Monday Draft Talk
Posted: April 4th, 2011 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Tags: Cameron Heyward, Jimmy Smith, Taiwan Jones, Will Rackley | 13 Comments »My SB Nation Philly column covered local offensive prospects and whether the Eagles might like them. If you’ll look in the comments section, someone from the Rackley family got on me for criticizing Will Rackley’s play vs Drake. She says he had a bum ankle. Assuming that’s true, it helps him in my mind. I still don’t see him as a OT prospect, but it makes me more comfortable with him overall.
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I watched lots of tape this weekend. I’ll be doing a write-up on RB Taiwan Jones on ScoutsNotebook. Eagles have to be fascinated. Jones is a big play runner that might remind you of Jamaal Charles. He’s definitely faster than Shady when you watch them run in games.
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I watched more tape of Jimmy Smith. He played well against AJ Green in the UGA/Colorado game. Green lit up Jalil Brown (the other Senior CB), but Smith controlled him.
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I’m really curious what Jim Washburn thinks of DL Cameron Heyward from Ohio State. I watched the OSU/ILL game last night. Heyward wasn’t dominant, but was definitely a factor in bottling up Mikel Leshoure. Heyward has as much potential as any DL in the draft. He can take over games (just watch him in the Sugar Bowl vs Arkansas). He can play DT or DE. He’s big and athletic.
The down side is that he wasn’t more regularly dominant. Fair or not, comparisons to Vernon Gholston are going to happen. It is easy to think of Vern as a bust now, but he was an elite prospect coming out. Put on his final game tape vs Michigan and you see a dominant player.
Heyward would give Washburn an athletic inside player to help his scheme really max out. Cam is 6-4, 287. He’s quick off the ball and strong as well. He can go through blocks or around them. He’s not lazy at all, but you also can’t say he’s got a great motor. The question is whether Washburn sees a player with great potential that he’d love to coach or whether he sees a talented guy that lacks the competitive streak to ever be a great player. Washburn is an intense, fiery coach. He needs players he can get after and be tough on. I’d love to know if Heyward is a target or someone that Washburn isn’t interested in.
Tommy,
I think you mentioned before part of what you do is interpret what Spadaro is saying (read between the lines) to get a feel for what Andy and company are thinking. What do you make of Spad’s recent article where he gushes on having a big corner? That seems a bit unusual/specific versus his typical comments. Is this a red herring or is a bigger/physical CB (Jimmy Smith?) a bigger priority than last year for them?
Also, where do you think Taiwan Jones projects in the draft? Back end or is he a Rd 2-3 guy?
That would be another write up on Taiwan Jones. I wanted to search the WordPress (I think) element of ScoutsNotebook for your last entry about him, but it did not seem possible.
I still like Rackley, and if he came here he could be worked in at Guard and down the line be looked at, at the Tackle position too. No pressure except for you if you criticize him again in the future (incur the wrath of the Rackley’s at your peril). On that note, any opinion on the film “Anatomy of Love”? 😀
I like Heyward, in a trade down to acquire extra picks, I could forgive us passing on Watt and Wilkerson.
I saw that comment when I read the article and it totally made me not want Rackley. Stuff like that just really bugs me. It annoyed me when Donocan’s mom would put her 2 cents in. We pay to go to the games, buy jerseys , and order Sunday Ticket, so I believe as fans we have every right to criticize players without a rebuttle from their families. For a short time Mrs. Rackley (I am assuming it was his mother) and Mrs. Talib where about the same to me. I have since decided to not rate players based on their family members, but it totally gives me new appreciation for Reno Mahe and Todd Pinkston for keeping their moms out of all the bashing that the endured over the years.
Anyway…is Jones a guy that come in and be counted on as a rookie with his size and lower level of competition, or is he only a target if we have a legit #2 in place.
Also, do you think the Eagles would have any interest in Le’Ron McClain. It seems like he is looking for a place where he can get more carries and with Weaver we’ve proven to get the fullback more involved if they have the right sikill set.
Just posted my notes on Taiwan Jones.
http://www.scoutsnotebook.com/
RE: Spadaro / CB
Jimmy Smith is absolutely a primary target for the Eagles. We need a CB. Prince and Peterson are out of reach (minus a Kolb deal). Smith is next in line. I think going after a big, fast, physical cover corner makes a lot of sense. And trust me…Dave never heard of this guy until someone told Dave about him. Dave’s not a big draft guy. He knows the star players, but a CB from Colorado isn’t someone that Dave was likely to hear about casually.
RE: Will Rackley
I have no problem with taking him in the 3rd round, but I don’t know if he lasts that long. I don’t like him in the 2nd.
I’m not offended by his mom being a bit defensive. She wasn’t unreasonable. I would caution her and all draft prospects/parents that a big part of the process is being critical of what we see.
Everything has to be kept in context. I watch 3 or 4 Senior OL a day that I don’t even bother to comment on. The fact that I took the time to write at length about Will is a compliment to him and his NFL potential. He has a real good chance to make it. At the same time, he’s not perfect and when scouting him you have to write out the negatives. That’s just being fair. That’s good scouting. Everyone has something they can improve on, from Tom Brady to Darrelle Revis. Even Winston Justice.
Hi Tommy
Do you think that the Eagles try to make teams trade up for Dalton or kapernick by showing interest in them? Or is the interest for real?
And if they do, is it because the Eagles think they can get 1st round talent in the early second?
RE: Jones in 2011
Real good question. I can’t answer it without knowing more about him as a person. Some guys have the brains and maturity to play right away. Others need time to adjust.
I wouldn’t count on him, but I also would make an effort to get him touches because of his big play ability. He is a home run hitter.
RE: Working out QBs
I fully understand Andy working out Kaepernick. He is a talented, but unusual prospect. Do your homework and be thorough with him. Make sure you aren’t passing up on a special player.
Dalton is a standard QB. Checking him out does make me think that Andy is playing pre-draft games. Maybe some team in the early part of Round 2 would be desperate and deal up for him. Kaepernick could fall under the same heading, but I do think Andy has legit interest in him. There is nothing special about Dalton. Good college QB with great intangibles. We see guys like that every year. Maybe Andy does love Dalton and has interest in him. I don’t think that is the case and I would be disappointed if it were true.
“I have no problem with taking him in the 3rd round, but I don’t know if he lasts that long. I don’t like him in the 2nd.”
If he is the best OL on our board at that point, we could trade down to acquire extra picks.
I dont know much about how teams put together their draftboard, but is it possible that we have several players with 1st round grades that we could expect drop into the 2nd round?
And if so, who would you guess it would be?
Very possible, Jeppe. See here for last year’s Dallas Cowboys’ draft board. http://sturminator.blogspot.com/2010/04/cowboys-final-draft-board.html
They had a 2nd round grade on Brandon Graham. 3rd round grade on Anthony Davis. Both 1st rounders.
If there are players that drop to the Eagles in the second round with 1st round grades to them, they’ll draft them regardless of position, for the most part.
Tommy,
Along the Vernon Gholston/Cameron Heyward lines, do you think Gholston could be a player that Jim Washburn could resurrect? He seems to have all of the athletic measurables to be an impact player? What is his deal and do you think we try to bring him as a low risk/high reward type player?