitting there at pick No. 21 and the choice is easy. Not only do the Eagles nab the fastest receiver in the draft but they do it at a bargain rate. Ruggs had 98 receptions for 1,716 yards and 24 touchdowns in three seasons at Alabama.
Brooks wrote: “The Eagles need more speed on the outside. Ruggs is a burner — he ran the fastest 40-yard dash of this year’s NFL Scouting Combine at 4.27 seconds — with outstanding hands and ball skills.”
Eagles GM Howie Roseman hasn’t ruled out the option of trading up in the draft, but he knows the whole process can be a crapshoot.
“There is a hit and miss rate that is just the nature of the beast,” Roseman told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine. “The more draft picks you have the more chance you are hitting on those guys.”
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