2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft: Pick No. 55

Rd. # Player Pos. College 2 55 Corey Wootton DE Northwestern General Manager: n4ry4

With the 55th pick of the 2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select Northwestern defensive end Corey Wootton.

Here is n4ry4's reasoning for the pick:

Philadelphia came into the offseason with a need for a left defensive end to play opposite Trent Cole. Victor Abiamiri has underwhelmed, starting six games and making four sacks in three seasons since Philadelphia selected him in the 2nd round in 2007.

The Eagles did trade for Darryl Tapp, who offers marginally more upside, averaging 4.5 sacks over four seasons, rotating between right DE and left DE in Seattle, but he only started five games last year. So, while he ought to be a solid contributor, it's not clear how much of an upgrade Tapp guarantees the Philly D-Line long term.

Continued after the jump...

So I decided to draft Northwestern standout defensive end Corey Wootton here. At 6'7" and 285 pounds, Wootton possesses Mario Williams' measurable size and has the production and versatility to offer very good value here in the lower-second round.

Wootton is a four-year starter who has accumulated 132 tackles (32 TFL), 15.5 sacks, 3 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 3 blocked kicks in four years. He played end in a 4-3, but also was rotated to DT on some obvious passing downs. He doesn't have the raw athleticism and speed of an elite RDE edge rusher, but he makes for a good power-rusher who excels against the run and should be able to contribute on the field right away.

Wootton did see a decline from 2008 to 2009 after a knee injury at the end of '08, so there is a durability concern there. But after selecting more "sure things" with the Eagles' first two picks (Maurkice Pouncey, Nate Allen), I feel like this pick, where the talent begins thinning out in the lower-second round, can be spent on a prospect that carries the very solid value and upside that Corey Wootton offers when healthy.

Check out the 2010 Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft tracker for a look at all of the picks.