With the NFL Scouting Combine beginning next week, it’s time for another Eagles-only mock draft. This one, the pre-combine version.
FIRST ROUND
23: Monroe Freeling, offensive tackle, Georgia. This school has been good to the Eagles in the past, so why not go back to the same well that gave them Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean, and Kelee Ringo? I’m still high on Gennings Dunker from Iowa, and would have no problem if they took him here because he probably won’t be there when they pick again at No. 54.
Freeling has great length at 6-7 and size at 315 pounds and would be the perfect replacement for Lane Johnson, though probably needs a year to build up his play strength. An interesting sidelight to Freeling, as NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah pointed out on a conference call: his mom is a yoga instructor, so his flexibility should be sound.
SECOND ROUND
54: Max Klare, tight end, Ohio State: I went with Klare from Ohio State in previous mocks, and I’m not coming off him here. He is the second-best tight end in the draft, behind Kenyon Sadiq, who the Eagles won’t take in the first round. Klare can catch but is also a strong in-line blocker, something the Eagles will value. A receiver could be a possibility here, someone like Indiana’s Omar Cooper or Tennessee’s Chris Brazzell, depending on what happens with A.J. Brown.
Eagles Go Defense In Third Round
UCF defensive end Malachi Lawrence (51) tackles ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt (10) as he scrambles during a game at Mountain America Stadium in Tempe on Nov. 9, 2024. | Patrick Breen/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
THIRD ROUND
68: Malachi Lawrence, DE/edge, Central Florida. 6-4, 250. One NFL analyst compared his play style to Josh Sweat, who the Eagles took in the fourth round eight years ago and has collected 55 sacks in eight years. Lawrence had 20 sacks in 39 games for Central Florida, a school the Eagles are familiar after taking Lawrence’s college teammate, cornerback Mac McWilliams, in the fifth round of last year’s draft.
98: Zakee Wheatley, Penn State, safety. Here he is again. Like Klare, I’m sticking with this physical safety to get picked by the Eagles in this spot. Sort of like the tight end position, the Eagles will need safeties if they don’t bring back free agents Reed Blankenship and/or Marcus Epps.
FOURTH ROUND
122: Tyren Montgomery, WR, John Carroll. Though the 5-11, 190-pound small-school standout shone at the Senior Bowl, he did not receive an invite to this week’s Combine. Still, he’d be a good slot option to develop.
137: Keylan Rutledge, OG, Georgia Tech. The Eagles take another lineman, this time one with more guard versatility at 6-3, 315. Before transferring, he spent two years at Middle Tennessee State, which is the same school that produced safety Reed Blankenship.
FIFTH ROUND
147: Mark Gronowski, quarterback, Iowa. He was the MVP of the East-West Shrine game, whose coach was Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. His one season at Iowa wasn’t overly impressive, with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, but he was a star at South Dakota State before transferring. He led South Dakota – the same school that produced Dallas Goedert – to consecutive national championships and finished with a 49-6 record. He was the Walter Payton Award winner in the 2023 season.
179: Riley, Nowakowski, tight end, Indiana. He gives the Eagles a strong blocker at the tight end spot and can also play fullback. He would fit perfectly with Klare. I had Florida kicker Trey Smack in this spot in a previous mock draft, and that could still happen.
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