The first wave of free agency is officially over and we’re in that brief lull about a month away from the 2025 NFL Draft.
The Eagles have eight picks in next month’s draft and there will be plenty of options for them at No. 32. The last time they had the 32nd pick, the Eagles traded out of the first round.
What will they do this time? Let’s take a look at some options from mock drafts around the internet:
Nate Tice, Charles McDonald, Yahoo! Sports
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32. Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon
What they said: “Conerly is a perfect stash pick for the Eagles to put behind 34-year-old Lane Johnson. Conerly is a younger prospect who might benefit from playing behind Johnson for a couple seasons as he finishes out his career in Philadelphia.”
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32. Josh Conerly Jr., OT, Oregon
What they said: “Stoutland University” strikes again here, as the Eagles bring in a prospect that checks the physical boxes Philadelphia’s legendary offensive line coach loves. The Eagles can give him a season or two to switch sides and learn how to play right tackle in preparation for Lane Johnson’s final playing days. Conerly’s 5.05-second 40-yard dash and 34.5-inch vertical jump stood out at the combine, and you could see those movement skills on tape when he was at Oregon. Conerly has decent punch and good leverage in the run game, and can move opponents with his power at times. Philadelphia’s fans may have wanted some flashier moves and bigger free agency spending on the heels of winning the Super Bowl, but moves like these help sustain the long-term health of this roster.”
My take on the pick: Last week, Lane Johnson said he thinks it’s possible that he plays out his current deal with three years left under contract, which would keep him playing through the 2028 season. If that was guaranteed, it would probably be too early to draft his replacement. But the Eagles have a history of drafting offensive line replacements before they expect them to play. Heck, the Eagles did it with Johnson back in 2013. They drafted him to be Jason Peters’ eventual replacement at left tackle and that never happened; Johnson instead became an all-time great right tackle. And they drafted Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens before they expected them to play too. Johnson even said he’d be eager to help train his eventual replacement so it’s certainly possible the Eagles go this route in an early round. Not only would a player like Conerly become a backup tackle but he could challenge Tyler Steen for the right guard position from Day 1.
As for Conerly as a prospect, he won’t turn 22 until November so he is rather young. He’s not the biggest offensive tackle prospect at 6-foot-5, 311 pounds but he’s big enough. He was a two-year starter at Oregon at left tackle and had an impressive showing at the Combine in Indianapolis, running a 5.05 time in the 40-yard dash. At the Senior Bowl, Conerly got a chance to line up at right tackle and at guard, which is important for his evaluation. The Eagles don’t have an opening at left tackle so he will need to play multiple spots if he’s selected in the first round.
32. Shemar Stewart, Edge, Texas A&M
What they said: “Stewart has offered more disruption than production to this point in his career, but the Eagles made a similar move with Nolan Smith a couple years ago and it has paid off in a big way.”
My take on the pick: Stewart had just 4 1/2 sacks in his three-year college career so that part is very similar to Smith coming out of Georgia. Stewart is a physically bigger prospect at 6-5, 267 pounds but he also tested really well at the Combine. He ran a 4.59, had a broad jump of 10-11 and a vert of 40 inches, but he didn’t do the agility drills. In most mock drafts, Stewart has been going much earlier than 32, especially after his performance in Indianapolis. But if we’re keeping with the Smith comparison, no one thought he would be there at No. 30 overall a few years ago.
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, USA Today
32. Malaki Starks, S, Georgia
What they said: “Another highly regarded Georgia defender? Why not? If Howie Roseman doesn't utilize his top draft pick to indulge his obsession with building along the lines, maybe he can make another signature move by upping his defense's Dawg quotient, which has already been boosted with the signing of Azeez Ojulari.”
My take on the pick: Even though the Eagles have never taken a safety in the first round it does feel oddly safe to give them another Georgia defensive player in the first round. They already have seven Bulldogs on the roster with Jordan Davis, Nakobe Dean, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Kelee Ringo, Lewis Cine and Ojulari. The Eagles need to replace C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who was traded to Houston earlier this month and drafting Starks in the first round would take care of that. He’s a versatile safety who has plenty of starting experience in college, tested well at the Combine and seems to check all the boxes.
26. Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
What they said: Why change something that works? Philadelphia moves up in Round 1 for a defensive lineman once again -- after doing so to acquire Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis -- plugging Nolen into the void left by free-agent departure Milton Williams. The Eagles give the Rams their late third-round pick and one of four fifth-rounders in order to move up six spots, while also receiving a sixth-round pick from Los Angeles in the deal.
2-64. Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas
4-134. O’Donnell Fortune, CB, South Carolina
My take on the picks: With the Eagles sitting at No. 32, the more talked about trade possibility is a trade down out of the first round. That’s what they did back in 2018 when they had the No. 32 pick and the Ravens came calling to move up and take Lamar Jackson. But we should never rule out an Eagles trade either way when Howie Roseman is manning the phone. Giving up the third-round pick isn’t great but the Eagles are projected to have 20 picks in the next two drafts and it’s hard to imagine them drafting 20 players in 2025 and 2026.
Nolen is a super disruptive interior defensive lineman. At 6-4, 296 pounds, he’s not going to play nose tackle but he does offer some inside-outside versatility and was productive at Ole Miss and before that at Texas A&M. He was an All-American at Ole Mis and had 6 1/2 sacks and 14 TFLs in 2024.
If the Eagles went through the first four rounds and didn’t take an offensive lineman, a tight end or a safety, that would be somewhat surprising. While good teams don’t just draft for need, missing those needs completely isn’t great either.
32. Walter Nolen, DT, Ole Miss
What they said: “You know the drill. The Eagles keep the defensive line stocked after losing Milton Williams in free agency. Trading up for Starks as the C.J. Gardner-Johnson replacement is another logical scenario.”
My take on the pick: This is obviously a more palatable scenario for the Eagles if they can sit back and just get Nolen at 32 without a trade up. And it’s possible. There doesn’t seem to be a great consensus feel of when Nolen will be selected.
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