First and foremost, I must apologize to my readers for the long gap between articles. The draft is not a time when I have a lot of strong opinions about what I want and expect the Eagles to do. First, I don’t know much about the draft class because I don’t generally watch college sports outside of my alma mater because I can’t identify with the schools I’m watching making sports less interesting for me. I watch Lehigh (my alma mater) sports when I can, but I don’t believe there are any NFL draft rumors hovering around Lehigh players despite their awesome win over Lafayette. Second, the Eagles rarely sit still with their draft picks on draft day making draft-day predictions come with a large grain of a salt. Lastly, it’s difficult to really figure out how a rookie will impact the team as a whole (now or in the future) until you see them in an NFL situation. For these reasons I usually choose to focus on something else (aka Phillies, Flyers, and Union) until preseason or at least until the post-draft period to really start putting my expectations together.
Further still, I lack strong opinion because I trust the Eagles’ staff in deciding the draft moves that the team makes. They haven’t been perfect, but not many staffs are capable of keeping a team so good for so long being granted comparatively weak draft picks year-in year-out. Unless the Eagles use their first round pick on a kicker, I’m probably not going to second-guess their choices.
Nonetheless, I do have opinions about what needs the Eagles could effectively fill using this year’s draft, so I’ll go position-by-position. Keep in mind that I firmly believe that at any given point, the Eagles should pick the best athlete rather than at a certain positions but needs can drive tiebreakers:
Quarterback: Low need
Kevin Kolb is the uncontested starter and future of this franchise. Michael Vick is the obvious backup and potential change-up QB if the Eagles continue using the modified wildcat formation that they did last season. We need a third quarterback, but given the team’s other needs, I don’t see the Eagles using a pick on a QB unless enough teams pass on one that he falls into their lap.
Running Back: Considerable need
Don’t get me wrong, I have great faith in LeSean McCoy, but I have depth concerns here. Perhaps the years of the relative frailty of Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter has given me an unfair impression of RB health, but I don’t have any expectations that McCoy will finish an entire season unscathed. I likewise, don’t have faith in Mike Bell as a starter although I like him as a change-up back. Therefore, I believe we could use another RB to complement McCoy and provide sincere depth, not just now, but for years to come.
Wide Receiver: Low short-term need (ish)
I love the combination of DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Jason Avant for a long future. I also think Hank Baskett will do a great job as a fourth receiver and special teamer. I, again, must raise a depth issue. I have great concerns about who takes over the outside wide receiver position should Jackson or Maclin go down. Avant is much better suited to the slot and I just don’t think Baskett is quite starter material. He’s a fantastic role player. I think the Eagles could try for a speed receiver in the later rounds who maybe doesn’t have a lot of certainty associated with him. A low-risk, decent-reward kind of player that might be able to be distracting enough to ease pressure off his teammate on the other side. Still, this idea is part of a strategy to win next season instead of being consistent with the team’s apparent strategy to win it all in a few years so this remains a very low priority need.
Tight End: No need
Brent Celek is a big-time playmaker. Cornelius Ingram, if he returns to 100% of last year (and meets his expectations of last year), is more than a capable backup. I see no need to draft at this position unless it meets the conditions of my “best athlete” disclaimer above.
Offensive Line: Big-time need
Can’t get enough of these guys (right now, anyway). I believe this group is seriously lacking in both depth and future starters (which probably means the same thing). At center, Jamaal Jackson may never completely recover, nor can he necessarily be counted on to still be dominating when this team makes its superbowl run after the rebuilding. Nick Cole probably works for now, but again has some question marks (from me at least) about his capabilities two or three seasons from now. I consider this position to be a MAJOR need right now. I also would like to see the future addressed at the guard positions, though considering Andy Reid’s demonstrated preference for linemen who can play more than one position, there’s no reason to limit picks to just guards. I’m hoping for at least two picks to add talent the current group of Eagle offensive linemen.
Defensive End: Big need
There are no question marks with Trent Cole. I’m satisfied with the combination of Darryl Tapp and Juqua Parker on the other side, as I think Tapp will improve the run-stopping ability of that side. But Parker is getting older, and Tapp could end up forever a role player like Victor Abiamiri appears destined for. Adding another Cole-like defensive end (long-term) could have monstrous consequences for opposing offensive lines and really free up a secondary whose numerous holes might not all be addressed by the time this team needs a superbowl-winning defense.
Defensive Tackle: Hardly a need
A lot of people compare the stats (particularly sacks) of current starters Mike Patterson and Broderick Bunkley to those of former starters like Corey Simon and Darwin Walker and they assume the current DT’s need an upgrade. That’s not fair. I highly recommend reading Tommy Lawlor’s article on the change of defensive scheme for them which contributes significantly to their lack of sack/QB hurry production. Also remember that for the last couple of seasons, the Eagles have used defensive ends in DT position on obvious passing downs, so the two of them can only get sacks after they’re sure the RB won’t get the ball. Combine that with my continued hope that Trevor Laws will make something of himself, and I wouldn’t waste a draft pick here.
Linebacker: Low need
While I definitely agree that the linebacker corps needs significant improvement over last season, I’m hesitant to hope for a draft pick considering the revolving door that brings and removes Philly’s starters here. Plus the combination of Stewart Bradley’s return and Ernie Sims’ Philadelphia debut could make a big difference in improving the corps’ strength. Using a draft pick to add a third long-term linebacker seems like a waste to me if, in a few years, the Eagles unload him when they change schemes (like with Gocong).
Secondary: Super-high need
Normally I would separate this into a cornerback section and a safety section, but since I believe the entire secondary needs a makeover, I felt this was appropriate. There is no current paper-obvious starter at free safety, Quintin Mikell at strong safety is getting older on a young team, Ellis Hobbs at cornerback has barely played as an Eagle thanks to injuries, and Asante Samuel, while hauling in lots of interceptions, shows a surprising inability to tackle for an NFL player and often gets beat deep without a skilled free safety backing him up. Every one of these positions needs a new long-term solution. It would not upset me if four out of the Eagles’ ten picks addressed this group even though I don’t expect it. Nonetheless, I would very much like to see at least two picks address this group, and perhaps we can get the other two in the next two years.
This is my thoughts, but we’ll just have to see how it pans out.
P.S. Love the Ernie Sims trade
By Chris Sherman
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