Mel Kiper mock draft has the Eagles taking a future firefighter in the first round

Wait a minute …

One would think Mel Kiper Jr. might want to wait until after the NFL Combine to issue a new mock draft. You know, maybe factor athletic testing and medical results into the exercise? Apparently not, though, since he published a new simulation to ESPN on Wednesday morning.

Here’s who Kiper has the Eagles taking with the No. 22 overall pick:

Laiatu Latu, OLB, UCLA

This week is huge for Latu, who medically retired from football due to a neck injury when he was at Washington in 2021. Will NFL teams be satisfied with his medical reports? It’s not exactly unheard of — Jaelan Phillips, a Round 1 pick in 2021, medically retired when he was at UCLA before transferring to Miami — but it’s why these pre-combine mock drafts are tough. Because for everything Latu did on the field for the Bruins — he had 112 pressures and 23.5 sacks the past two seasons — it won’t matter if teams flag his medicals and take him off their board. Based on what I saw on tape from 2022 on, however, Latu is a first-rounder.

As for the Eagles, you watched the end of their season, right? Their pass rush really struggled. They got just one sack and 10 total tackles from 2023 first-round pick Nolan Smith. I still believe in Smith’s talent, and adding Latu would give their front seven another toolsy edge rusher.

There’s some logic to the Eagles taking Latu.

The draft value appears to be realistic. He’s considered to be one of the best edge rusher prospects in this year’s class. Former Eagles scout Daniel Jeremiah has him ranked No. 21 on his Top 50 big board.

We all know the Eagles aren’t shy about pouring resources into their pass rush. And it’ll be even more of a pressing need for them if Haason Reddick is traded.

But then there’s this:

Danny Watkins 2.0?!?!

Perhaps not. Perhaps Latu truly cares about being a great football player a lot more than Watkins did, which was very little.

The Eagles better feel confident that’s the case if they want to draft him. Otherwise that would be a pretty embarrassing mistake to make twice.