Potential Eagles' Targets for 14th Pick Eagerly Await Draft Fates

Earlier this week, Western Michigan receiver Corey Davis sent Philadelphia Twitter into a frenzy with a couple taps of his thumb. 

Davis, after appearing on ESPN Monday, retweeted a fan's tweet -- that read "Future Eagle" -- to Trey Wingo. 

"Yeah, I did," Davis said through a chuckle on Wednesday morning at Shriners Hospital for Children at a day-before-the-draft charity event. 

"I did that by accident. That was an accident. I've got love for Philly, but it was an accident."

Oops. 

Of course, this retweet set off sirens in Philadelphia. "Book it! The Eagles are going to take Davis with the 14th pick!" Not so fast. 

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While Davis, the record-setting wide receiver from Western Michigan, said the couple of button pushes were an accident, there are several other options for the Birds at 14. And plenty of them were in attendance on Wednesday morning. 

For his part, Davis wouldn't mind joining forces with Carson Wentz in Philadelphia. 

"He's a great player," Davis said. "He's a competitor and he kind of plays with a chip on his shoulder as well. I kind of like that about him. He's got a swagger about him as well."

Davis was one of 21 players at Shriners on Wednesday for a PLAY 60 event put on by the NFL. He was one of several in attendance who might be a fit for the Eagles when they're on the board at 14 on Thursday night. 

Just like Davis, Washington receiver John Ross, who broke the combine's 40-yard dash record by running a 4.22, also had a meeting with the Eagles in Philadelphia during the pre-draft process. Ross is known for his 40 time in Indianapolis, but he made sure to note he's more than a track star. 

"That 4.22 means so much to everybody else," he said. "It doesn't mean that much to me."

Like most of the prospects on Wednesday, Ross hasn't spent too much time thinking about scenarios. He thinks his meeting with the Eagles went well, but don't ask him where he thinks he'll be drafted. 

Did the Eagles show more interest than other teams?

"I'm a horrible judge," said Ross, who has a lengthy injury history that could drop him in the first round. "I think they've all showed a lot of interest." 

For Haason Reddick, the event on North Broad Street, blocks from Temple's campus, had to feel like home. The former Owl is very likely going to be a first-round pick and has a chance to even make it into the top 10. 

Maybe Reddick wouldn't be the perfect fit in Philly at 14, but it could certainly happen. And that would be just fine for the Camden, N.J. native. 

"I think that'll be great, being a hometown guy, a guy that's familiar with Philadelphia, a guy that's played in the Linc," Reddick said. "If I'm on the board and Philly calls my name, I think that's the best-case scenario for the city to get somebody that they already know."

While the Eagles could use another linebacker, it's not as big a need as cornerback, a position where the Eagles are in desperate need. 

For a few weeks, it looked like Ohio State's Gareon Conley would be a perfect fit at 14, and he was supposed to be in Philly this week for the draft. But a rape allegation that surfaced on Tuesday kept Conley out of the city and might have him free falling down draft boards. 

His Ohio State teammate and fellow cornerback Marshon Lattimore is in town, but there's a very strong chance he's off the board well before the Eagles pick. 

"[Conley is] going through it," Lattimore said. "I try to keep his spirits up, tell him that I got his back 100 percent. That's all I can say on that."

If the Eagles still decide to draft a CB in the first, maybe they could land on Tre'Davious White from LSU. While White has been an under-the-radar prospect in the last couple of months, his tape is impressive and his aggressiveness and versatility would fit well with the Eagles. 

"The people that really watch film and the people that really watch prospects, they know I'm one of the best, if not the best in this draft," he said. "It's just a matter of what team likes me the most. We'll see." 

White, like the others, visited the Eagles earlier in the process and would welcome the opportunity to play with fellow LSU products Jalen Mills and Ron Brooks in Philly. According to White, Mills was the guy who showed him the ropes early during his LSU career. In fact, White was preparing to go out to dinner at a restaurant of Mills' choosing on Wednesday night. 

If the Eagles don't go with a corner, a receiver or a linebacker, how about a pass-rusher? 

While the team brings back Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry, Jim Schwartz's defense is predicated on getting to the quarterback with the front four and the Eagles didn't do that nearly enough in 2016. 

Derek Barnett gets to the quarterback. In fact, he got to the quarterback so much at Tennessee, he broke Reggie White's school sack record. 

"My mindset going into a game was to be dominant," Barnett said. "If I'm dominant, everything will fall into place. I had that mindset when I came in as a freshman and before I knew it, I was breaking Reggie White's record. For my name to be in the same sentence as him, it's a blessing."

There seems to be a decent chance Barnett could continue to follow White's path to Philadelphia.  

Getting picked by Philadelphia, if nothing else, would at least save him a plane trip. 

"It would mean a lot. I would just have to drive up the street, not too far. A few blocks over," he said. "I'd already be at home."

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