Yahoo Sports blog Shutdown Corner published their latest mock draft and like many, have the Eagles taking an offensive lineman. Although, for once, it's not Wisconsin's Gabe Carimi. They have the Eagles grabbing Mississippi State OT Derek Sherrod.
"Now that the Eagles have made an enormous financial commitment to Michael Vick, the next step is to make sure he's protected. Sherrod is the most fundamentally sound tackle in this class, and his abilty to play either right or left tackle is a huge advantage for an Eagles team looking for blocking help just about everywhere."
Corners Brandon Harris from Miami and Aaron Williams from Texas were both still on the board in this mock and would probably bear some consideration for the Eagles, but Sherrod is a guy who some have called the top OT prospect in this draft. That's part a compliment to Sherrod, but also part an indictment of the lack of truly elite tackles.
Football Outsiders' Doug Farrar is high on Sherrod.
Of all the tackles in the 2011 draft class, Sherrod may be the most consistent on a play-to-play basis -- a trait reflected in his excellent Senior Bowl week, when he transitioned from left to right tackle in practice week without skipping a beat and looked absolutely dominant in the game -- especially when paired on the left side with Baylor guard Danny Watkins. His size (6-foot-6, 312 pounds) has him an inch or two shorter than a lot of this year's tackles, and you see the difference in the way he's able to get under pads. Add in his ability and agility at the second level, and Sherrod will pay dividends as an every-down asset in the pros.