MOBILE, Ala. — The draft begins in Mobile!
That's the saying around Senior Bowl time each year.
The Senior Bowl, of course, is a chance for the best seniors in the nation to gather and work out for NFL teams ahead of the NFL Draft.
Each year, some of the top prospects gather to practice and play a game to show off their skills to NFL front offices in person.
This year, Locked On Eagles host Louie DiBiase made the trip to Alabama to get a first hand look at some of the talent.
Here's a snippet of our conversation:
CALE AHEARN: The Eagles love the Senior Bowl. It is something they have shown year after year -- they are gonna pick some guys that impress them down at the Senior Bowl.
Gut feel, after watching a couple days of practice, do you think there is a specific way they are going to go here?
LOUIE DIBIASE: Yeah, I think they are going to come away with an edge rusher. I think they have to considering Brandon Graham is coming off a torn Achilles.
Howie Roseman said a few weeks ago he thinks he still has a role on this defense, but, how much longer does he have left?
Derek Barnett is a free agent.
You got nothing from Ryan Kerrigan last year, and he's a free agent as well.
Josh Sweat is established -- he got a contract extension this year. You have him for the future.
But, the Eagles like to be four deep on the edge. And right now, they are one... or two?
So, they definitely need an edge rusher, and this class is WAY better than last year's.
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Again, Jermaine Johnson is just one, but Myjai Sanders from Cincinnati has really impressed, and he's a speed rusher off the edge that could be really good for this team, maybe in the second round.
I think they're going to go edge. They're going to take an offensive lineman at some point.
I do know that they don't philosophically believe in investing a lot in safety and linebacker early in the draft, but I think we the flexibility you have with the four picks in the first two rounds, you've got to invest one pick there.
Especially with the way this defense last year, what they needed from those two positions.
So, I don't wanna say that they ignore it, but I do think this year, it presents an opportunity to really invest, and get some good, young talent on defense.
I think, defense, if they're not going quarterback, it's got to be a defensive centric draft.
You can watch the full interview in the clip above, which includes a look at how top prospect quarterback Malik Willis is performing as well as some former Penn State Nittany Lions.