NFL Mock Draft 2014: Philadelphia Eagles Select Marqise Lee

Marqise Lee, WR, USC

Sitting at 22 with their first pick, the Eagles will have numerous options left once it is their turn on the clock.  I originally went in with the hope of landing one of the top 2 safeties in the draft, though neither quite fell far enough.

The Eagles back end was about as bad a tandem in the NFL that you could find since the Saints in 2012.  Ironically, the Eagles chose to fix part of their problem, with one of those 2012 Saints.  On the first day of free agency, the Eagles signed Malcolm Jenkins to a contract so large, that anyone from the who dat nation would have lost faith in Loomis had the Saints resigned him for a similar sized contract.  The Eagles are banking on Jenkins' big play potential, and over looking his consistency issues.  This is why I think the Eagles have to be going into this draft looking for consistent safety play to pair with Jenkins, ideally in the first round.

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However, that was not to be.  And though I think the argument could be made that once both Clinton-Dix and Pryor are off the board, the attention should remain on the defensive side of the ball, I think with Chip Kelly calling the shots that a new WR toy is more likely.

Parting ways with their #1 WR who last year put up the best numbers in his career was a head scratching move.  So baffling that the media had to try and think of a better reason than performance.  We all saw the gang narratives, but I personally think that DeSean Jackson was just a dickhead who Chip Kelly didn't like having around.  And I think it is also a testament to the confidence Kelly has in his offensive system.  I would be confident too if I turned a racist, medium talent wide receiver into a bonafide threat.  Even with the addition of the dynamic pass catching RB Darren Sproles (still tough to accept as a Saints fan), I think the Eagles are still clearly in need of a playmaker to split out wide.  Yes Maclin could return to pre knee injury form, but even with all the advances in sports surgery, it's no guarantee.   This is why, at 22, the Eagles have a tough decision between Brandin Cooks and Marqise Lee.  Lee ultimately is the choice because he is more of a prototypical wideout, unlike Cooks, who many pundits believe will best fit the Sproles type model of a weapon to be creatively used in specific packages and situations.

Marqise Lee would be a great fit for numerous teams at 6 foot and 195 pounds, and I'm honestly not sure if he makes it all the way to 22, but if he does, the Eagles would certainly land an immediate replacement for Jackson.  In fact, Jackson is slightly smaller than Lee at 5'10" 175lbs.  The one glaring difference in the comparison between the two, would be Jackson's blazing speed, which was about 2 tenths of a second faster than Lee in the 40 yd dash at the combine.  However, in the Eagles eyes, Lee could simply make up for this by not being an annoyance in the locker room.    It's rare that a team picking in the 20s is easy to project, but the combination of an offensive minded coach, and the unexpected release of the best wideout of the team, makes this almost a no brainer.  The Eagles need someone to catch the ball, it's really just a question of who.

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