ESPN's draft analyst Mel Kiper released his third mock draft on Tuesday for the 2021 NFL Draft and has an interesting board before the Eagles make their selection at No. 6.
In his latest draft, Mel Kiper has four quarterback prospects (excluding Mac Jones) taken within the first four picks. He also has the Carolina Panthers trading up to No. 3 to get Justin Fields from Ohio State. Here's how his top five picks shake out:
1. Jacksonville Jaguars - Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
2. New York Jets - Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
3. Carolina Panthers - Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
4. Atlanta Falcons - Trey Lance, QB, North Dakota State
5. Cincinnati Bengals - Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
With four QBs off the board and the highly touted TE Kyle Pitts drafted one spot ahead of them, Kiper has the Eagles selecting wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase from LSU. Here is what Kiper has to say about it:
The Eagles are another team that didn't have the cap space to be spenders in free agency, and this could be the ideal scenario for general manager Howie Roseman and new coach Nick Sirianni. They don't have the pressure to take one of the top four quarterbacks and let him compete with Jalen Hurts. Now, they can evaluate Hurts in 2021 alongside an elite wide receiver in Chase, then figure out next offseason whether Hurts is the guy around whom they want to build their team. This is a roster that has several holes, and Philadelphia has a long ways to go until it is back to being a Super Bowl contender. Chase would be a great addition to get this franchise back on track after a rough 2020.
Three wide receivers are taken after, including Devonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle to the Lions and Dolphins.
It should be noted that Kiper also had the Eagles picking Chase in his Mock 2.0 as well. This comes a year after the Eagles selected Jalen Reagor with a first round pick and took John Hightower and Quez Watkins later on in the draft. Greg Ward, Travis Fulgham and J.J. Arcega Whiteside comprise the rest of a receiving crew that had one player record over 500 yards receiving.
