Alabama star defensive back Marlon Humphrey could be what the Eagles are looking for in the secondary. Went to national championship games in both seasons he played for Crimson Tide. Humphrey is clutch: He caught Adam Griffith’s perfectly placed onside kick in the fourth quarter to help Alabama regain possession and momentum on the way to the Crimson Tide’s record 16th national championship. Photo courtesy of Alabama Athletics Photography

When the Eagles brass grabbed free agent wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith earlier this month, plus offensive lineman Chance Warmack, the salary cap piggy bank was emptied.
Personnel gurus Howie Roseman and Joe Douglas will no doubt now look to the draft to fill needs at cornerback and running back. Who will the Birds pick?
Not to be left out, here is our completely worthless mock draft that no one will remember the day after the draft is over.
We do predict the Eagles will take a defensive back with the 14th pick in the first round, which is as good a guess as anyone’s.
That of course is if they stay put. Don’t bet on that or this mock draft. It’s all in fun.
1 BROWNS Myles Garrett – DE, Texas A&M: Garrett, the premier pass rusher in college football, is too good to pass up .
2 49ERS Solomon Thomas – DE, Stanford: Thomas can play any spot on defensive line. A perfect match for what John Lynch is trying to build.
3 BEARS Jamal Adams – S, LSU: Eagles fans would love to see this special talent in an Eagles uniform.
4 JAGUARS Jonathan Allen – DE, Alabama: The Jaguars already added Calais Campbell in free agency, but Tom Coughlin and David Caldwell both understand the importance of loading up on the defensive line.
5 TITANS Marshon Lattimore – CB, Ohio State: Lattimore’s durability is a concern but he is the most gifted cornerback in this draft class.
6 JETS Deshaun Watson – QB, Clemson: The Jets can’t fool around anymore at the quarterback position. Watson is a Broadway star in the making.
7 CHARGERS Malik Hooker – S, Ohio State: With Watson, Charges go deafense picking a superior talent who would add some much-needed playmaking skills on a defense that had more leaks than the White House last year.
8 PANTHERS Leonard Fournette – RB, LSU:: Again, another player Birds fans would love see in a Philly uniform.
9 BENGALS Takkarist McKinley – DE, UCLA: McKinley should jump in as a starter for a Bengals defense
10 BILLS Gareon Conley – CB, Ohio State Taken at same spot as Ohio State’s Eli Apple by the Giants last year.
11 SAINTS Christian McCaffrey – RB, NFL Network’s Brian Baldinger said McCaffrey was the best college football player in the country in 2015. Baldy said he was held back by injuries in 2016 but never slipped in view of NFL scouts.
12 BROWNS Patrick Mahomes II QB, Texas Tech. The Browns need a quarterback to build on and Mahomes could be that guy. At 6-3, 229 he fits the ideal mold of a mondern day NFL quarterback.
13 CARDINALS Reuben Foster – LB, Alabama: If he’s there, Foster would help Cardinals rebuilding efforts.
14 EAGLES Marlon Humphrey – CB, Alabama: The Eagles upgraded the receiver spot in free agency, and now they need to address the cornerback position in the draft.
15 COLTS Forrest Lamp – OG, Western Kentucky: Think like the Cowboys when it comes to the OL. Add to Ryan Kelly and Jack Mewhort and the Colts wioll be rolling.
16 RAVENS Charles Harris – DE, Missouri: Harris is a very productive edge rusher who is plenty athletic enough to drop in coverage if needed.
17 REDSKINS Jabrill Peppers – S, Michigan: Peppers is a unique athlete, with the ability to excel at the nickel position as well as play as a high safety. He will also be a major difference-maker on special teams.
18 TITANS Corey Davis – WR, Western Michigan: Davis has all of the tools to develop into a true No. 1 receiver.
19 BUCCANEERS Chidobe Awuzie – CB, Colorado: Can play cornerback or safety at a high level.
20 BRONCOS Cam Robinson – OT, Alabama Robinson is a beast who could be great…or he’ll end up in Philadelphia with OL coach Jeff Stoutland after three years like Chance Warmack and Barrett Jones did.
21 LIONS Derek Barnett – DE, Tennessee: Strengths: Hands are strong, fast, efficient and lethal. Weaknesses: Admitted slow starter who has had issues with sluggishness to start a season. Will overthink it at times rather than just reacting.
22 DOLPHINS David Njoku – TE, Miami: Njoku is too good to pass up at this point in the draft. He is a matchup nightmare. 2017 could be the Year of the Tight End.
23 GIANTS Haason Reddick – OLB, Temple: Reddick has the ability to play any of the three linebacker spots and he can provide some pass rush off the edge if needed.
24 RAIDERS John Ross – WR, Washington: Who can’t use a burner. He turned down an island to be loyal is his sneaker sponsor. That’s character.
25 TEXANS Garett Bolles – OT, Utah: Bolles plays with a nasty streak in the run game. At 6-5, 297, he has all the tools.
26 SEAHAWKS Kevin King – CB, Washington: King can help a declining Seattle secondary.
27 CHIEFS Dalvin Cook – RB, Florida State: Cook is the perfect fit in Andy Reid’s system, a value at this point in the draft.
28 COWBOYS.J. Howard – TE, Alabama: Jason Witten will not be around forever. Time to groom his successor.
29 PACKERS Taco Charlton – DE, Michigan: The Packers lost Julius Peppers in free agency; Charlton has all the tools to be a star.
30 STEELERS Mike Williams – WR, Clemson: Once the apple of many Eagles fans eyes, poor combine and pro day results helped him slip this far down the board.
31 FALCONS T.J. Watt – OLB, Wisconsin: Can’t go wrong with blodd lines T.J. is the brother of former Badgers players J.J. Watt and Derek Watt.

Ohio State’s Pat Elfein was the 2016 Rimington Award winner … First Team AFCA, Associated Press, FWAA, Walter Camp, USA Today, The Sporting News, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports and CBS Sports All-American. His sophomore season, Elflein started all 15 games for the College Football Playoff national champions. Why not the first round?
Photo courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
Photo by Walt Middleton Photography 2016

32 SAINTS Pat Elfein, G/C, Ohio State at 6-3, 303 pounds – biggest reach of the first round. Some scouts say he is too small to play guard. We’ll see. Elflein blocked well for Ohio State.
A strong run blocker at the point of attack. Ohio State’s football staff raved about Elflein to NFL evaluators for his character and work ethic. His sub par game against Clemson hurt him.
EAGLES SLEEPER: Running back Samaje Perine from Oklahoma could be around in the third, fourth or fifth round. Here are some numbers from his bio on walterfootball.com. Height: 5-11, 237 pounds.
Perine averaged 5.4 yards per carry in 2016 for 1,060 yards with 12 touchdowns. He had 10 receptions for 106 yards, too. Perine is a physical, tough runner who was banged up in his final season and also split the workload with Joe Mixon.
Perine averaged 6.0 yards per carry in 2015 for 1,349 yards with 16 touchdowns. As a receiver, he had 15 catches for 107 yards with a score. Perine was a freshman sensation in 2014, racking up 1,713 yards and 21 touchdowns. That worked out to an average of 6.5 yards per carry. Perine set the NCAA single-game rushing record with 427 yards against Kansas that season. He also had five touchdowns in that contest. Perine is a hard-nosed physical running back. Joe, Howie…if he is there…take him!!!
References: cbssports.com, walterfootball.com, NFL.com