Couple of Interesting Meetings
Posted: April 24th, 2014 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 153 Comments »We’ve been tracking the players the Eagles have shown interest in for the past couple of months. In the last couple of days, a couple of interesting names surfaced.
Per Aaron Wilson, the Eagles met with Safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
Alabama safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has met with the Atlanta Falcons and the Philadelphia Eagles.
He has also visited the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions and met with the Tennessee Titans.
The wording is key here. It doesn’t sound like there was a visit. They “met” with him. That could have been at the Combine, at his Pro Day or in a private workout. I would bet for sure the Eagles met with him in Indy. And we know Chip Kelly was at the Alabama Pro Day so they could have talked to him a couple of times.
Most people don’t think Clinton-Dix will make it to pick 22.
I’m sure the Eagles would have interest in Clinton-Dix. He is an outstanding cover Safety. He is very good in downfield coverage. He has good man-to-man cover skills. Clinton-Dix is a solid hitter and tackler. He is aggressive, but doesn’t have much pop. I think Clinton-Dix makes sense in the 20 to 30 range, but there is some speculation that he could go as high as the Top 10. I just don’t see him as being that good.
Less notable, but actually more interesting is news that LB Telvin Smith visited Philly. Credit Aaron Wilson again.
Florida State linebacker Telvin Smith visited the Denver Broncos this week and has also visited the Carolina Panthers and the Philadelphia Eagles, according to league sources.
Smith has worked out privately for the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers with the entire NFC South interested in the speedy all-around linebacker.
Smith is one of the fastest linebackers in the draft with a 4.52 time in the 40-yard dash with some projecting him as a strong safety candidate.
The 6-foot-3, 218-pounder is a projected second-round draft target.
Would Smith be an ILB or S for the Eagles? At the Senior Bowl, Smith was adamant that he was a LB and had no interest in moving to S. I thought this was dumb at the time, but the more I’ve watched him, the more I understand.
Smith doesn’t have typical LB size, but he excels as a run defender. He’s actually better between the tackles than out in space. He will use his hands to take on blockers. Smith plays bigger than he is and does a better job of shedding blocks than LBs that are bigger than him. He plays with a lot of emotion and is fun to watch.
Now for the downside…he reminds me a bit of Ernie Sims. Smith flies around the field and he will miss some tackles because he is out of control at times. There are some other plays when Smith will wrap up his target, but fail to get the guy cleanly to the ground. This doesn’t happen often, but does have to be noted.
I like Smith. He is an impressive player most of the time. He can read plays and flow to the ball under control. He is fearless. Smith would run through a brick wall if he thought that would help his team win. I love his burst. Smith can really accelerate.
Here he is in action.
I don’t think Smith is great in coverage. He might have a S/LB tweener body, but he has LB skills. In that sense, he might remind you of Thomas Davis, who has had a great career for the Panthers. Smith is taller, but not as thick as Davis.
My guess is that the Eagles would see Smith as an ILB. He does have long arms and big hands. He would add speed to the middle of the defense, which certainly needs it. And any person who watches Smith play will love the attitude he would bring to the defense.
As for value, the article refers to him as a 2nd round pick. No way I see that. I look at Smith as a 3rd round player. He could be a Nickel LB and STer or he could turn out to be a solid starter. I just think there are too many questions/concerns to take him in the 2nd round.
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I would love to get Ha-ha Clinton-Dix because of the versatility he brings. Making him our top draft pick would still leave us open to pursue the presidential-themed or the phallus-themed lineup. No one else in the draft brings that to the table.
Gotta be some UDFA named Weiner we can bring in…
Used to know someone with a ‘Winston”. More subtle, lol.
We used to have a Winston too, but his play was a little too flaccid.
And people can use their “Winston” on unwilling victims at Florida State and never face prosecution because of the corrupt police Tallahassee Police Department and lax oversight by the university.
He reminds me of Malcolm Jenkins
ZZZZZZZZZZZZ this is too long to wait for the draft, not for the fans, but for the teams and the players, enough already.
Don’t the Eagles already have a linebacker who flies around out of control sometimes?
Except this one is about 5 inches taller so he won’t get abused in pass coverage as often.
Thought they had a couple last season!
I can’t see us drafting a safety at 22 with other needs– pass rusher and now, a wide out because of DeSean.
Besides we drafted HaHa in 2011. People saw Danny Watkins play for 2 seasons and said haha-haha.
If they have him as BPA @ 22, I say go for it. Considering how poorly Kendricks covers tight ends, I wouldn’t mind seeing dime coverage next year with 4 linemen, a rookie ILB, and 6 DBs (including a 3rd) safety on the field. Dix would be cheap for several years, so you could easily afford him for 5 seasons while seeing how Wolff develops.
Your ILB really shouldn’t be the primary defender responsible for TEs….Kendricks will be a star this yeat
Why are saying Kendricks will be a star this year?
Based on him been very good down the stretch? How many ILBs have as many sacks, ints, FF and FR in 1 season?
That’s good reason enough for me.
we are not getting dix stop dreaming!
Not sure where I said I wanted Dix or that Dix was even part of this thread.
Lol…
You figure practically all our playmaking came from Boykin/Kendrick/Barwin with Meco/Cary/Cole in lessor capacity..
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Mykal was huge for us, and I kind of view last year as his rookie season. I don’t see the point of factoring in his rookie season as a 4-3 SAM on one of the most dysfunctional sinking ships i have ever seen…..don’t see how his rookie season helps us with these new coaches in a very new and different role. I’m expecting this year two continuity to be the launching point for a really nice career….Kid can play sideline to sideline as your tackle machine…Can blitz, Can drop into Zone, or man up with RBs out of the backfield….not sure what more we could want out of an ILB? Two inches taller?..
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Boreland is a short stumpy fellow, and dude might mess around and win rookie of the year Kiko style if he goes to the right situation…ILB is one of the easier positions to give away some height at…rather a shorter ILB than a shorter OLB…think his height is no issue covering backs…
Because he is ready to blow…you seen plenty of flashes of playmaking ability and those plays were he looks shot out of cannon…he finally gets continuity in our defense, he will get to think less and play faster more often and I expect him to really blow up this year…
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I’m more sold on his stardom than Cox or Curry, but I do think Cox has flashed brilliance and he probably should be coming out in this draft. Some technique and scheme continuity for him and his body being one year older should provide us with a beast
Kendricks worries me that he’s too short to properly cover the pass in the NFL. I’m still sick to my stomach from his horror show vs. Gates last year.
Kendrick only covered gates because Barwin is the only other player that had any chance of covering TEs….
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Soon, I’d bet we have Barwin, a guy like Marcus Smith, a KVN/Kiksey types, Malcolm Jenkins…who we can all stick on a TE before we use Kendricks. Kendricks can be your tackle machine, who matches up with the Sproles, and jaamal Charles types out of the backfield, and he should probably thrive in zone coverage…
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I believe we will build a defense where We have much better options to stick on TEs(with how important they are becoming) than using Mykal on TEs…..
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We love his blitz ability, yet we had to use him in coverage…we will be happy to have someone else like Kirksey to cover a TE so we can send Barwin and Kendrick after QBs….just go back and watch the last Dallas game..or the bears game, and see how he was playing in crunch time after 10 games adjusting to his very different new role….I firmly believe he will have a breakout year..I think he will blow up more than Boykin!Cox,Curry….he is the last player I have doubts about…but we will find out soon
That is fine if things shake out that way long term, but I’m not enamored with Kendricks in coverage.
ILB primary coverage responsibility is RBs coming out the backfield…not sure why you think Kendricks lacks the sideline to sideline speed to effectively cover RBs…don’t see who else we would want to stick on Forte coming out of the backfield…your OLBs and Safeties are the players that have to cover TEs..in some cases a CB like Talib will be asked to match up with a TE….you only saw Kendricks do it because he is special enough to ask that of him on occasion and we had no safeties to do it, so whenever Barwin rushed QBs, Kendricks stepped up and did what ILB aren’t even asked to do…you don’t penalize him because he isn’t elite against TE…even asking that of him is just a bonus
He gets side to side quickly, but the missed tackles and over-running of plays needs to improve.
The big question is how much of this draft speculation is smokescreen? or justified? The NFL has done a fine job of keeping it going.
Telvin Smith in the second round wouldn’t be a question if he would play safety.
*could
I can see him as a strong safety. He’s going to need a lot of seasoning in coverage though.
And you don’t spend a second round pick, especially in this draft on that kind of project.
Ehh true but I love his potential and he’s going to be very scheme specific. He’ll probably thrive behind a wide 9 like Detroit.
Speaking of potential, you think Roby’s stock will fall to day 2 after his DUI? He’s a project that I’m willing to spend a 3rd on.
I’ve never been a huge Roby fan. He’s behind Fuller, Gilbert, Dennard, Verret, and Gaines for me. The incident tonight was stupid, but it sounds like he probably won’t be charged and if he is it will be a slap on the wrist. He’s talented but far too inconsistent to take in the top 50, and I doubt he present BPA for us at 54.
I think Roby modeled himself after DRC this year when he figured out that he doesn’t need to try to make millions and will get by with just his speed. There’s that bonus for knowing how to tackle. I don’t think he gets past the Niners in the second. I would like to have him since he has that #1 CB potential but wouldn’t care if we passed on him.
edit: What’s your thoughts on Phillip Gaines? He rose up pretty high on some boards. I haven’t really watched any tape on him.
Long, athletic, solid instincts. Played press, jam, and zone. Decently physical against the run, needs to work a bit getting off blocks, but not nearly as much as Gilbert does. Could stand to gain another 10 lbs. Reminds me of Antonio Cromartie some, minus the 28 kids. Solid fundamentals but played at Rice and could use some tightening up of technique. Fringe top 50. Ceiling: Solid number one corner, respected but not feared around the league. Makes a couple of pro bowls, doesn’t get national attention he deserves (somewhere along the lines of the Steelers CBs). Has a nice 10 year career, with a boatload of deflections and 35 picks.
That’s superficially, mate. You didn’t mention if he will a a midlife crisis when he’s 48 and you didn’t thought it was necessary to tell us if he will be a nice grandpa or not.
I did forget that part: He will have a mistress at some point during his career, but will feel bad and call it off. He will inform his wife and they will go to counseling and be better for it. He will have two girls and a boy. The boy will become a successful professor of mechanical engineering and the two girls will star for the womens national soccer team. One of his grandchildren will suffer from some kind of health issue, prompting him to become an advocate for the issue.
You haven’t come around on Gilbert yet? I kid I kid.
I mean he’s up to my number two corner. I don’t love him, but in December I had him off my board due to lack of physicality.
i mocked gaines to us in the second round cuz a attaochu and smith from louisville will be GONE
You have Verrett on an eagles draft board?…..why?
He’s undersized, but the kid is very talented. If he falls I think he becomes valuable at some point. If the kid was two inches taller he’d be a top 10 pick. Having Verret allows you to possibly move Boykin outside, or you can move Verrett to a deep safety player in certain looks.
Louchez Pourifey avoided jail on drug charges by becoming a government informant….wonder what round a government informant falls to…lid rather be Roby than Pourifoy
Look for him to go to KC with Reid then…
Very correct. If you’re Seattle or Denver and you want to draft a developmental player because your roster is already stacked; go for it. We have too many roster holes to play games with position switch guys.
Anything connecting us to Jeff Janis?
Don’t see why we would draft Telvin….
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Struggle to see him fit in our base…..and for my money, I can get a kid who is better as a 3rd down cover backer in Kirksey, who is bigger and is easier to project as Meco’s eventual replacement……Christian Kirksey is a weapon in coverage…LB who can line up over slot WRs and TEs all day…
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I’m not down to draft players who don’t fit in our base defense in the top 3 rounds……Kirksey brings everything Telvin does on 3rd down and ST, while having a easier time growing in our base
Happy birthday GEAGLE
https://twitter.com/TonyPauline/status/459718533308760065
Yup yup yup…we will love him…doubt Chip can find a better player to do some of the things Dion can do as a LB in coverage…Kirksey will be a MAJOR subpackage match up weapon with his ability to cover slot WR and TEs…
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Basically I think Our wish list is:
1) KVN
2) Kirksey
3) C. Jones
4) Telvin
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And at ROLB it’s:
1) Barr
2) Marcus
3) Attaucho
Think CJ Mosley is ahead of KVN, but guys like Cossell say he is one of the 12 best players in this draft and won’t make it to 22
Wonder how our dinner with Barr went
and did it last for 9 hours?
Was there pudding?
Watching that video of Smith just re-enforced to me how much I like Christian Jones.
give me deone bucannon he is the best safety in this draft and in dennard isnt there in the first round then we should take him in the first because a smart team like the patriots or 49ers will grab him at the end of the first and get this future all pro
I see HaHa going in the top 20. I really don’t buy the hype that Pryor will go before 22 though. Eagles take Pryor, ODB, BCooks (I was persuaded yesterday btw), Dennard, or Kelvin Benjamin. Barr if he falls. Attaochu might be taken although that may be reaching.
Safety is the single worst position in the NFL today. There isn’t one quality safety in the entire NFC East. The routine manner in which these guys get toasted is laughable. It wouldn’t shock me to see both Dix and Pryor long gone before the Eagles pick and Jimmy Ward to go in the first round as well.
I agree with Tommy – the way Smith plays the pass makes him a 3rd rounder. He looks great against the run and decent in the blitz, but he just doesn’t (at least in this tape) show the coverage skills you’d need in a high draft pick. No way a 1st round pick IMHO. I’d happilly take him at 3rd or below – maybe toss the dice in the 2nd on him.
Think we will have guys like KVN,Kirksey,Jones on our list ahead of Telvin..
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“Maclin said he has not spoken to Jackson since the Eagles cut him and he signed with Washington.”
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10835837/jeremy-maclin-ready-step-philadelphia-eagles
We already pretty much knew that DeSean and Maclin didn’t particularly get along, but I think the fact that Maclin hasn’t spoken to him at all since the release despite spending the past 5 years in his same position group is pretty odd unless DeSean really did piss everyone off all the time.
Well we found out who the unnamed source was.
Agreed. And I was forced to humble about 10 other posters on 24-7 over making that claim a few days ago.
Maclin is a punk.
Seems like he’s still bitter that he was a #2 WR for years and couldn’t get the money that Djax gets. Maclin might not be vocal but his actions speak louder than his words.
Surely there is no love lost w/those two…when Maclin was drafted Jackson showed his disdain for the pick,as he expressed his belief that he was more than the Eagles needed. Add to that the $ difference of their initial contracts and it`s easy to see the rift start early.
Shame we have the less talented half of the rift.
Let`s wait till the next season`s over. Think you`ll be of a different opion.
I’d be shocked to see Maclin come anywhere close to Jackson’s level of production and ability to open up the field for other players. I see Maclin as the quintessential #2 type guy in the NFL.
Going to he hard to top Desean, if Ertz is as good as I’m expecting him to be. Sproles will take some balls away in a Welker role that wasn’t on the field with Desean last year…Desean was our primary WR last year…I don’t believe Maclin will be our number 1…I have a feeling that will be Ertz, with Maclin having to share balls with Sproles,Coop, a rookie and Benn if Hulls is a miracle worker 🙂
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It’s not a knock on Maclin! because I don’t think Desean would have as great as stats as he had last year! had he returned and Maclin left
I’ll knock Maclin every day and twice when he’s tackling himself on Sunday, but I agree the growth of Ertz and the addition of Sproles will be great to our team. I just hope they’re not constantly being wrapped up early by the extra safety that is no longer shadowing Jackson’s side of the field on every play.
Check out what Ertz did to Cardinals safeties..it will make you feel a lil better 🙂
Word. And Arizona can drop dead and Arians can especially die screaming of cancer due to their excessive crying about the refs after that game.
I REALLY REALLY want to beat them again this year…you KNOW they will want revenge…smack em around again!!!
Time will tell…For discussion`s sake: Jackson`s productivity was due to Coach Kelly`s game planning,
and now that the offense is growing further under his direction,there will be more targets to spread the passes around and not even Jackson himself would have such productive numbers(as evidensed the downturn of such numbers the second 1/2 of last season).There will be no replacement for Jackson, since none will be needed. Don`t know if a #1 receiver will be such a necessity.
You may be right, but it wasn’t that long ago that our “brain trust” tried to pass off “we don’t need a #1 receiver” as we were choking to Tampa and Carolina in back to back NFC title games.
MM:
We didn’t need LBs back then either.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha. True enough. Thanks again for the great tackling Barry Gardner.
That’s almost like hitting below the belt.
Ok…but that brain trust was led by Andy Reid/MM(let me fool you by doing what we`ve always`ve done…pas,pass and pass)
Chip Kelly is whole new ball game.
It wasn’t that long ago that Reid was in the mix of the best coaches in the league. I love what Kelly has done so far (except the Jackson move and screwing the fans by not giving interviews and ruining training camp), but lets not kick dirt on Reid’s grave.
No no no…am not kicking dirt on his grave,just stating the obvious…the last couple of seasons were too predictable
Reid was the right coach at the right time for the Eagles.Would have won that SB had it not been for convicted coach(got fined more $ than I`ll ever see),
and Kelly has shown to be exactly what this team needs now.
I don’t remember Jackson expressing the belief that he was more than the Eagles needed after the Eagles drafted Maclin … would love to check the source of that and see the actual question/answer. Any idea where I might be able to find that?
Can`t give the specifics since it was years ago, Just remember seeing an article quoting Jackson as saying he didn`t understand why the Eagles felt they needed another player similar (in his eyes) to himself.
Ideally:
22’trade down to 30. Extra late 3rd (say #92)
30 trade down to 39 extra 4th
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Draft at #39, #54, aqquire #77(for 2015 2nd rd pick), #86, #92, our 4th, 4th we got in the second trade….
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We can draft 7 players in first 4 rounds, only trading away next years rd2
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Hopefully we can trade back from one of our round two or 3 picks and pick up some 6th round picks…
3 members of the Eagles went to watch Cody Lattimore workout and the Eagles kept him an extra 20 minutes after the work out to make him run “our routes”…. is this real love…or is being so obvious, a smoke screen?
Latimer’s red-hot right now. Shooting up Mock draft boards.
But is he shooting up NFL teams’ draft boards?
The guy’s physicality as a receiver and his willingness to block jump off the screen.
And I’d wager he has a pretty good sized chip on his shoulder, coming from Indiana University.
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Last IU wide receiver taken in Rd 1? NYG Thomas Lewis in ’94.
Last Eagles’ 1st Rd pick from Indiana . . . OT Kevin Allen in ’85.
Wonder if the division two Chip on Jeff Janis shoulder will appeal to us? Can probably get him in the 5th…sure Cody is shooting up the NFL boards, probably not as high as the late round 1 chatter that we are hearing now..but I couldn’t say with any confidence that he is a lock to be on the board at 54…think 40-60 is appropriate for him…his emergence could push a raw talent like Moncreif to the 3rd
Sage assessment.
Every draft has a Latimer. And they never seem to reach the level projected by the NFL Literati.
I checked out your question earlier today regarding Janis.
He participated in the UMichigan Pro Day. Lots of scouts from every team.
He’s been linked to the G-men recently.
But the guy could be a steal anywhere after Rd 3.
Thoughts?
Serious speed/size combo Chip covets…225, 4.4 something..39inch vertical, physical blocker from Siganaw valley. I could only down load 5 of his games, and he was playing against D2, but he was just a beast…a faster Riley Cooper….recently I hear him talked about a 6th, but I’d bet someone takes him in 5th, possibly the 4th…..I don’t know his age, but IMO he is polished enough to take as a 23yr old, where as Kelvin Benjamin being 23 bothers me, because it think he should be further along in his development…
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He has the size/speed/athleticism of someone teams take a flier on in round 2 of a normal year…in this draft, I’d guess early round 5…certainly feel like he could interest Chip, again, I haven’t been able to see as much…Herremans came from that bumble bleep school Siganaw valley…what round did we pluck the TODDfather out of….the 4th?
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Giants pissed me off last year when they stole Cooper Taylor???Dexter McCoil signed as an Undrafted Free agent with the raiders! and I believe he stuck with them…..Jonathon Dowling is my late round safety this year…
Dowling reputed to be a guy with character concerns.
Have the Birds visited with him?
Not sure…western Kentucky has a few draft able prospects..I’d bet we sent someone….could be for the inside LB, tho he is short
I also think we could like Antone Exum late, jacking him back up to a shredded 220 to play safety…if he doesn’t regain his pre injury speed as a 213lb corner…we still have 3 years of film of him playing safety, so not some corner you have to guess with when moving to safety
I’m on the Exum train, too
He seems to be great value, given his apparent versatility.
Va Tech guys can be some solid players. Shame Macho Harris had his potential destroyed by McDermott’s horrible coaching.
Kevin Allen………….a pick only Jameis Winston, Big Ben, and Kobe could love.
I think it is the media catching up too the NFL’s thought on Latimer.
Latimer is 6’2 215 so he got good size, he runs a 4.40 and has a 39 inch vertical. He got good hands, solid route runner and a great blocker and ST guy. Basicly he is everything Kelly wants in a WR.
After having watched him, I wouldnt be shocked if he was our 1st round pick.
By the way . . .
Last receiver rafted by the Eagles from the University of Indiana (Lat’s place)?
HOFer Pete Pihos.
Jeff Janis is from Siganaw Valley..so is Toddfather
Re: Colt Lyerla – RB? Yes.
I didn’t know until today that Lyerla played some HB for Kelly at Oregon — in addition to H-Back and the conventional TE position.
CL took handoffs just like McCoy. And Lyerla runs hard, especially after catching the ball.
Watching his highlights, Lyerla’s downfield runs-after-catch conjure up memories of the great HOF TE Mike Ditka.
Lyerla punishes people. As did Ditka (go to the 45-second mark of his highlights).
I’d love to see this guy come to the Eagles — as long as his head’s on straight.
Lyerla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2WmPZZ3TWI
Ditka: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XoWRoq4iyAQ
Uhhhh yeah, well if he didn’t spiral out of control and actually played this year we would probably be talking about a 2nd round pick..hell yeah you take a shot on this kid late…ideally he goes Undrafted and you get him for nothing, but he is such a serious talent that I’m not sure youd want to take that gamble…someone with a strong Lockeroom like Seahawks will want to take a shot on him…crazy talent, to be had for a 6th round pick…remind me on the field, a lot like Hernandez….then again,Chip will really know if he is someone we can give a second chance to, or if he is someone to steer clear from…if Chip thinks he can be rehabilitated I absolutely think we will try to land him. I mean, the kid will blow away the talent you find in round 5 of a deep draft…kid is versatile, athletic, tough as hell… Shame jay Glazier was battling Pnuemonia..would have loved to have glazier take him under his wing and work him out mma style like he did with Long and Dion
GE:
But he did screw up. Big time.
So how ’bout the 5th Rd? Hard to believe he makes it to Rd 6 (assuming the Birds can get a pick).
I think he’s worth risking a 5th Rd pick on.
Oh he absolutely screwed up…
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Really think it’s simple with him:
If Chip thinks he is a good kid who can be rehabilitated like Kyle Long, than we absolutely try and secure him in the 5th…If Chip thinks he is just lost beyond redemption and doesn’t trust him, we won’t even spend a 7th on him…
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Basically I think we either overdraft him, or we don’t touch him at all…5th sounds like a spot you can secure him…assuming a strong locker room like the Seahawks doesn’t trade ahead of you in the 5th…I like that we didn’t bing him in for a visit…I feel like if we weren’t interested, Chip could have did him a solid,bringing him in to show teams Chip who knows him better than every coach would consider him…
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Either Chip just despises him and wants nothing to do with him….or I think we will view him as a chance to get a serious talent in round 5, and are purposely not showing any interest
Much hope it’s the latter.
Want to believe, at some point these past few months, that Kelly reached out — very quietly — for Lyerla just to check on the kid.
Wouldn’t surprise me…you literally haven’t heard Lyerla’s name anywhere since the combine…unless we told him to fly under the radar and we will take him, I feel like him and his agent would be trying to drum up some damn attention during this draft process…haven’t heard a peep about him..why? Bad agent?
He thinks Newtown was a false flag. That won’t play up in New England.
Why waste a pick on him, he is not getting drafted by anyone. loved what bucky brooks said (cant believe i have said that) that he has more red flags than nearly any player he has evaluated.
I wouldn’t take him as a UDFA. The risk/reward is just way out of whack with the kid. He’s physically gifted but never really produced at a high level with any consistency in college. We’re not talking about a 1500 yard 6’5 WR with a weed or drinking problem.
He already had a chance when Kelly was there — i think he missed workouts b/c he was in rehab, then he gets kicked off the team the following year and has more drug issues. Never gonna happen. I sort of think it’d be contrary to everything that Kelly preaches.
It’s to bad b/c of the talent / value combo, but i think we risk lockerrom culture for this guy.
Lyerla was a RB in high school where he had over 1500 rushing yards and 800 receiving yards one year
The second coming of Peyton Hillis?
Re: Lyerla’s Pro Day — lightly attended
Participated with a couple players from his hometown Portland State University
Here’s something from the the local CSN affiliate:
“PSU’s Pro Day — a chance for players who didn’t participate in the
Combine to impress NFL scouts — did not draw the usual crowd of the
league’s scouts. Representatives from Denver, San Francisco and Green
Bay where there, along with the Canadian Football League’s Edmonton
Eskimos and B.C. Lions. A late conflict with the USC Pro Day contributed
to that situation.”
http://www.csnnw.com/nfl/colt-lyerla-caught-and-jumped-was-all-wednesday-afternoon
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Kelly savant Mark Saltveit does NOT see Lyerla coming to the Birds:
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2014/2/21/5432406/2014-nfl-draft-colt-lyerla-oregon-eagles
I wouldnt put too much into that Saltveit article. He got trashed for it because he clearly do not like Lyerla and its not like Kelly didnt give his players a 2nd or a 3rd chance.
A —
Thanks. MS was sure pretty tough on CL in that piece.
I think he went way over the line.
I thought it was clear that he wrote that article as a Duck fan and not as an outsider
Why do you feel he went over the line? He laid out the facts, and demonstrated a highly disturbing trend of poor behavior and decision making, and stated his opinion that he doesn’t think Kelly touches him with a ten foot pole. The man has literally written the book on Kelly, I think he’s entitled to make some assertions based on his knowledge.
First he compared Lyerla to Incognito. For me there is a huge difference between been a huge jerk and having personal problems that leads to drug use.
He also compared him to Hernandez who is charged with murder. Lyerla is not the first high rated prospect to have drug problems (two HOF from hated division rivals are known for it).
When a guy like Lyerla has problems dating back to high school and before that and most drug abusers have a mental problem behind it, I find it going over the line comparing him to a potential murderer and just a flat out bad person.
He only pointed to Incognito to say that a single bad apple can spoil the lot. Hernandez has murdered people, but his whole persona coming out of Florida was very similar. That’s the point. Both were messed up in drugs and around people they shouldn’t have been. Both seemed to view themselves as omnipotent. It’s not to say Colt is going to kill people, but statistically speaking someone who is dealing with the stuff he is, is exponentially more likely to get involved in some really bad shady shit.
I find the “well he had a hard upbringing, so you can’t say anything” notion a bit ridiculous. Look at Josh Huff. Look at Shane Skov. The difference between the ones who make it and the ones who don’t is character.
Except the whole Incognito part was more than just one single bad apple, it was the whole basket.
Im not saying you cant speak bad about Lyerla, but there is a difference between trashing him and just saying you do not think the person would fit into the locker roomer culture.
I do NOT believe we will draft a guy like Brandin Cooks, when so many young prospects have the size/speed combo Chip deems elite…I think we will use this draft, to get bigger, longer, more athletic across the board…I do not believe we will want a small burner to replace Desean…however, I wonder if we will draft a big WR early, and in rounds 4-6 look for a fast burner like the saints got last year with that kid Stills….a late round deep threat specialist, while using Early picks for more well rounded big boy WRs and TEs..
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Btw, I think Ertz is a WR, so I wouldn’t be surprised if we added another TE
I also wouldn’t mind a team like the Browns with a new regime and a ton of picks and cap space, try to make a splash like the Vikings did last year and draft 3 times in round 1…. Owner seems to want to wipe away the banner stench badly. Landing a Sammy Watkins, Bridewater or Carr and a OL like Zack Martin, is certainly a splashy way to start the new regime..
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I really want to trade down to 30-32 and then trade down again to like #7 in round 2…It’s IMPERATIVE that we trade down to 30-32, because not only will a team that didn’t draft a QB in the top 5, looking to jump the Texans for a QB in round two, but if you are going to draft a QB early in round two, you are better off moving into round 1 to take that same QB so you can contractually control him for the 5th year, where as you only get him for 4 years in round two…so if we can trade down to 30, it should be easy to trade back again, draft a guy like Allen Robinson in the top 10 of round two and still come away with two extra pickes in the first 4 rounds….
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we NEED Gamble to get Baalke to chose us to be the team that reaps the reward of those glutton pigs having more picks than roster spots…they need a CB and WR, so trading to 22 is perfect for them
There is a growing school of thought by some commentators that there will be a premium to pay for the last few picks in the first round because of the 5 year deal structure and a very cheap cost to the teams. It 100% wouldn’t shock me to see a team with an eye on a QB to significantly overpay for those 30, 31, 32 type pics.
Especially if the Texans don’t draft a QB in round 1…everyone will assume they will take a QB at the top of round 2, and a team like Jaguars or Minnesota who goes with a pass rusher or LT in round one, will want to jump the texans for that QB..
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Basically, I think our keys to this draft are the texans and Browns not drafting QBs in the top 5….teams will all assume they will be drafting QBs at #24 and #33, and at 22, we would be there to reap the rewards of trading ahead of browns for a QB….and if not, hopefully the Niners want to trade up for WR or CB, we can get to 30, and have a trade back opportunity because of Texans threat to draft a QB at the beginning of round two, AND the extra contract year dynamic…
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Very very important that the Texans and Browns don’t draft a QB in the top 5..and we NEED the cardinals to not want to spend a first on a QB
PAGING T-LAW . . .
3 Eagles “staff members” attended a Cody Latimer workout, per a GMosher report.
http://www.csnphilly.com/football-philadelphia-eagles/reports-eagles-work-out-wr-cody-latimer
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T-Law:
Kelly and Bicknell were there, according to Gil Brandt.
Who’s the third?
Thoughts?
Dave Spadaro was seen leaving the workout wiping off the corners of his mouth.
Not sure what you’re saying. Can you spell it out.
Just ripping Spadaro in general for having his mouth on the piece of everything the team does, but passing himself off as a media member.
Ah . . .
Yes. Spadaro’s very frustrating at times.
Especially on draft day.
I’d rather have Mike Mayock lisp at me on a transcontinental flight for 8 hours than listen to Spadaro.
true
I look at Spads as the Eagles’ Chris Wheeler. Corporate shill. But when he starts talking someone up or down, I look for the signing/cut. Glad he’s been quiet about Mathis.
The 3 coaches was HC Chip Kelly, OC Pat Shurmur and WR coach Bob Bicknell
A —
Great. Thanks. (I can only give you 1 upvote)
Why Shurmur, you think?
And what does that reflect?
Has PS been at any others?
I think it is pretty normal for a OC to attend an offensive guys work out. Also I Kelly has been seen often with Davis and Shurmur at pro days
A —
Did not know that about the OC.
Hadn’t read that Shurmur was getting to the workouts. The articles have been so Kelly-centric.
(Missed a bunch in March because of work.)
Thanks. Makes great sense.
A —
At some point, isn’t reasonable to conclude that the Eagles are very seriously considering a WR at 22.
All these visits are not some elaborate misdirection.
They are 100% going after a bigger WR this draft. In theory if we pick Latimer our most like WRs would be:
Maclin 6’0 198 pounds
Cooper 6’3 222
Benn 6’1 215
Latimer 6’2 215
and I do think Cunningham gets last spot (Kelly really seems to prefer size at WR) and he is 6’2 211
Wouldn’t be surprised if we trade back, get an extra pick and draft two WRs…
Concur. Twice.
Hopefully Bicknell didn’t get resentful of his talent and pick a fight with him on the sideline.
I was told Bicknell ADORES Coop…So it’s not a stretch that he would like Cody…Janis I view as a D2 Cody clone…same beastly height weight combo..same 44 speed…same 39inch vertical….If Janis doesn’t go til 5 or 6, really hope he is an eagle…that’s just an amazing size/speed combo to get after round 3
Good one!
Even more interesting, we kept him an extra 20 minutes and made him run OUR routes…real love? Or bringing Lurie to see Geno smith smokescreen?
Y’know, I don’t think the trip to see Geno was a smokescreen. I think they truly wanted to see/evaluate him. And they decided he wasn’t “the man.” Sometimes people read too much into what they’re doing.
I agree. When I stop and think about it, Foles wasn’t coming off of a great season when they were checking out Smith. It was an open competition which could have easily included him. So yeah, I agree, I think that they just decided against him.
I’ve been saying this for awhile Latimer is almost what Chip wants in a WR. Granted he lacks RAC skills so he’s not perfect.
I just read on Eagles 24/7 that the Head Coach himself was there. Don’t know if true or not.
Kelly, Shurmur and Bicknell was there
coooks is so tough and good we need to get him no doubt.
he woudl make a huge difference for us
although i think latimer is sick too and woudl help us a lot.
Daughter @ IU says there were 23 teams watching at their (his) pro day.
Tommy,
What happens if Manziel or Bridgewater is sitting there at 22? Many people are saying that is a reall possibility for either one to slip to the bottom of the first round. Do the Eagles stick with the “best player available” motto or trade down?
Times yours….
Pray for them to fall to 22…everyone will assume Cleveland will take one at 24 and someone will want to jump them for a falling QB talent…Andy Reid also might want to start grooming Alex eventual replacement, so if you have to jump Cleveland, you might as well jump KC..and good OL Howie will be ready to charge a nice ransom for a team to steal a falling QB from the Browns..
I don’t think the Eagles will pick a safety in the first. I think they like Wolff and Jenkins and will draft a safety day two.
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