More on the 7th Rd’ers

Posted: April 28th, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 66 Comments »

Last night I didn’t write too much on the 7th round picks.  Let’s talk about them some more.

Joe Kruger is a draft pick that is all about potential. He isn’t a polished player at all. He came out of Utah a year early and did so after a solid, but un-spectacular year. You watch the game tape and see a talented young man, but one who flashes big time ability rather that consistently playing at that level.  Kruger did suffer an ankle injury that really limited him in the middle of the season.

He played DE and the Utes went back and forth between 3 and 4-man lines. Kruger can get out wide or play 5-tech. He is athletic enough to come off the edge and get by OTs. He is strong enough to engage blockers and jolt them backward. There were some plays when Kruger stood upright and rushed the QB, but I do not think he can play LB in the NFL.  He’s meant to be a DE.

Kruger is talented and hard-working. There is a play in the BYU game where he shoots the G/T gap and flushes the QB. Kruger then chases the QB from behind and sacks him. Kruger is athletic enough to shoot gaps and be a disruptive force, but he’s also big and strong enough to 2-gap and read plays. I think that versatility (and his size) is part of what made Chip Kelly so high on him.

There is a lot of work to be done. Watch the BYU game and you see Kruger able to overpower some blockers. Put on the Washington game and you see guys that are as big and strong as him and Kruger isn’t as much of a factor. He must learn to shed blocks better. His technique needs a lot of work. Utah played him at RDE and LDE. He used a RDE stance at both spots. That will be fixed.

The thing I like most is that Kruger is a big guy and seems to know that. Some big guys think they are Dwight Freeney, which drives me nuts. Kruger uses his size, strength, and power. He just needs coaching on how to do that better. And he’s young. Kruger hasn’t even turned 21. He’s still a kid. I think he’ll grow into his body and work hard in the weight room and look very different by 2015. I think you’ll see a change as early as next summer.

I do think Kruger can contribute as a rookie, but I would keep expectations low for him in 2013.   

* * *

Jordan Poyer is a CB I’ve been a fan of for a while, but especially since the Senior Bowl.

Here are some raw notes on him from one game I watched this year.  Poyer is everything I like in a CB. He will play the run and tackle. He is a playmaker (13 career INTs – 7 in 2012).  Poyer is smart. He shows good awareness and great instincts. He is a complete football player. He will play the slot or on either side. He is a gunner on the punt team. He can return punts. He isn’t the prima donna corner who wants to just do his thing. Poyer loves to play off and then jump routes, but he does it in the context of the defensive gameplan. He’s not Asante Jr. He seems to understand the importance of sticking with the assignment and picking and choosing carefully when to take chances.  Poyer anticipates routes/plays and that enables him to get a great jump. He is very quick, but isn’t special physically. He makes plays because he knows what is about to happen before it happens.

Here are some raw notes from one game I watched this year:

“Shifted from his receiver to being underneath on another and made leaping attempt at INT. Broke up the pass. Great awareness. Sometimes will press. Can jam receivers and stick all over them.  Played in the slot in certain matchups. Good feet. Blitzed off the edge and hit the QB. Almost got sack, FF, but was ruled an incomplete pass. Comes up quickly vs the run, even if he’s not the most physical guy.”

Here is a note from one day at the Senior Bowl:

“Jordan Poyer had a good day.  He loves to play off, but showed the ability to really jam.  He planted his hand in the chest of a receiver and really re-routed the guy.  Poyer has excellent ball skills.  I didn’t see any picks today, but he almost made one diving grab.”

Okay, so if he’s this great, why did he fall to the 7th round? Bad Combine. Poyer only ran 4.54. That’s borderline for a CB. Bill Polian said you had to be 4.55 or less to make it in the NFL, but his team ran the Tampa 2. The Eagles may play more man coverage. Does Poyer have the long speed to play in the NFL? We’ll find out.

* * *

David King is a tough player to figure out. I watched a few games and saw different things out of him. Put on the Kansas State game and you’ll see him at LDE. Since OU feared QB Colin Klein as a runner, King would engage the RT, stay back, and read the play. Once he was sure the play was going away, he would pursue from the backside. His priority was to make sure to be disciplined and not let Klein leak through in his area. Most of the game King did this from a 2-point stance. He showed good strength. He was able to move both the TE and RT back on multiple plays. He didn’t get much of a rush when KSU did throw passes.

Put on the bowl game vs Texas A&M and King is inside at DT. The Aggies have a mobile QB, but are very much a passing team. OU wanted King to push the pocket from the inside. He was also trying to bat down passes when Johnny Football would start to throw. King blocked one and it was by design. He missed on a couple of  others.

King has a cut body. He’s thick and muscular. He runs pretty well, but isn’t a speedster. He has good upper body strength. I didn’t see anything special in terms of quickness.  He is smart and disciplined.  The Eagles have him listed as a DT, which means he’ll likely be a 5-tech DE for us.

There is no denying his lack of production, but he was used in unconventional ways that didn’t let him rack up big numbers. I think the Eagles like his versatility and the fact that King is willing to do the dirty work. Some players want to attack and that’s it (cough*Jason Babin*cough). King will do what is needed to make the scheme work.

I have no idea what to make of King’s NFL potential. There is talent, but he’s hardly a compelling prospect. I’ll be interested to see how he does.

* * * * *

I’ll post notes on the UDFAs in the next day or two.  I’ll have up other columns as well. I don’t want to rush a bunch of material out there for the heck of it. I’m trying to do more research on some of these players that I don’t know enough about so that we can have a better idea of how they fit in and what the realistic future is for them.

* * * * *

Jimmy Bama thinks the Eagles focused on character and I totally agree (don’t tell him that).

_


66 Comments on “More on the 7th Rd’ers”

  1. 1 Adam Tiszóczki said at 6:20 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Great read, as always. It just poped up in my mind, but what does it tell us that Chip called Foles before the Barkley pick and not Vick? It can be seen two ways: Barkley threatens Foles’ job, and Vick is safe, OR that Foles is the front runner right know for the qb spot. I can’t recall any time, when a backup QB was called before a pick. I know that this position is wide open right know, but maybe there are favorites in Chip’s mind (like every one of us has). I really like the whole draft, we were able to find quality players with good upsides, but with relatively high floor (as much as we can know before anybody hits the field).

    The most talked about pick is Barkley. I was very suprised that we took him, but the more I thinking about it, the more I like it. This kid has great intangibles, can handle tough media, very self-driven football junky, wants to win, can learn to pick defenses apart mentally. The only question with him is arm strength as much as I see. Other than that (and the forced throws in 2012), he is pretty much a very high upside pick. Arm strength is the big question for me too (can’t wait for your 2011 write up about him), but if he is capeable of making every throw, than his other advanteges can make him a great QBm if he can’t, than he will be a game manager at maximum, which is rarely good enogh for a SB.

  2. 2 D-von said at 6:28 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    He did call Vick, but was not able to reach him. Chip was able to speak to Foles

  3. 3 ACViking said at 6:48 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    In a later interview yesterday regarding the draft picks and his open communication, Chip said — without specifically naming Barkley — that he called “Mike.” In fact, he said that twice.

    Also, according to CBSSports.com’s Jeff Reynolds, Chipper apparently called Vick about the Barkley pick — at least, in context, that’s how the following tid-bit reads:

    “About eight hours later, as the draft came to a close, first-year Eagles
    coach Chip Kelly said he still hadn’t received a call back or text
    message response from No. 1 quarterback Michael Vick.”

    Link here:
    http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/blog/rob-rang/22152002/nfl-draft-barkley-enters-wide-open-eagles-qb-competition

  4. 4 the guy said at 6:28 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Any idea what happened with Zac Dysert? After you got the first 2 right I kept an eye on him, and was kind of surprised he went so late.

  5. 5 ACViking said at 6:52 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Broncos – 7th Rd.

  6. 6 TommyLawlor said at 7:15 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Great question. I can only guess. One thing that bothered me about Zac was how bad Miami OH was during his time there. They only had 1 winning season in 4 years. Scoring offense never got above 90. It wasn’t like they lost a ton of 42-40 games. He had no supporting cast, but a really good QB should make more of a difference.

    And you never know if he had some medical issues or character issues or maybe just didn’t interview well.

  7. 7 Iskar36 said at 12:36 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    I had a similar question about Matt Scott. You seemed pretty high on him as well and he went undrafted in fact. Scott even started to get hyped part way through the process as a guy teams were noticing.

  8. 8 Brandon Gleklen said at 6:39 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Don’t know if you saw this, but these are supposedly Ifeanyi Momah’s numbers from his pro day: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lZRTqpFlMU

    Ht: 6′ 7″
    Wt: 242lbs
    Forty: 4.45
    Vert: 37.5
    Broad: 10′ 9″
    Shuttle: 4.08
    3 cone: 6.70

    If those are true, Momah has got to be among the top 5 biggest freak athletes in the entire NFL.

  9. 9 austinfan said at 7:20 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Derek Carrier, picked up the year before and stashed on the PS, is a similar freak. Played at Beloit College, Division III, so he needed a year on the PS to learn how to play real football. Wonder what he’ll weigh going into camp:

    6-3 238 [4.51 1.57 15 4.08 6.65 36 10’2]

    Both these guys may never pan out, but they’re certainly worth more of the coaches’ time than some marginally athletic UDFA who has little upside. If either of these guys can play in the NFL, they’ll present matchup nightmares.

  10. 10 deg0ey said at 8:10 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Combine that with the Shepard guy who looks like a solid pickup and we could be in for some interesting projects.

  11. 11 teltschikfakeout88 said at 7:58 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    This is why we did not take TE late in the draft.

  12. 12 D-von said at 1:44 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    This makes so much sense. I was racking my brain on how the eagles would be able fit so many offensive players on the roster. Make Momah a TE and cut Harbor. Thats fine with me.

  13. 13 Iskar36 said at 1:51 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    Emil Igwenagu could also be a player in the mix for the backup H-back role as well. Seems like he would fit Kelly’s offense a lot better than ARs, so I’ll be interested to see if they like him at all.

  14. 14 deg0ey said at 8:31 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    I tried timing along with that 40 and got a variety of numbers between 4.55 and 4.80, but I don’t particularly trust my reaction times. Anyone else want to give it a go? :p

    I struggle to believe that those numbers can be true, though. If nfldraftscout is to be believed (and maybe it’s not) those numbers would be better in every single category than Shady put up at his pro day (4.50 40, 29 vert, 8’11” broad, 4.18 shuttle, 6.82 3cone). And Momah is 9 inches taller and 38lbs heavier.

  15. 15 micksick said at 4:06 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    the eagles work him out on their own as well and they said he ran a 4.4

  16. 16 Anders said at 9:06 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    McCoy is not an athlete per say. McCoy got an ability that no combine test can measure to it full effect (3-cone and short shuttle does to some extend) and that is he cutting ability.

  17. 17 D-von said at 6:43 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    The selection of Lane Johnson effectively closes the 2011 draft, proabably the worst in the Reid era:
    Danny Watkins – Backup
    Jaiquawn Jarret – Cut/out of the league
    Curtis Marsh – Backup
    Casey Matthews – Backup/On roster bubble
    Alex Henery – Starter
    Dion Lewis – Traded
    Julian Vandervelde – Cut than reacquired after being cut by the bucs
    Jason Kelce – Starter
    Brian Rolle – Cut
    Greg Lloyd – Cut
    Stan Havili – Traded
    Outof 11 picks only 5 players remain (Watkins, Marsh, Matthews, Henery andKelce) with only Kelce and Henery having any impact. Watkins and
    Matthews are on their way out and Marsh is umproven and an enigma. This is why Reid was let go. Hopefully Roseman and Kelly will have drafts that make meaningful impacts on the team.

  18. 18 Anders said at 6:50 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Look around the NFL and see how little every team gets out of a draft. If you get 3 starters (Havili, Kelce and Henery) and a few backups out of a draft, you had a very very good draft. Yes Havili and Lewis are traded now, but thats not because they are bad players, just didnt fit with the new coach.
    Also the Lane Johnson pick has nothing to do with the 2011 draft consider we didnt draft a single tackle that year. Watkins was drafted to play guards and his play has nothing to do with Herremans, Dunlap and Bell all playing terrible at both tackle spots.

  19. 19 D-von said at 7:02 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Good Kickers can be found in the UDFA pool. Havili was not used that much even though he had the title “starter.” Drafting Johnson puts Watkins on notice. As a 1st round Guard he is now a backup behind Herremans and Mathis. Plus he will be 29 by mid season. Jarret was even more atrocious. Some had him as a 3rd-4th round prospect and for good reason.
    Of course Kelly saw how bad the Tackles were last year w/o Peters, but remember Watkins was benched too. We can assume that Herremans will be placed back into his original guard position. So what does that make Watkins?
    In the end only getting a starting Center and Kicker is not a “very very good draft.”

  20. 20 Anders said at 7:07 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    The only bad pick at the time was Jarrett and Watkins still has time to redeem him self (you cant really judge a draft before 3 years are gone).
    If you wants to point to why the team failed, go look at draft like 10, , 07, 06 etc, where we got good players but not impact players. Problem was the our first rounders for a long long timer never developed to more than just good starters.

  21. 21 D-von said at 7:11 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    It was a culmination, but 2011 was the crown jewel. I used 2011 as an example of Reid and Banners drafts together (I should have said example in the post). But by far 2011 was the worst. 2010 was bad but we got Graham, Allen, Harbor, Chaney and Coleman. 2009 gave us Maclin and McCoy. 2008 gave us Djax. What did 2011 give us? A kicker and a center.

  22. 22 Anders said at 9:12 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    yea 2011 was not alone. I agree there, the Eagles did get a few good players once in a while, but way to many misses. Once the talent from the Ray Rhodes(gotta give the man, he gave us Trotter, Dawkins and Tra Thomas) and early AR era was gone, the team fell apart

  23. 23 CTAZPA said at 9:26 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Interesting Back-and-Forth. I almost totally agree with D-von. Certainly that 2011 was a bad draft. When you see it pick for pick it is cringe-worthy. Like Anders, however, I’m not giving up on Danny Watkins. I like the “no honeymoon” story. I do think Howard Mudd wasn’t right for him. Maybe the Chip Kelly’s emphasis on run blocking will fit his skill set. No way should he have been picked in the first, but maybe he’ll still be a useful player.

  24. 24 K_Dilkington said at 11:25 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    I didn’t have a honeymoon and I never got the credit Watkins is getting!! What gives?

  25. 25 James Adair said at 5:20 PM on April 29th, 2013:

    Let me be the first to commend you!

  26. 26 CTAZPA said at 7:51 PM on April 29th, 2013:

    lol, Your first step, to publicize your lack of nuptial celebration, commenced with this comment.

    Next, a sad-sack/big-effort/for-the-public-good cause will start garnering immense cred.

  27. 27 Steven Dileo said at 8:10 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    3rd to 4th round picks are expected to be backups and 5th-7th round picks are expected to players on the bottom end of the 54 man roster.

    The Danny Watkins and Jaiquawn Jarrett picks were terrible and is exactly why teams should never draft solely for need.

    Those two picks were awful and the time it seemed awful as well. It’s not like the 2010 draft were the Eagles caught tough breaks the top two players didn’t produce because of injuries.

    That draft reminds me of the Cowboys draft this year. Both of them made their fans as wtf, and both fan bases are trying to rationalize these picks.

  28. 28 ACViking said at 7:02 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Re: A Steelers Draft

    During the draft, Anders and I exchange comments about a couple of Steelers’ picks: OLB Jones and RB Bell.

    The point we shared was the Steelers not only stick to their board, but they’ve historically drafted certain types of players for the 22 positions. Plus, they don’t go up-and-down the board all day to accumulate picks.

    Yesterday, the Eagles had that kind of draft. Yeah, they spent a 7th to move 3 spots in the 4th to get Barkley. But that’s not anything like trading out of Rd 1 — as Reid did in ’07 and ’08.

    All in all, I’d call the Steelers’ historical approach “conservative” in the true sense of the word: “disposed to preserve existing conditions” or “traditional in style or manner.”

    I liked what the Eagles did yesterday. Very Steelers-esque, which is a good thing I think.

    traditional in style or manner

  29. 29 D-von said at 7:13 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    I wouldn’t mind the Eagles moving up and down the draft, but if they do that they need to get good players. Too many times the Eagles would move up and completely miss the mark on a player; or move down and have a whole bunch players but not any good ones. I think the 2012 draft was a move in the right direction. They moved up 2 spots in the first and gave up very little. I just need them to get players that are good. If being conservative helps them accomplish that then they should do it

  30. 30 deg0ey said at 9:39 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Very interesting observation, but I wonder how much of it was by choice. Chip said in his press conference thing after choosing Ertz that the phone didn’t ring with a trade offer for either of the first two picks. Obviously that could’ve been a lie, but it’s not unreasonable to think that they might’ve moved down had a scenario been offered.

  31. 31 DanJ3645 said at 6:11 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    Ravens are also a great example of this style of drafting.

    This year they let choose Elam over Teo, and then picked up Brown, at the bottom of the 2nd, who was mocked to them in the first regularly.

  32. 32 dropscience said at 7:17 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    I *think* I’m the resident Sooner fan here, and just wanted to echo and expand upon Tommy’s take on David King.

    His Senior season the supposed plan was to use him in a variety of ways along the defensive front due to his aforementioned versatility. That plan got shot all to hell with the suspension of Stacy McGee and a mystery absence for Casey Walker along the defensive front. Because of this, he got moved inside for a lot more snaps than what I think was ideal, and I believe the move had a decided negative impact on the kind of stuff you’d see in a box score.

    The shift inside was made without so much as a peep of discontentment, which I think shows a high level of maturity. (Again, an AntiBabin, if you will.)

    Was a team captain, and won Oklahoma’s Don Key Award, given to a Senior who shows excellence in the classroom as well as on the field.

    No, I’m not his Mom or his agent.

  33. 33 D-von said at 8:06 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Thanks for info. Its nice to have info from people who follow a particular team. I always hate how the national media try to cover the Eagles and get stuff wrong. Thats why I like to hear from Tommy instead

  34. 34 dropscience said at 4:35 PM on April 29th, 2013:

    My pleasure. It’s a rarity that I can talk about the Sooners and Eagles at the same time. I got excited.

  35. 35 TommyLawlor said at 8:08 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Are you his agent’s mother?

    Good stuff. Always good to have fans who follow teams share info like this. It is darn near impossible to know the complete story of players unless you have followed them for a while.

  36. 36 dropscience said at 4:35 PM on April 29th, 2013:

    Shh!

  37. 37 ICDogg said at 7:44 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Poyer transitioned from FS to CB… maybe they plan to transition him back to safety.

  38. 38 deg0ey said at 8:13 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Wouldn’t surprise me at all. He’ll probably get a chance to play either position and see where he turns out best. If his speed is marginal for a CB, then maybe safety is a better place for him.

  39. 39 Steven Dileo said at 9:44 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    MACHO HARRIS

  40. 40 Steven Dileo said at 7:45 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    I don’t expect any of those guys to make the roster this year. Kruger looks like the kind of player that will develop on the practice squad for a few years and be solid rotational/ST player for 2 years before being cut and not being able to find a job.

    Jordan Poyer reminds me of Macho Harris.

  41. 41 TommyLawlor said at 8:15 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    I think Poyer is more instinctive than Harris and that gives him a better chance.

  42. 42 xeynon said at 11:42 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    Macho Harris was the first guy I thought of as well. The guy wasn’t a good player as a starter but contributed a bit as a backup. If Poyer can do that, that’s not terrible for a 7th round pick.

  43. 43 Steven Dileo said at 7:52 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    What the hell did Da’Rick Rogers do? A lot of players with drug and character problems get drafted every year. A 2nd-4th round pick might have been to high of an investment for him, but I was surprised to see that all 32 teams passed on him in the draft. It’s not like this kid was out of shape. He ran a 4.4 at the combine.

  44. 44 TommyLawlor said at 8:13 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Rumor has it that he showed up to the Combine drunk, high, and holding a bloody knife. And that he admitted he was a big fan of Ishtar.

  45. 45 deg0ey said at 8:18 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    I heard he left a horse’s head in Goodell’s bed, so Roger told teams that anyone that drafted him would be punished by large fines and a loss of next year’s first rounder.

  46. 46 TommyLawlor said at 8:48 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    I think AC Viking would highly approve of the reference.

  47. 47 D3FB said at 9:15 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    I didn’t know Vontaze Burfict had opened a combine prep school.

  48. 48 Alex Karklins said at 10:56 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Not only that, but he was drunk on 20 year old bottles of Miller Clear: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZgO16M2aYM

  49. 49 TommyLawlor said at 1:24 PM on April 29th, 2013:

    Wow…I never heard of that. I thought I knew of every cheap beer in the world. Kudos for the reference.

  50. 50 Alex Karklins said at 4:36 PM on April 29th, 2013:

    It was in a (thankfully) very limited test market in the early 90s. Back when clear beverages were all the rage (Crystal Pepsi, Zima, etc.)

  51. 51 NoDecaf said at 11:28 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    $%^&*! That God-cursed movie!!!

  52. 52 D-von said at 8:31 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Hey Tommy, after watching Dennis Kelly at RT this past season do you see him as starting caliber RT for the future

  53. 53 TommyLawlor said at 8:33 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    We need to see how he does in the Chip Kelly system. Clearly the Eagles going after Lane Johnson is a sign that they don’t think he was ready to be counted on this year.

  54. 54 deg0ey said at 8:40 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Presumably the best case scenario is that he develops into a competent starting RT and takes over for Lane when he moves across in the post-JP era.

  55. 55 D-von said at 1:37 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    ^ This is what I meant

  56. 56 bubqr said at 1:35 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    Or you could make the argument that he was simply BPA. Or that while they have faith in Kelly, they don’t have much in Peters coming back. Every one is pretty enthusiastic regarding his health and future performance, but for big guys like Jason Peters, I’d like to see it with my own eyes before declaring him a surefire starter this year.

  57. 57 Alex Karklins said at 10:31 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    A few thoughts on Michael Vick and the Matt Barkley pick:

    Back in March, the Eagles decided to keep Michael Vick under a
    restructured deal rather than releasing him. I thought this was a
    curious decision, mainly due to what Chip Kelly expects of his QBs. From
    his 2012 white paper “Efficient Use of Practice Time”:

    “Every sack is the quarterback’s fault. It is not a sack if the
    quarterback throws the ball away. Nobody ever lost a game on an
    incomplete pass. Throw the ball away, and give us another opportunity to
    make a first down.”… “The job of a quarterback is simple. He has to
    ‘let it happen, and not make it happen.’ We want to move forward. That
    is a concept you have to make your team understand. The cardinal sin at
    our place is the quarterback sack. We want the ball out of the
    quarterback’s hands in 1.5 seconds. That does not mean holding the ball
    until 2.5, waiting for someone to get open.”…” The fastest time run at
    the NFL Scouting Combine for a 10-yard dash is between 1.5 to 1.7
    seconds. That is without pads. My quarterback can get rid of the ball in
    that amount of time and complete a pass.” Oh yeah, and this: “One of
    the best qualities in a quarterback is durability.”

    None of these qualities apply to Vick. He is incapable of throwing
    the ball away and always seeks to extend the play. He will only release
    the ball when he sees the receiver is open, which causes him to hang on
    to the football longer than other starting NFL QBs. Many have
    argued that Vick’s mobility makes up for this, but Kelly himself has
    stated that while he prefers QBs who can run, it’s not a requirement.
    What he absolutely requires are the qualities listed above. Vick’s mobility
    is also in serious decline. Last season he was frequently tackled from
    behind by defensive linemen (and not just physical freaks like DeMarcus
    Ware or JPP). His durability has also been a huge issue in the last few
    seasons. Oh, and the turnovers . . . so many turnovers. Chip can’t like
    what he’s seen from Vick on the game film.

    So why sign him in March? I’m guessing it was an insurance policy
    more than anything else. If the Eagles came away from the draft without a
    QB they liked, they would at least have an NFL veteran to compete for
    the starting job. With the Barkley pick, I think Vick is now expendable,
    especially if Nick Foles, Matt Barkley, and Dennis Dixon prove that they can run Chip’s offense. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Vick on another team or on the street by the end of the Summer. All of the QBs on the roster are learning a new offense. Why would you keep the guy who’s over 30?
    they can run Chip’s offense. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Vick on
    another team or on the street by the end of the Summer.

  58. 58 xeynon said at 11:40 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    I agree. Kelly has insisted since day one that mobility is not a requirement for him but nobody has listened. The Barkley pick pretty much clarifies that he wasn’t just BSing. I think there’s a good chance Vick isn’t on the roster in September as well.

  59. 59 Steag209 said at 10:54 PM on April 28th, 2013:

    Are you and Jimmy doing a H2H show this week?

  60. 60 dislikedisqus said at 7:19 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    It’s rare for 7th rounders to make a 53 man roster. And even rarer for them to be impactful. The fact Eagles are rebuilding may increase their chances but i’d expect little in 14 from them.

  61. 61 D3FB said at 10:39 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    But Howie drafted them in the 7th. I would say that means they are on track for at least 20 starts each in the next 2 years…

  62. 62 OR said at 10:17 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    Writing this guy’s name is like dropping an F-Bomb in a library for some people, but with the guys that the Eagles went for in this draft and offseason, I was curious as to how that bad word, Tim Tebow, and former QB turned H-Back James Casey measured up.

    Here’s some of the stats and measurables from the combine for the two:

    Tim:
    http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/tim–tebow?id=497135
    James:
    http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/james-casey?id=71247

    I don’t know if Tim is dedicated to making the transition, but there has to be a team out there with a “creative mind” willing to take him on as an H-Back or tight end. For a long time, I thought New England would be the next place for him due to their recent emphasis on big pass catchers, but with the Eagles’ new direction towards bigger and stronger (and mostly “character”), it seems like Tim, over time, could become a perfect non-throwing weapon in this offense.

    The Eagles’ draft emphasized adding versatile guys with a specific frame and attitude who could add on more weight and ability. So long as it’s clear that the QB race isn’t open, it makes sense to add him. This isn’t bringing him in as a first rounder; this is bringing him in as a non-QB after he was cut by the god awful Jets (who actually had a better record than the Eagles last year).

    And as for the “circus” surrounding Tebow, this is Philly that we’re talking about. For the last few years the team has been QB’ed by a guy most prominently known for his role in a dogfighting ring, and their coach was a fat guy with kids in jail for drug related issues. This isn’t to kick either guy while they’re down, but I feel like if any place could handle the “circus,” it’s Philly (or New England).

  63. 63 xeynon said at 11:38 AM on April 29th, 2013:

    Meh. From what I’ve heard Tebow still views himself as a quarterback, and even if he doesn’t, the media would constantly be asking about whether the team intended to use him as one. I’m not sure he’d be an improvement over what we have, and even if he were I think it would be marginal enough that it wouldn’t be worth the distraction he would inevitably create.

  64. 64 RC5000 said at 12:51 PM on April 29th, 2013:

    He’s actually getting a little too old to convert and the benefit is minimal. Why spend time worrying about him learning routes and pass catching with all they have to worry about when he’s going to be 26 this year? It’s not like they are going to really have time to do it anyway.

  65. 65 RC5000 said at 12:32 PM on April 29th, 2013:

    Tebow is going to be 26 in August. Kelly has more than enough toys to play with and assimilate and we actually need to use Casey since he’s not getting any younger. We have Ertz. You want to spend time playing around with someone, I think you might do it with Lane Johnson (tackle eligible, 6th linemen/TE).
    Only real reason to get him is to be a 3rd QB who could come in and run the read option here and there but you have two pocket passers you need to develop.
    Just don’t think it’s the right time and I can’t see the benefit of converting Tebow at his age and in our situation with a new system.

  66. 66 Iskar36 said at 12:39 PM on April 29th, 2013:

    Chip Kelly in his post-draft PC seemed to almost admit that they would have taken Jordan if he was there, so I don’t know how much I believe this, but I found this quote from Peter King interesting:

    11. Riskiest picks of the top 100: Dion Jordan, Tyrann Mathieu. The
    Dolphins jumped ahead of Philadelphia and former Oregon coach Chip Kelly
    to snap pass rusher Dion Jordan; it cost Miami the 12th and 42nd picks
    overall, though I’m told the Eagles weren’t going to choose Jordan
    fourth overall.

    http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/-nfl-draft/news/20130429/nfl-draft-peter-king-monday-morning-quarterback/?sct=hp_t2_a4&eref=sihp

    PS: Does anyone know how to make text bold on here?