Subscribe
Follow Us
After over a month of anticipation, fans in Philadelphia officially know where the Eagles will be picking in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft: 32nd overall.
Disappointing? For hardcore NFL draft nuts, you bet, as the chances of hitting on an elite prospect in the early 30s is a whole lot harder than in the top-10. But when you consider the Eagles, you know, won the freakin' Super Bowl to earn the pick, it's safe to say pretty much every fan in the City of Brotherly Love will take it.
With Howie Roseman calling the shots, pick 32 should still land Philadelphia a great player, as he's seemingly found starters in the 30-40 range every year since returning to power post-Chip Kelly. Need proof? Just look at his recent track record: Cooper DeJean at pick 40 in 2024, Nolan Smith at pick 30 in 2023, and Landon Dickerson at pick 37 in 2021.
Goodness, the last time the Eagles won the Super Bowl, they traded down with the Baltimore Ravens – who selected Lamar Jackson – to draft Dallas Goedert at pick 49, who remains one of the team's key contributors to this day over half a decade later.
While the Eagles don't technically know what holes they will have on their roster just yet, as they could be big winners in free agency, big losers in free agency, or fall somewhere in between, Philadelphia won't have a board bereft of talent when their chance to pick rolls around, as this is widely considered a fairly deep draft, with some suggesting the value at pick 20 won't be too different than the value at pick 40, especially for a team that likes to draft the best player available instead of focusing solely on their needs.
Who will the Eagles pick at pick 32? Only time will tell, but here are a few premier talents who could continue Roseman's hot streak on Draft Day.
1. Jack Sawyer, edge rusher, Ohio State
Assuming the Eagles lose Josh Sweat in free agency, which feels more and more likely with each passing week, Philadelphia will need to invest in more talent on the edge who can play outside linebacker on base downs, kick it inside to defensive end on obvious passing down, and most importantly, play a ton of snaps. This player has to be able to set a strong edge, as Vic Fangio doesn't like to rotate his linemen, be able to rush the passer from a two-point stance – which caused Bryce Huff to fall out of the rotation entirely – and most importantly of all, maintain strong gap integrity so the linebackers can perform clean-up duty.
In a class loaded with defensive end and outside linebacker options, the Eagles won't be lacking in choices, but of the realistic options who could fall in their range – which, at this point, no longer includes Mike Green from Marshall – the one who fits the Fangio mold best might just be Jack Sawyer from Ohio State.
A former five-star recruit out of Pickerington, Ohio, who was the number one player in his state coming out of high school according to 27/7 Sports, Sawyer became one of the best players on the best team in college football over his tenure in Columbus. Appearing in 54 games over his college career with the Buckeyes, Sawyer recorded 144 combined tackles, 29 tackles for a loss, 23 sacks, and even amassed seven takeaways; six forced fumbles, plus an interception for good measure as a senior.
Though Sawyer didn't go to Georgia, he won a National Championship during his run in Columbus, closing out his college career with confetti falling just like the Eagles a month later. Dubbed “Captain Buckeye” by stalwart wide receiver Emeka Egbuka for his status as the heart and soul of OSU's defense, Sawyer will bring strong leadership skills and a winner's mentality to whichever team drafts him. For the Eagles' sake, let's hope he brings those skills to Philadelphia, as he would be a natural addition to a young edge rushing group alongside Smith and Jaylex Hunt.
Other edge options: Princely Umanmielen, Ole Miss, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Boston College
2. Kenneth Grant, defensive tackle, Michigan
If the Eagles luck out at defensive end in free agency or via trade and still have pick 32 on the books, another spot they could look to fill is defensive tackle, which could be a need if Milton Williams leaves in free agency.
Enter Kenneth Grant, a former four-star recruit out of Merrillville, Indiana, who, again, has a National Championship on his collegiate resume.
Standing 6-foot-3, 339 pounds, Grant has the body of a nose tackle but can kick it beyond the center's shoulder as a 4-3 defensive tackle, where his size and athleticism could seemingly make him into a three-down player with the right coaching. Over his 41 games in Ann Arbour, Grant amassed 69 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss of 6.5 sacks, plus three takeaways, two forced fumbles, and a pick. While some of that success might have come from playing alongside future top-10 pick Mason Graham, which certainly didn't hurt, Grant was anything but a second fiddle and might not even be there when the Eagles pick if he runs a sub-5.0 40 at the 2025 NFL Draft Combine.
Could Grant play alongside Jordan Davis at defensive tackle? Sure, in base downs, Grant could play 3-4 defensive end, especially if he slims down a little bit for the NFL level. But if Davis doesn't take his Super Bowl performance and use it as a jumping-off point, Grant could theoretically become Philadelphia's nose tackle of the future alongside Jalen Carter.
Other DT options: Tyleik Williams, OSU, T.J. Sanders, South Carolina
3. Colston Loveland, tight end, Michigan
If you run down the Eagles biggest needs heading into 2025, tight end isn't really one of them, but what they do need is a consistent fifth pass-catcher to round out their starting lineup behind AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Saquon Barkley, and Goedert.
Initially, that was supposed to be Jahan Dotson, and he did come up big against both the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs and against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. But over the season as a whole, Dotson barely contributed more than sixth-round pick Johnny Wilson, fifth-round pick Ainias Smith, return man Britain Covey, or Parris Campbell, who split time between the active roster and practice squad.
So, if he's on the board and graded higher than the wide receiver options, why not take things in an unconventional route and draft National Champion Colston Loveland out of Michigan, who might just be the best pure receiving tight end in the 2025 NFL Draft?
Unconventional? Maybe so, but what about the Eagles' offense isn't? They run the ball more than anyone, throw the ball less than anyone, and yet Dotson ended up playing 58.25 percent of the team's offensive snaps at WR3. Assuming Philadelphia keeps that strategy going, using a player like Loveland in a similar way to Las Vegas' Brock Bowers could produce consistent mismatches that Jalen Hurts could exploit with his arms and legs.
Now granted, Loveland isn't Bowers; he finished out his career at Michigan with 1,466 yards and 11 touchdowns on 117 targets over 39 games and isn't what you would call a ready-made blocker at the NFL level. Fortunately, if the Eagles look at him more like a big slot with Goedert remaining in his typical role, he could be a fantastic addition to their offense all the same.
Other slot options: Jack Bech, TCU, Elic Ayomanor, Stanford