Who Will Be Available At Pick No. 54?

We’ve spent plenty of time in this space talking about who the Eagles might take in the first round, and that conversation will continue in the coming weeks.

But what about at pick No. 54? Last year in the second round, the team picked up TE Zach Ertz, and the year before it was inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks. Both have proven to be talented players with upside.

Evan Silva of Rotoworld recently put out a two-round mock draft. With the 54th pick, he has the Eagles taking Ole Miss WR Donte Moncrief:

Moncrief’s 2013 tape leaves something to be desired, but he has the physical makeup of a No. 1 wide receiver. Riley Cooper is a lower-end No. 2 wideout, and Jeremy Maclin has a one-year deal.

I provided an in-depth breakdown of Moncrief last week. The measurables are outstanding. Moncrief is 6-2, 221 and ran a 4.40 at the combine. He played in a spread, no-huddle last year and is a willing blocker.

But Moncrief’s measurables didn’t always transfer to the field (granted, he did not get great QB play). He didn’t consistently come down with 50/50 balls and often failed to use his size to his advantage. Moncrief showed flashes of being a big-time playmaker and is only 20-years-old. This would be a bit of an upside pick, but the Eagles could be intrigued by Moncrief.

Meanwhile, Chris Burke of SI.com suggests Stanford OLB Trent Murphy to the Eagles in the second round. Murphy (6-5, 250) has the size (33 7/8-inch arms; 11 1/8-inch hands). The problem is he doesn’t grade out well athletically:

Murphy led the nation last year with 15 sacks and was second with 23.5 tackles for loss.

I still need to take a closer look at Murphy’s production from last year, but given that the Eagles want their outside linebackers to be able to fill versatile roles, I wonder if they would pass on him in favor of someone like Louisville’s Marcus Smith. Burke has Smith going 55th – one pick after Murphy – in his mock.

We did an in-depth breakdown of Smith last week.