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.

I always find what Walter Football has to say about the Eagles draft interesting.  He usually throws some curve balls from what you’re used to seeing at other mock drafts.  Let’s see who he has the Eagles taking with their first 5 picks:

21 – Robert Ayers – (DE) – Tennessee
28 – Alex Mack – (C) – California
53 – Duke Robinson  – (OG) – Oklahoma
85 – Javon Ringer – (RB) – Michigan State
117 – Chase Coffman – (TE) – Missouri

It looks like he has a pretty good grasp on the Eagles needs: offensive line, running back, and tight end.  His curveball: the Eagles taking Robert Ayers with the 21st pick.  Here’s my reaction to his picks.

ROBERT AYERS: I don’t know if the Eagles will be targeting a DE early.  It seems to me like the Eagles are happy with the way Victor Abiamiri is developing as he is sharing time with Juqua Parker, who also had a very solid season as well.  On the other side of the line the Eagles have their stud Trent Cole, and then have reserves Chris Clemons and Bryan Smith, who they jumped on a bit early in the 3rd round of last year’s draft.

Ayers is a solid player.  Here’s a link to his highlights and you can read up on his draft profile here.  Ayers is currently ranked 17 on Mel Kiper’s big board and his stock is rising.  I don’t think defensive end is a pressing need, so I would pass on Ayers to address a bigger need or would take Illinois CB Vontae Davis.

ALEX MACK: I previously wrote that the Eagles could target Duke Robinson with the 28th pick, but the Eagles could get their hands on him in the 2nd round and that’s what Walter has happening.  There are some questions about his work ethic and Robinson may be a bit raw.  Alex Mack, however, has been hailed as the best center prospect in the last several years.  The Eagles could upgrade Jamaal Jackson and Alex Mack would be a great pick at 28.  The Eagles signed Jamaal Jackson to a 7-year extension back in 2006, so they may not be thinking of adding a center and they also drafted Mike McGlynn in last year’s draft, who is able to play at center or at guard.

DUKE ROBINSON: Robinson could be available to the Eagles in the 2nd round so he may not be worth a 28th pick since he kind of has that “Winston Justice bust aura” about him.  The best RBs are off the board as is TE Jared Cook, so boosting the line is the way to go the way Walter Football’s mock draft is playing out.  Just to note: Walter has Wells going to the Jets and Knowshon to the Cards.  They’re the only RBs taken in the first round of his mock draft.  The Browns then grab Donald Brown at the top of the 2nd round followed by LeSean McCoy to the Giants a few picks after the Eagles are on the clock in round 2.

JAVON RINGER: I am a big Javon Ringer fan.  He’s amassed over 3,000 yards rushing and nearly 500 yards receiving in his last 2 seasons and he scored 22 TDs last season.  I’ve seen him play a few games live and he was tremendous.  A very exciting RB to watch.  I think he’s going to be a very solid back in the NFL.  He ran a 4.42 at his Pro Day which is incredible.  His style is very similar to Brian Westbrook, so he would be a great match for the Eagles since he is good at catching the ball out of the backfield.  The Eagles don’t necessarily need to find a starter in this year’s draft, so they’re not going to kill themselves by passing on Knowshon Moreno, LeSean McCoy, and Donald Brown.  Javon Ringer would be a great guy to plug in there when Westbrook needs some plays off or games off.  Worth Watching: Highlights 1, Highlights 2, Highlights 3, and Highlights 4.

There’s really not a back in this draft that I don’t like.  The Eagles will definitely draft a running back, probably not in the first round, but they will definitely add a solid RB at some point in the draft and I think that will come in round 3. In round 3, Javon Ringer would be my first choice, followed by Shonn Greene, and then Mike Goodson.  I wouldn’t complain about any of them.

CHASE COFFMAN: Andy Reid said in an interview that he prefers tight ends who know how to catch first and foremost.  He doesn’t necessarily care about blocking as much; he says his coaches can teach a kid how to block, but you can’t really teach a TE to catch — they either have those skills or they don’t.  You can take that as a hint that Reid may not be thinking of taking Brandon Pettigrew with his 21st pick.  Coffman would be a great TE addition in the fourth round.  You have to love what NFL Draft Countdown says about him:  he runs great routes, has a good burst off the line, has good hands, runs hard after the catch, does well over the middle, and is a fantastic red-zone threat.

FINAL REACTION: If this is how the Eagles draft ended up I would be very happy.  We added a LDE.  We boosted the offensive line with Alex Mack and Duke Robinson.  We added a tremenous RB and TE in the later rounds.  Instead of overpaying for a TE and RB early, we got quality guys in round 3 and 4.  Well done.  Less than 30 days until the draft and I cannot wait!

I just wanted to throw out some draft scenarios that the Eagles could go.  The main focus of Eagles fans has been on offensive tackle, but most of the best tackles will be taken by the time the Eagles are on the clock at 21, so why not take the best offensive guard in the draft: Duke Robinson?  We all know Andy Reid loves his big linemen and at 6’5″, 335 pounds, Duke must make Andy’s mouth water.

Even better is the fact that he should be available to the Eagles at 28.  Most mock drafts have Robinson going in the late first-round or early second-round, so he would be a great target for the Eagles at 28.  If the Eagles like him enough, they could throw in a 5th rounder to move up a few spots if they think he’s about to be snagged.   This could help Shawn Andrews move over to tackle if that’s necessary.  A starting line of The Duke, The Andrews Brothers, Jamaal Jackson, and Jean-Gilles?  That’s a lot of beef.  And the Eagles still have that 21st pick to grab an elite offensive weapon like a Brandon Pettigrew, Knowshon Moreno, Darrius-Heyward Bey, or LeSean McCoy.

The fact that The Duke could be available at 28 makes the draft more exciting for me because instead of having to trade both first-round picks to move up to grab an elite tackle, the Eagles can fill 3 positions of need (OL, RB, and TE) with their first three picks without having to trade up in the first round of the draft.

So I ask you, what draft scenario do you like best and why?  Leave some comments.

Scenario 1:
21 – Brandon Pettigrew (TE)
28 – Duke Robinson (OG)
53 – Shonn Greene (RB)

Scenario 2:
21 – Knowshon Moreno (RB) or LeSean McCoy (RB)
28 – Duke Robinson (OG)
53 – Cornelius Ingram (TE) or Jared Cook (TE)

Scenario 3:
21 – Knowshon Moreno (RB) or LeSean McCoy (RB)
28 – Duke Robinson (OG)
53 – Hope for Hakeen Nicks (WR) or Kenny Britt (WR) to fall to the 53 or try to trade up.
85 – Hope for Cornelius Ingram (TE) or Jared Cook (TE) to fall to 85 or try to trade up again.

Scenario 4:
21 – Michael Oher (OT)
28 – LeSean McCoy (RB) or Donald Brown (RB)
53 – Cornelius Ingram (TE) or Jared Cook (TE)

Scenario 5:
21 – Darrius Heyward-Bey (WR)
28 – Duke Robinson (OG)
53 – Cornelius Ingram (TE) or Jared Cook (TE)
85 – Mike Goodson (RB)

Scenario 6:
21 – Vontae Davis (CB) – Vernon Davis’s brother who is a beast of a CB out of Illinois.  Think Sheldon Brown’s replacement in 2-3 years or help assist Brown move to safety.  Highlights.  Profile.  Thanks to Iggles Blog for the idea.
28 – Duke Robinson (OG)
53 – Cornelius Ingram (TE) or Jared Cook (TE)
85 – Mike Goodson (RB)

Please vote on this at our poll (the link takes you right to it).

Let’s take a look at The Duke — The highlights aren’t as sexy as a Knowshon Moreno, LeSean McCoy, or Darrius Heyward-Bey, but he sure knows how to plow over some DTs and hit people.

Word on the street says there’s a 99% chance the Eagles take a running back in the first round.  With Buckhalter going to the Broncos and Westbrook coming off a season full of knee problems at 30-years-old, it’s safe to assume the Eagles will use one of their first two picks to take a RB despite the “Eagles never use a 1st-round pick on a RB” mentality.

The Eagles should essentially have their choice of Beanie Wells, Knowshon Moreno, LeSean McCoy, or Donald Brown.  I’ve written about the first 3 backs on this site before, but I haven’t read too much on Donald Brown, who apparently the Eagles really like.  Donald Brown is a 5’10″, 210 pound UCONN RB.  Here’s his draft profile.  Let’s take a look:

He looks pretty good, but he’s still the #4 RB in my book.

I’m certainly glad the Eagles addressed their issues at FB instead of ignoring that position for another season.  With a look at their depth chart, you can see how the Eagles offseason plans are coming into fruition.  What’s interesting to see there is that Todd Herremans has been moved to the starting LT and Max Jean-Gilles has moved into the starting LG.  I love Jean-Gilles.  He plays with a mean streak and he just wants to go out there and hit people.  He was having a tremendous season taking over for the injured Shawn Andrews before he was injured himself.  Let’s hope that he will come back strong next season.

Assuming Shawn Andrews and Max Jean-Gilles come back healthy, maybe the Eagles offensive line isn’t in as bad of shape as some of us assume.  I have no objections to the starting line of: Todd Herremans (LT), Max Jean-Gilles (LG), Jamaal Jackson (C), Shawn Andrews (RG), and Stacy Andrews (RT).  The Eagles have two promising prospects that they drafted last year to act as reserves this year: LT King Dunlap and LG Mike McGlynn.  And they also have Nick Cole.  He looked questionable early in the season, but ended strong.

It would be great to add a player like Eugene Monroe in the draft, but that’s just not going to happen.  I doubt the Eagles would consider or even be able to find a team to trade into the top 10 to get him and Monroe won’t be going any later than 6 to the Bengals.  After looking at the Eagles offensive line a bit more, maybe OL isn’t the #1 priority.  Maybe the Eagles should just stay put at 21 and 28 in order to take a TE and RB.

With pick 21, I would try to package that with a 4th or 5th-round pick to move up a few spots to secure Brandon Pettigrew.  Pettigrew may go as high as 11 to the Bills, but if they pass on him, Brandon Pettigrew should be around for the Eagles.  Assuming that Pettigrew is taken, the Eagles could then target Michael Oher.  And if both are taken, you have to go with Darrius Heyward-Bey.  If the Eagles don’t land Pettigrew, the Eagles may be looking at Florida TE Cornelius Ingram with a later pick.  Ingram was injured last season, but he had a tremendous Pro Day.  At 6’4″ and 245 pounds with good speed, he would be a great pick.  Check out Ingram’s draft profile.

With pick 28, I’m going after a RB.  My boy Knowshon Moreno may go as early as 16 to San Diego or he may fall down the draft board and be drafted in the late first-round.  Beanie Wells may be around as well and although the Eagles need a big back, he doesn’t really fit the Eagles style. For some reason I just think Wells has bust written all over him.  A guy the Eagles should take a hard look at is Pittsburgh’s LeSean McCoy, who should certainly be available at 28.  McCoy is a bit small at 5’10″, 205 pounds, but he is very LT-esque with his tremendous vision and insane cuts.  Check out LeSean McCoy’s draft profile.  36 TDs in 2 seasons, that’s impressive.

Watching Material:

With Tra Thomas’s departure to Jacksonville, the Eagles have a huge need to address at the left tackle spot.  We already know the Eagles have stockpiled draft picks.  The Eagles have 12 picks in this year’s draft and they don’t intent to keep them all.  The Eagles traded Lito Sheppard and Greg Lewis to acquire more draft picks that they can deal to either move up in the draft or use a combination of picks to go after Bills LT Jason Peters.  Peters is a 6’4″, 340 lbs., 27-year-old LT with 6 years of experience.  He would be a much needed addition if the Bills are willing to deal him.

Adding a veteran tackle like Orlando Pace is another idea.  Pace was just released by the Rams.  With all the recent injuries, I’m wondering if he’s serviceable at all, but if the Eagles have to draft a tackle, they will want to add a veteran as some “insurance.”

We know that the Eagles wanted a tackle in last year’s draft.  Chris Williams was their guy.  His stock skyrocketted in the days leading up to the draft and the Bears took him with their 14th pick.  The next guy on the Eagles radar was Brandon Albert, but the Chiefs traded up to grab him before the Eagles could make their move to get him.  This prompted the Eagles to trade out of the first round and they still got another guy that they wanted: DeSean Jackson.

Last year was much deeper at tackle than this year’s draft, so I’m wondering what the Eagles thoughts are this year on drafting a tackle.  Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe should be locks to go in the top 10, so they are way out of the range for the Eagles to trade up.  Andre Smith would be another top-10 lock if it wasn’t for his breakdown at the combine.  Perhaps an impressive Pro Day will put him back at the top of the board and a team like Cincinnati could jump on him with their 6th pick.  That would put Michael Oher as a potential guy the Eagles could target, but would have to trade up for.

We also know the Eagles want to get their hands on Brandon Pettigrew to fill the TE spot left by the departure of L.J. Smith.  With the Eagles drafting at 21 and 28, I expect the Eagles to package some of their late-round picks with each of their first rounders to move up a few spots to secure Michael Oher and Brandon Pettigrew.

If the Eagles don’t find a trading partner and have to stay put and the top tackles are off the board, what do the Eagles do?  Do they draft another position of need (RB) or do they go with the next best tackle?  Who knows.  William Beatty and Eben Britton are the consensus next-best tackles.  The Eagles would also have their choice of Beanie Wells, Knowshon Moreno, or LeSean McCoy at pick 28, but the Eagles never draft a RB in the first round and RB is deep in this year’s draft.  I wouldn’t be opposed to waiting until round 2 or 3 to grab a RB.  There are great options in the later rounds.  Iowa’s Shonne Green and NC State’s Andre Brown are good options in round 2, but I think the Eagles will have their eyes set on Texas A&M’s Mike Goodson as a 2nd or 3rd-round target.  If the Eagles go OT/TE with their first two picks, I would definitely jump on taking Goodson with a 2nd-round pick.  Goodson posted a 4.54 40-yard-dash at the Combine, but improved that to a 4.43 at his Pro Day.  Plus, his skills at catching the ball out of the backfield have been praised, which is a prerequisite to be an Eagles RB.

Watching Material (Remind you of Brian Westbrook at all?)

Other good news: FB Leonard Weaver may sign with the Eagles!

First order of business: Get well Jim Johnson!  Jim was unfortunately diagnosed with melanoma skin cancer in his spine.  The good news is that the treatment is going well and Jim and doctors remain optimistic.

If you’re a frequent reader of the site, you know that my bread and butter is covering free agent signings and the draft for all sports.  Before I get into some draft talk, I want to give you my quick thoughts on the Arizona game.

Great second half by the Eagles, but you can’t beat a team by playing 30 minutes in a 60 minute game.  After the miserable first half, I thought the game was all but over, but DeSean Jackson gave us hope by taking the lead 25-24 before the Cardinals milked the clock with a seven-minute drive to take back the lead.  As usual, Philly fans start the blame game.  Some people say it was Donovan’s fault for playing like crap in the first half, others want to blame the defense.  Still, some want to put the blame on Reid.  I say it’s no one on the Eagles sideline who is at fault.  I’ll give credit where credit is due.  The Cardinals are a great team.  They have an incredible veteran quarterback and the best wide receiver in the league: Larry Fitzgerald, who is only 25 years old and I can guarantee you that this will not be his last Super Bowl.  They also have a tremendous defense.  That secondary of theirs is up there with any secondary in the league.  They may have the best safety tandem next to Dawkins/Mikell with Adrian Wilson and Antrel Rolle.  With corners Rod Hood and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who is coming along as a rookie, that’s about as solid a secondary that you can ask for.  Well, enough about the Cardinals.  The point I am trying to make is the Eagles can compete next year with the team they have.  They aren’t “a player away” from being a Super Bowl team, but picking up a solid piece or two in the draft certainly won’t hurt.

OK, it’s time to talk draft.  Mel Kiper released his Mock Draft v. 1.0 and if that’s how the real draft ended up, I would be 100% satisfied.  If you missed it, Kiper has the Eagles taking Ohio State RB Chris “Beanie” Wells with the Eagles first, first-round pick and then just a few picks later, he has the Eagles going for OT Michael Oher.  That may be a bit generous, but I love it!  The Eagles need to get one amazing OT with one of their first two picks.  With the other, add an offensive weapon: a RB like Wells or a TE like Pettigrew.  The Pittsburgh RB, LeSean McCoy, would be a good pick too, but I would be thrilled to have Wells.

Wells is a hell of a back.  I thought he was overrated until I watched the Fiesta Bowl.  Wow!  And he fits the Eagles need for a big back.  The good news is that most teams needs at RB are set.  My boy, Knowshon Moreno, Kiper has going to the San Diego Chargers.  LT v. 2.0 would be a great pick for them.  I can’t wait to see where he goes.  Even better is that could set up the Eagles to take NFL Draft Countdown’s #1 RB in this year’s draft: Chris Wells.  Wells, at 237 lbs., is  a punishing back and he has some speed to boot.

I would also love it if Brandon Pettigrew, the Ohklahoma St. TE, would fall to the Eagles.  Most mock drafts have Pettirgrew going to the Bills at #11.  There’s a great chance of that happening, but if they pass, there’s a chance he may fall down the board since most teams after the Bills don’t have TE needs, but have other huge needs.

The bottom line: Wells would be sick.

Do you think he could be an Eagle?

Watching Material: