It’s good to see that my man over at NFL Draft Countdown change his pick for the Eagles in his mock draft. Perhaps he heeded to my feedback that the Eagles simply do not draft linebackers in the first round. He previously had the Eagles taking Missouri LB Sean Witherspoon, who he now has going #19 to the Atlanta Falcons.
In his updated mock draft, he has the Eagles taking USC DE Everson Griffen with the 24th pick and I think he got this one on the money.
Griffen is a guy the Eagles could really use to boost their DEs and Griffen has killer speed, which would could form into a nice pass-rushing duo with Trent Cole on 3rd down. I could see Abiamiri being the 1st and 2nd down DE with Griffen coming in on 3rd down.
Griffen comes in at 6’3″, 273 lbs., and the guy ran an impressive 4.64 at the combine. That ranks 2nd amongst DEs an a mere 0.02 behind Dexter Davis.
Here is his summary for the Eagles 24th pick in the 2010 draft:
Over the past decade or so it has become quite obvious that the Eagles place a high priority on their defensive line, having spent considerable resources in both the draft and free agency on ends and tackles. Statistically speaking the Iggles ranked among the best in the league when it came to sacks in 2009 but word is they are motivated to bring in an upgrade at defensive end. USC’s Everson Griffen was a big-time recruit coming out of high school who underachieved his first two years with the Trojans. However, Griffen finally began to hit his stride as a junior and opted to strike while the iron was hot and go pro. A terrific athlete with a great blend of size and speed, Griffen will likely be selected based more on his untapped potential than actual production but there is no denying that he has first round talent. Philly could also use some help at linebacker, where they’ve been mix and matching mediocre youngsters and washed up veterans for years. However, even though Missouri’s Sean Weatherspoon would appear to be a perfect fit for Philly here the team just hasn’t seemed inclined to make a substantial investment in that position for some reason. Don’t rule out an offensive lineman either because they still have some question marks there and that is another position that the Eagles have tended to target early and often.
I don’t think linebacker is a priority for the Eagles in the draft. Period. Stewart Bradley will be back and healthy next season. Akeem Jordan, Omar Gaither, and Chris Gocong are all viable starters. Don’t forget about Joe Mays, Tracy White, and Moise Fokui, who are all solid reserves. Unfortunately, Will Witherspoon is now a Titan, but the Eagles have 7 solid linebackers on their roster so there’s no need to draft a linebacker in the first three rounds.
The priority for the Eagles going into the draft will unquestionably be offensive line, defensive line, and secondary. I see the Eagles wanting to boost their offensive line after countless injuries and giving up way too many sacks to the Cowboys as their #1 priority in this year’s draft.
I could also see the Eagles drafting a CB or DE in the first round if the right player falls into their lap.
Let’s learn more about this Everson Griffin kid. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then a video must be worth 10,000. Let’s take a look at the game tape. Some impressive highlights from the guy who had 8 sacks this past season. However, a look at his Oregon game doesn’t make a compelling case.
The Eagles roster has been set. A.J. Feeley was released this morning. Fenuki Tupouhas been placed on IR.
The loss of Stewart Bradley now becomes glaring on the depth chart with a few new names at the LB position. Here’s a good read on rookie LB Moise Fokuo, Fokou who? Word is also going around that Macho Harris may have the starting FS role over Quintin Demps.
It’s also good to know that Danny Amendola and Jack Ikegwuonu have been added to the practice squad. The practice squad also includes guards Paul Fanaika and Mike Gibson.
Quarterbacks (3) – Donovan McNabb, Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick
Running Backs (3) – Brian Westbrook, LeSean McCoy, Eldra Buckley
Fullback (1) – Leonard Weaver
Wide Receivers (7) – DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis, Jason Avant, Jeremy Maclin, Reggie Brown, Hank Baskett, Brandon Gibson
Tight Ends (2) - Brent Celek, Tony Curtis
Offensive Lineman (10) - Jason Peters, Todd Herremans, Jamaal Jackson, Stacy Andrews, Shawn Andrews, Nick Cole, Max Jean-Gilles, Winston Justice, Mike McGlynn, King Dunlap
Defensive Lineman (9) – Trent Cole, Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, Victor Abiamiri, Chris Clemons, Juqau Parker, Jason Babin, Darren Howard, Trevor Laws
Linebackers (6) – Chris Gocong, Omar Gaither, Akeem Jordan, Joe Mays, Moise Fokou, Tracy White
Jay’s Day 1, Morning Practice Review: A perspective other than Dave Spadaro. Donovan McNabb/DeSean Jackson:
After viewing the Eagles morning practice today, I was pretty impressed with what I saw. I began the day, obviously, by watching Donovan McNabb in action to see how our franchise player looked. He began his practice by throwing some quick outs and flare patterns, followed by launching some deep balls to the rookie wide receivers including DeSean Jackson. I mention Jackson specifically, since his presence on the field was very apparent to the point that it almost seemed as though McNabb was targeting the first year rookie, out of California, during the drills. This is great to see since good QB/WR chemistry (especially with a rookie WR) is a huge factor in determining how well the offense will get things done this coming season. Although McNabb’s knee injury seemed not to bother him, I couldn’t help but notice the signs of rust from his shoulder injury that he and the team have been calling a “non-issue” during the QB drills. But it was not only me who felt this way. Perez and Jordan from Downingtown, Pa said, “He (McNabb) seems to be in the best shape we’ve seen him in the last three years. His arm strength was great, but his throws seemed to come out a bit wobbly”. Jeff of Emmaus, Pa added, “Donovan looked to be in great shape and threw some great deep balls to DeSean Jackson. I must admit, however, that he wasn’t throwing a very pretty ball”. Like Jeff, I was a bit discouraged by #5′s throws but was amazed by the pure speed and agility of DeSean Jackson. The only knock on the rookie today was the many drops I witnessed during his workout. Let’s hope these drops only last another few days until he learns the “ins and outs” of Marty Mornhinweg’s offense. Joe, a veteran Eagle fan from Philadelphia said of Jackson, “Although DeSean looked good and had some spectacular moves and catches, I’m afraid he’s gonna turn out to be a ‘hot dog’ on the field”. When asked what he thought about the Eagle QB situation Joe replied, “McNabb may have looked rusty, but that’s normal. He is a proven veteran and leader and will be ready for opening day. But what really stood out to me, was how good Kevin Kolb looked. To me, he had just as much zip on the ball as Donovan, and at times seemed to outplay him (McNabb) and Feeley on this first day of training camp”.
The Linebackers:
After watching the offense for a good 35 minutes, I got up and walked over to where the rookie linebackers were getting some work in. I must say that I was completely blown away by how good our young LB corp looks. The presumtive starters at the LB position include 2nd-year man Stewart Bradley, Omar Gaither and Chris Gocong, but any of the other six LBs could fill the void if one of the starters were to go down. The only problem I can think of concerning the LBs is that there is no possible way that we will be able to pay and/or keep all of these young studs, and will inevitably lose some of these guys to other contenders in the NFL that need help at the LB position. The Eagles must decide decisively and quickly which of these linebackers they need to keep around the huddle.
To conclude, practice ended a bit early, around 10:25am, just as the heat began to wear down not only the players, but the spectators as well. Afternoon practice is scheduled for 3:30pm.
In my prior draft article, I shared my thoughts on the Eagles’ first two draft picks. In this article, I’ll take a look at the Eagles’ selections in rounds 3-7.
When then third round made it’s way, I was rather confident the Eagles would select Brian Dawkins’ future replacement. Many quality safety prospects were still available. In fact, only two safeties were drafted in the first two rounds: the Giants drafted Kenny Phillips and the Vikings drafted Tyrell Johnson. Personally, I was pulling for the Eagles to draft Tom Zbikowski — his style of play and work ethic would surely win Eagles fans over. I also expected that the Eagles could make a move for either DaJuan Morgan or Thomas DeCoud. The Eagles passed on those three players to select Bryan Smith, an undersized DE from McNeese State that would be used as a pass-rush specialist in the NFL. I was slightly disappointed with the pick, but I think the Eagles are onto something with the pick. Shortly after this pick, Morgan, Zbikowski, and DeCoud were all taken later in third round, which had be panicking that the Eagles would be without a quality safety from this year’s draft.
I don’t know exactly how Bryan Smith fits into the Eagles plans for this team, so I’m curious to see how he performs in camp. I thought the Eagles reached for him. He was projected to be drafted in the later rounds, so the Eagles must really love this guy to take him in the third round. From what I’ve read about him, he has tremendous explosiveness, speed, natural athletic ability, and the ability to change directions quickly. His downsides are that he is undersized and doesn’t play well against the run. My first thought was that Smith’s role would be primarily as Chris Gocong’s reserve. He could also be brought onto the field purely for pass-rushing situations. I was puzzled that the Eagles would draft Smith when they already went out in free agency and got pass-rush specialist Chris Clemons for that role. This pick made more sense when I read that the Eagles may experiment with a 3-4 defense. The Eagles’ base defense will still be a 4-3, but with the plethora of pass rushers on the roster, the Eagles could run a 3-4 in certain situations and cause nightmares for opposing offensive coordinators around the league. Here is a great interview with Bryan Smith if you want to learn more about him.
The fourth round has come and the Eagles have a chance to pick up a lot of pieces with the four picks they have this round. The Eagles came out in the fourth round and selected Pittsburgh OL Michael McGlynn. McGlynn played primarily at RT for Pittsburgh, but projects as an OG in the NFL since he lacks the athleticism to play as a tackle in the NFL. He is very technically sound, has the ability to play any position on the offensive line, and his long-snapping abilities make him an intriguing prospect. I thought that the Eagles would have used their first-round pick on an offensive linemen, but the top linemen were off the board, which prompted the Eagles to trade the pick. Since the Eagles haven’t selected a lineman yet, this pick shouldn’t have come as a surprise. Andy has a knack for finding solid linemen in fourth round (Herremans and Jean-Giles). Hopefully, McGlynn will be every bit as good as those fourth-round picks.
The Eagles also made a trade with the Miami Dolphins for Lorenzo Booker. Booker was a player that the Eagles had their eyes on in the draft last year, but Miami beat them to the punch in the 3rd round and selected him, which led to the Eagles selecting Tony Hunt later that round. The Eagles love Booker’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. I became extremely impressed with him during his days at Florida State. He has tremendous quickness, does a tremendous job at making defenders miss, and is a superb East-West runner. Last season, Booker had 125 rushing yards on 28 attempts and 237 receiving yards on 28 receptions. Booker’s draft profile looks quite similar to Brian Westbrook’s, so it’s no coincidence that the Eagles wanted him last year and did what it took to get him this year. Great pick up.
Later in the fourth round, the Eagles finally took a safety that they badly needed to get their hands on: Quintin Demps. When I read about Demps, I became extremely impressed and intrigued. He has great speed and is a ball hawk with ability to cover a lot of ground with his long range. His weakness is his ability against the run. Demps will need to add bulk and improve against the run if he wants to make it in the league. His upside is that his skills in coverage are exceptional. You also have to love his attitude with this quote: “I am a playmaker. If the Eagles wanted a playmaker, they got one as a steal in this draft. I am not a Pro Bowl player, I’m a Super Bowl player. I am ready to go. I am fired up.” Hopefully, the Eagles didn’t miss with this one. Last year, I was extremely excited about the prospect C.J. Gaddis and he didn’t make it very long before he was cut by the Eagles. He was even getting great reviews during training camp. The difference between Demps and Gaddis is that Gaddis was a great natural athlete with a lack of football skills and the Eagles thought that he could make it at as a safety. With Demps, the Eagles got a player with a qualified resume at safety, but he’ll just have to improve against the run.
At this point in the draft, I would already conclude that the Eagles had a successful draft. They got an extremely talented defensive lineman, an explosive kick returner and speedy receiver, a pass-rush specialist, a versatile offensive lineman, a tremendous coverage safety, and an elusive running back. I started to think that the Eagles could use their late fourth-round pick to fill a void at FB with the departure of Thomas Tapeh. I was hoping the Eagles would draft Owen Schmitt, the FB from West Virginia with a bad-ass mohawk who took it to the house against Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. However, with their final pick in the fourth round, the Eagles took Jack Ikegwuonu. Ikegwuonu has all the things you look for in a starting CB, but injuries and character issues caused him to fall down the draft chart. If he was able to stay healthy during college, he could have been drafted in the second or third round. His best quality is his physical play and his ability to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage. I think this was a solid value pick for the Eagles. The Eagles got a guy with starter potential, but with a few injury and character concerns.
The Eagles then had four picks left in the last four rounds. They picked up a guard (Michael Gibson), two linebackers (Joe Mays and Andy Studebacker), and another tackle (King Dunlap).
Final Thoughts: Excellent draft by the Eagles. When I first saw that the Eagles traded their 19th pick, I, like everyone else, was pissed. However, I was quite happy at the conclusion of the second round, especially since the Eagles were able to get DeSean Jackson, a player who the Eagles could have easily used their 19th pick on, and now they have two first-round picks next year. The only thing I would have changed about the Eagles draft would be taking DaJuan Morgan or Tom Zbikowsk in the third round and hope that Bryan Smith would still be there in the fourth round. I’m excited to learn more about these prospects during the mini-camps and training camp.
It’s good to see that my man over at
Loading ...