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Philadelphia Eagles 2010 Draft Guide for Dummies

B-Dub Written by B-Dub, Wednesday April 21 2010
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I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on the NFL draft.  I know the NFL, but I don't follow college football closely enough to have seen the majority of the guys who will be drafted.  What I have done is read a ton of information from a variety of sources.  I will now condense all that information for you, so that you can get all your Eagles draft information in one place.  Yes, I'm a giver.
 
There seems to be universal agreement on what the Eagles need.  In no particular order, they need a safety, a cornerback a linebacker, a defensive end and a few offensive linemen, specifically a center.  They may even draft a quarterback to groom for the future.  And I wouldn't even be surprised if they took a defensive tackle who could actually rush the passer.  It's not like any of the previous first or second round draft picks by Andy Reid at that position ever sniff the QB or anything.
 
The Eagles have 10 draft picks, including five in the first 87 picks.  That's a good thing considering that they only have 58 players on the roster right now.  That's a low number.  Even general manager Howie Roseman agrees.  "We have 57 players on our roster right now and we've got to get to 80 by the time we have our first minicamp," he said. 
 
But they're not rebuilding.  Oh no.  It's just a coincidence that there isn't a single player on the roster who was drafted by the team before 2005.  Got it.  This is a young team and it is going to get even younger through this draft and by adding undrafted free agents to fill out the remaining 22 spots before minicamp. 
 
I can't tell you who the Eagles will take with each of their picks because I think they will make multiple trades during this draft.  I expect them to either move up or down in the first round.  History has shown that Reid likes to move around in the draft.  His waistline shows us that this might be the only time he likes to move around, but that's a different story.  If the Eagles trade down for more picks, or God forbid trade picks this year for future draft picks, I'm not sure how they will spin the notion that they are not rebuilding.  They'll certainly try though.
 
So I think the easiest way to do this is to look at each position and assess the team's needs and what they might find in the draft.  Let's just assume that only an idiot like Al Davis drafts kickers and punters and be done with that.  Also, I think Tight End is fine with Brent Celek backed up by Cornelius Ingram (if he can ever stop blowing out his ACL).  They may bring in a blocker for training camp.  And Fullback is set with Leonard Weaver.  "You can't stop the WEAVE!"  With that in mind, let's look at the rest of the positions.
 
Quarterback
 
With Kevin Kolb as the starter, the only pick they would make here is a late round flier on a developmental guy.  Personally I think Vick gets traded during the draft along with another draft pick to move up in a round so the Eagles can save face and get rid of his useless ass.  They then sign Jeff Garcia and draft the aforementioned "Flier".  Possibly BYU QB Max Hall, since Reid loves his fellow Mormons.
 
Running Back
 
I can't see the team spending anything but a late round pick on a RB.  LeSean McCoy will get the majority of the carries, with Mike Bell and Weaver ("You can't stop the WEAVE!") shipping in and getting the short-yardage carries.  They also have Eldra Buckly, Martell Mallett and Chad Hall on the roster.  I could see the Eagles taking Michigan's Brandon Minor because he just had rotator cuff surgery last week and we all know how the Eagles love to get injured players so they can sign them cheap.
 
Wide Receiver
 
Reid drafted DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin the last two years, so I can see them spending anything but a late-round pick here as a possible special teams guy.  Jason Avant is a good 3rd down WR and they brought back Mr. Kendra Wilkinson (Hank Baskett).  What more could you want? 
 
Offensive Line
 
Reid always drafts O-linemen and he will again this year.  The thing is, the only spot where they really need immediate help is at Center.  Jamal Jackson is coming off a December ACL injury and we all saw how great Stacy Andrews played last season coming back from that injury.  The thing is, Andy Reid has never drafted a Center.  Jackson and Hank Fraley were both undrafted free agent signings.  Nick Cole is the starter and after watching him get his ass kicked twice in a row against the Cowboys, I have seen enough.  They have Mike McGlynn, a 4th round pick two years ago who's never played and A.Q. Shipley who they signed off the Steelers practice squad.
 
I wouldn't be unhappy if the Eagles took Florida Center Maurkice Pouncey in the first round, who could step in and start from day 1.  That would send most Eagles fans into a rage, but you have to give Kolb some time in the pocket and he won't have it without a decent Center.  They could also wait until the middle rounds and get BC's Matt Tennant or NC State's Ted Larson.  They need to take a Center in this draft.
 
Defensive Line
 
Anybody want another DT with the team's first pick?  Didn't think so.  Broderick Bunkley and Mike Patterson are good DTs, but neither one gets enough pressure on the QB.  Trevor Laws is a complete bust.  They can't trade up to get Ndamukong Suh or Gerald McCoy, so DT is out until later in this draft or maybe not at all.  There are bigger needs elsewhere. 
 
The Eagles need a DE opposite Trent Cole and I read that Peter King thinks they will trade up and draft Georgia Tech DE Derrick Morgan.  This does make sense in that the Eagles place a high value on pass rushers.  Tennessee's Jason Pierre-Paul has been compared to Jevon Kearse, but Eagles fans didn't like the version of "The Freak" that they got, so maybe this wouldn't be the right spot for him.
 
Linebacker
 
The Eagles just traded a 5th round pick for Ernie Sims to be the starting weak-side LB.  That still leaves a gaping hole at the strong-side LB spot if you believe that Stewart Bradley will be fully recovered from knee surgery to man the MLB spot.  Reid is awful at picking LBs.  If you don't believe me then I have just two words for you: Quinton Caver.  I just got a chill.  The Eagles will not draft a LB early, but they will get one.  My dark-horse pick is Sean Lee in the 2nd round.  The ex-Penn State star can play any LB position and simply makes plays.  Plus, the last time Reid picked a player from a local college it turned out pretty good.  Some RB from Villanova, I think.
 
Cornerback
 
With the trade of Sheldon Brown, the Eagles don't have a single CB on the roster capable of making a decent tackle.  Asante Samuel will gamble his way to around 7 INTs, but he'll also give up that many easy TDs.  Ellis Hobbs will most likely be the other starter, but they need some depth besides Joselio Hansen.  The Eagles should be able to get either Boise State's Kyle Wilson or Alabama's Kareem Jackson at 24.  Both are physical CBs who would make a nice compliment to Samuel.  Joe Haden is the best CB in the draft, but they would have to trade up to get him.  He might even be worth it.  Or they could wait until the second round and still get Rutgers' Devin McCourty, who isn't as good as the other three, but would still be a great pick for the Eagles.
 
Safety
 
Before last season the Eagles let Brian Dawkins go over money and tried to replace him with a bunch of crap.  Quintin Demps is an idiot and Sean Jones couldn't quite get it done, so they settled on a rookie who was originally drafted as a CB in Macho Harris.  Brilliant!  They signed another CB in Marlin Jackson and plan to play him at safety.  Did I mention he's yet another player the Eagles have coming off an ACL injury?  Do they get a bulk rate discount on their Healthcare coverage if all the players have the same injury or something? 
 
The Eagles need to draft an impact safety and, if necessary, move Jackson back to CB.  They aren't getting Tennessee's Eric Berry, who is the top safety in the draft.  For all of you people who are buying into the Taylor Mays hype, I will tell you that he doesn't fit into the Eagles style of defense.  He is a hitter, who is suspect in coverage.  The Eagles blitz a ton and ask their safeties to cover WRs regularly.  He's the next Roy Williams of the Cowboys and that is not a good thing.  I want them to draft Texas' Earl Thomas.  They probably will need to trade up into the late teens to get him, but maybe the 24th and 55th pick get them there.  At the very least they need to take South Florida's Nate Allen in the 2nd round. 
 
Well there you have it.  Lots of conjecture and useless information that won't mean anything once the draft starts and the Eagles start screwing up as usual.  If you doubt me then please explain why from 2003 to 2008, the only players drafted by the Eagles to make the Pro Bowl are Trent Cole and the recently released Shawn Andrews.  Damn, now I'm depressed.

 


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2 comments


0 up down 0
Stevey177Stevey177, over 2 years ago said:

I like the Brandon Graham pick...though I can understand your skepticism. We haven't really done too well in drafting d-lineman early. Come to think of it, only Corey Simon seems to warrant a first round pick in retrospect. Graham does look pretty good from the highlights I've seen, and he seems like a high energy player. It's a shame management didn't try and get a decent corner. With the amount of blitzing we do, I don't think anyone can be too comfortable with having Samuel and Hobbs in one-on-one coverages.

0 up down 0
B-DubB-Dub, over 2 years ago said:

Andy Reid and the rest of the Eagles brass should have read my article. I have a very bad feeling about Brandon Graham. Why do I think he's only going to be a situational pass-rusher? They should have drafted Earl Thomas like I said dammit.