2022 NFL mock draft: Philadelphia Eagles select Jordan Davis

Just about every year, this happens. We start our Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft, and a couple weeks into month-long event, a real-life NFL trade throws the whole damn thing for a loop.

We’ve reached Pick 15 in the Community Mock Draft, which was owned by the Philadelphia Eagles up until Monday. Thanks to a bizarre trade, this pick now belongs to the New Orleans Saints, along with pick 19.

But this is where the community mock reality diverts from real life. It turns out this mock draft does not directly represent what will happen in reality. I’m sorry if this is an earth-shattering revelation to you. I’ll give you a second to absorb this information and question whether anything around us is truly real.

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You good?

So the mock will go on with the draft order originally set when we started. Please suspend your disbelief accordingly.

The commenter representing the Eagle in this mock draft is Sprtn66. Here’s the board they are looking at as they decide who to write on their card...

POD Community Mock Draft picks so far:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
2. Detroit Lions: Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
3. Houston Texans: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
4. New York Jets: Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
5. New York Giants: Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
6. Carolina Panthers: Ikem Ekwonu, OT, NC State
7. New York Giants: Ahmad Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
8. Atlanta Falcons: Kenny Pickett, QB, Pittsburgh
9. Seattle Seahawks: Malik Willis, QB, Liberty
10. New York Jets: Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
11. Washington Commanders: Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
12. Minnesota Vikings: Trent McDuffie, CB, Washington
13. Houston Texans: Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
14. Baltimore Ravens: Jermaine Johnson, EDGE, Florida State

So with the 15th pick in the POD Community Mock, the Philadelphia Eagles have selected Jordan Davis, defensive tackle out of Georgia.

Here’s Sprtn66 with the explanation:

Remember last year when the Lions selected Alim McNeill and they showed the Eagles war room was just devastated? I’ll be damned if it didn’t happen again. I had a card for the commissioner already filled out with Jermaine Johnson II already on it. I really wanted an edge rusher with this pick. I don’t think another edge is worthy of being picked this high. My next option was cornerback, but again I didn’t like the options still available. So, for this pick I decided to think outside the box.

I chose to go best player available and selected Jordan Davis, DT Georgia. Daniel Jeremiah at NFL.com has him rated as the #11 player on his board. No, he is not a great pass rusher and needs to work on his pass rush arsenal. He is a beast against the run that can collapse the pocket in the passing game. He will demand double teams and free up others to get the sack. Also per Daniel Jeremiah:

“He is immovable inside, locks out blocks and eliminates space for runners. He has outstanding block recognition, handles double teams and possesses surprising range. He makes plays down the field, which is incredible to see at his size.”

Is he really a necessity for the Eagles? No, not yet. It’s hard to turn down a player with a RAS of 10 though. Milton Williams is only 22. He was picked last year in the third round. At the other DT spot is Fletcher Cox. He was cut and returned on a one-year, $14 million contract. I’ve read several articles that say he is on a farewell tour and probably won’t be back as he is currently 31 and his play is declining. Those three will make up one of the better DT rotations in the league. I also read that the Eagles will be featuring more 3-4 looks on defense. I’m not sure they have four LBers to make it work, but they now have an absolute beast of an NT if they decide to go in that direction.

Erik’s thoughts:

New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon comes from the Mike Zimmer (former Vikings’ head coach) coaching tree and how much he tries to adapt the Eagles defense to that style remains to be seen. Gannon has said he plans on adjusting to the players he has, but Zimmer will be an obvious influence.

One thing Zimmer was always a proponent of was run-stopping defensive tackles and Davis is arguably the best in the class at this. Last year Jonathan Hargrave was their primary nose tackle option, but even he only spent about a quarter of his time at the nose. Hargraves is also in the final year of his contract, so adding Davis to the mix is a very workable scenario.

Other options I would consider are perimeter players on both offense and defense. Safeties Antony Harris and K’Von Wallace aren't long-term solutions at safety and a player like Michigan’s Daxton Hill would make some sense. They also need a corner opposite Darius Slay, and a player like Clemson’s Andre Booth would be a nice addition. And on offense, despite investing at wide receiver, it’d be hard to pass on a talent like Alabama’s Jameson Williams—who would pair nicely with former Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

You can follow along with every pick + grades in our Community Mock Draft tracker.