I’ve been busy over the last few days moving, so I haven’t been able to get into much Day 2 draft coverage, but I just wanted to post up some quick thoughts on it.

Another great day for the Eagles.  As I was awaiting NFL Draft updates on the NFL Channel on Sirius Sattelite Radio, I was getting rather upset when the Eagles kept trading down in round 3 and then eventually out of it.  I wanted them to grab their TE, but they kept passing.  Jared Cook was the best available TE and the Eagles passed on him to trade their pick to the Giants.  The Titans ended up taking Cook a few picks later.  I wasn’t worried since I thought the Eagles were really going after Chase Coffman. The Eagles then traded out of the third round when Coffman was available, so it didn’t look like the Eagles wanted him.  Coffman then went to the Bengals. I wasn’t going to be upset as long as the Birds landed Cook, Coffman, or Ingram and we landed Ingram in round 5.  When the Eagles kept trading down, I started getting an inkling that the Eagles wanted Cornelius Ingram, but there’s no way I thought he would fall to the Eagles by the time they were on the clock again.  Look at this guy, what a beast!  It looks like the knee injury kept enough teams away from him.  I expected Ingram to go in the 2nd round.  It’s a miracle he was taken by the Eagles in the 5th round.  I don’t know how they pulled that off after getting Maclin, McCoy, and Hobbs.  Great job by the Birds with their draft maneuvers that will add 2010 3rd-round pick and 5th-round pick.

What were the Pats thinking getting rid of Ellis Hobbs for a mere two 5th-round picks?  I don’t think this move has much to do with the Sheldon situation either.  Sheldon will report to camp, he will not make much of a fuss about his contract, and he’ll play.  I agree with Andy — you can never have enough good CBs in this league.

For all the fools who still don’t like the Maclin pick, I don’t know what their logic is: saying he’s nothing but another DeSean Jackson, still obsessing about trading the 21st pick pick for Anquan instead, who knows.  I like Maclin in the Eagles lineup even better than Boldin.  He’s faster and I think he’s a better fit for this offense.  Take it from this guy.  Our receivers have a ridiculous amount of speed.  Plus, if the Eagles hadn’t traded up to 19.  Guess who would have gotten him at 20?  No, not the Lions, but the Giants, who worked out a trade with the Lions contingent on Maclin being available at 20.  The Giants even rated Maclin above Crabtree as the best WR in the draft.  In fact, 18 teams had Maclin as the highest rated receiver (yes, even over Crabtree).  This guy is going to be amazing.  I’m extremely excited about what this offense will be capable of with him in the lineup.

Oh, and if you missed Donovan’s McNabb blog, you can read that here.  Looks like the “I have to wait to see what the Eagles do before I consider re-signing” won’t be an issue anymore after this offseason’s moves. Here is what McNabb had to say:

You’ll notice that I am ready to move forward. I’m the first to admit that you must learn from your failures, I also believe that you cannot change the past. It’s time to focus on the future.

As with every minicamp since I’ve been in the league, I’m excited about meeting my new teammates, getting to know them and working together on the field. We now have a lot of new, young skill position players and it will be exciting and interesting to see how they become acclimated to what we do here. If they can come in here and take their game to the next level, they will be productive pros and we can achieve great successes together. I want to welcome the new rookies and am excited to get to work with them.

I haven’t taken the time yet to welcome some of the veteran free agents to the team. I’m looking forward to working with a new set of bookends on the o-line. Stacey Andrews and Jason Peters are young, athletic and physical. They will help in both the passing and running game. The same can be said for fullback Leonard Weaver. As for the additions on defense - Ellis Hobbs, Rashad Baker, and Sean Jones - I can’t wait to see how Jim Johnson uses all the talent he has at his disposal.

I want to congratulate all the newcomers and let them know that I am excited to be working with them and taking the first step towards moving forward and getting something accomplished.

I love the way the first day of the draft went. I was very surprised. I wanted Knowshon Moreno. I was pissed when he went to the Broncos. In my opinion, the Broncos should have focused on their defense, which was ranked in about the bottom 4 last year. No worries though, the Eagles got a true game-changer in Jeremy Maclin. He should have been a top 15 pick, so I’ll gladly take him at 19. Can you imagine the Redskins, Cowboys, and Giants trying to defend a 3 WR set of DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Kevin Curtis?  If McNabb can’t find one of those guys open with THIS line, he has serious problems.  I don’t want to hear another complaint out of #5’s mouth.  It’s time to get it done McNabb.

Some people were upset with the Eagles pick in Maclin. Yeah, most of us wanted Moreno; he was gone, too bad, what the hell are you gonna do? Maclin will be a stud in this league! He is just like DeSean Jackson but bigger and more physical. He puts the Eagles receiving corp over the top.

To make things even better, we get a RB in round 2 and it’s none other than LeSean McCoy: a guy who easily could have been a late first, early second-round pick. I’ve graded Knowshon Moreno an A prospect and LeSean McCoy a B+ prospect, but there’s not much difference between the two. We have a RB that is elusive, quick, can make things happen with the screen play, and fits in perfectly with the Eagles system. Everyone was so obsessed with a RB in this year’s draft, it seems like we all forgot that we still have Brian Westbrook. Yes, Westbrook is coming off a knee injury and is 30-years-old, but he is still the #1 guy and I expect him to rebound this season to his 2007 form. We didn’t need a starting runningback, we just needed a #2 RB on our depth chart.  Anyone who is comparing LeSean McCoy to Ryan Moats is crazy.  McCoy will be much better than Moats.

Our defense has 10 starters returning, the 11th guy need not be named.  There’s no need to worry about going offense/offense with the first two picks.  The defense has plenty of bodies.

No more knocking the front office. They are not cheap and they know what the hell they’re doing. Trading down in the last two years has paid dividends and I am relentlessly optimistic about the 2009 season. McNabb must be thrilled with Stacy Andrews, Jason Peters, Leonard Weaver, Jeremy Maclin, and LeSean McCoy. Yes, I’m still pissed about them letting Brian Dawkins go, but it’s Dawkins who decided to leave for greener pastures. This team is ready for a Super Bowl.  Let’s make it happen!

NFC East Roundup: No first day picks for the Cowboys.  Ha!  The Redskins got a gift with Brian Orakpo falling to them. The Giants had a pretty good draft too: WR Hakeem Nicks, LB Clint Sintim, and OT William Beatty on day one.

Knowshon Moreno gets taken early. No big deal. We take the 2nd best WR in the draft, Jeremy Maclin, a few spots after he was expected to go. No big deal. There are plenty of RBs left and aren’t the stars perfectly aligned when LeSean McCoy falls to the Eagles in round 2. I am loving this year’s draft by the Eagles.

So all we need is a TE in round 3 and we’re ready to make that Super Bowl run next season, right? Jared Cook, Shawn Nelson, Cornelius Ingraham, and Chase Coffman are all still available. Jared Cook should be gone soon, but Chase Coffman is the Eagles guy in round 3. Why can’t they draft in round 3 on day 1 like they used to?  We’ll just have to wait until tomorrow to see who else the Eagles pick up.

May we see more highlights like these from LeSean McCoy in Midnight Green:

Knowshon Moreno went much higher than anticipated. He went #12 to the Broncos. Eagles had to come up with Plan B. They obviously wanted to boost the offense. They’re not sold on Beanie Wells (thank goodness), it was too early to take Donald Brown or LeSean McCoy, so why not add another playmaker to the receiving corp?

Brandon Pettigrew was on the board, but I’m not sold on him as the Eagles pick: he’s more of a premier blocker than a premier receiver and the Eagles like their TEs to be receivers and I still think the Eagles want Jared Cook or Chase Coffman in round 2. The Eagles traded up from 21 to 19 to take Maclin, so they must have been sold on him. I don’t know what the Eagles had to throw in: maybe a 5th or 6th rounder? We have four 5th rounders, so they might as well spend them.

I expected Maclin to be taken between 10 and 15. I rated him much higher than Darrius Heyward-Bey, who the Raiders foolishly drafted at 7, so I love the pick. Why the hell wouldn’t the Raiders trade down? That’s why they are a terrible organization. Plus, Maclin in the return game is a huge boost to our special teams. Maclin returning kickoffs, DeSean returning punts, and Quintin Demps as our alternate, that’s tremendous!

RB Plans: Wells is still on the board, so that’s another RB that should go soon, and luckily gone before the Eagles are tempted to take him. I don’t see Donald Brown falling that far — he’ll go by mid-2nd round at the latest. LeSean McCoy is an option for the Eagles in round 2. I wouldn’t be upset with Andre Brown in round 2 (I love his upside). I don’t want Shonn Greene. I’ll gladly take Mike Goodson in round 3 and if he’s gone, I wouldn’t be upset with Javon Ringer either. We have options. RB is deep.

Let’s take a look at what we’re getting with Maclin. DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, and Jeremy Maclin in 3 WR sets — they may be a bit undersized, but that’s a ridiculous amount of speed — I like it:

I just wanted to post up a mock draft to see how close I can come to calling this thing:

1.) Lions - Matthew Stafford
2.) Rams - Jason Smith
3.) Chiefs - Aaron Curry
4.) Seattle Seahawks - Mark Sanchez
5.) Cleveland Browns - Brian Orakpo
6.) Cincinnati Bengals - Andre Smith
7.) Oakland Raiders - Michael Crabtree
8.) Jacksonville Jaguars - Eugene Monroe
9.) Green Bay Packers - B.J. Raji
10.) San Fransisco 49ers - Tyson Jackson
11.) Buffalo Bills - Aaron Maybin
12.) Denver Broncos - Brian Cushing
13.) Washington Redskins - Michael Oher
14.) New Orleans Saints - Beanie Wells
15.) Houston Texans - Malcolm Jenkins
16.) San Diego Chargers - Rey Maualuga
17.) New York Jets - Jeremy Maclin
18.) Denver Broncos - Robert Ayers
19.) Tampa Bay Bucs - Josh Freeman
20.) Detroit Lions - William Beatty
21.) Philadelphia Eagles - Knowshon Moreno
22.) Minnesota Vikings - Eben Britton
23.) New England Patriots - Everette Brown
24.) Atlanta Falcons - Vontae Davis
25.) Miami Dolphins - Percy Harvin
26.) Baltimore Ravens - Darius Butler
27.) Indianapolis Colts - Darrius Heyward-Bey
28.) Buffalo Bills - Brandon Pettrigrew
29.) New York Giants - Hakeem Nicks
30.) Tennessee Titans - Peria Jerry
31.) Arizona Cardinals - Donald Brown
32.) Pittsburgh Steelers - Alex Mack

Watch this guy.  Here’s his draft profile.  Seems like a phenomenal pick in round 3:

A quick re-cap of the latest headlines:

– The Falcons traded for Tony Gonzalez. All it took was a 2010 2nd-round pick. The Eagles were rumored to be in the mix by offering a 2009 3rd-round pick. I don’t see why the Eagles wouldn’t make the move when the pick wouldn’t even have to be dealt until next year’s draft. With Matt Ryan, Michael Turner, Roddy White, and Tony Gonzalez, the Falcons are looking pretty dangerous. If they add a few defensive pieces in the draft, watch out.

– The chance that the Giants trade for Braylon Edwards is almost dead. The Giants don’t want to depart with their 29th pick and won’t give up Kiwanuka either. There’s now talk that the Giants may trade up to take Darius Heyward-Bey or will go with Hakeem Nicks with the 29th pick.

– Anquan Boldin is being shopped around and the Cardinals downgraded their demands. Now, they are willing to take a 2nd-round pick and “other considerations.” The Giants, Jets, and Eagles are all in the mix. I say trade Reggie Brown and the 2nd-round pick for him. Maybe even through in Juqua Parker to sweeten the pot. I love Juqua, but how many DEs do we really need? I expect Abiamiri and Bryan Smith to contribute big time this year.

– All I want is one thing tomorrow: KNOWSHON, KNOWSHON, KNOWSHON!

– What’s a pre-draft update without some pre-draft speculation and throwing out random names? If Knowshon is taken earlier than expected (let’s hope not), I say trade out of the 21st pick (maybe to the Giants so they can take Heyward-Bey), take the Giants 29th pick to take Donald Brown (or LeSean McCoy) and take the Giants 3rd-round pick. In round 2, TE Jared Cook may be our guy if he falls that far. If not, I would look for a CB, Utah’s Sean Smith and Vanderbilt’s D.J. Moore could be options. It may be a bit early to take Chase Coffman in round 2, let’s try to target him in round 3. If we get that extra 3rd rounder from the Giants, Oregon S Patrick Chung may be the guy we take in round 3 — watch these highlights — the dude’s half Jamaican, half Chinese, and is a beast — watch the dude block during an interception return — he lays out an offensive tackle!  Not only would we get a tremendous safety, but he can instantly contribute to special teams.  We could also take Chase Coffman in round 3 with the other pick. Sound like a good strategy? Who knows. I can’t wait to see what happens tomorrow.

Sheldon Brown Demands Trade [The 700 Level] — I’m so sick of pro athletes complaining over contracts.  You’re being paid 8 figures to do something you love.  When you sign a contract early in your career, you have to realize that your accepting financial security over giving up some money in the event that your talent hasn’t been fully reached.  It’s natural for the guy who signs a contract after you to get paid more money, especially if there is a high demand for that position.  Get over it.  Shut the fuck up, cash your $5 million check for one season, and play.  If you want to blame someone, blame your agent.

Now, I love Sheldon Brown.  I love his play on the field and I particularly love his blunt and candid interviews.  Good thing the Eagles said they will not entertain a trade whatsoever.  Asante and Sheldon could be the best CB tandem in the league.  Let’s hope this doesn’t blow up into a distraction this season.

Eagles Issue Statement On Sheldon Brown [The 700 Level] — Well said Eagles.

Eagles may trade up to draft Moreno [Bleeding Green Nation] — YES! Potential trading partners would be New Orleans at 14 or Houston at 15.  We need to make sure that we draft before the Chargers, Broncos, and Jets at 16, 17, and 18.  I’m wondering what the cost would be.  I don’t see the Eagles giving up the 21st and their 3rd-rounder to move up 6-7 spots to grab him.  Or maybe they would.  I would be extremely satisfied with Knowshon Moreno and Chase Coffman on Day 1 of the draft, but we’ll be without any 3rd and 4th round picks.  However, we will have 4 5th-rounders.  Would a deal of the 21st pick, a 2009 5th-round pick, and a 2010 4th-round pick be enough to move up to 14?  I don’t know.  Somebody go grab an NFL value chart and let me know what it would take to get a deal done with New Orleans at 14.

Possible Trade Bait [Inside the Iggles] — Could Juqua Parker, Omar Gaither, Reggie Brown be used in a deal?

Do we have to worry about Shawn Andrews? [Iggles Blog] — You know contracts are a bitch when you’re arguably better than your brother and your college roommate, but they’re both making more money than you.  Shawn Andrews signed a 10 year, $35 million deal back in 2006.  Do you think he’ll start speaking up about his contract?  When your undrafted college roommate (Jason Peters) is almost making twice than you and you’re a first-round pick, that could be pretty annoying.  Let’s hope Shawn is cool with it.

Nothing but praises for Peters from former NFL line coach and Peter’s mentor [Bleeding Green Nation] — The media also weighs in.

Walter Football DOES NOT like the Peters Trade [Walter Football] — The guy did give up 11.5 sacks in 13 games last year.  Let’s hope that’s because he missed some camp and was unhappy about his contract and that he returns to his 2006-2007 form.

Pretty incredible video put together by The 700 Level.  Flyers get their first win in the Pittsburgh series.  Phillies win with walk-off homer.  Sixers stun the Magic by overcoming an 18-point deficit to win the game in the last second.

“With the 21st pick in the 2009 NFL Draft, the Philadelphia Eagles select: Knowshon Moreno, Runningback, University of Georgia.”

That would be a dream come true, but it’s possible.  The only teams that may prevent that from happening are the Browns (5), Saints (14), Chargers (16), and maybe the Jets (17) or Broncos (18).  I doubt the Browns go RB so early at 5.  The Saints need to help out that defense first.  If the Saints go RB, let’s hope they opt for the Big Back in Beanie Wells to compliment Reggie Bush and act as Deuce McAllister’s replacement.  The Chargers may be thinking about LT’s replacement, but they worked out a new contract with their man. I doubt the Broncos go RB since they stockpiled RBs with Buckhalter, LaMont Jordan, J.J. Arrington, and Selvin Young and they have needs just about everywhere in their defense (I see them taking a DE and LB with their two 1st-round picks).  Everyone seems to think the Jets will take QB Josh Freeman with the 17th pick or Beanie Wells.

NFL Draft Countdown has the Eagles taking Knowshon at 21 and so do NFL Draft Aces.  Plus, Walter Football doesn’t have him going until 31, so the odds are looking pretty good.

If the Eagles FO needs a little refresher on why they have to take this guy with the 21st pick (if available), here are some 2008 highlights: