The time is here, the Eagles are on the clock in the Fan Mock Draft. Months of tireless speculation have finally brought us to this, the moment of truth. Assuming the Eagles do not trade up or down and retain the 22nd pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft, who will be selected as the newest member to don the midnight green?
The Eagles are coming off a renaissance 2013 season, Chip Kelly's first as a head coach in the NFL. The despair of 2012 morphed into optimism and hope for the future as the Eagles banded together to overcome a 1-3 start and finish 10-6, champions of the NFC East. The offense, behind LeSean McCoy and Nick Foles, ranked second in the league in yards and had one of the best overall seasons in NFL history. The defense transitioned to a new scheme was opportunistic in forcing turnovers, stingy in the red zone and ranked 17th in points allowed at 23.9 per game.
General manager Howie Roseman is a staunch proponent of taking the best player available because that is the optimal way to build for the future. What if the best player on the Eagles' draft board at 22 is a quarterback prospect who has fallen? Would the Eagles, even with a Pro Bowl quarterback in Foles as the starter, pull the trigger on Louisville's Teddy Bridgewater?
Though the Eagles re-signed Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin prior to the start of free agency, Roseman has remarked on numerous occasions about the depth of this draft at the wide receiver position, in particular, and opined the Eagles will come away with "at least" one wide receiver. With that in mind, Oregon State's Brandin Cooks, USC's Marqise Lee, Florida State's Kelvin Benjamin, Indiana's Cody Latimer and Vanderbilt's Jordan Matthews are all on the board for the Eagles at 22.
Looking at the defense, the pass rushers are topped by Auburn's Dee Ford and Georgia Tech's Jeremiah Attaochu. The best cornerbacks remaining on the board are Virginia Tech's Kyle Fuller, Ohio State's Bradley Roby and TCU's Jason Verrett. Alabama's Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Louisville's Calvin Pryor are off the board at safety, but Northern Illinois' Jimmie Ward is there for the taking. Linebacker C.J. Mosley could have been in the mix, too, had he not been selected by the Packers a pick before, so maybe the Eagles shift their focus to Ryan Shazier and see him as a capable inside linebacker in their 3-4 scheme?
You have waited a long time, and now's your chance to have your voice heard. Who do you want to see the Eagles pick at 22?
Previous Selections
**1. Houston Texans -- LB Jadeveon Clowney**
**2. St. Louis Rams -- T Greg Robinson**
**3. Jacksonville Jaguars -- QB Johnny Manziel**
**4. Cleveland Browns -- WR Sammy Watkins**
**5. Oakland Raiders -- LB Khalil Mack**
**6. Atlanta Falcons -- OT Jake Matthews**
**7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- WR Mike Evans**
**8. Minnesota Vikings -- QB Blake Bortles**
**9. Buffalo Bills -- TE Eric Ebron**
**10. Detroit Lions -- CB Justin Gilbert**
**11. Tennessee Titans -- DE/OLB Anthony Barr**
**12. New York Giants -- OT Taylor Lewan**
**13. St. Louis Rams -- S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix**
**14. Chicago Bears -- DT Aaron Donald**
**15. Pittsburgh Steelers- CB Darqueze Dennard**
**16. Dallas Cowboys -- DE Kony Ealy**
**17. Baltimore Ravens -- S Calvin Pryor**
**18. New York Jets -- WR Odell Beckham**
**19. Miami Dolphins -- T Zack Martin**
**20. Arizona Cardinals -- QB Derek Carr**
**21. Green Bay Packers -- LB C.J. Mosley**
