Day 2 Preview
Posted: May 9th, 2014 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 171 Comments »Tonight the Eagles will go through the 2nd and 3rd rounds of the NFL Draft, assuming the Commissioner hasn’t already changed the format and drawn this thing out til July.
Last night the Eagles selected OLB Marcus Smith from Louisville. They also acquired a 3rd round pick in a trade-down. The Eagles head into tonight with 3 picks.
2nd Round – pick 54
3rd Round – pick 83
3rd Round – pick 86
The primary goal for me is to come away with a WR from one of these picks. There are still some excellent choices on the board.
WR Marqise Lee
WR Cody Latimer
WR Allen Robinson
WR Jordan Matthews
WR Davante Adams
WR Martavis Bryant
It doesn’t seem likely that all 6 of those players will be gone in the first 21 picks. I don’t know for a fact that the Eagles like all 6 of them, but those are all talented players who fit the Eagles in some way. Lee is the smallest and he’s 6-0, 192. Not only are they big, but all of them run well.
I put the WRs in the order that I like them, but 32 teams will have them rated a whole bunch of other ways. Some would argue that Donte Moncrief should be in that list.
As much as I’d love Lee to fall, that’s not very likely. Beyond that, I’d love to see Latimer or Matthews fall to pick 54. Both guys would be good fits for what the Eagles are looking for (size + speed + skill + physicality).
It is possible the Eagles are looking into trade-up scenarios if they covet one of these WRs. If the Eagles used pick 83 as trade material, they could get up around pick 36. If they could do that and come away with Marqise Lee, that would be pretty darn tempting. The guy fell further than expected, but that doesn’t change the way I feel about him. Terrific NFL prospect.
If I had to map out an ideal scenario, it would be this:
54 – WR Cody Latimer – Indiana
83 – ILB Christian Jones – Florida State
86 – DE Brent Urban – Virginia
Latimer is a player the Eagles have shown a lot of interest in. I’ve already written a lot about him.
Beyond adding an OLB, I thought the Eagles biggest need on defense was adding more speed to the middle of the field. Signing Malcolm Jenkins certainly helped. Next up would be getting a young, athletic ILB. Jones could be an excellent target. This is a guy that could really interest the Eagles because of his versatility. Jones played WLB in 2012. They moved him to MLB early in 2013, but he then spent most of 2013 playing DE. He is 6-3, 240. He runs in the 4.7 range, which is fine for a 240-pound ILB. 3-year starter for the Noles. Led them in tackles in 2012. Didn’t have many sacks to show for 2013, but he was a disruptive pass rusher. Jones isn’t great in any one area, but he has experience doing anything a LB can do. He has played on the edge and on the inside. He could play OLB in the 3-4 as well as ILB. That makes him good depth, but also means you can be creative on gameday with who you rush and how you use your players.
Here is a highlight video from 2012, when he played like a true LB and not an edge rusher.
The final pick would be Urban, a 6-7, 295 DE. Right now the Eagles are thin at DE. They love the starters, Thornton and Cox. Behind them you have the undersized Vinny Curry and the unproven Joe Kruger. The Eagles want to add depth. Urban has the ideal 3-4 DE frame with his length and bulk. He’s cut at 295. He could stay trim and athletic or bulk up if that’s what they preferred. Right now Urban is mostly a run defender, but he is athletic enough to rush the passer.
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Here is the complete Draft Preview from yesterday. I’ll re-set that prior to Saturday. Only 32 players are gone now.
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The drafting of Smith instantly makes Brandon Graham expendable. I hope the Eagles shop him and try to get a pick. Graham won’t have much value because he’s a backup player in the final year of his deal, but the counter to that is that there aren’t many good pass rushers in this class. A 4-3 team could study Graham’s 2012 tape and be impressed enough to spend a pick on him.
Remember the logic Chip Kelly used in the Darren Sproles deal. Should we use a 5th on him? Are we likely to find someone of Sproles ability in the 5th? No.
Are you likely to find a pass rusher as talented as Graham in the 5th round? No. The team getting him could sign him to an extension during the season so it isn’t as if he’s purely a rental. The team would have the ability to see him play and decide if he’s worth keeping. The Eagles could also deal him for a conditional pick in 2015. That might offer greater value, but you’d have to wait for it.
Graham is a talented player, but he’s not meant for Chip Kelly’s version of the 3-4. It’s time to move on.
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That sounds like some good pick ups to me. Some may not be super happy about Smith (I am) but you all have to be super excited for this extra third!!! I would also maybe like Will Clarke in the third or fourth.
26 for Marcus Smith, meh, I’m skeptical, wasn’t liking the pass-rush market there. 22 for Smith and a 3rd round pick? Hell yes. totally psyched about that.
Well then you better strap in cause tonight is going to be AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
In an ideal world, we ship Graham for a 5th or 6th rounder, pick Hart with that pick, don’t have to pick Urban for D-Line depth and add a weapon on offense instead (maybe another WR if he falls, maybe a TE, maybe Mason).
i would be super psyched with this:
54 – WR Cody Latimer – Indiana
83 – ILB Christian Jones – Florida State
what do you think are the odds that they use Graham as a way to move up a few spots in rd 2 or 3 instead of getting an extra pick in rd 5 or 6?
Latimer is a good pick but we’d have to move up. Maybe give up a 5th, then trade back in round three to get back a 5th or 6th?
Remember our first round pick is Marcus Smith AND a player at 83. That’s the way you have to evaluate #22.
I wonder if USC’s Marquis Lee has some injury issues that teams are afraid of?
Lots of receivers left. BTW, MIke Quick said today that he looked at film from 2013 on DeSean, and he took too many plays off. Rare that Q pans any player.
And I never liked how on sideline routes where he ducked out of bounds 3 yards before a potential hit…
omg that always drove me crazy, but i rationalized it by telling myself that it was OK because he would avoid getting hurt…. haha i feel stupid.
Well, it’s true, that was the rationalization. Because of his slight size, it was something we had to, more or less, just accept. Not that we liked it…
Word is that Lee’s kneeS — not just his one injured knee from last year — scared off teams.
I’d be super happy with 2 LBs in the first 3 rounds.
What is your opinion on Montcrief?
Thanks Tommy. You’re the best Eagles beat and/or blog writer out there. Not even debatable IMO. We fans are lucky to have you. Truth be told, I had to wipe the drool from my chin before typing this after seeing your ideal scenario with our 3 picks tonight. That would fan-fukin-tastic. Really good group of WRs left to choose from too – shows the depth.
But what about CB? Is there anyone you would like with one of our 3rd rounders? Jean-Baptiste and Desir could still be out there. Then hope to get C. Jones (love the idea of a versatile ILB/OLB) with #86 and look for DE depth in the 4th round.
Bottom line: Love the extra 3rd… will make tonight that much more interesting.
Yeah, wouldn’t be upset with the Urban pick, but would rather they wait to later round/UDFA to address DL depth. CB would be best case scenario, but I’d even rather address OL depth in 3rd rather than DL. But everything would be gravy anyway if they get Latimer and Jones tonight.
And while I want Latimer or Robinson, I’m not going to be shocked if the Eagles wait until the 4th to address WR. They’ve talked about how deep this class is, and that clearly factors into their decision making.
I agree. I would be shocked given the talent pool if we don’t get a WR in rounds 2 or 3. But the team could wait until the 4th given Howie’s comments about value at WR in every round.
Plus, if (and it’s a big if, I admit) Benn bounces back from the knee surgery I think he will play well if he gets on the field. Maclin will fit nicely into the system. If that happens, then our WRs / TEs / RBs give us plenty of receiving options and quite frankly there are only so many balls to go around given we are a RUN 1st team now..
– Maclin / Cooper start outside. Benn is #3
– Sproles in the slot. Damaris is another option if he sticks.
– Ertz can play in-line TE, slot or go out wide
-Celek could go outside — especially in the 4 wideout stack look that Kelly loves so much.
– Shady / Polk can flex out wide from the RB position on certain downs.
– late WR prospect to challenge the others on the roster (Smith, Johnson, Maehl)
We’re only keeping 5 WRs I bet, and will complement the position with versatile RBs and TEs.
Got to say the more I think about it, the more absurd it seems that so many people are upset about Smith. Through the summer both Smith and Latimer were generally rated as round 2 guys that may sneak into the first. By yesterday, many people had talked themselves into being ok with Lat at 22. The thing is bpa is based on relative value. WR was arguably the deepest position and OLB the thinnest. We expected good WR’s to slide and that was exactly what happened. I don’t think most people expected Att or Smith to last till 54. Seems to me this was playing out exactly the way we thought. The fact that we scored an extra 3 is icing on the cake.
I don’t mind Smith the player, but Howie and Chip basically admitted they didn’t go BPA and didn’t have Smith rated as a 1st round talent. That doesn’t necessarily mean the move won’t work or that Smith will be a bad player, but there was value left on the table in drafting Smith, which is why people are justifiably disappointed.
https://twitter.com/JimmyKempski/status/464755069879980032
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/red_zone/Howie-Roseman-details-the-Eagles-first-round-strategy.html
I don’t mind Smith from what I’ve seen of him, but I’m not sure whether there was a lot of value left on the table. Value isn’t just about raw talent, but about supply/demand too. If the spot’s hard to fill and important in the scheme, value goes up.
My point in “value left on the table” is that the Eagles admitted that in an ideal situation, they would have rather traded back a few spots before drafting Smith. They did not have him with a grade of 26th pick in the draft/1st round talent. They had him with a grade of early second round player. They pretty much stated that directly. So by picking him 26th rather than moving back and drafting him in the early 2nd round, the difference between the value added through a trade and picking him at 26 is “lost value”.
Now, the justification they used isn’t absurd or anything like that. Their justification was that after moving back, there was risk of some team snagging a Smith before them, and unfortunately, their evaluation of the other OLBs in this draft was that there was a major drop off in talent between Smith and other remaining OLBs. Because OLB is a position of need for us, they didn’t want to miss out on Smith so they decided to go ahead and draft him slightly higher than where they graded him out to be for the sake of having a guy they liked that also fits a need.
If you are a believer in BPA though, which a lot of us are, there was value lost in drafting a guy ahead of where you projected him. That is the disappointing part.
I think we were hosed with BPA when Orakpo and Worilds were no longer available.
I don’t agree…. They said they had a set of players ranked at the same level, and then took their greatest need. BPA would have been if a top tier guy fell in their lap like Ha Ha at 22. Didn’t happen, so they had to pick from the next tier of tallent
I don’t really agree with this at all.
1) Literally every team’s ideal scenario every year has them trading back a few spots, adding a pick, and still landing their guy.
2) The team is saying they were worried about trading back for fear that Smith would get picked by someone else. What I understand from that is the team felt is they would fall down another talent tier if they missed Smith. I don’t really see what value you think was left on the table.
3) Even if they had a second round grade on Smith, that doesn’t mean any players were available at 22 that the Eagles did have a 1st rd grade on.
4) Who available at 26 do you think was the BPA? No one drafted after 26 is a guy we were talking about as a guy who fit the Eagles scheme and personality. Even if we look back from 22, the only guy is Dennard, and it seems evident that they weren’t targeting him or any other CB for that matter.
I am simply saying in general it seems a bit strange how many people talked themselves into Latimer at 22 are calling this a reach. Would that also not have been a reach? Maybe either would have been more appropriate 10-15 picks later. Don’t you go for the one with the biggest drop off? If we can assume they tried to move back but did not have a viable partner, they looked at the position with the biggest drop off, and secured a guy they liked. I think most people hoped a guy fell to us. I personally liked Cooks, but I am happy with what they did.
I wouldn’t have wanted Latimer at 22 either. I would have been disappointed in that pick and honestly, I think you are over estimating the number of people who would have been excited by Latimer at 22. He is also a guy I like a lot, but if we drafted him with our first pick, I would have wanted us to trade back into the early second rather than draft him in the first at 22 (or 26 for that matter).
The move they made has justification. I am not upset that we have added a player that fits what we need at OLB and has talent, but I do think we drafted him ahead of even where the Eagles themselves would have ideally targeted him because they felt a bit desperate to not miss out on a player at a position of need.
I think we can both agree it would have been ideal for them to trade back again and still land Smith. We will never know what deals were available other than Minn 40 plus 4th rounder since they gave that up for Teddy. If the same deal was the best we could get I would have passed too. I think they have gotten too cute in the past. When you have no holes to fill, you can afford to roll the dice. Just curious who you would have taken at 26 instead from a BPA perspective?
I personally think Lee or Latimer are better players. Lee is the only guy I would have taken at 26. Latimer, I would have preferred to trade back as well, but personally, I would have picked him over Smith. Having said that, I understand their logic, and the point you make about knowing what deals were available is valid. If a teams drafting in the mid 30s aren’t looking to trade up, you can’t really do anything about that, and trading all the way to 40 from 26 is a huge jump. I guess my whole point is that trading back 8-10 spots to end up in the mid 30s, where it seemed more people were comfortable with Smith, would have landed us an additional 4th. While it is a guess, it sounds like the Eagles felt he would be gone “later” in the 2nd round, which I take to mean that “earlier” in the second round, he would still have been available. And to me, Smith plus an additional 4th (or even a 5th) vs. just Smith is the part that makes me disappointed.
Maybe that’s me being greedy, but that extra pick (plus hopefully Graham being traded for a late round pick) would have given us a ton more flexibility in this draft.
Makes sense to me. I would not say greedy, I think you are just committed to BPA to the extent you were ok with walking away without an OLB, and I would have been disappointed if that happened. I believe in BPA to a point, but not when it leaves a critical hole. OLB to me was a glaring need. Now if they blow a bunch more picks on reaches, I will join you with my pitchfork.
Sorry but Howie stated that Smoth was one of a couple of players in the top grouping of prospects on the Eagles board.
The Eagles then assessed the position impact to decide who to take.
Did they target those players at a slightly lower pick than mod 20’s – sounds like it.
But that doesn’t mean they didn’t take BPA.
Right – he said Smith was at the top of the next tier. so amongst players ranked more or less evenly, which position would be harder to fill later in the draft? Then go ahead and draft that position knowing that wr is easier to fill later.
Would love to get those 3 players. Suspect Latimer is gone by 54 but Allen Robinson would work. I think Christian Jones will be there at 83 – you forgot to mention one of his best traits: he can drive Todd’s van at camp.
I think we may go CB at 86 though. Jaylen Watkins or Pierre Desir or Phillip Gaines… Not going to complain if it’s Urban though!
Very happy with Marcus Smith. Would’ve been happier with a few other guys, but thems the breaks. Now we have two third rounders. Would love to trade one of them to move up and grab Marqise Lee. If we get him in the second round, we should come away happy. Issue is that Chip clearly doesn’t value him as highly as some might have suspected.
I’m not convinced that the difference between Lee and Latimer or Matthews is worth giving up our third round pick. I also do wonder if there are any medical concerns with Lee which may explain his fall slight fall. To me, if we can still get him using a 4th round pick or later, I would be OK with move, but giving up a 3rd round pick is too expensive of a trade for a WR in such a deep WR class.
Would love Jones in the 3rd. I know he tested positive on the urine test, but we have a good locker room and the vets will keep him in line. Love his motor and game speed. Like the old FSU players under Bowden, he plays with a bit of cockiness, but backs it up with sheer athleticism.
The most impressive play by Jones is one of the first where he runs in strides with Sammy Watkins and bat the pass away. A 240 pound LB is not suppose to be able to cover a WR let alone on as fast as Watkins
Sign me up for a Marcus Marqise combo.
If we’re swapping 2nd round picks, how far up do you think trading Graham would get us?
Most people think Graham would return a fifth round draft pick in a trade. So with that in mind, trading a high 5th round pick plus our 2nd rounder (54) would net us around the 50th or 49th pick according to the draft trade chart. Based on some of the trades last night, I’m guessing that wouldn’t be really far off unless someone put more value into Graham than expected.
If that is all true, trading Graham to move up in the 2nd round doesn’t make a whole lot of sense I would think.
Could make sense if we were targeting a particular guy who we were worried about coming off the board. IDK who the Eagles like but for the sake of illustration we’ll use the guy I like, if Latimer is there at 48 and you’re worried someone ahead of you will take him or someone will jump in front of you, I think it makes a lot of sense to package Graham and move up.
I would be very happy if that is how today goes. Also, if Graham is dealt, Attaochu might still be on the table.
That is not to say they would get a 2nd or 3rd for Graham. Just that if Graham is dealt they will have a need to pick up another OLB.
do you think they would need to replace Graham on the roster? don’t we still have Philip Hunt? yea, i realize he doesn’t quite have Graham’s talent or potential talent, but i think they might be pretty close to equals as far as backup OLB goes lol
I don’t see why we would need to replace Graham. He got 25% of the snaps. Don’t we hope Smith gets that and more? And aren’t we hoping he can play both sides?
i mean, i guess that if we assume that Cole is gone after this season, we will then need someone to backup Smith? lol
I think we just replaced Graham on the roster.
Oh.
Tommy,
How come nobody is talking about the fact the Eagles could have potentially have traded with Miami for Dion Jordan giving up the 26th pick and Brandon Graham? It was rumored that Miami wanted a first not a second and BG…. personally I would have prefered Dion Jordan than Smith essentially… your thoughts?
Also, did anybody see Clinton-Dix face when he was picked and how disapointed he looked when the Packers took him just ahead of us!! thought his face told the whole story.
“rumored”
its also rumored that he was even available for trade. we are discussing hypotheticals within rumors within rumors.
doesn’t mean i didn’t want it to happen, though, lol.
This kid has the type of talent and ceiling to make even a die hard Dion fan like me, get over not adding him….we got a 3rd round pick and a edge terror with a similar ceiling… Heard Tom gamble loved marcus
Well said GEagle. You hit the trade-off concern and Smith won.
He just did his introductory press conference,,,some good stuff. This is a good kid, extremely coachable, emphasizes playing violently, all the tools to grow into a quality well rounded 3 down OLB who will primarily be an edge terror….WE GOT OUR 10 plus sack guy of the future boys!!!!! Awesome pick!!
I think this whole Dion Jordan think was pretty much BS.
First, people saying Dion Jordan has a bad year, I seen plenty of people who watched the Dolphins say thats wrong. Spent a lot of time playing DT and covering, not sexy, but still important.
Second, The Dolphins would have had to eat something like 10 mil on their cap for a player not even on their roster. It doesnt matter if they had the cap room, doesnt matter that they’re rebuilding, its never gonna happen.
Second, Dion Jordan went 3rd overall, after the Dolphins traded up to get him. New regime or not, weak draft class or not, i find it seriously unlikely that they would trade him after one year.
He shut down Gronk pretty well…haven’t seen too many NFL players play Gronk so well
I wouldn’t know, i don’t watch the Dolphins enough, but i’ll believe you since it makes my point stronger. A lot of places write that Jordan was a total bust and didn’t do shit, and its simply not true.
the Chip Wagon supports your argument as well. includes helpful screencaps as well : )
here’s him as a DE:
http://www.thechipwagon.com/eagles/2014/03/dissecting-dion-jordans-2013-season.html
and as a OLB:
http://www.thechipwagon.com/eagles/2014/03/dissecting-dion-jordans-2013-season-part-2-outside-linebacker.html
A it’s not true. B it’s irrelevant and ignorant of a statement…because NO ONE drafted Dion expecting him to not struggle as a rookie…he wasn’t a polished pick like Khalil Mack…he was a inexperienced Kid like Lane who would grow into a better player than everyone else…
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He didn’t have a bad year, because no one with a brain expected more of him as a rookie….you put up with little rookie contributions because it has the potential to pay off in a major way later…so he hasn’t dissapointed anyone with a brain, that’s tor sure…his biggest fans, and front office people drafting him knew you had to be patient with him before he paid off…
Exactly, which is why I think the notion that he was available was nothing else than a rumor.
Stylistically he wasn’t a great fit, and needing to rebuild an entire OL made me think there was a chance the new GM would deal him to get more picks and rebuild the line since he didn’t draft Dion, but obviously not…..but we wouldn’t have gotten an extra 3rd and Dion…an extra 3rd is at minimum like addng another Bennie Logan..
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I LOVE DION, but I’m not sure getting him is better than getting Marcus AND another Logan caliper talent
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I don’t know that I’d take Barr over Marcus and an Extra 3rd….your GM knows what he is doing and with a little luck you get an absolute stud with that extra 3rd…top 100 picks are serious picks in every draft, it’s even more valuable in one with this type of depth
I had the same exact impression with Dix. He wanted to come to Philly!
This was discussed a lot. The Eagles did talk to Miami. Apparently the Dolphins did NOT want to deal Jordan.
Good lord, I wandered over to TATE to see the reaction to Marcus Smith and I have no words. These are our peers people.
Here are some gems:
“not very happpy about this… couldve had lattimer or matthews”
“Kelvin Benjamin an absolute beast goes two picks later and we end up with this joker.”
“how about he was ranked 85 and taken at 26?”
“Garbage pick. Typical overreach by these goddamn clowns.”
A ton of comments about Benjamin. I can’t believe how many people wanted Kelvin Benjamin.
seeing as how both Latimer and Matthews are available in Round 2, wouldn’t picking them at 26 also be a reach? 😛
i mean… it is a fact that they are available in round 2. we can assume that Smith would not be, but we’ll never know now. Those two guys, though… we know for sure. 😉
The Niners wanted Smith and would not trade up with us according to rumor. He is perfect for a 3-4. We HAD to get him at 26. Brilliant move by the FO.
Yup…no way Niners were letting him pass…and an expert isn’t much of an expert if they think the Niners wouldn’t have taken High ceiling insurance for Aldon Smith. Instead of the Nickle CB they spent a first round pick on…
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Media member has to be a real friggin IDIOT, if they understand that we turned down chances to trade further back, because we didn’t think he would Last….how the FOCK is that a reach? If we couldn’t trade back more because he wasn’t going to be there, than he was only a reach in the mind of a clueless simpleton, not NFL front offices…
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Les Bowan thinks he knows better than The front offices of the Niners and Seahawks? I swear to god After Barr went 8, I was so damn nervous of Dallas taking Smith at 16…if the dude wasn’t gonna make it past 30 or 35 at the most, than he isn’t a friggin reach at 26,’especially since he plays one of the 3 high valued position, in a draft drastically lacking pass rush depth.
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Media members show their ignorance and stupidity by calling it a reach..it’s NOT a reach in NFL front offices eyes, and if your opinion differs from NFL front offices, than you probably want to re think your opinion.
It’s disgusting… We have a joke of a media, that knows NOTHING and they lead fans to believe that this was a bad pick when in reality we got one of the few young OLB talents that can make me forget about Dion Jordan. like Lane Johnson! this is a kid who will improve exponentially. He is literally EVERYTHING we could ever hope for in an OLB…
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Dude was a QB 3 years ago and he already developed into the second leading sack master in college? OUR scheme requires a versatile rusher who can rush standing up as an OLB, and stick his hand in the dirt since we play plenty of 4 man lines..no projecting involved, we have video of this kid doing both..
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Not only can he develop into that 10 plus edge terror we desperately need, but have people seen this kid run 30 yards with TEs stride for stride? Really impressive for a man his size. not only will his ability to drop in coverage provide maximum schematic disguise since QBs won’t know whether Barwin is coming for the QB or Marcus! since both can be really good OLBs at handling TEs..his ability to run with TEs is also crucial, because it free up Kendricks and allow us to unleash him more as a Blitzer. We lacked LBs who could cover, so had our hands tied and weren’t able to send Barwin and Kendricks after QBs as much as we would have liked…this will improve again tonight when we draft Christian Kirksey..
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everyone talks about wanting to cut Trent Cole expensive contract at the end of the year, but we can’t do that unless we have someone ready to set the edge next year and play the run. This kid will be ready to be a 3down OLB. By the beginning of his second season which will allow us to get that albatross of a Cole contract off our books.
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This kid is only scratching the surface of what he can become. For someone to have transitioned to defense not that long ago, it’s amazing what a well rounded player he is already, and damn sure impressive how he is already top in the nation in sack production,,..
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Philly media is killing the eagles for this pick and it’s really sad. Just shows how clueless and stupid the talking heads are..I strongly suggest not listening to the radio these next few days, it’s really really really pathetically BAD!!
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We have lost every right to call ourselves a smart, knowledgable fan base…we are a friggin JOKE…. Thank you to Howie, gamble and Chip for making this pick!
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Chip talked about how we have liked this kid since last spring, and Chip even went to the temple game to see him play in person.
QB, OT. OLB the 3 premier positions. last year we took Lane for his ridiculously high upside and coached him up, and now we will do the same thing with our edge terror..we have two young players at crucial positions with a ridiculously high ceiling, and the media and fans are complaining?
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If I hear another dumb radio host cry about Clinton Dix I will scream…we have NO INTEREST in adding starting safety! Get it thru your thick, stupid media brains…all day I. Hear dopes crying over Clinton Dix, and dennard(as if we will draft an outside CB shorter than 6’0)
…wtf do I have to do. Where do I have to go to listen to eagles talk that isnt so damn clueless? The coverage we get in this city is Embarressing,
Question for Tommy, lets say a team had jumped in front of us and taken Smith at 25… who’s next on the Eagles board do you think? Would we have taken one of those fielded offers and traded out of 26? Would we have stayed pat and taken a WR?
Given that the Chiefs took Dee at 23, then Smith goes at 25, I think the logical thing to do, if you really want a pass rusher, and given the mini-run on pass rushers, is to take Attaochu at 26. (Kelly spoke about there only being 2 that they were interested in at that point.) It will be interesting to see how quickly he comes off the board tonight…
I’m still in cloud 9 over adding the type of high ceiling OLB that can make me forget about Dion Jordan….what a brilliant draft so far!!
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Lane and Marcus, two of the 3 most important positions we filled with young super athletes with a really high ceiling!!
Do we need a burner WR who can stretch the field vertically? OR do we need a WR with size, good not great speed, who has good hands and fights for the ball with good RAC? I’ll take the latter in a Chip offense every day.
We will go with the best combo of the rare size/speed combo Chip uses to define Elite WR… If 6’2 220 4.4 is what Chip defines as ELITE WR, why would we go with a small fast burner, when there are look 5 20yrs with that ELITE ceiling for Chip to develop? If he was telling the truth about how he defines Elite WR, as long as there are 5 big, fast young athletes for Chip to groom! I don’t see why he would settle for a small WR who can be great. But will always have size limitations..
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It’s going to be Allen Robinson/Moncreif. Two explosive baby beasts who aren’t even 21yr old yet, or Cody Latimer, Martevis Bryant who is raw but may be the best combo of size/speed in the entire draft(I don’t like him much tho), I’m assuming one of those 4 will be an eagle, possibly Devante Adams or Jordan mathews(Lee if continues to fall for some reason)
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If there was only 1 6’2 220 burner available, there could be a chance we didn’t like his character or work ethic and we went with a smaller guy..but with so many big boys, I’m sure we will add a WR with size..
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Remember chips not looking at who was the best WR last year, he is looking at who he thinks he can coach up into the best..I’m willing to bet the WR we draft won’t have size mutations or speed limitatif….Think A Rob and Cody are our top targets, with Lee after them…the only thing I’m not sure of is the order after that between Jordan Mathews! Devante!Moncreif or Martevis scary upside…
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Think the plan is to not have any pass catchers shorter than Maclin by 2015..secondaries might have some size, but if all our weapons are 6’2 or taller, there is just no way a secondary will have enough size to match up with all our big boys,..a tall DB is 6’0..if we have 5 pass catchers in a playoff game who have 3 inch advantage over their defender, we would be really tough to stop…I envision an offense where Maclin and Sproles are the shortest players!whp are catching balls?llthe land of Giants if you will….
..
Just my thought..
Matthews is my pick. He just has so many Jerry Rice moves and hands. Not a burner but good RAC just like JR.
I’m legitimately curious Geagle where the high ceiling talk is coming from. I don’t know a lot about this kid. He’s relatively unpolished right? Hasn’t gotten to get comfortable with a position. I see some nice length and some explosiveness, his agility numbers are bad, but doesn’t look awkward in the open-field. I’d like to see him get more violent. Work on getting his center of gravity behind his point of contact and drive a hit trough someone, also some violent hands when engaging blockers can go a long way. T-Cole can teach him that.
Anyway I see the room for growth, was wondering your take.
You don’t just go from QB, switch to the defensive side of the ball, and turn into one of the best in the nation at a drastically different positions in two years…the dude wasn’t even playing defense a few years ago and he already has the second most sacks in the nation…we have really good teachers and coaches here..Lane was raw as hell and wasn’t supposed to pay off as a rookie! dude playd some pretty darn good ball second half of the year. This is a highly coachable kid..did you just see his press conference? Dude hasn’t been a defender for that long, and because of his QB experience, we was already helping the DL and Safetoes with the Checks and audibles.. Smart, highly coachable kid…just got done talking about how making sure he plays as Violently as he can on every snap is his goal..
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Really long arms, Fast, explosive, 4.63 at 2550lbs, and he can really bench which is crucial.. This kid really has all the tools to become a high caliber well rounded 3 down LB…I just know he will be one of this kids that grows by leaps and bounds..
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Chip said we have been monitoring his progress since last spring. Right now the kid is focused on strengthing his lower body and will be ready to set the edge by the beginning of his second year which will allows us to dump Coles contract…there is plenty of video with the kid running stride for stride with TEs 30yards down field..,..once we add him and Kirksey(we will draft him tonight lol) we will have multiple options to defend TEs which frees up Kendrick and Barwin to rush the passer more..
..Long arms, explosive, ability to bend…everything you need to have a chance to develop into a quality edge terror…with McGoverns coaching and Barwin and Cole taking him under their wing, and our strength program! you will love this kid in no time.
.,
This kid is good enough to make me stop wanting Dion Jordan lol that should speak volumes cuz you know how nutty I am for that kid…I really was worried about Marcus going to Dallas at 16
Coming from you, I know you’ve watched a ton of film. i’m still getting into the game film. The highlights I see him kind of land his tackles a bit too high, and upright. Going to go watch the PC now. Seems like a great prospect to coach up.
If you really want to understand why we drafted this kid..I suggest going back two years, and watching a game of his every month til his most recent(or every other month)..you have to really see how much he grows from one period of time to the next, to really understand why we like him…it’s not about what he did last year, it’s about us thinking we can coach him to make drastic exponential improvements…there is plenty to correct in his game film…but he really has all the tools you could ask for…long arms, explosive enough to get that inside arm passed the tackle, then have the bend to get around him, flatten him our and get to the QB…
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If he is explosive enough, if he can bend his body enough, and takes to coaching!, it really doesn’t matter what we see or don’t see in his tape, we have the coaches to mold him…just see what our coaches did with so little time with guys like Logan,Lane!Wolff,Ertz..
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Btw, this kid graduated already. So he will be working out with the guys jn our offseason program on Monday…let’s get to work youngin!! Think this kid will be 3 times the.player Giants Damontre Moore will be.,
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Maaaaaaaaaarcus Daaaaaarling!!
hear hear! Going to be near a computer to make fun of everybody else’s draft picks tonight?
Lol damn right brother…I was too nervous last night to be on the computer…I was scared to death Dallas would take Marcus at 16
I was told his 3 Cone improved significantly from combine to pro day. Former QB should see the field well… understand what the O is trying to do. While I would’ve liked to trade down a few more and still get him, I’m cautiously optimistic.
the 3 cone was 8th percentile. He re-did it and got that same 3 cone speed as Mack, who was the 61’st percentile, which is respectable. He’s got good Athleticism with good size, it’s a fine tool kit, people have succeeded with much much less.
Measurables are there. Now comes coaching, desire and hard work.
I think he also checked off a lot of the intangible boxes required for CK. At 26, probably their last opportunity to get a highly-valued OLB in the draft. Smith’s ceiling is more of a rich-man’s Barwin than Demarcus Ware, which IMO is the vision of CK and Davis all along. 2 OLBs who can do all things, allowing any of the 4 LBs to do any role on any down at any time.
I also don’t feel there were any other players at that point who were “better-value” than Smith if he was such a reach; who are we to say Lee is higher ranked, or trade backs are always on the table?
I think the pick was BUA, not BPA– best upgrade available. WR could be in play up to round 5 and still make a difference this year; not the case with OLB
Is Marcus Smith the athlete that Dion Jordan is?
Not so sure MS is a “super athlete” when compared to Jordan.
If I remember correctly, were Jordan in this draft he’d still have been ranked ahead of Anthony Barr — making Jordan at least a Top-10 pick.
And while Jordan can cover WRs — or was advertised as having that ability — the Eagles would call timeout before letting that happen to Smith, I suspect.
Maybe because of Jordan’s length. Don’t know.
A quick review of Jordan’s Combine vs. Smith’s Pro Day puts them on similar footing. Though Jordan’s at least a full step faster. 4.60 v. 4.68.
But Smith’s here. Jordan’s not.
Will be interesting to see what the next 3 years of reveal about them on the field.
Niners trading a pick for bIlls WR Stevie johnson
Weird fit for the Niners IMO.
inexpensive move — in terms of draft ammo — for the 49ers.
Johnson has to be better than what’s there.
And I expect Johnson to get that large chip back on his shoulder.
Didn’t see the compensation they paid yet, but they have plenty ammo…..they are in all in, get over the hump now mode, so I can see why they would add a veteran and not have to worry about easing a rookie into the lineup
Baalke’s drafts recently haven’t been great.
Harbaugh’s a wild card.
Definitely, that team’s all in.
@ T-Law
Because I was in the right mood, I checked what you wrote about Kelly BEFORE he was hired. Here’s the link, 2012/12/29:
http://igglesblitz.com/2012/12/lets-talk-about-chip-kelly/
And I have to say, you are dead on with your analysis. In retrospect!! That’s tough to accomplish. 😉
And some nuggets:
“I’m sure he’d love to have an athletic QB like RG3, Russell Wilson, or Colin Kaepernick to run his full playbook, but the key for Kelly is to have a smart QB who is accurate. Jake Locker is a great athlete, but highly inconsistent passer. Tim Tebow is a big, strong guy, but didn’t always make good reads when running the option. Those guys might drive Kelly a bit nuts.”
“Kelly is all about numbers. If he can make you worry about his passing game and leave fewer guys in the box, he will run. If you stack the box, he will throw. If you load up the outside, he’ll attack the inside. And so on. This isn’t rocket science. Kelly wants to see where you line up your defenders and then he will attack the weak spots. These basic principles already work in the NFL. Watch Brady and Manning at the LOS, looking over the defense. They want to attack the weak spots in the defense.”
“If he comes to the NFL, Kelly will adapt to the players he has. Over time he’ll shape the roster to be exactly what he wants, but don’t fall into the trap of thinking what you see at Oregon is exactly what you’d see in the pros.”
And a great one:
“He would find a way to use DeSean Jackson, but it seems Kelly prefers bigger WRs.”
Like I said, dead on. Except for a few, minor mistakes (in retrospect) 😀
“The one obvious hole is at QB. Kelly could find his own guy, as most coaches prefer to do. Foles might be part of the short term plan, but likely would not be the long term guy. He could be your backup and that would be just fine.”
“In the NFL Kelly would have to deal with an owner, a GM, and million-dollar players. You can’t just get rid of the NFL guys you don’t like.”
😀
“In the NFL Kelly would have to deal with an owner, a GM, and million-dollar players. You can’t just get rid of the NFL guys you don’t like.”
Tell that to Desean 😛
Those were my thoughts, too. 😉
Think that the GM and owner were already `up to here` with Jackson, but it was Reid who was key. Kelly (and the Eagles 2nd half of last season) showed the other two that this team can be better, w/out Jackson.
I had a feeling that the Eagles still wouldn’t have anyone in a great value/position need at 26 based on who was off the board. I think the drop off at OLB is much steeper than wide receiver so I am glad the Eagles went OLB at 26 since my top 4 were off the board already. I was pumped about moving back and getting a third round pick without really sacrificing any player of need. Smith is not as sexy a pick as Lane Johnson or Fletcher Cox but also was much later in the first round (4th and 12th). Eagles fans have been accustomed to getting top 10 talent in these past two drafts. I think that is why people have issues with the pick (me…I am OK with the pick).
No mention of Kyle Van Noy so far…if he drops to 54 I hope the Eagles take him. I like Christian Jones’ potential, but I really hate that he tested positive, that is just a dumb, dumb thing to do. Most important time to be clean in your career and he couldn’t do it.
Other man of interest to me :LaMarcus Joyner? Given the run on safeties yesterday the cupboard is pretty bare for teams looking for a safety. Could Joyner slip through the cracks due to his lack of size? My dream day 2 is Van Noy, Joyner and the best WR who’s left at #86 – think they’ll still be a couple of good ones left by then, it’s just a deep class. Bring on Day 2!
He tested positive for weed. Who cares? Maybe he did it on purpose because he doesn’t want to go to a team stupid enough to pass on a guy for testing positive for weed.
I care a whole lot. Not about the weed, I don’t give a flying fuck about that. I do however care that a player going to a job interview where he knows for an absolute certainty that he will be tested for drugs, still test positive. That either means that he is an addict, in which case the weed becomes a problem or that he is an absolute idiot, in which case his tiny brain becomes a problem.
I like Christian Jones, but getting caught smoking weed throughout a draft process is a huge character issue for me. i don’t care about the drugs, i believe in personal freedom, but i do however care that he will need us to sign someone to open doors for him, because someone who gets caught smoking weed during a process where he knows he will be tested, doesnt have the mental capacity to do such a simple task by himself.
Exactly. I regularly drive faster than the speed limit. If I see a sign saying that there is a speed trap ahead, that I will be clocked, and that if I am caught speeding my employer will be notified, I am going to slow down for a few minutes. If I knew for years where and when the trap was going to be set up, I am pretty confident I could avoid a ticket.
Yeah, normally I’m totally in agreement with this, but then there’s Navarro Bowman, who was such a huge stoner he tumbled bigtime in the draft, and now he’s an all pro ILB.
So I think you have to look closer than just did he fail the drug test. IMO I’m less concerned with how indicative it is of the guys intelligence than with how it might lead to suspensions (see Gordon, Josh).
For me, it is not about intelligence. It is about choices. Smart people make bad choices all the time, and there are plenty of unintelligent people who regularly make good choices.
If we get him (and I don’t know enough to say we shouldn’t) I am going to be nervous for a while. What choice is he going to make when we have a team on the ropes and time is running down and the guard on the other team is taunting him in the middle of a crowd? What choice will he make when he is at the bar at home with his old buddies, more money than he ever had, and a swelled ego? Sure, any of the prospects could make bad choices, but this is a pretty large flag.
KVN falling to 54 is the only way we may consider not drafting a WR
Where did all of the love for Louis Nix go? He’s still available.
Tonight is gonna be so fun guys. I love this day because there is usually more picks for us and they are still prospects we all know. I hope we stay where we are and don’t trade up in the second. I’m voting on getting Robinson or Latimer with 54. Then I wonder if we could grab one of the corners in the third (DARE I say Desir?). With our final third I would really enjoy Jones from FSU. Then I still think we could grab Will Clarke in the fourth or Brent Urban. Depends on how the picks fall. SO EXCITED!!!!!!!
If we are going to spend a 3rd on RB Tre Mason which I worry about, I would rather just trade back and get extra 4ths and 5ths…
…teams like the jags, jets and Niners, browns have so many damn picks, we should be able to aquire ATleast 2 more….exciting night boys!!!
GEAGLE and I were discussing yesterday trading down and taking Smith or Attaochu. While I wish they could have moved down a little bit more to get him, I am ok with how it played out. I’m sure Chip and Howie felt that the drop off for outside pass rushers was greater than the drop off at WR. We also know that Howie doesn’t think this is a great safety draft. While I think they would have pounced on a CB at #22 if the right guy fell, that didn’t happen. There is such a premium on pass rushers that I don’t think Smith would have fell out of the top 40 let alone make it to #54. And we added a 3rd round pick on top of it all.
I see tonight going like this: 2nd round WR, ILB and CB in the 3rd round. Wait … let me go over to Fan Speak and see how it plays out….
54 LB CHRISTIAN JONES FLORIDA STATE
83 CB PIERRE DESIR LINDENWOOD
86 WR CODY LATIMER INDIANA
122 S DONTAE JOHNSON N.C. STATE
162 DE BRENT URBAN VIRGINIA
237 WR L’DAMIAN WASHINGTON MISSOURI
There, we didn’t do too bad!
I think Latimer is underrated at Fanspeak. I was able to draft him in the third round way too often. I don’t think they’ll be able to get both Jones and Latimer. I think Jones is a luxury, but one of Lee/Latimer/Robinson is a necessity.
Jones is the smokescreen,Kirksey is the target 🙂
Kirksey is on a lot of teams’ radar. Will their other priorities give us an opportunity or will he go early? I think he may go early.
Not sure…figure Boreland and KVN have to get drafted first….hoping Telvin smith and Christian Jones go before him instead of falling behind him do to being busted with pot…think adding Kirkseys ability to cover in subpackages would really be a huge complimentary addition for us…I’m pretty certain that we will like Kirksey and KVN..just don’t know how much everyone else likes them
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We need a serious upgrade to Meco in coverage for certain subpackages…
Agree GEagle. Can’t wait to see who we get – my guess is Kirksey.
I’d be shocked if it’s not one of these names:
Kirksey
A Rob
Latimer
Lee
Devamte
Jordan Mathews
Moncreof
Seferian Jenkins
Tre Mason
KVN
Cjristion Jones
Martevis Bryant
…
Can’t see them drafting anyone else tonight really…anyone see anyone I’m missing? Preferably a non DB that I’m not seeing since I doubt we add a DB tonight
Good list. I too would be shocked if they pick say an OL or DB guy.
Latimer goes in Round 2. Hopefully to us.
54) Allen Robinson or Cody unless KVN falls whch I doubt
83) Sefarian Jenkins or Tre Mason, or Moncrief or Martevis Bryant
86) Christian Kirksey or C Jones
..
Then we will get one guy from each of these groups:
Dontae Johnson
Antone Exum
Terrence Mitchell
,..
Brent urban, Josh Mauro! Taylor hart..
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Deandre Coleman,Shemar Stephans, Bromly. baeu Allen
I would love to see us devoting the resources to snag KVN. Imagine a LB corps with Smith, KVN, Kendricks, and Barwin. It looks like Kendricks is going to get at least somewhat better, and he could get really good. Barwin and Ryans provide good developmental leadership in the next year or two.
This corps would operate behind a D-line that is at least above average and could be great if Cox keeps developing.
The idea reminds me a little of the early Reid years. Lots of success with a great D even though the coach was an offensive guy. Turned out to be a great combo. Though, I have the feeling that the Kelly offense, at least in the short term, won’t have the same fits and starts that Reid’s did until TO.
It’s evident that Marcus Smith was their clear pass rushing choice over Attaochu and Crichton, etc. so they weren’t willing to trade down too far and accept those two as alternatives.
If Lattimer is their principal WR choice, then they can’t/won’t risk assuming he will fall to #54. An approach with reasonable request to preserve some of their draft pick equity would be to assume that Lee will be the first WR taken and Lattimer the second. Wait until Lee goes then expend whatever additional pick it will take to combine with #54 to take the next pick.
There are many directions they can go. Maybe it’s wiser to move up in 3rd round and get 3 players in the top 60-75.
Lots of people seem interested in Lee. I was definitely interested before, but this slide along with more serious reports his injury are no joke. There’s a reason a kid with his production/potential didn’t get selected. I think teams know something we don’t know. He seems to be turning into a high risk/reward pick. Still, looks like the ceiling is high enough that a second round pick is worth the risk.
I like him, but I’m not sure I like the opportunity cost given the gamble. If we had the option of trading up for, say, Lee or KVN, I’d probably choose KVN.
Similar problem, from the teams’ standpoint, to Kouandjio
If there is a medical concern, I agree he might not be worth rolling the dice on, particularly since there are so many options with nearly the same potential at the same position.
Corbin in the 4th, when there aren’t any comparable talents available any more, sure. But a high risk Lee when Latimore, Robinson, and co. are still on the board? Seems like the risk outweighs the reward.
I agree ATG, the Lee pick is too risky given other options.
Dont sleep on eagles adding a RB or TE tonight…Tre Mason, Sefarian Jenkins, NIklas ….
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Hoping,we don’t add any DBs tonight, which is my expectation… Continue building front 7 and get FOles Chip Kelly certified weapons…
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We are getting that ILB/LOLB hybrid tonight who will be an added weapon in coverage for subpackages(replacing Meco)…this LB will be added tonight. I’ll be surprised if it’s not one of these 3’names Van Noy, Christian Kirksey and Jones…one will be an Eagle
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Think the 3rd may be a little too high for Brent Urban,Taylor hart! Josh Mauro is definitely a 5th round pick…one of these men will be added to backup Thornton, but I’m assuming they come in rounds 4-5 instead of tonight..
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We know we will get a WR tonight AND a ILB…but what’s the extra 3rd? Assuming we don’t draft DBs tonight, who do people think we will add with this extra 3rd?
OG? Hard to know since we don’t know what we have and what we need on our bench
Another WR? High upside Moncreif or Martevis Bryant? Or will we wait til late in the draft for the second WR like Shaq Evans, Jeff Janis! L’Damien Washingtn?
maybe a TE like Jace Amarp to replace Casey, or Seferian Jenkins or NIklas to re place Celek?
…
What positions do people think we will spend our 3 picks on tonight?
I say:
1)’WR
2) ILB
3)! Another offensive weapon..
…
Who yas got?
WR, ILB, OL
I haven’t put much work Intp the OL slated to go in rounds 2 and 3 so I’m pretty useless in that aspect
Moses, Bitonio, Fleming I think are still available OTs. Jackson, Richardson, Turner for OGs. Not sure really if any of these drafted yet but I think not.
WR, CB, OG.
By the way, why is guard abbreviated OG? I assume it is short for offensive guard, but there is no defensive guard. Is this a historical holdover from when there were? Is this an OCD consideration, wanting two letters but realizing GD or GU are poor choices? Should I save this question for a less exciting time?
NG . . . nose guard.
Old-time college and, after Bum Phillips installed the 34 in ’74, NFL language
is that different than what we sometimes hear as the Nose Tackle?
is it a different place of lining up (over C vs between C/G) or is it more of a responsibilities type difference?
TRP:
Sorry . . . the old “NG” is the new “NT”
I remember college broadcasts in which announces used the phrase “Defensive Nose Guard . . . . ”
Is there another kind, for crying out loud!
Well, I knew where the answer would come from (thanks) but I am a bit disappointed. I was hoping for a tale of some quirky genius that insisted on consistency in his depth chart abbreviations and punished punters as a result.
A_T_G:
Used to be that punters actually merited P/K because teams had only one guy doing both. ‘Specially in college.
The original “slash” position
I always think of Eagles nose guard Charlie Johnson.
The best NG in these parts.
Made that Eagles defense.
Great call.
Yeah NG,,plus. It sound cool cuz it’s stands for Original gangsta and we are the Chip Kelly(CK crip killers or the Desean Jaccson era lol)
i’m hoping you guys with better memory than I can answer this:
when was the last time we drafted a LB in the first few rounds (say 1-3)?
last i can think of is… Stewart? (no, i’m not counting graham)
when was the last time we drafted a LB in the first round?
the more i read about this guy, the more excited i get to see him play! the draft is still going, but i’m already anxious for training camp and workouts to get here!!!
Les already answered my question, it seems:
“he’s officially the first linebacker taken by the Birds in the first round since Jerry Robinson in 1979
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/nfl_draft/20140509_MR__SMITH_GOES_TO_PHILLY.html#2q5QP2MBpo9SYZEW.99“
First few rounds would have been Kendricks.
Stu, Gocong, Bryan Smith…ugly
Oh god, Bryan Smith. I remember reading up about the guy after we picked him and thinking we had a D2 steal. Barf.
Josh Gordon, positive for weed… probably suspended for the season
If Cleveland wasn’t drafting a WR before, they are now
Yep. Who else is WR needy that picks before us?
Adios to Cody Latimer or Allen Robinson.
Nooooooooooooooo! Not Latimer!
Exactly.
Don’t want no stinkin’ Devante Adams.
And Brandon Coleman’s a more polished version of Iffy Momah.
Wow… so much talent, down the tubes for the season. This hurts Manziel big time too.
By the way, why didn’t the NFL sit on this until after the draft.
Very unfair letting Cleveland know while they had the chance to replace Gordon.
Or very fair, if you’re Cleveland ;).
SH:
Tongue in cheek for both of us.
Cleveland deserved to know ASAP
Apparently they’ve been knowing this for over two weeks. Still passed on Watkins.
Are you kidding?
Wow.
Ray Farmer is a cool customer. Damned cool customer.
Has the same view of the WR class as everyone else, apparently.
That is . . . value’s in Rd 2-3
no way they don’t take a WR with their next pick now that gordon is probably gone. as an aside its pretty silly that weed gets you a year long suspension ( and im not trying to start a big long shit show debate on the subject, just a sidenote opinion on the matter)
http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/no-team-can-beat-the-draft/
Great piece and a nice overview on the draft including how no GM or NFL team is superior to identifying and picking the most valuable players in the draft and how teams are pretty efficient in terms of the value they places on relative draft pics.
I’m hoping to use Graham as ammo to trade up in the second.
From Redskins beat reporter:
John Keim @john_keim 2m
If the #Redskins go defense, not sure really who they’ll take at 34. Guy they would have wanted, Marcus Smith, went in the 1st.
**
— So sure, Marcus Smith would have lasted to third/fourth round…
Plus, according to the trade value chart, the 3rd rounder the Eagles received would have been worth
trading back to spot 38.
If Smith would not have been considered a reach
at 38, then I’m okay with the pick.
Wow. Scratcherk (I think) pointed out last night how much better our deal was than the one ARI took for #20, but moving back 4 spots while getting compensation as if we moved back 16 is pretty stellar work by Howie.
He was definitely going to go in the top of the 2nd. Taking him at 26 is a minor minor reach. No where on the wtf level of a Jon Harris for example. People always jump all over minor reaches like this when the pick isn’t expected. Bottom line is, in a draft format, every pick is somewhat of a reach as you are drafting said player at the highest possible spot that anyone was willing to take that player. Nothing the Eagles did last night was egregiously illogical or out of line with other teams evaluations.
When looking at all those teams drafting ahead of us, there’s absolutely no chance in hell that Latimer or A Rob will fall to us. I happen to think the Eagles will trade up actually..
I think its a good possibility, depending on how much they covet a particular receiver. I’d rather they stayed put since we’re short on picks anyhow.
Lots of other good players available too. Cyrus, Tuitt, Nix, Attaochu, Ealy, QBs. Decent chance a good WR falls.
The Texans have selected Sua’-Filo from UCLA
http://cbsprt.co/2014NFLDraft
dude….
Good pick.
Safe, boring pick. Guess Derek Carr not so valued that someone wanted to move up for him.
Cowboys traded up, lol.
AHHH lol Cowboys gave up their 3rd to move up.
long live Jerry Jones!
I hope they take Ealy. he has bust written all over him.
New thread is up.
http://igglesblitz.com/2014/05/friday-night/
Good ol Jerrah