The Eagles are going to need some depth at the defensive edge position going into the 2022 draft. The Eagles have Dereck Barnett, but he has not produced the way the Eagles have wanted him to over the past few seasons. He only had two sacks in the 2021 season and 46 total tackles. He has 21.5 career sacks in five years in Philly. The Eagles also have veteran Brandon Graham, who suffered an Achilles injury this past season The pro-bowler should be back in 2022, but Graham is aging, which is something to take into account. These are three Edge Rushers the Eagles can take in the 2022 NFL Draft.
The Eagles may want to use one of their first-round draft picks on George Karlaftis. In his final season at Purdue, he had 39 total tackles, four and a half sacks and 10 tackles for a loss. He can get off the line of scrimmage quickly and can use his power and strength to get to the quarterback. He is also great at reading running backs and tackling them in the backfield. Not only can Karlaftis tackle but he can also force turnovers. He had two forced fumbles in 2021 and he recovered both. Overall, he is an all-around great player and can make the impact the Eagles need at that position.
Another player that may benefit the Eagles in the 2022 NFL Draft is Florida State prospect Jermaine Johnson. He is another edge rusher that the Eagles would have to take in the first round to have a chance at getting. Johnson had a monster season in 2021 playing for the Seminoles. He had 70 total tackles with 17.5 of them being for a loss.
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Not only can Johnson tackle, but he is also great at taking the quarterback down. He had 11.5 sacks this past year. Johnson does this by using his amazing speed and his quickness off the line of scrimmage. Johnson was the ACC defensive player of the year and is a first-team All-American. He has the potential to be a force in the NFL with whatever team decides to take him.
If the Eagles do not go for an edge rusher in the first round, there are still some great options to choose from. One of them could be Myjai Sanders who played all four years with the Cincinnati Bearcats. He had 41 tackles with seven and a half being for a loss in 2021. He also had 2.5 have sacks during this past season. This is down from 2020 where he had seven sacks. Sanders is explosive and can use his long arms to make moves on offensive linemen in order the make plays. If Sanders can show the same skills in the NFL, then he should be able to find success. He is projected to be drafted in the third round, but potentially could go late in second. Getting Sanders is possible for the Eagles if they to go with him.
These are the Edge Rushers the Eagles could take in the 2022 NFL Draft.
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