2021 NFL mock draft: Philadelphia Eagles select Jaylen Waddle

We’ve had back-to-back NFC East picks in the Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, and both have gone with an offensive weapon. The Cowboys took Kyle Pitts at 10, and the Giants followed it up by grabbing the Heisman-winning DeVonta Smith.

It’s a perfect storm for the Philadelphia Eagles, who hold the 12th pick in the draft. Last year, the Eagles draft TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor—which could turn out to be a fine pick. However, with Justin Jefferson going a pick later, the Eagles certainly could have done better.

Will they make a similar mistake this year? Not if Mr. Zebra has anything to do with it. He is tasked with making the Eagles’ selection for the Eagles in our Community Mock. Before we get into the pick, here’s what the board looks like.

POD Community Mock Draft picks so far:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
3. San Francisco 49ers: Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota
4. Atlanta Falcons: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon
5. Cincinnati Bengals: Rashawn Slater, OT, Northwestern
6. Miami Dolphins: Micah Parsons, LB, Penn State
7. Detroit Lions: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
8. Carolina Panthers: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
9. Denver Broncos: Patrick Surtain II, CB, Alabama
10. Dallas Cowboys: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
11. New York Giants: DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama

With the 12th pick in the POD Community Mock, the Philadelphia Eagles have selected Alabama wide receiver Jaylen Waddle.

Here’s Mr. Zebra with the reasoning for the pick:

With just two picks to go until my Philadelphia Eagles’ first selection, the draft board is shaking out nicely. Several premium players are surprisingly still available, but one that really appeals to me is TE Kyle Pitts from Florida. A generational prospect for his position, he would be a great help to Jalen Hurts and my team that’s somehow starting over after winning the Super Bowl just three years ago. Kyle Pitts is a unicorn, and you draft unicorns.

[sees the Cowboys’ pick]

Haha, the Cowboys took a tight end in the top 10, and one who wasn’t even the leading receiver on his team! Yet again, Jerry falls for a shiny bauble over building a solid foundation. Kyle Pitts is a bust, and you don’t draft busts.

Anyway, now that the Cowboys have taken a complete scrub, the board is looking even better for my Eagles. One player that I’d really like to draft is WR DeVonta Smith from Alabama. I don’t care about his size. He won the Heisman trophy for a reason, and his kind of talent is precisely what we need in Philly to get Coach Sirianni’s offense up and running.

[sees the Giants’ pick]

LOL, the Giants drafted a receiver that weighs barely more than me! Smith’s silky-smooth route running won’t matter when Darius Slay is knocking him off the line. DeVonta Smith is exactly the kind of “talent” that we steer clear from in the City of Brotherly Love.

Now that I’m done guffawing at our most hated rivals for drafting such obvious busts, I, general manager Zebra of the Philadelphia Eagles, announce that with the 12th pick in the NFL draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama.

Waddle is someone I’d have been happy to draft sixth overall, so getting him here is excellent value. A threat to score whenever he touches the ball, he was on his way to an amazing season last year before injuring his ankle. We need an explosive scoring threat in Philadelphia, and this is the happy situation where we can fill a need without compromising on talent. As a bonus, Waddle and Hurts have played together before, and are both named “Jaylen”/”Jalen”, so there’s already chemistry.

Waddle will rack up the YAC ahead of the pack while Dak (a hack) takes the sack. The Eagles are back!

Erik Schlitt’s thoughts:

All jokes aside, Mr. Zebra is right, the Eagles were surely considering Waddle with pick No. 6, so to get him at No. 12—along with a first-round pick next year—is a super deal.

The Eagles also have clear needs on defense at all three levels and surely considered adding Kwity Paye (EDGE, Michigan), Zaven Collins (LB, Tulsa), or Jaycee Horn (South Carolina). Paye would be a potential long-term replacement for another former Michigan EDGE, Brandon Graham, who at age 33 is still dominating but needs a successor. Collins and Horn would be day one starters and could help upgrade two of the weaker position groups on the roster.