Philadelphia

Eagles

Eagles defensive coaches were reportedly high on Hunt headed into the draft. After being utilized as a massive safety at Cornell during the 2019 and 2021 seasons, Hunt (6’4/252) made the switch to edge for his final two years after transferring to Houston Christian. He thrived in the new role, amassing a team leading 9.0 TFL and 6.5 sacks with an 83rd percentile overall grade, earning Southland Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors last year. The Senior Bowl invitee is an NFL caliber athlete who displayed good bend and flashes of having a pass rush bag, but was unable to land moves with much consistency. Hunt wins by bending the edge or playing with his food out in space, and using his superior athleticism to weave around blockers. His 90.2 PFF grade as a pass rusher in 2023 show that he was consistently able to win with his athleticism, but his lack of polish was not exposed against weaker competition.

The 49ers sent picks 94 and 132 to the Eagles for a chance to draft Puni (6'5/303). The lynchpin of a Jayhawks offensive line that averaged 206 rushing yards per game in 2023, which was the fourth-highest mark in the Power Five, Puni paced the OL with a team-low 1.3% pressure rate while finishing his two-year Kansas tenure, allowing zero sacks and just one QB hit in 1,593 snaps…and he did it at two different positions. NFL Next Gen Stats credits Puni with having the fifth-highest production score of the 2024 guard group. Puni is pegged for guard duty at the next level to take advantage of his outstanding lateral agility and pass protection skills. While technically sound in the run game, earning a solid 72.6 run grade with a 1.4% blown run block rate last year, he doesn’t profile as a man-moving road grader who creates havoc in his wake. Puni’s mirroring skills, positional adaptability, and clean run-blocking fits are positive attributes that could help him quickly establish value in the passing-oriented NFL.

The Eagles sent Nos. 50, 53, and 161 to move up. They also received No. 78 and 152. DeJean (6’/202) was a star AAU basketball player in addition to being a two-way football star, playing quarterback and DB. A four-star 2021 fall camp arrival, DeJean bided his time as a special teamer before exploding on the scene in 2022 with a season for the Iowa ages. He started all 13 games while playing mostly corner, but also spent 140 snaps in the slot and another 91 snaps in the box to take advantage of his hybrid safety skill set. He recorded 75 tackles, 25 stops and five interceptions, three of which were returned for touchdowns. The Second Team All-Big Ten corner accounted for a microscopic 4% missed tackle rate (4th in FBS) with 2.8 adjusted yards per target which greatly contributed to his 89th% PFF defensive grade. DeJean was named to the coveted Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List prior to 2023 and delivered another praiseworthy campaign of 41 tackles, seven PBU and two interceptions before suffering a broken right leg that limited his season to 10 games. The Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year in 2023, DeJean shifted to corner full-time and flourished by limiting opponents to a 38% catch rate with a meager 44 yards after catch allowed on 20 receptions. Though he was unable to test at the Combine, Iowa’s CB1 ran a 4.46s 40-yard dash (80th%) with a 1.52s 10-yard split (90th%) and 38.5” vertical (88th%) for a 9.85 RAS. A full-sized cornerback who has unusual speed for his frame, DeJean is a terrific all-around athlete with a tone-setting attitude. He will immediately help Philly get their defense back on track after things came apart at the seams in 2023.

The Eagles, sporting one of the NFL’s worst coverage units in 2023, address an area of need in the first round. A late rising three-star in the recruiting process, Mitchell eschewed several higher profile offers out of loyalty to Toledo whom he initially committed to. He was forced to sit freshman year due to academic restrictions, enrolling in 2020 and playing in six games before assuming a starting role in 2021 when he recorded an 80th percentile PFF defensive grade. Mitchell’s standout play hit the stratosphere in 2022 allowing just 27 receptions on 70 targets (39%) for 270 yards, 25 PBU (#1 in FBS), five interceptions and an absurd 5.7 raw QBR. He returned this year and proceeded to establish himself as a Second Team All-American performer for the second consecutive season, earning a well-deserved Senior Bowl invite. He solidified his status as a top flight corner at the Senior Bowl by shutting down the best receivers the 2024 class has to offer. Answered questions about his ability to stay with upper-echelon wideouts in man coverage by making numerous plays on Power Five standouts in Senior Bowl practice sessions. His athletic bonafides were confirmed at the Combine when he ran a smoking 4.33s 40-yard dash (99th%), jumped 38” (85th%) and 20 bench reps for a remarkable 9.79 RAS. Mitchell has a rocked up, square frame but proved he could mirror even the most agile slot wideouts when called upon. He played relatively little press-man at Toledo, but was comfortable enough in off zone coverage to rack up a robust 44 PBU over the last two seasons with 82 tackles and 6 INT.

Brown’s deal includes $84 million in guarantees and make him the NFL’s highest paid receiver one day after the Lions made Amon-Ra St. Brown the league’s highest paid wideout. The Eagles this offseason extended DeVonta Smith with a three-year deal worth up to $75 million, locking up their outstanding wideout duo for the long term. Entering his age-27 season, Brown — one of the league’s most physically dominant pass catchers — has more than 1,400 yards in each of his first two seasons with the Eagles, along with 18 receiving touchdowns. He’ll remain the Eagles’ most important offensive player outside Jalen Hurts.

Rodgers will return to the field in 2024 after serving a season-long suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy. He’ll be able to participate in team activities immediately. Rodgers looks to provide depth in an Eagles’ defensive backfield that needed help severely. He also serves as a kick returner.

This one was rumored to be coming down the line. Smith, the No. 10 pick of the 2021 NFL Draft, will receive $51 million in guaranteed money on his new deal and is now under contract through 2028 after the team also opted to exercise the fifth-year extension on his rookie deal. Through three seasons, Smith has caught 240 passes for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns and is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons while playing opposite A.J. Brown. Smith won the Heisman Trophy in 2020 while at Alabama and has overcome pre-draft concerns about his size to become one of the top receivers in the league. Playing in an Eagles offense that is chock full of offensive stars, Smith will have high-end WR2 upside in fantasy this upcoming season.

Philadelphia’s front office is moving toward extending Smith, 25, entering his fifth NFL season. McManus said “there’s general optimism that a deal will materialize in the near future,” thought he two sides aren’t working on an “imminent deadline.” Smith, a first-round pick in 2020, has back-to-back 1,000 yard receiving seasons, with 240 catches in 50 games as a pro. He’s missed just three games since 2020 despite pre-draft concerns about his slight frame. McManus said Smith could command upwards of $25 million a year in a contract extension — the amount teammate A.J. Brown makes.

Uzomah posted a line of 8-58-1 for the Jets in 12 games last season, becoming a forgotten man in an offense that was desperate for offensive threats outside of Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall to emerge. He’ll now join the Eagles, presumably as added depth behind Dallas Goedert and Albert Okwuegbunam, who signed a one-year contract extension with them this offseason. Uzomah is a long way from being a fantasy contributor in 2024.

It will be the first-ever NFL game in Brazil, played on Friday night of the regular season’s opening week. The game will see two of the league’s young star QBs — Jalen Hurts and Jordan Love — square off in what could be an exciting offensive showdown. Love is coming off a fantastic 2023 campaign in which he showed the Packers he can be the team’s long-term answer at quarterback. Love and the Green Bay offense will be a good test for an Eagles defense that was among the NFL’s worst in 2023.