Potential NFL Draft steals that the Eagles are inching closer to acquiring

This has been said once or twice. It bears being repeated. The NFL Draft has been called both a 'crap shoot' and 'an inexact science'. Look no further than the Philadelphia Eagles for evidence.

We've seen people try everything. Mock drafts were written. We all studied recent selections and tendencies. We even watched a Howie Roseman/Nick Sirianni press conference.

We all drew the same conclusion... Nobody can truly predict what's coming. The Eagles don't even know what to expect on Thursday.

Here's what we can predict: surprises. No one originally expected Philly to land Jalen Carter in 2023 or Quinyon Mitchell in 2024. Guess what? Somehow, they landed both of them.

But, they weren't done. They raised the Carter acquisition in '23 by also adding his former Bulldogs teammate, Nolan Smith.

We would have been satisfied if the Birds had added one or the other. They managed to land both of them. We didn't think lightning would strike twice, but it did, 12 months later during the 2024 draft.

How on Earth did Philly land Q AND Cooper DeJean? We'll repeat. You should expect a few surprises between Thursday and Saturday.

Four possible first-round steals the Eagles must monitor

Nothing tests our patience like the NFL Draft, except maybe that third preseason game. We've used all the data collection we could attempting to draw reasonable conclusions about what we think the Eagles will do when they're on the clock with the 32nd overall selection.

We've done so much studying that former science professors would be proud. We've also employed everything we learned while placing wagers in Las Vegas, and in the end, most of that probably won't matter much because the Eagles will probably trade up or trade back out of Round 1.

Then again, someone might slide, presenting the possible Round 1 steal. Here are a few names to monitor.

Kevin Winston Jr., safety, Penn State

Hosting a prospect on a Top 30 visit doesn't guarantee the hosting team will select the player. However, if the Philadelphia Eagles host someone, there's no denying their interest as evidenced by the number of players drafted recently who once were welcomed for a face-to-face meeting.

Kevin Winston hasn't been discussed by the national media at great length, but pay attention to him come draft day. He was one of Philly's late Top 30 visits, and he might be the best safety in this class not named Malaki Starks.

There is something to think about here though. The Eagles have NEVER drafted a safety in Round 1.

Maxwell Hairston, cornerback, Kentucky Wildcats

After using their first two draft choices on cornerbacks last season, it seems unlikely that they'll use their first choice in 2025 on another. That's especially true seeing as how there are other more pressing needs and this team has only taken four DBs in Round 1 ever.

Hairston is someone they have met with though. By our calcualtions, he should be taken before the Birds are on the clock at pick 32. It seems unlikely that they'd trade up to acquire the former Wildcats star, but if he, for some odd reason, fell to 32, we could definitely place that selection in the 'steal' category.

Keep an eye on Trey Amos however. Some say he's a first-round talent. We agree with that theory, but some say he might slide towards being taken at the mid-point of Round 2 or later. That would make him a second-day steal.

Not necessarily a 'steal' but certainly worth mentioning: Nic Scourton and a few edge rushes.

Keep and eye on Nic Scourton. He's someone who could hear his name called toward the middle of Round 1.

Philly likes him and would be lucky to land him at 32, but the same could be said for fellow edge rushers James Pearce Jr. (Tennessee Volunteers), Shemar Stewart (Texas A&M Aggies), and Donovan Ezeiruaku (Boston College).

The order in which they are taken may come down to scheme and a matter of preference, but all would be fine additions to the Eagles' roster.

Abdul Carter (Penn State Nittany Lions) and Mike Green (Marshall Thundering Herd) figure to be the first two edge rushers taken.

Wild cards worth trading up for: Walter Nolen, Ole Miss Rebels

Whichever team lands Walter Nolen will be promised one of the draft's 'steals' on night one. Some believe that team will be the Philadelphia Eagles.

He's been given the dreaded 'character concerns' label. That will probably make him available long after we expected he'd be when we studied him back in January.

Still, he's also a Wild Card. Philly would still probably have to trade up to draft him because despite being one of the biggest boom-or-bust prospects, he won't still be on the board at the 32nd selection.