Eagles 1st Round Draft Targets: Part VII

By: Jesse Larch, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

In just one day, our beloved city will host the 2017 NFL Draft at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. 

Over the weeks, we have looked at many big names in preparation for this day, and in our final week we look at three more big names that could all be selected in the top half of the draft, where the Eagles will be picking. 

Among those players is the fastest man in the draft, a highly athletic player without a clear position fit, and an elite pass rusher.

WR John Ross, Washington

5'11, 188 lbs, 4.22 40 yard dash, 37" vertical, did not participate in bench press

Chris Johnson's tweet in response to John Ross's 40-yard dash says it all, the man is fast. 

Ross has the kind of straight-line speed that the league has not yet seen, or at least has not seen often. While Ross will likely be deployed in ways to accentuate his speed, he is not afraid to go over the middle and run shorter routes. Ross has the versatility to play on the outside or operate out of the slot.

Ross also carried the ball eight times, half of which went for more than 15 yards.

One issue with Ross are questions about his health. He tore his ACL in college, and even after his record-breaking 40 yard dash, he came up with a leg injury that preventing him from competing in any drills that followed.

Eagles fans think of DeSean Jackson or Brandin Cooks when looking at John Ross, but Ross is larger, and faster than both.

The Eagles need for a receiver has been minimized by the offseason additions of Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith, but there is still no long answer at the position for the Eagles in the long term. 

Ross could be the elite playmaker that the Eagles' offense so badly lacked last season.

S/LB Jabrill Peppers, Michigan

5'11, 213 lbs, 4.46 40 yard dash, 35.5" vertical, 19 bench reps

While often considered one of the best players in this upcoming draft, Jabrill Peppers seldom finds himself in the top half of mock drafts across the league. 

Peppers was a playmaker at every position he played at Michigan, which included safety, linebacker, running back, wide receiver, kick returner, and even a wildcat running back.

The plethora of positions that he played, however, has made it difficult for teams to determine how they want to use him, causing his slide with the draft experts. 

Peppers has stated that he intends to play in the secondary at safety in the NFL, as Peppers idolized Charles Woodson as child. 

The scouting report on Peppers shows a physical player that is active in the run game and can match up with tight ends, while being athletic enough to play man coverage against receivers.

If Peppers is available at 14th overall, the Eagles would have to entertain taking such a versatile player. Malcolm Jenkins and Rodney McLeod have the starting safety positions locked down, but a player as versatile and complete as Peppers would help the defense no matter Jim Schwartz decides to line him up.

The Eagles may also be in the market for a safety after reportedly including Malcolm Jenkins in a package for Brandin Cooks.

DE Derek Barnett, Tennessee

6'3", 259 lbs, 4.88 40 yard dash, 31" vertical, did not participate in bench press

Derek Barnett has a connection to Eagles' great, and arguably the greatest pass-rusher ever, Reggie White that should not be ignored. 

Barnett managed to break Tennessee's career sacks record that was set by White himself. 

Barnett has been viewed as top-10 prospect, but he has not been ranked with players like Myles Garrett, or Solomon Thomas due to his perceived lack of athleticism. 

Despite how his measurables stack up, his on-field production cannot be ignored. As a freshman starter, he led the Southeastern Conference with 20.5 tackles for loss and added 10 sacks. Barnett finished his college career with 32 sacks in 3 seasons. 

Barnett wins his battles with technique over athleticism. He is noted for having violent hands that give a clear advantage in every battle. 

Barnett would also be a perfect fit in Jim Schwartz's wide-nine technique. Schwartz likes to let his defensive line punish the offensive line and get upfield as quickly as possible, and Barnett specializes in exactly that. 

If Barnett makes it out of the top-10, the Eagles would have a difficult time passing on the pass-rusher. After a down year from Vinny Curry, and the addition of Chris Long at the end of his career, there is room for Barnett to carve out a role in the rotation. 

The Eagles have also showed a commitment to building from the trenches out since Howie Roseman has returned to managing personnel. In Roseman's second reign, the Eagles have extended Lane Johnson, Stefen Wisniewski, Fletcher Cox and Curry, signed Chance Warmack, and drafted Isaac Seumalo and Halapoulivaati Vaitai

Barnett would be huge addition to that group of names.

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