Afternoon Update
Posted: March 22nd, 2012 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 86 Comments »The comments section in the morning post is really bloated so I’m putting this up to help clear that situation. There are a couple of issues to touch on.
WR in the 1st Round. I will write up a post on this, but here’s a quick summary for now. We need to upgrade WR. DeSean is locked in for the next few years (at least). Mac is still signed and sure seems like the kind of guy the team wants to keep. The only long term position open is #3. For that role, you simply can’t invest a 1st round pick. I know we run a pass heavy offense, but the return isn’t worth the investment. Let’s make sure we learn something from Laurent Robinson, Victor Cruz, and company. You can find good WRs all over the place. We’ve got starters. Adding a #3 guy should come from outside the 1st round. I am open to spending a 2nd rounder there if the player has good RS skills since he’d be filling multiple roles.
DeMeco Ryans and the future. I made a joke earlier about DeMeco retiring after winning a couple of Super Bowls. This led to some confusion. Ryans is signed for several more years. He turns 28 in July. In theory, he should be good for 3 or 4 more years. In theory. Different players age at different rates. London Fletcher has some kind of Benjamin Button/Highlander thing going on. Ray Lewis is even freakier. Those guys are rarities. Ryans may start to decline after 2012 or 2013. I sure hope he doesn’t, but it is possible. No one sees Ryans as “just a 2-year player”. We all hope he’s here for a while. I do think you need to be realistic about how long he can play at a high level.
Casey, Chaney, and Rolle. This group needs a full post or article to clear up confusion. Let me throw out some quick thoughts. I am ambivalent about Casey Matthews. Won’t bother me a bit if the Eagles cut him tomorrow. Won’t infuriate me if the Eagles say they think he is still the MLB of the future. Casey showed more than some critics think last year. At the same time, he never showed anything close to what the team expected out of him. I’m really curious what his future holds.
Jamar Chaney has shown signs of serious NFL talent, but made way too many mistakes last year for me to project him as a starter this year. I can excuse some of the mistakes to coaching and new systems, but that had nothing to do with missed tackles. That was just sloppy football. I’m fine with Jamar as the #4 LB or as a guy challenging for a starting role.
Brian Rolle is a player I like. Please understand that there is a level of joking that goes on with what I write. I love him to death, but when we talk about honest evaluation…he’s nothing special. Brian had a solid rookie year. He showed me enough that I think he should be projected as the starter in 2012. That is written in pencil, not ink. If someone outplays Rolle, so be it. I jokingly refer to him as my son, but that’s just me having some fun. I’ll never overrate a player just because I like him personally. Rolle might be fun to watch, but I’d kick him to the curb in a second if Willie T. climbed out of a time machine at age 25 and asked for his job back.
Because we need an upgrade at SAM, I don’t think investing a high pick at WLB makes sense. Now, should we sign a FA to take over at SAM, then I’m fine with spending a draft pick on a good LB to challenge Rolle for his job.
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Note of interest…report just came over Twitter that Stephen Tulloch’s deal with the Lions was 5 years, $25M. Ouch, if true. Dude has begged for big money 2 years in a row and found no takers. Wonder what Curtis Lofton is thinking…
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Someone asked me to rank 4-3 MLBs to know where Ryans fits in. Good question. Let me work on that.
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We had some problems with comments over at ScoutsNotebook. The technical snafu has been fixed so be sure to get over there and rip Matt and Gimpy for all the crazy stuff they say, while saying nice stuff to me. I’m a delicate flower, after all.
Your point about Victor Cruz and co. is a good one. Most fans would agree that it’s almost always silly to draft a RB in the 1st round these days unless you have an absolute hole there. WR seems to be becoming the same way… you can find athletic, talented receivers all over the place. Once you find a special one, you keep him a la Cruz, DeSean, etc…
The evolution of the passing game in junior high, HS, and college has flooded the WR pool. There are players in the 6th and 7th round that I like a lot. You can find the right guys anywhere. You only take a guy early if he is special or you need a starter.
That’s something I didn’t think of. I haven’t been out of high school *that* long, but when I went to watch my little brother’s class play at my old school, they were throwing the ball all over the place. I remember nothing but the freaking Wing-T being run when I was going there.
LOL. That’s what we ran in HS too and that was my position: wingback. The only play I recalled us running was: off tackle.
are greg childs and chris owusu those wr’s that you are enamored with?
Owusu is an intriguing prospect, a great all-around polished product… the clear, glaring red flag is the injury concerns. Two serious concussions already in his college career. Its going to push him down a lot of draft boards, and take him entirely off of some other ones.
I still think the sudden emergence of so many apparently great WRs last year had to do with the shortened offseason and bad D. Victor Cruz is no Larry Fitzgerald.
This is a distinct possibility and is something we’ll all be tracking in 2012.
I’m hoping you’re right simply because I can’t stand Victor Cruz and his damn salsa dancing.
Maybe we’ll get lucky and he’ll pull his groin muscles doing a dance in the preseason.
so…since this is “iggle” blitz and i could care less about the who dat nation and tebow…i’ll be honest and say that i just skimmed through your article…
Now a couple questions about the draft and the eagles in general….
Do we move back in the 1st rd.?
Do we take/look at lb’ers like lavonte david/ tank carder at the olb positions (yes i know the hype train on luke
skywalkerand mychalgorbachevalso do we look at a TE early?…alot of mocks I have seen have us taking a wr early…but a TE seems more logical with Celek approaching his higher salary figures…I also have a feeling that clay will be utilized as the fb roster spot this year playing that h-back role…So could we possibly be looking at a colby fleener type player?
Glad you mentioned Carder. I’ve been enamored with him since the Rose Bowl two years ago. I think hes an ideal mid-round prospect to add, a guy who can come in and light a fire under Fokou/Matthews/Clayton/Jordan. Contribute on special teams, too. And down the road he could push for a starting role on the outside.
If Coby Fleener is on the board with one of our 2nd round picks, I’d be pretty upset if we passed on him. He’s clearly the best Tight End in the draft, and the NFL is skewing towards a dependency on Tight Ends, so it couldn’t hurt to add another dynamic TE.
Its all a part of the draft flexibility that has been afforded to us after trading for Capn Meco.
If you’re enamored with Carder, please go watch some video of Demario Davis (LB, Arkansas State). Here’s a ScoutsNB write-up:
http://scoutsnotebook.com/2012/02/03/under-the-radar-lb-demario-davis/
Davis played in the Senior Bowl, where the coaches played him at MLB, but he was an OLB for the Red Wolves. Davis had a good combine, and looks athletic enough to play all 4-3 LB positions. If Davis is on the board in the 3rd rd when the Eagles pick, he would be a good choice.
I do like Tank Carder. Natural LB. Probably 4th or 5th round player.
Lavonte David could be SAM target if they think he can handle blockers. Not so sure they’ll like him for that role.
TE? We don’t need one, but you never know who the coaches will like. I think Clay Harbor could take a big step forward this year.
You can’t say we should trade back until you see how things go on draft day.
It bothers me when Eagles fans talk about us targeting a TE this year… Why? Simple, because TE is going to be overvalued. We have 2 capable TEs and we don’t need a “stable” full of them as we found out last year Celek is capable of giving a “solid” performance even when he is injured, and great performance when he’s healthy.
This TE class doesn’t seem to measure up to the hype that will be generated from the performances of Gronk and Graham.
Fair points, but I guess I would argue that even if you have young talent in place for your starting WR, don’t you replace your #3 with the best guy you can get and find a way to use him especially if can fill a role (large red zone target) where you do not have a set in stone answer? I think it is a little disingenuous to say you can draft great wide receivers anywhere (are either of those guys even great?). If you have the luxury of time, sure, you can afford to take chances on guys, but let’s be honest. Outside of potentially CB, there is no position on this team that is so strong you would feel great about your chances at a superbowl if the starter went down? Don’t you have to get the BPA @ 15 if the value is good there regardless of position?
For the record, I am not saying we need WR @ 15. If Cox is there, I sprint up to the podium (and pull a hammy). I am just saying I don’t think our team is so loaded at any position you can afford to rule that position out.
The Eagles don’t have any great receivers. There is only one WR in this class that is close to great and that is Justin Blackmon. And he does have his share of doubters.
Taking a WR at 15 simply isn’t going to be a good use of resources. I’m all for upgrading our overall talent, but the player has to fit into our plans. The guy can be a backup for a year, but at some point he needs to be an impact player.
Meh… get me Plax and I’m content with our WR corps as is.
Meh… get me Plax and I’m content with our WR corps as is.
Tommy,
I haven’t heard any hype about Zach Brown since the combine, He was considered a sure fire 1st rounder if not top 20 pick. Now some draftniks have him going 2nd round. Has he had his pro day? Is there value in picking a freakish athlete like Brown at 15? I’ve read your take on his and inability to tackle, but could he play SAM or WIL? Does he have Ernie Sims like instincts?
I wouldn’t want him…bc he basically brings to the table what rolle brings…except for the fact that rolle is a better tackler.
I don’t think you can spend an early pick on Zach Brown. This might not be the NFL scout way of thinking, but I just don’t like guys who have tons of athleticism and talent, but don’t show up on game day. Brown has that reputation.
Zach had a solid Combine workout, but wasn’t spectacular, as many thought might be the case. His sloppy tackling and inconsistent play hurt his value. He could go in the late 1st, but also could be a 2nd.
Zach can play SAM or WLB in the Eagles system. The question is whether he can be physical enough and will work on his tackling. He does have better instincts than Ernie Sims (who doesn’t?).
Does Luke compare to Cushing? Could we use Luke next to DeMeco the same way Houston used Cushing next to DeMeco in 09?
Cushing was a natural OLB. He was more of a playmaker than Luke, who is a great tackler. They have similar sizes and Combine workouts. It’s possible that Luke could turn into a Cushing type of player, but there are no guarantees.
Interesting question.
DeMeco Ryans got his #59. It will be really weird seeing Rolle in a #52 jersey. Could take a couple of seasons for me to adjust to the change.
Ray Lewis is going to change his number, now. He doesn’t want the added pressure associated with sharing his number with Brian Rolle. 😉
Hilarious!
Tommy
I wanted to get your thoughts on a couple potential slot corners that also have dual value as returners. the more I watch Brandon Boykin the more I just love his game. Physical and not afraid to tackle with an energetic demeanor that rubs off on teammates. two other names that pop out to me are, Jeron Hosley of VT and Stephon Gilmore of S.Carolina. Do u think the could play in the slot for us or are they strictly boundary corners?
Love Boykin. Love Hosley. Both should be 2nd round guys. I hope the Eagles have them targeted.
Gilmore might go 1st Rd. Don’t like him as much for the slot.
Hosley! Hosley! Hosley!
I believe the ealges use their SAM inside the tackle. But i am unclear how resposible he would be for covering a TE downfield. Would Keenan Clayton be more suitable for SAM because of his coverage abilites? Can you tell us more about how the eagles used SAM at the start of the season vs the end? Did safeties cover TEs more at the end.
I have an idea of Curtis Marsh and DRC take the LCB and RCB while nnamdi asomugha covers the TE for some games during the nickel. Thoughts? Or did the eagles already do that except with asante?
I know i am crazy but would the eagles think of using a 4-4 defense during run downs once in a while to mix things up. All i know is they have man to man corners, Dline that has one focus of getting upfield, has somewhat of a question mark at SS. For that formation there wouldnt be use of a SS, just a FS. I just want to use any LB the eagles draft in more than the dime or nickel.
The 4-4 would be an interesting idea especially with Clayton out there as a “rover” type.
No team can run a true 4-4 in today’s game. Teams will walk a Safety up to get 8 men in the box, but the player must have at least acceptable coverage skills.
When we talk about coverages…we’re talking in generalities. It isn’t as if any one player always covers the TE. Castillo wanted a SAM who was athletic enough to cover RBs, TEs, and even WRs. He tried to use Chaney that way, but had to switch things up when Fokou/Jordan took over.
Against some teams with special TEs, we did have Nnamdi cover them. That will happen in 2012 at times as well. The coaches will mix things up to come up with the best matchups.
I thought having Nnamdi cover the TE’s was one of the things Castillo did that actually did work. Most of the other stuff failed miserably but that one seemed to work out.
for a redzone receiver how important is size vs physicality vs going up for ball? there are a lot of 6’3 WR for example juron criner, dale moss, greg childs, dwight jones, marcus rivers. Nelson Rosario is 6’5. Basically i guess i would be comparing the typical TE vs typical WR in the Redzone. Which one would be better?
Height is important, but physicality is too. Anquan Boldin isn’t super tall, but he is strong and tough. I hope we add a WR who is tough. Would be nice if he was tall as well.
WR talk…
T.Y. Hilton, Joe Adams…
Can these guys function in the slot? Or are they returner / DeSean back-up types?
i believe that joe adams is more of a DJax type but they both can definitley be teted for return specialist roles
Yeah… I’d like one of those two as a WR in case Jackson gets injured. Both have the capacity to stretch the D.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nTySXrWWT0
Hilton and Adams can both play the slot. Adams is tough for his size. Hilton is explosively fast, but is a finesse guy. Both are good RS’s. Adams is better. Hilton is real interesting as well, but does have some hamstring issues.
The little GM in me says this year we trade down, pick multiple players in the 2nd & 3rd and accumulate future draft picks…
There’s a pretty dirty Howie Roseman joke right here…
Ouch!
Re: pick #15
Personally cannot remove Blackmon/Floyd or Claiborne/Kirkpatrick from consideration just because we appear to be set at those positions for 2012. Not if you think any of them have Pro Bowl type potential.
With regard to WR:
(a). No guarantee that DeSean and Maclin can stay healthy
(b). No guarantee that DeSean is the player we want him to be after getting his money
(c). No guarantee that Maclin will be able to be re-signed.
(d). Both Justin and Michael represent more of a proto-typical ‘Z’, and immediately would become our #1 RZ threat.
With regard to CB:
(a). No guarantee DRC can be re-signed or franchised. Shady’s contract is coming up too.
(b). No guarantee Nnamdi is here in 2013. Very cutable after this year at 15 million.
(c). No guarantee Asante is here in 2012.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t intrigued by having a head-topper/more proto-typical ‘Z’, and we’ve disagreed in the past about the value of a blue chip WR, but the prospect of having Marsh and Lindley as possible starting CBs in 2013 scares the hell out of me.
I’m not removing any of those 4 guys from consideration at #15.
I see your argument here, but really it’s just Blackmon/Claiborne for me. If either fell to around 8 I’d consider pulling the trigger to go up and get them. I think you’d find a way to make Blackmon work (football-wise and salary cap-wise) and if you get Claiborne you talk seriously about moving Nnamdi to safety in a couple years.
Floyd and Kirkpatrick I don’t think I’d move for, and I’m not even sure I’d take them at 15 (rather trade down for value, more picks).
We have no shot at Claiborne. I don’t think we have a shot at Blackmon. Claiborne would be a no-brainer. Blackmon probably would.
Floyd I don’t feel nearly the same way about.
Kirkpatrick isn’t a RS. He’s not a natural slot. I wouldn’t invest 15 in him for us. We don’t need another “CB”. We need someone who can play the slot and/or has RS ability. If not, we’re right back to where we are this year with Asante. The money and age would be significantly different, but trying to get Kirkpatrick on the field would be tough.
If the Eagles think Kirkpatrick can play the slot, that changes things. I don’t see him in there.
Color me disappointed if we draft Floyd @ 15.
Color me disappointed if we draft Floyd @ 15.
william thomas — the last eagle to start at WILL two years in a row.
Question for my fellow online GM’s…
Would you move up for Tannehill?
If so, what number does he have to drop to for you to pull the trigger?’
Would you move up in front of Miami to take him?
I wouldn’t move up for him. With MIA, SEA, and CLE all ahead of us, I think there’s a possibility he’ll be too far ahead of #15 for us consider it.
Now, if he gets to 15, why the hell not?
Everything I have read about this guy is that he is worth a late 1st/early 2nd round pick, but will get picked up in the top 10 because teams are desperate. Can someone tell me why people would want the Eagles to look at him? I agree we need a quality backup that can project as a starter (more so than Kafka can at least), but it seems to me this isn’t the draft to look for that guy in.
Yeah, or at the very least we could use his “popularity” to our advantage and trade back. What if Cleveland decides they want him so bad they trade their other 1st round pick for him (plus other goodies of course). We stay in the 1st round and pick up a 2nd rounder. Not too shabby.
When you look at WR and say it makes no sense to draft a guy there, I think you’re over thinking things. The list of players the Eagles had in place who got injured, suddenly old or just lost their mojo is long and distinguished.
Just take the best player on the board for our systems. The only two spots I might not do that is safety because of all the young high picks there already and RB because we REALLY only use 1 (but if that one goes down like Duce Staley w/ his Lys Franc or Brian Westbrook with his knees…)
If you just take the best guy, worst case scenario is you have a great change for a couple years and trade bait later. They signed their guys and traded for DeMeco so they could draft BPA, now draft BPA.
I think the real debate, though, is over if the WR available at 15 really is BPA. I don’t want to put words in Tommy’s mouth (unless they taste like chocolate pudding or Megan Fox), but it doesn’t sound like he thinks Michael Floyd would the BPA.
Neither do I, not that it matters. LOL
If that’s the case, I could understand, but a lot of the discussion is about what doesn’t make sense with the players they have. My point is just that the players you have aren’t necessarily the players you will have for a menagerie of reasons, so that shouldn’t be what determines who you draft.
Yeah, I definitely agree with what you’re saying. Everything is very unpredictable. That’s what I like the most about the NFL. There really is a lot of meritocracy.
This draft is really strong in WR’s, LB’s, and DT’s. We could use one of each. I think Tommy’s point is that at 15, WR isn’t the most pressing need. It’s not as abstract as BFA, we’re talking about specific individuals: Michael Flyod or Kendall Wright vs. Lukie K. or Fletcher Cox.
I endorse this, Thorin. (and I know that means a lot, let’s be real here) … In all seriousness, if you don’t stick to your board and just draft whoever you value most, then you’ve wasted all the work you did to get your starters set before the draft.
I also think the eagles will make a few more bargain-bin moves before April 20-whatever, so I think it’s tough to project right now what they’ll do.
We’ve seen this play out plenty of times. We drafted Sheldon and Lito when Bobby and Troy were here. We drafted Kolb when Donovan clearly had a few years left. Other teams do it … Saints took Deuce McAllister when they had Ricky. If your team is already set or if the value is so good you can’t pass up, it almost always pays off later to have more talent/value on your team, and figure out what to do with it later.
Too much focus on the draft is about getting immediate production, but then a few years later we’re all complaining about how we didn’t get any long-term value out of it … Draft whatever you think will pay best over the long term.
Your logic is good, but flawed.
The great DB draft of 2002 was about getting young guys to be ready to replace old guys (Bobby, Troy). And only 1 pick was in the 1st. And that was a late 1st.
Kolb, McNabb. Same deal. And a 2nd Rd pick.
The Saints clearly didn’t believe in Ricky as a long term player (he used to be nuts, remember) so they took a guy who fell from the Top 10 to pick 25.
Taking a WR at pick 15 with 2 young players already there…this is significantly different. DJax is already extended. Mac seems sure to be extended. Do you spend pick 15 to upgrade Avant? No way.
Taking a DT is like the old thinking. We’ve got CJ/Patt in place. Add the DT now to be ready to take over since they are older players. This is what the Eagles used to do.
Tommy, do you have any interest in Yeremiah Bell? he’s a veteran safety that knows Todd Bowles and can actually tackle (unlike Jarrad Page).
Been meaning to write about him. Will mix that in on Friday’s post. Thanks for the reminder.
I’m curious about Tommy’s thoughts on this as well. Personally, he sounds like a good fit. A veteran who knows Bowles. He could be brought in as a backup, but if Allen and Coleman/Jarrett do not make the necessarily progress forward, Bell could step in and be a spot starter. Clearly he is a reliable tackler. My one question is, is he serviceable enough of a pass defender?
In regards to Rolle and Chaney, for the most part, I agree with your view about those two. I think they need to bring in someone at SAM who they project to be a starter, and let Chaney be the first LBer off the bench. I am not as high on Rolle as you are, but I wouldn’t be upset if he is the day 1 starter. I just would prefer they bring in someone to challenge him.
My question on Rolle and Chaney is, how similar do you think the Eagles view of Chaney/Rolle is to yours? It seems to me, Chaney is a guy the Eagles really like and would want to get him on the field. On the other hand, while I certainly don’t think they dislike Rolle, they may want to push Matthews to WIL.
Your thoughts on Manny Lawson?
Pass. He’s meant to play up on the line.
What is the preferred height for the wide-9 (or is it wide 9?) in terms of DE and DT? Do 6’3” (I so want to do a spinal tap joke here) and under work for DE? Is it bigger the better at DT? I heard Coples is too tall for the wide-9 DE. True?
Any chance you’ll have your draft player rankings available soon?
I am hopefully the Eagles will target Keenan Robinson as someone to draft and compete at SAM/WILL, What is your thoughts ?
I’m jumping on your Fletcher Cox bandwagon Tommy, he’s the only player other than Kuechly who’s tape has made me go :O
Really not falling in love with many players in this draft, I think in party because we essentially have no needs now. We can pick pretty much anyone and find a good argument for it.
same here. i’d like to get one of the two of them in the 1st. if they aren’t there….it depends on the BPA that is left. probably trade back to pick up more 2nd rounders.
@Tommy, will Bowles be the guy picking his slot CB? Or will that be Castillo/Reid/Howie’s call?
Interesting article:
Two NFL insiders, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the topic, said that Philadelphia Coach Andy Reid was ready to walk away from the Eagles if he didn’t get more personnel control, and now he has it. We’ve seen a flurry of decisive moves by the Eagles in recent weeks, including finally cutting a blockbuster deal with receiver DeSean Jackson; extending two good soldiers, defensive end Trent Cole and right tackle Todd Herremans, outbidding the Ravens to keep guard Evan Mathis; and trading for Pro Bowl linebacker DeMeco Ryans.
Something else about the Eagles: Reid wanted to jump in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, despite the signing of Michael Vick to a six-year, $100-million contract last season. Talks never got too serious, the insiders say, because Manning didn’t like the idea of playing against his brother Eli, quarterback of the New York Giants, at least twice a season.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/la-sp-farmer-peyton-saints-20120323,0,4913022.column
Seems to me that Reid’s threat to “vote with his feet” does NOT reflect particularly well on Reid’s own view of Howie Roseman’s moves the past two years.
The LATimes articles clearly infers that Reid, though possessed of final say in his contract, did not have final say in fact.
Howie . . . we hardly knew yee.
And if there were ever any doubt (assuming the truth of the report) . . . REID IS HERE FOR LIFE.
I’ve always felt as though Reid wasn’t a fan
Of Howies way of doing things. Last year didn’t seem like something Reid would do. I remember banner and howie gloating, but if I am
Right I don’t remember Reid doing the same. We have seen what big red is like when he is very excited, he didn’t seem like it when we were making all
Those moves last year.
I commented on this over at The 700 Level too… I think this story is overblown. First of all, Reid is the Executive VP Of Football Operations, which ranks higher than the GM. Essentially, he’s the GM’s boss. How could he possibly NOT have the most say on personnel moves?
The LOS ANGELES writer uses two “insiders” and the observation that the Eagles have signed a lot of their own players this week as evidence that Reid has more control. Didn’t we sign a bunch of people last year too? I don’t see the connection.
I’d believe this story a lot more if it were coming from a local writer, but I can’t help to think this whole nugget was based on some ambiguous comment made by a couple of “insiders.”
Hm, last year’s 8-8 record and Reid’s still-controversial appointment of Castillo to DC (a controversy that will only subside if the D plays at a consistently high level throughout the season) make for a hardly appropriate time to threaten to quit over anything. I don’t think the leverage is quite there.
If there is any truth to the Manning thing, I am a big fan of this. I know Tommy basically shot any Manning discussion down, but I thought it was a worthwhile move to at the very least discuss seriously. If the rumor is true, clearly AR thought the same thing. I’m not upset at all that we didn’t get him, because as Tommy had mentioned at the time, there are serious risks involved with Manning’s injury, not to mention the challenge with signing him to an appropriate contract and figuring out how to handle this with Vick. Still, I am a fan of AR at least looking into Manning seriously and being open minded to the possibility, regardless of if he brought him here.
Per Eagles, not true…
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/article-1/Eagles-Issue-Statement-On-Report/56cfa919-d53d-4959-9a8b-47568feb53a7
Hi Tommy, do you think Travis Benjamin from Miami could be a late round addition. He clocked in a good 40 time and had a good workout. Also has experience in the return game from his days in college. Could be a good slot guy. No injury history either. The only problem is his size…
what do you think ?
As a former Cane, I have watched nearly everyone of Benjamin’s games. He has all the talent in the world. His problem? Constancy. To say his production was highly erratic is an understatement. lol
However, he could just be a late bloomer ala Sam Shields (who was a WR then played CB at the end of his college career and flashed signs, yet was inconsistent too).
If Justin Blackmon was available at 10 and you could trade up for him would u do it?
is there any TE similar to a gronk or graham that we could target in the 2nd?
i would love to add another recieveing threat early. if we had manning/brady/rodgers i wouldnt worry about our recieveres but w vick i would like to see us add something
I would’ve never expected a WR in 2009 when we drafted Maclin. At the time we had Jackson and Kevin Curtis (2 years into a 6 year contract).
With the way Jackson’s contract is structured, and the uncertainty about him “rising” to it, it wouldn’t totally surprise me if the Eagles drafted a WR just to have options.
It’s unlikely, and I don’t think it’s a position they’d target, but if the right guy is there I think it’s an option.
1. Chaney’s rehabilitation may be 12-18 months (following neck fusion surgery in January 2012).
Don’t be surprised (remember Peyton Manning) if he lands on IR during the 2012 season.
2. Signing a free agent LB and/or a draftee LB to compete for SAM and WILL as you suggested
makes great sense.
3. Pick 15 in round 1 for the Eagles should be the best player available, unless the Eagles trade
up/down, in which case the player drafted still should be the best available.