2022 NFL mock draft: Philadelphia Eagles select Devin Lloyd

The Philadelphia Eagles are back on the clock in our Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft. While in reality, the Eagles no longer have two first-round picks this year, just a week ago they had back-to-back picks at 15 and 16. Unfortunately, by Monday’s big trade, we had already moved well past this pick behind the scenes, and there was no way we were turning back.

Commenter Sprtn66 is the acting general manager for the Eagles, and with the 15th pick, he selected Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis. Where will he go with the back half of the consecutive picks? First, let’s look at who has been taken thus far:

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
15. Philadelphia Eagles: Jordan Davis, DT, Georgia

So with the 16th pick in the POD Community Mock, the Philadelphia Eagles have selected Devin Lloyd, linebacker out of Utah.

Here’s Sprtn66 with the explanation:

Again, the Eagles find themselves going BPA instead of need. I have a trivia question for everyone. Who is the last linebacker drafted in the first round by the Eagles? Believe it or not Jerry Robinson in 1979. That is changing now with the selection of Devin Lloyd.

I know the Eagles signed 27-year-old Haason Reddick to a three-year, $45 million contract. They also signed 26-year-old Kyzir White to a one-year, $5 million contract. Looking at the depth chart, the starting MLB is TJ Edwards, an UDFA from Wisconsin. All of a sudden LB goes from probably the weakest part of the Eagles defense last season to one of the strongest LB groups in the NFL. White on the weak side, Lloyd in the middle, Reddick at SAM looks like gluttony. In different packages White or Lloyd could switch to SS, Reddick could move to DE... granted, he’d be undersized.

Daniel Jeremiah has Lloyd listed as his #12 prospect.

“Lloyd is a tall, rangy linebacker with excellent versatility and production. He split time between lining up on the edge and at inside linebacker. Against the pass, he can run and mirror TEs all over the field. He is very instinctive as a zone dropper, able to anticipate, drive and make plays on the ball. His ball skills are special for a linebacker. Lloyd is an effective blitzer off the edge, displaying a burst to close and wreak havoc in the backfield. Against the run, he plays downhill and uses his length to play off of blocks and collect tackles. He has excellent lateral range. He does have some stiffness in space, but is a reliable tackler. I love Lloyd’s play speed, passion and aggression. He has Pro Bowl potential.”

With Jordan Davis and Devin Lloyd added to the front 7, this defense should give the Cowboys nightmares trying to reclaim the division. Looking at last season’s numbers, I was surprised to see the Eagles DVOA numbers. The offense was surprisingly #11 while the defense was ranked #25.

Erik’s thoughts:

While I liked Sprtn66’s pick of Jordan Davis at pick No. 15, I’m not as thrilled about this pairing. Lloyd is absolutely worthy of this spot, but Edwards (starting MIKE) was one of the bright spots for the defense last season, showing a nice combination of run and pass defense.

The Eagles could certainly want to create competition at the spot, but with other more glaring needs, and players on the board with similar grades as Lloyd, I would have liked to see them grab a defensive back (Michigan safety Daxton Hill and Clemson corner Andrew Booth were suggested last pick) or a wide receiver (Alabama’s Jameson Williams).

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