The Birds add another member of the Georgia Bulldogs to its secondary, plus find answers at interior defensive line and tight end.

Now that free agency is mostly in the rearview mirror, the NFL draft is on the horizon, and the Eagles have the 32nd pickthis year after winning Super Bowl LIX. Over the last few weeks, the Eagles have lost several key pieces on offense and defense, most notably Milton Williams, Josh Sweat, Darius Slay, and Mehki Becton.

While there have been several additions on short term deals, like edge rushers Azeez Ojulari and Joshua Uche, tight ends Kylen Granson and Harrison Bryant, and defensive back Adoree' Jackson, the Birds may be looking to add more pieces to its defensive line, secondary, and offensive line rooms.

With one pick in each of the first three rounds, here are our early predictions on who the Eagles could select.

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This was a tough decision because there's a significant chance the Eagles don't pick at 32nd overall at all. Safety is annually the toughest landing spot to nail in the draft. Since 2020, just three safeties have gone in Round 1, all of them coming in 2022 (Kyle Hamilton, Daxton Hill, and Lewis Cine). Coincidentally, Cine is now on the Eagles' roster.

The Eagles have become the Philly Dawgs, and Starks becomes the latest addition to that trend. The 6-foot-1, 197-pound safety finished his career with six interceptions and 17 passes defended, and is a three-level playmaker, providing run support and playing as a single-high player in Georgia's secondary. His combine testing showed he was an above-average athlete, running a 4.5 second 40-yard dash (1.51 second 10-yard split), leaping a 33-inch vertical, and running a 4.45 second 20-yard shuttle and 7.26 second three-cone drill.

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But when he came out for defensive back workouts, he shined in the drill work, smoothly transitioning out of his backpedal and flipping his hips with fluidity. That matches what you see on tape, a player with the intelligence to diagnose plays pre-snap and the sideline-to-sideline speed to close on routes over the middle of the field and deep downfield.

After trading C.J. Gardner-Johnson to the Houston Texans, the Eagles don't have a proven safety opposite of Reed Blankenship. Sydney Brown was hurt late in his rookie season and missed a large portion of last season, and Tristin McCollum has largely played a role on special teams. Starks would add another potential core piece to a secondary who saw rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean play at a high level.

Playing alongside a dominant defensive line, Sanders followed a strong redshirt sophomore season with an equally productive 2024 season with the Gamecocks. The 6-4, 297-pound interior lineman has the quickness to win as a pass rusher and heavy hands to knock back offensive linemen. The Eagles have shown interest in him, having a formal meeting at the combine, and while he did not run the 40-yard dash during his workout, he leaped a 31.5-inch vertical and a 9-4 broad jump, and ran a 7.7-second three-cone and 4.67-second 20-yard shuttle.

Though Sanders isn't as explosive as some projected first-round defensive linemen, he plays with an excellent blend of power and finesse. He's athletic enough to win in multiple gaps along a defensive line, and can knife through opposing offensive lines as a run defender and pass rusher. He's also got a two-handed swipe in his arsenal as a pass rusher, too. Against true pass sets, Sanders won 21.4% of his reps, according to Pro Football Focus.

With Williams departing in free agency, the Eagles need more juice added alongside Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. Sanders can provide that, and plays with rare power for a player that was a sub-300-pound defensive lineman.

Tight end seems like it will be addressed by the Eagles at some point in this draft. Despite signing Granson and Bryant during free-agency, neither feel like a longtime answer at the position, considering Dallas Goedert's future with the Eagles is in question. By adding Oregon's Ferguson, the Eagles would be getting a tight end who can stretch the seams and be a reliable middle of the field option with the attention on A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith.

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Ferguson, who started in games at Oregon all four years, ran the fastest 40-yard dash among all tight ends at 4.63 seconds, and showed lower body explosiveness by leaping a 39-inch vertical and 10-2 broad jump. 387 of his 591 yards came after the catch, according to PFF. The 6-5, 247-pound tight end was moved around all over the formation, and played more of a flexed out wide receiver role at Oregon.

While his blocking needs to improve and his route running could be sharper, he brings the type of receiving upside that would benefit the Eagles offense.