ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. published his first Mock Draft of the year Thursday, a little more than three months out from the actual draft, and he has the Eagles going with a cornerback in the first round.
Kiper predicts that the Eagles will select Washington cornerback Marcus Peters at the No. 20 spot in the draft. Kiper acknowledged that the Eagles want to improve their secondary this offseason, and said that Peters is "arguably the best cornerback in the entire draft."
Peters, a junior, stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 193 pounds. He finished his three-year career with the Huskies with 11 interceptions and 129 tackles in 34 games.
This past season Peters was named to NFL.com's Midseason All-America Team, praised for his shutdown ability as well as his aptitude in assisting the Washington run defense. Peters was also named second-team All-Pac-12 after his sophomore season.
Elsewhere, Kiper predicted that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will select Florida State quarterback Jameis Winston with the first overall pick and that the Tennessee Titans will select Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota with the second overall pick.
In the NFC East, Kiper has two of the Eagles' three rivals picking up defensive pieces. He predicted that Washington will select Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory with the No. 5 pick, the Giants will select Iowa offensive tackle Brandon Scherff with the ninth pick and the Cowboys will select Oklahoma defensive tackle Jordan Phillips with the 27th pick.
We're still 105 days away from the start of the 2015 NFL Draft. But the gears are starting to turn, and it's starting to get exciting.
