The Philadelphia Eagles have been on a roll as of late. The Eagles have won four of their last five and are in a position to win the NFC East. With the end of the season nearing that also means the NFL draft is around the corner and Chip Kelly will be looking at what holes will need to be filled.
Before the season began quarterback was on the top of my list with Michael Vick, Nick Foles and Matt Barkley as their guys going into the season. Vick has legitimate injury concerns mainly due to his style of play and his frame. Barkley hasn’t proved to be much of a factor either. He came into a game against the Dallas Cowboys and threw the game away with three interceptions. That is not to say that quarterback won’t be on their list of needs just not for a starting quarterback. Foles has earned the right to be the starter for the foreseeable future.
Their top offensive need has to be at the wide receiver position. It is entirely possible that neither Riley Cooper or Jeremy Maclin return since they are free agents at the end of the season. That would open up two spots at the position in which Jason Avant could slide into the slot position but they would still need someone to line up opposite DeSean Jackson.
Early Round Wide Receivers: Kelvin Benjamin (Florida State), Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt) and Jarvis Landry (Louisiana State) could be viable options early.
Defensively they have needs at linebacker, safety and cornerback. Connor Barwin and Trent Cole could both be gone in the relatively near future. They could look for someone in the mid rounds to spell either Cole or Barwin and compete for the job after 2014. More important than the outside linebacker, Chip Kelly should be fixing their cornerback position. Cary Williams has shown himself to be a liability and also why the Ravens let him go.
Early Round Defensive Backs: Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (Oregon), Justin Gilbert (Oklahoma State) and Jason Verrett (Texas Christian) could be a top the list for Coach Kelly. Ifo obviously comes to mind mainly due to having played for Kelly at Oregon.
Draft Needs: WR, LB, CB, SS, OG