NFL Draft Prospects Eagles Must Target After 2022 Shrine, Senior Bowls

After making the playoffs in the 2021 season, the Philadelphia Eagles head into the offseason with success to build on for the future. However, they have some holes on their roster they're going to need to fill if they hope to keep improving in 2022.

Philadelphia will likely address several of its needs during the 2022 NFL draft, which is scheduled for April 28-30 in Las Vegas. The Eagles have 10 picks, including three in the first round: the Nos. 15, 16 and 19 overall selections.

With a trio of picks on the opening night of the draft, Philadelphia will have an opportunity to bring in several top prospects. So it has the potential to build an impressive draft class that could be instrumental in getting back to being a Super Bowl contender.

Last week, many NFL draft prospects participated in the Senior or the East-West Shrine Bowl, both of which are All-Star Games for college football players.

Here are three names who took part in one of those games and should be targeted by the Eagles in the draft.

It was an impressive time for Boye Mafe at the Senior Bowl last week. The Minnesota pass-rusher stood out during practices leading up to the game in Mobile, Alabama, and then delivered an incredible showing in Saturday's game, as he was a dominant force for the National team.

The 23-year-old was named his team's Player of the Game after recording two sacks, three tackles for a loss and a forced fumble. He also showed a willingness to make adjustments. For the Golden Gophers, he was a stand-up rusher, but he was asked to put his hand on the ground prior to the Senior Bowl.

"I was open ears when I got here ... I wanted to learn, to play my best ball," Mafe said, per NFL.com's Chase Goodbread. "You've got to adapt to different defenses."

With his strong performance and open mindset, he boosted his draft stock. And he could be a player the Eagles should target, as they need a pass-rusher to play on the opposite side of Pro Bowler Josh Sweat next season, as Derek Barnett is unlikely to return in free agency and Brandon Graham turns 34 this year.

Mafe, who played four seasons at Minnesota and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2021, may have put himself on Philadelphia's radar with his Senior Bowl showing.

Anthony Harris and Rodney McLeod were the Eagles' starting safeties in 2021, and they're both set to hit free agency this offseason.

If Philadelphia doesn't bring either (or both) back, it will need to add at least a pair of defensive backs to its secondary, which could be something it targets during the draft.

Jalen Pitre played five seasons at Baylor and has emerged as one of the top defensive backs in the Big 12 over the past two years.

In 2021, the 22-year-old had 60 tackles (11 for a loss), 2.5 sacks and two interceptions in nine games. This past season, he was the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, as he recorded 75 tackles (18.5 for a loss), 3.5 sacks and two interceptions in 14 games.

It seemed likely Pitre was going to have a strong showing during Senior Bowl week, and according to Dane Brugler of The Athletic, that's exactly what he did.

"With his athletic versatility and toughness, he showed the coverage skills to challenge backs and tight ends man-to-man at every level of the field," Brugler wrote.

Pitre has the potential to become a top safety in the NFL, if he can keep getting better at the next level. And based off his career and his Senior Bowl showing, it seems likely that could happen.

The Eagles have used a first-round draft pick on a wide receiver each of the past two years, taking Jalen Reagor in 2020 and DeVonta Smith in 2021.

Considering Philadelphia could still use receiving help and has three first-round picks in 2022, perhaps it will add another WR in the first round this year.

It's also possible the Eagles will address other needs in Round 1 and then add a wide receiver later in the draft. If that's the case, Charleston Rambo is somebody they may want to target.

He spent his first three college seasons at Oklahoma and caught passes from Philadelphia quarterback Jalen Hurts in 2019. He had 743 receiving yards and five touchdowns that season. He transferred to Miami in 2021, where he recorded 1,172 yards and seven touchdowns in 12 games.

Last week, Rambo participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl. He didn't put up huge numbers in the game (two catches for 23 yards), but he had strong showings in practices. According to Cam Mellor of Pro Football Network, he was "unguardable" and "dominant all over the field" during the East team's first practice last week.

A potential breakout playmaker who already has a connection with Hurts, Rambo should be somebody the Eagles target at some point after the first round of the draft.