Pick 8, Vol. 2 – An Early Overview
Posted: March 18th, 2016 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 364 Comments »The Eagles have a chance to land an impact player with the 8th pick in the draft. Let’s take a look at some of the options the team is considering.
DB Jalen Ramsey
LB Myles Jack
RB Ezekiel Elliott
OL Laremy Tunsil
DE Joey Bosa
DT DeForest Buckner
CB Vernon Hargreaves
QB Jared Goff
QB Carson Wentz
Ramsey is a terrific DB, who can play CB or S. He is a complete player who can be a difference-maker in the secondary. The Eagles have virtually no chance to get him, but would love some scenario where they could.
Jack suffered a knee injury this season, but is already running full speed and looks to be in good shape. He would likely be a WLB for the Eagles. Jack is a gifted athlete with terrific cover skills. I know the Eagles have a talented WLB in Mychal Kendricks, but Jack has the potential to be a star. Reminds me of a more athletic Lance Briggs.
I already wrote about the case for the Eagles to take Elliott.
Tunsil is the top OT. He has incredible agility for a big man and is very impressive on the move. He looks like a franchise LT. Could be the first overall pick so there is little chance he slides anywhere close to the Eagles.
Bosa didn’t post outrageous numbers, but put on the game tape and you see a player that offenses focused gameplans on. Was dominant in 2014. This past year dealt with a lot more double teams. Bosa was still disruptive. He would be a good fit at DE in Jim Schwartz’s defense. Could go as high as 4th overall.
Buckner is one of the best players in the draft, but he’s not an ideal scheme fit for the Eagles. Buckner is 6-7, 291 and reminds you a lot of Calais Campbell. He might be so good that the Eagles consider him anyway. Likely, it won’t matter. Buckner could go as early as first overall. 3-4 teams will covet him as a DE.
Hargreaves is 5-10, but thick at 204. He ran 4.50. That’s not ideal for a CB, but most CBs aren’t 204 pounds. Posted a 3.98 time in the short shuttle, which shows great quickness and change of direction ability. That’s just as important as pure speed. Hargreaves has great feet. He will hit and tackle. He picked off 10 passes in college, so he can cover and make plays. Hargreaves would challenge for a starting role right away on the Eagles. He has excellent potential and could easily be the Eagles pick.
Goff is the most NFL ready of the QB prospects. I’ve watched a lot of tape on him and he’s impressed me the more I’ve watched him. I think he can be a good starting QB in the NFL. I’ll be writing a lot more about him. If Goff had bigger hands, I think Chip Kelly would covet him. Goff might be good enough that Kelly makes an exception and takes him anyway. After all, 8 of his games would be in SF, one in LA, one in ARZ and one in SEA. You’re not dealing with the cold, icy winds of the northeast.
Wentz is a terrific athlete and looks the part of a starting NFL QB. He seems bright and has the personality of a leader and someone you want running your offense. He played in a pro style offense, but I do wonder about the transition from I-AA competition. Physically gifted enough to be a star. I could see the Eagles liking him quite a bit.
That’s 9 players. Howie Roseman talked about the Eagles having 10 players that were key targets. The 10th player could be:
OT Ronnie Stanley
QB Paxton Lynch
DE Shaq Lawson
OT Jack Conklin
WR Laquon Treadwell
WR Corey Coleman
DT Sheldon Rankins
CB Mackensie Alexander
Why is Stanley not in the other group? Many people think he is a slam dunk Top 10 pick and sure thing. I think he is a good prospect, but a level down from Tunsil. Stanley posted terrible times in the 3-cone and short shuttle, two athletic tests that focus on agility. That bugs me a bit when talking about him 8th overall. Watch the USC game and you’ll think Stanley should go Top 5. Watch the Clemson game and he’s more like a mid-1st rounder. Tough, physical defenders can give him problems. And the notion that the Eagles could take him and put him at LG for 2016…don’t be so sure about that. They could try that as a short term move, but Stanley looks more like a pure OT to me. I wouldn’t be upset with Stanley at 8, but he’s not close to being my preference. I don’t see him as a special prospect.
Pick 8 might be too early for Lynch , but not if the Eagles love him. Lynch would need to sit for a year or two, but he’s got big time potential.
I do not want Lawson. I don’t see him as a great fit for Schwartz and the Wide-9.
I’m still trying to figure out if I would want either of the WRs at number 8. I like Treadwell a lot and I have wanted the Eagles to have a big, physical WR for a while.
I do not want Rankins or Alexander unless the Eagles trade back, which doesn’t seem likely since they worked hard to move into the Top 10.
*****
This is just an overview. Expect lots more writing about these prospects in the coming weeks.
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Tommy, I for one would like to encourage you to continue this new tradition of releasing a new article right as I sit down for my morning coffee. A tip of the cap to you, my good sir.
What about Conklin at 8?
one word . . .
ZEKE(!)
many FURIOUS comments will result if that doesn’t happen
Maybe from the loudmouths but I get why Howie would pass on Zeke if some other guys are on board.
I can’t join you in the Zeke love.
8 is just too high to take a RB no matter how good they appear to be. Passing on blue chip players at more valuable positions in the draft to take a RB in the top 10 is what losing teams do.
Agree 100%
I went through this on the last post by Tommy. Unless you’re getting Peterson level talent, I don’t want a RB that high.
Oh god no.
He’s a good prospect but at 8 there are other prospect with more talent and better upside. Hes a good all around prospect and will ne better suited in the 20’s.
No. Maybe at 38.
Tommy, there were rumors that Stanley cramped up during the drills. I’m not sure how true that is since only Bleacher Report has that info.
He ‘ll just need to show better times for the 3 cone and ss at his pro day. Hopefully he won’t have cramping issues.
Say no to Hargreaves. 100% of all pro CBs since 1996 have had at least 32” arms. Hargreaves has 30” arms. He has average CB speed. Doesnt have the length to make up for that, and doesnt have the speed to make up for his length. Hes a good tackler in college, but doesnt pop when he hits. His tackling might not translate to the NFL. I can see him looking like Considine in that department. If we are going to play a ton of zone, he might be ok. I see him as a zone CB only. If we are going to play man, or especially press man. No way.
If you draft to beat your division, as yourself how he will fare against a physical WR like Dez, or a burner and physical guy like ODB, or a super fast guy like DeSean. At 8th overall, hes your #1CB matching up with those guys and I dont like his chances. At all.
He compares close in size and athleticism to Jason Verrett. Verrett was much faster in the 40 though, but still slipped to 25th overall because of his height and 30” arms. Thats around where Hargreaves belongs. Somewhere in the middle of the round.
Im with you on Treadwell, Tommy.
Josh Norman ran a 4.66..
yes I dont think you are getting my entre point. Norman also has over 32” arms and is 6’0”. He has the length to make up for his speed. And arm length seems a more accurate predictor of success for the CB position considering the 100% since 1996 stat…
Richard Sherman ran a high 4.5 as well. But he has over 32” arms and is tall as well.
Give me a name of an all pro with 30” arms.
No I entirely get your point. You’re using the Chip Kelly approach which is bogus in the first place.
what is bogus about 100% of CBs since 1996?
And Im not using the Kelly approach. Kelly made no exceptions.
I WOULD make an exception if he had anything, anything at all to help shift the scale back towards positive. He can be slow, but give me more length. He can be short, but give me longer arms then. He can have short arms, but give me more speed…
Nope… he provides none of that. There is no reason to make an exception.
Ignore his burst to close in to break up plays. Ignore the fact that even his worst games were overblown even though given his past production. I don’t even care much about Hargreaves but if a guy can ball then the guy can ball.
And good god you think that Conklin and Decker have better feet than Stanley which already makes me think that you don’t really watch anything above highlights.
dude, I dont know whats going on with you today. Normally the discussion here is better than this. I feel like you are doing nothing but making strawmen right now.
First, I didnt ignore Hargreaves 3 cone time and his tape. Those are reasons he is a 1st rounder. And his 3 cone time is a reason why I think he belongs as a zone CB where he can keep things in front of him and break on plays moving forward. The problem with that is that hes not scheme diverse as you would like a top 10 player to be.
Secondly, I never said Decker or Conklin have better feet than Stanley. I said Decker is the best athlete of the bunch. But Conklin has better feet than Decker. Maybe I just wasnt clear enough on that part of my post. But you gotta take it easy on the hargreaves strawmen already. Jesus….
The only strawman in this argument is your refusal to accept that you are indeed taking the Chip Kelly approach on players. H/W/S and any variation of the bunch is why Kelly would have over drafted players if Howie didn’t stop him. What you really forget is that what happens on the field is no concern to coaches if the player is 5’6 or 6’7 and runs 4.8s if they consistently do it.
Combine numbers should make you go look back at tape. Hargreaves isn’t the fastest even in pads but he’s definitely not slow enough. Just like how Stanley isn’t as un-athletic as his combine showing apparently makes him seem. And no Conklin is not the best athlete of that trio despite his combine showing. Seriously, you can train for better times but that sure as hell did not translate onto the field for Conklin.
Combine certainly affected verrets stock. I’m backing my points up with real examples and stats but chip was far more strict about it.
Varrett had injury and durability concerns which scared teams. Not to mention he didn’t look as good as Hargreaves at times. The point here is that you’re focusing too much on measurable stuff instead of the play. You keep pouting the fact stuff but there are exceptions for every norm.
the whole “exceptions for every norm” and “100% of players” arguments remind me of this XKCD comic.
(replace presidents with all-pro picks)
https://xkcd.com/1122/
But he can’t
he can’t do what exactly?
Tape bears it out also. He may weigh 204 but he doesn’t play like it. Looks like Boykin out there.
If you got my point you wouldnt have simply posted a 40 time. Its not about 1 measure. Its the combination of lacking speed AND length at the same time… Chip would rule a guy out based on just 1 thing. Thats not what Im doing. He has a few strikes against him that indicate to me that he is a mid 1st round pick. Not top 10.
History is on my side. Thats not bogus.
You do know that a .16s means that you’re toast in the NFL and 2 more inches in arm length won’t save you right? There’s more than just physical intangibles that makes a player.
lots of things factor in. of course. But when some things are less than favorable, it is certainly reason to begin dropping a player slightly down your draft board. You dont just ignore things when you are looking at drafting someone top 10.
It is more than that though, I wouldn’t even say he is a good tackler. I watched 4 games and only wrapped up once. He dives at knees or grabs and throws. His INTs are “Oh cool, look the QB threw me the ball. Tends to get burned long. He didn’t cover Treadwell at all when they played Ole Miss.
Welcome to the modern era of CBs. The non-wrap up tackles is a pandemic in the NFL. Most CBs don’t even have the guts to even stop guys now a days so it’s baby steps.
Tne Seahawks have not drafted a CB with arms under 34″ since carroll has been there. The have had the best secondary over the last few seasons. They place a great deal on measureables. Length and formulas like SPARQ are keys in their evaluation process. They believe if they can get elite athletes their coaches can develope them into elite players. Its not some silly idea that has not worked in the NFL
And there’s also a bunch of H/W/S guys out of a job too in the NFL. I never said that it doesn’t matter and if you read any of this you can tell that I’m advocating play over combine BS.
32″
I really don’t have a dog in this fight and I’m not taking sides. I think both Haz and Insom make some valid points.
If I can distill down what I am hearing, it’s that Haz feels that if you are going to draft a DB in the top 10, you would optimally have one that checks all the boxes. Hargreaves unfortunately does not; he may have great game tape, but he is missing some of the physical features that have been predictive of pro-bowl caliber players in the past. I really can’t argue with that point.
Insom seems to be having an understandable reaction to Chip’s very restrictive H/W/S requirements for each position. I don’t think you can argue that it did not always work out in his 3 drafts as coach. It is reasonable to be wary of using measurables to potentially exclude a talented player from your draft board.
I guess we are fortunate as fans in that we haven’t often had top 10 draft picks in recent memory. It’s a little bit of a different animal than what we are used to, because the expectation is that we get an impact player, that reasonably should become a pro-bowler. There clearly is no fool-proof way to make a pick. And, we don’t necessarily have a great talent evaluator in place in the organization right now, despite all of Howie’s tremendous personnel decisions this offseason. I actually have really enjoyed this thread and this specific part of the conversation. I just don’t see it as a reason for either of the main parties to be that critical of the other. They are both right. Just need to be a little more open-minded about the other’s point of view.
I now return you to your regularly scheduled programming…
Good post. Good insight. Please more of that. Thank you.
hey man I tried! glad you liked it.
Yes. I did like it. Very re-freshing.
Brandon Boykin has 31.5″ arms. Last time I checked, he was a “pro CB”. I can’t find Antoine Winfield’s arm length, but at 5’9″ I highly doubt they were over 31″. I doubt Darrell Green or Mark McMillian had long arms either, but I’ll presume when you said “since 1996” you mean “drafted since 1996” and exclude them from consideration.
I’d love one of QB-Goff, QB-Wentz, OT-Tunsil, DE-Bosa, LB-Jack or CB-Ramsey. Those are 6 of my top 7 (the ill fitting DT-Buckner being the other). If we could walk away with one of those, I’d be ecstatic. Otherwise we are picking between the RB-Elliott, OT-Stanley, QB-Lynch, CB-Hargreaves group and I feel they are a step down. Interesting that Howie doesn’t think so though, he said 10 guys and maybe he’ll cool with any of the #8-#10 ranked guys
Howie has been smart looking forward, and has set up the Eagles to take any of those top guys in the draft. ie. we haven’t signed the free agent potential starters to long contracts at LB (Bradham) or CB (McKelvin/Carroll) or QB (Bradford), so we could easily take any of those top guys in the draft and not be overcommitting resources to any one position. And on the other hand, if we picked no draftees at those positions, we would still have reasonable (but only short-mid term) solutions in place.
I agree with you that the group likely to be left over for us at 8 is a step down, and that includes Hargreaves. But, you assume Howie’s draft board looks the same as the ones you find on all of these draft websites. And it may not.
Howie’s big board may have Spence in he top 10 and hes the drafts best pass rusher. Maybe not as much of a step down there. It may have Darron Lee in the top 10. Hes a super athletic LB thats been rising fast of draft boards on websites, but maybe guys in the NFL already have him ranked high.
It may have Sheldon Rankins. Maybe the best pass rushing DT you can get in the 1st round of this draft.
Howie may have 10 guys he loves. But we have no idea who they are.
Buckner may not be on it because he doesnt exactly fit the defense. Stanley may not be on it because NFL guys may not be as high on him with his toughness and work ethic issues…
Howies draft board may be very different than you expect.
Exactly right, and Howie has looked at the prospects much more than I have, knows the true inside story of who the Eagles coaches are happy with etc etc. It’s just easier to trust when the pick, when he picks a guy that everyone likes, rather than your Darron Lee types.
Interesting too that he came out and very publicly said that he likes 10 guys. What if he really likes a different number, and he’s trying to coax a team into a trade? Could be some gamesmanship, or a way of talking up the Dolphins trade. We won’t really know until draft day.
I don’t think Howie sits pat at #8 honestly. Especially if a Tier 1 guy is at say, 6 or so. Just my opinion. I know nothing.
so you’re saying they move up? Interesting.
I do think Howie is aggressive enough to try and move up if somebody starts to slide a bit.
It’ll be harder at this point. Not sure he’d have the ammo and the time to replace any traded players. Then again nothing surprises me with this team anymore…
One of the benefits to moving up to 8…If Ramsey is at 5 or so, you have a realistic shot at getting him. If Jack is there at 6 or 7…yeah.
Its also a much more valuable pick to trade down with than 13 if we wanted to. Especially if say Goff is still on the board and some team wants to come up for a QB.
I concur.
My ideal scenario: Both Goff and Wentz are off the board (Browns and 49ers) and the Rams in a desperate measure trade us their first and 2nd to move up and take Lynch. At 15 we would take BPA.
That would be payback time, baby!!!
I’m with Tommy. They should take QB (Lynch) if they love him or even like him and say it’s love.
Trading down if the value is right is the way to go. Howie put us in great position at 8 unlike before at 13.
I think it’s a qb if one of the 2 is there. If not, bpa and Hackenburg in the 3rd.
Hackenberg in the 3rd? I think you are being a bit generous on that. Hackenberg is worth a 5th maybe 4th at best.
try undrafted
I doubt he’ll go undrafted but I agree he isn’t worth drafting. Really hope the Eagles stay away from him.
He’s everything that you don’t want in a QB. If he’s drafted then it’s definitely not going to be playing as a QB.
lol, I never said he’s worth a 3rd but I assume some team will value him there.
http://deadspin.com/report-chip-kellys-eagles-offered-the-titans-a-shit-to-1765706560
This might be BS, but that reported package was an absurd amount. 20th and 47th overall, our first this year, any QB (so bradford) and any defensive player (so Fletcher Cox).
Glad we didn’t go with that.
Edit: and I should add, Tenn must have been super high on Mariota to pass on that offer. Shit use those picks and Cox, don’t sweat the QB, and then find one in a future draft. Could have really built something there.
Glad Chip is not with us anymore!
But that’s the issue…it is very hard to have a potential franchise QB in your grasp and let him go in hopes you can find one in the future. They are extremely rare and very valuable to a team’s success.
If I was I charge of TN, I would have countered with everything staying the same, but LJohnson replacing Bradford. If Chip would have bit on that, it would have probably been too good to pass up for me, but that does show you how much value a QB of Mariotta’s potential holds.
I think TN made the right choice.
this report makes sense with the supposed phone call between the Titans and Reid right before the draft, with Reid saying they gotta take the franchise, McNabb like QB, and ignore offers. They could have asked Reid about Cox as well, and with such a strong offer they needed some heart felt advice to talk them out of taking the deal.
Hargreaves allowed 16.5 yards per completion this season which I didn’t know according to Lance Z @ Nfl.com but he isn’t particularly negative about VH3.
He also says.
Premier, quick twitch athlete with explosion pulsing through his hips and feet. Instant click-and-close action to explode forward and attack the throw. Vertical springs to go up and over receivers at the high point. Smooth, controlled backpedal with ability to weave and mirror route progressions. Plays with outstanding body control and balance. Feet are electric. Can overwhelm lesser opponents across from him. Instinctive and urgent in his play. Excels from press, off or zone coverage.
Think if Sheldon Brown had some of that. I’m not in favor of him at 8 because he’s not at that Peterson elite level and I thought a CB would be there at 13 and you could trade down for a good one but I would be ok taking him. But you have to believe he’ll be a shutdown CB and that’s where I have a little trouble with him.
Peterson is a freak of nature so it’s unlikely that there’s going to be a CB of that caliber coming out again. Despite his physical gifts, Peterson also has his struggles on the field. Hargreaves is probably going to be on the same career trajectory as an Asante Samuels or a guy that might have a few good seasons + pro bowls here and there.
Though I don’t agree with you, I don’t care if a CB like Peterson never comes out again. That has nothing to do with what type of CB or DB I prefer at 8.
you mean alligator arms?
I think VH is a better Cb than Peterson coming out. Peterson is still more athlete than good cb.
VH for me reminds me of Asante Samuel that can also press and tackle and that guy is an all pro
How would you rank these 9 players? Tunsil at the top? Any chance you could mock an Eagles 1st round draft board?
Would much rather see mock Eagles draft boards from sports journalists, than a guess of the one player they might take with the eighth pick.
Goff Pro Day . On ESPN NFL Live. Blabbity blah blah blah . Got to see him throw deep bombs , do 5 step drops without taking snaps. Looks good but I don’t know what it means because you don’t want him to look bad. Working with wet ball now.
Nothing worse than working with wet balls!
You sound confident, so I’ll take your word for it.
False! (BLUE is worse)
Two greatest Pro Days ever for QBs (so it’s said):
– JaMarcus Russell
– Sam Bradford
Vomit inducing names.
I thought JaMarcus’s pro day was one of the worst?! Or am I confusing him with someone else???
Geno’s perfect pro day! Didn’t miss a single pass!
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/710900163494199296
Very good read. Just one question – why is every single Eagles player “talented”? If they were all talented – why do they bother with FA and a draft? Kendricks – who has been way closer to bad than good – is suddenly talented? Do we forget how bad this team was last year? yeah yeah – coaching yadda yadda…This team does have some talented players. They do not have a team full of talented players. If they did, they would have had a lower pick than 13. I’m sure there’s a chance for getting better(wr’s etc) but going off of last year – improvements are needed – not just at guard and safety….
Your thinking there is flawed. Talent and on field performance are 2 different things. There are many talented players that underperform, Jemarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Mychal Kendricks and the list goes on. How many talented players were drafted that became bust in all sports, too many. There are also a bunch of less talented players that overperform. My basic premise is that you cant base a players on field performance off their talent.
my thinking is always flawed. Talent I take to mean – performing at a higher level on the field. If you have talent – you’re performing well. If you’re not (Leaf/Russell) – then your talent peaked in college – you do not have NFL talent.
Like I said talent and on field performance are 2 different things. Kendricks has loads of talent and NFL talent at that, he didn’t peak in college, actually has had productive seasons in the league and regressed last year. So does that mean he lost his talent or forgot how to play the game? No absolutely not.
No it doesn’t – but that logic says once you’re an nfl mvp, you’re always an mvp. so – is your logic flawed? RG3 was at the top of the NFL. Did he forget how to play or is he still an NFL talented QB? Players decline for any number of reasons from year to year or due to injury. Whatever that reason – RG3(maybe Kendricks because it remains to be seen) does not have the talent…
I get the impression schwartz is much more excited about KEndricks than Phily fans are after last season,,, after all, he just signed Bradham who is a Kendricks clone, and specifically mentioned Mychal as one of the players who were handcuffed the most playing in Chip Kellys defensive scheme.
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Im frustrated with KEndricks too, but it’s absurd how much he is being undervalued around here these days
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But I agree with Tom, that Jack can be a special player, and having Kendrics. hicks, or Braham WOULDNT keep me from taking Jack..
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Im expecting a big bounce back yeàr from KEndricks in terms of his play… What im more annoyed with is hoping to eliminate the obligatory yearly hamstring injury that costs him 2-6 games… If we can get 14 games out of KEndricks, I’ll be happy, because I expect him to play the best ball of his career this year, with Schwartz simplifying the entire defense, and unleashing our boys, or as Schwartz himself put it “we are going to take the Handcuffs off Kendricks”
Interesting schwartz doesn’t have same reservations about Kendricks as he did about Kiko.
How do we know he doesn’t?
Could, was just responding to the way GEagle put things – that could be a mistake…
Fair enough. Lots of moving pieces, and I’m excited to see what Schwartz does with this D.
100% I sort of like the way the coaching thing has turned out. Scwartz isn’t just some rando D. Coord so i think there will be a lot more emphasis on defense than we’ve seen in the last decade almost – something i think we can all get excited about. Also hope that scwharz brings fire to the defense as well.
KEndricks had a down year, but his game tape ISNT even close to the atrocious level of play Kiko put on Film..
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If you try to put together a highlight tape of Kiko’s 2015 season, the entire thing would consist of the one INT opening game in Atlanta… I can’t think of another play KIKO made last year…. Akeem Jordan has better seasobs than what Kiko put on film last year,,,his body wasn’t right, and mentally it killed him. You see a guy playing scared, and a guy who clearly didn’t believe in his body and it negatively effected him in every way possible,,, KEndricks wasn’t even close to THAT bad,… It was a special type of BAD! He shouldn’t even have been on the field
I am excited about this D for sure. I want to see them with a better coaching staff. Bounce back year would be nice. I can eat crow by being hard on Kendricks now…
Temple needs to pick it up.
If we were building a team from scratch using schwartz and Pedersons scheme, Deforest Buckner would not fit our defense…. But when you look at the pieces we already have, Buckner could be a sneaky good fit for us..
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When NJ.com fabricated the Nick Fairley to the Eagles rumor, making it a popular narrative amongst fans, I always maintained that I thought was complete Bullshit and while I actually like Fairley the player. Adding him never made any sense to Me… For the same reason adding Fairley makes no sense, Buckner could be a sneaky good addition for us… And that’s because of what we have and what we lack:
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Going into this next season we have 3 Defensive Lineman we can count on being the roster: two run stuffing “1 technique’s” in Logan and Baeu Allen who probably won’t be on the field much in 3rd down pass rush situations.., and we only have one “3 technique on the roster”… It makes little sense to pay for Fairy, a 3rd “1 technique” when we don’t have a single backüp on this roster for Fletcher Cox….
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There is no way they will assume Cox can play 100% of the snaps for 16 games… If he has to miss time, Curry and BG can slide inside and rush the passer on 3rd down, but Neither could ever play 3 technique all 3 downs in case Cox ever misses a game due to injury…. enter Deforrest Buckner who ISNT a natural 3 Technique, but he does have some serious value for us as an Interior pass rusher next to Cox on 3rd down.. While the edge rushers are the primary pass rushers, there is nothing more disruptive than Pressure right up the middle on a QB’s face…with Cox. logan, and Beau all being strong against the run, maybe we can get away with adding a guy like Buckner who won’t be a traditional 3tec on 1st and 2nd down as a rookie, but can be very valuable with the interior pass rush and length he would add against the Pass…. Cox and Buckner as your DTs can cause a lot of disruptive havoc in a jim Schwartz scheme on 3rd down
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Notice I talk about Buckner not being able to play 3tec on 1st and 2nd down, specifically as a ROOKIE…i put it in Context of his rookie season, because while he won’t enter the league as 3 down “3 Tec”, the kid is already 6’7 291lbs, so its certainly not impossible for the young man to add 10-13lbs and BECOME a 3technique a year from now… And until then he brings a whole lot of value to our Front 4 pass rush for a DC that doesn’t want To blitz much
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Kid is very talented and easily one of the best 10 players in this draft, who instantly adds to our ability to get off the field on 3rd down which we have been embaressingly bad at… Im not sure needing to add 10 lbs is a reason to take him off our draft board, so depending how the top 7 unfolds, I would probably be one of the few people in philly who wouldn’t be shocked if he became an eagle.. Most view him as someone who won’t be on our draft board because of scheme fit, and im not sure about that… Not My ideal pick, but there are scenarios where I can see him being the best play for us at 8 depending on what the teams in Front of us do
Pretty sure Nick Fairley is a 3-technique, pass rushing type DT, not a 1-tech run stuffer. That’s exactly why he’s being talked about as a great complementary piece for the D-line. The question is: if Logan leaves next year in free agency, and Cox is extended, then we might actually be looking for a 1-tech type DT. If we don’t get Fairley (or maybe even if we did), I think the draft will work well. Looks deep in DTs, and we could get a pretty good one with one of our 3rd rounders to add to the rotation, and potentially replace Logan.
But I do hear you about Buckner. I think he’s got a lot of potential, and shouldn’t just be written off straight away. I’m sure we could use him somewhere!
Not in my book…
This really belongs as a response to part 1, but I just can’t get behind Zeke as a serious option at 8. I rarely disagree with you Tommy, or I can at least see the logic in your thinking. I just don’t think you should be drafting a running back in the top half of the first round unless you’re getting an Adrian Peterson. I think Zeke will be a good NFL back, but he’s not that kind of guy.
Otherwise, I like your list. I was hoping you would have Stanley in the top group, but really that was more wishful thinking that he was that kind of OL prospect and might be available at 8.
“I just don’t think you should be drafting a running back in the top half of the first round unless you’re getting an Adrian Peterson.”
Correct.
I am more like they should draft a RB at 8 if he is the best RB prospect since Peterson. But I am lower than the standard that says he has to be as good as Peterson to be drafted at 8.
“Ezekiel Elliott is best, most complete RB prospect since Adrian Peterson”
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2016/03/08/draftezekiel-elliott-is-the-most-complete-rb-prospect-since-adrian-peterson/
“Elliott, the best and healthiest running back prospect since Adrian Peterson nine years ago, has no real weakness and nothing working against him — except for the position he plays.”
http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl-news/4696457-ezekiel-elliott-2016-nfl-combine-nfl-draft-rumors-ohio-state-running-back-first-round-pick-ravens
Thank you for the links, but I don’t see Elliot as that clear of a talent.
Greg Cossell hasn’t put this into writing yet, but when he was on with Ross Tucker on Friday morning he stated “I wouldn’t say clear-cut #1” when asked about Elliot’s status as the top back in the draft. Cossell said that Elliot is better than Melvin Gordon, but likes Williams from Arkansas (even coming off of an injury) just as much as Elliot.
So to be clear from my end;
– I don’t see Elliot anywhere as good as Peterson.
– I’d disagree that he’s as good as Gurley if you assume Gurley is 100% of what he was at UGA pre-knee.
– I’ll agree with Cossell that Elliot is better than Gordon.
– I don’t see ANY bust potential with Elliot.
That adds up to a guy who should be taken in the 12-18 range given the short careers of RBs and the lack of clear production separation from guys taken in the first round and guys taken elsewhere in the draft.
I go back and forth on Zeke. He may be an elite prospect in this draft but I agree with you that RB that high is simply a hard pill to swallow. And to add to that, EVEN if he is AP-good, has that brought the Vikings success in any lasting way? I just think the opportunity cost is too high.
I would like Zeke more if he were on a mediocre team.
Nolan Carroll PC recap. Logan had knee scoped.
http://www.phillymag.com/birds247/2016/03/18/nolan-carroll-philadelphia-eagles-contract/#more-3085885
Good link thank you. I don’t get to as much 24/7 as I should because my screen name got banned by Philly.com over some harsh, but not vulgar, commentary about Harry Gamble.
Philly.com is different site than 24/7 at phillymag.com Fyi…
Yeah, that’s what I meant to say. Phillymag got me.
Top of the draft seems soft compared to other years. Can’t think we’re taking a QB early considering what we paid both Chase and Sammy Bean.
Why? First rounders make chump change and a QB taken in rd 1 makes it easy to cut or trade Bradford going into 2017.
True but the way things set up really looks like Chase is the one if not Bradford?
Totally possible, but we can shed either guy with ease.
I disagree. To me the this is perfectly set up for bringing a rookie QB in the mix. If Bradford plays good the Eagles can keep him, if he shits the bed he will be an easy cut next offseason leaving the Eagles with Daniel as a possible placeholder until the rookie is ready.
I see this more like the way Seattle setup their QB situation the year they drafted Russell Wilson. Paid two guys and drafted a guy. They didn’t go 1st round obviously, but I think the philosophy of their strategy was, “we need a QB, therefore play as many hands as reasonably possible until you hit big.” I have no idea if they like one of the QBs at the top of the draft, but if they do, there is no guarantee he gets to the Eagles oick, therefore it makes sense to target FAs as legitimate options. If their guy does get to the Eagles pick, you aren’t so committed to either Chase or Bradford that you pass on a QB you like.
I agree w/ this, think they pick someone midround, but i’m always wrong and they moved to 8 (and have ammo to move further) for a reason. Part of me things it’s to get a tackle…
As long as Pederson gets HIS qb with one of his first four picks, Im happy.
If Jameis WInston or Luck was in this draft I could see us take a QB, but No, Goff and Wentz ARENT special enough to draft at #8, especially after what we invested in the position… I also think Pederson łet it slip that he doesn’t view these Qbs as special enough to go after a QB in round 1
…
Im not sure we will see any teams trying to trade ahead of each other to secure Wentz or Goff
..
All I know is im extremely thankful for not being desperate for a QB in this draft class, and I think highly of SAM, to the point where I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if He still ends up being our QB 3 years from now..
,,
No matter what QB you have, you don’t pass on special QB prospects like Luck, even WInston.. You either take them even tho you have a franchise QB already, or you trade back because you know plenty of teams will value them enough to trade up to 1 or 2 for That QB.. As someone that isn’t ready to write off Bradford, I would never pass on an Elite QB prospect. If we were actually lucky enough to have two Franchise Qbs we can always trade one for a kings ransom.. I just don’t view these kids as that type of QB prospects… I view them as QBs who should be drafted in the 17-35 range, but are being over rated because of QB desperation, and the lack of better QB prospects in this draft…… I won’t be shocked if this QB class ends up looking like the GENO Smith, Eji, Nassib, Barkley QB draft (maybe not THAT bad) or the Lockert, GAbbert, Ponder class…,. At best i see them as Teddy, Bortles type prospects, and people act like those are Franchise guys, but im not sold yet on Teddy or Bortles..
.
At #8 I want a great player, somewhere between Lane Johnson level, and Fletcher Cox level, and im no where near comfortable betting on these QB prospects being as good as Lane, let alone Cox..
..
Al I care about is getting a kid with Game changing elite Talent, who 4 years from now, will be one of our 5 best players… That’s all I cared about. And I’ll gladly take THAT level of player, at whatever position this draft class will provide..
I ask this question only because it affects us at #8. I get the whole “repetitive accuracy” thing with Chip and why Goff wold be a good pick for the 49ers based on that, but after watching several of Memphis games this year, is Paxton Lynch not an ideal Chip QB? He’s 6’7″, 244, 10 1/4″ hands, athletic (I saw him run many times for Memphis) and has a rocket for an arm.
For comparison, Goff is 6’4″, 215, and skinny with Donald Trump hands. As we saw over the past 3 years, Chip does not need a “running QB”, but having a big athletic guy who has the ability to run it without getting injured seems to be ideal. Plus given that Chip’s offense gives the QB simplified reads, could he not step right in and start?
Lynch simply isn’t talented enough to take at 7. Maybe at 38,.
What makes Lynch SO much worse than Goff or Wentz?
This.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000612645/article/memphis-paxton-lynch-doesnt-have-look-of-nflready-qb
I could pull up an article for any qb sayimg they arent worth 7 though :/
But how many can you find that have Lynch rated as better than Goff or Wentz?
Pro football weekly and I believe sports illustrated have Lynch as QB1
Thank you. I’ll investigate that and proceed to rip it!
Classic MM
Lol. I bought PFWs annual draft guide and a friend told me about sports illustrated. Not sure how fast you can investigate but good luck haha
Granted not many but his talent isn’t as void as you continually make it out to be.
I’d rate his mix of talent / projecting into a real NFL system / etc. as 2nd round. Certainly better than Cook and Hackenberg by a wide margin. But a clear step below Goff and Wentz.
“After Lynch’s disappointing performance against Auburn, I have serious concerns about his game.”. “Sure, he possesses all of the physical traits that scouts covet in a blue-chip quarterback, but “elite” guys find a way to shine on the biggest and brightest stage.”
Memphis recruiting classes national ranking:
2012 – #92
2013 – #89
2014 – #78
2015 – #78
Auburn ranking:
2012 – #11
2013 – #10
2014 – #6
2015 – #8
Brooks is completely full of shit! I’m no Lynch apologist, but for Pete’s sake, how is a guy supposed to shine when all his teammates are 2 & 3 star recruits playing against 4 star recruits who are bigger, faster, and stronger.
On the flip side, Wentz never played a team that had superior talent than his own. It’s all relative.
Heck, Sanchez was a stud at USC with the talent level, coaching, and facilities around him second to none. Put him on an equal playing field and he was subpar.
I’m not a scout and have no idea if Wentz or Goff are the real deal, but I’d be hard-pressed to believe that either one of them would have “found a way to shine” if they were in Lynch’s shoes at Memphis, let alone Hackenberg’s shoes at Penn State the past 2 years.
Well as a Lynch fan he was poor against Auburn – there is no sugar coating it. However I think he was carrying an injury from November on wards since they totally transformed the offense from being an attacking vertical offense with play action to suddenly being a quick pass dink and dunk… which played to none of their strengths as a team nor their huge success up to that point.
Personally i think Lynch is an evaluation you need to be an inside guy to really be able to make. You need to know what happened inside the program to make that sudden change happen – was it OL injuries, was Lynch hurt, did the Coaching staff have collective amnesia? If you get the right answers i think he goes higher than people think come draft day because he has huge raw talent, and earlier in the year he was the best QB in college football carrying his team on his back.
I guess that I look at QBs a little different than most people. I don’t care about the record as much because that has as much to do with teammates and coaches, as skillset. I agree that Lynch needs to be evaluated via inside information, but I’m also think that is important for all QBs.
Regardless, if the Eagles take a QB at #8, I will be excited because that would mean DeFilippo (college QB), Reich (NFL QB) and Pederson (NFL QB) all see a franchise player. If they pass on a QB at #8, either they don’t see a franchise QB available, or think they already have one in Sam, which I’m OK with too.
Sticking with Sam is the scariest scenario for me, because i think our defense will be a lot better, we will get better OL and WR play this year and in a still weak devision probably win it going 9-7 or 10-6. But if Sam still looks like he has his entire career, you are stuck with a horrible choice in 2017. Do you dump a QB with a team with a winning record with no easy draft option? That’s how you get fired next offseason. Do you resign him and hope he puts it together in year 7 or 8 in the league?
If we do stick with Sam i pray he either suddenly blooms or just crashes and burns because there is nothing worse than QB limbo.
I think the prevailing opinion (haters excluded) is that he did bloom during the 2nd half of the season, playing the best football of his career. The hope is that he can continue at that level and not regress (and that the receivers can hold onto the ball).
But if it’s a particularly weak QB class, who’s to say the 4th, 5th or 6th ranked QB next year won’t be better than the #3 guy this year?
He’s very talented. He has a strong arm, can make gorgeous throws with right touch and air with bucket throws. He’s inexperienced and not coming out of a pro system.
I’ll cut and paste the conclusion from Brooks (that I linked below) on Lynch.
“There’s no question that Lynch is one of the most talented quarterbacks in college football. He exhibits rare athleticism and movement skills for a “big” quarterback. He has enough arm talent to make every throw in the book. However, I had some questions about his readiness and potential based on my extensive tape study (Ole Miss, Houston, Temple, South Florida, and Cincinnati) prior to the Birmingham Bowl. Those concerns are heightened after watching him struggle against Auburn. While I still believe he’s an intriguing prospect with potential, I see him as a developmental prospect who will need time to grow into the position. If I had to compare him to a current pro, I would cite Ryan Tannehill as an apt comparison. Lynch can function at a high level in executing concepts that are similar to the tactics he runs at Memphis, but he will need time to transition to a pro playbook.”
This says “2nd rounder” to me.
Yep he’s talented.
So are a lot of guys. But there is a big gap between the BS playbook Memphis uses and real NFL football. That is too risky for round 1.
Isn’t the BS playbook Memphis used similar to Chip’s? That’s my point, he seems like he would be a developmental QB in a pro-style offense, but is ready made for Chip’s offense.
Which Chip? Oregon or Philly?
But I get your point there.
Yes there is some similarity and running the read option may have some sway. Look at Vick and Bradford and even Shady and Murray, it’s going to take time to perfect. How many times did Sam and Murray miss timing on a handoff. At same time I think they get more comfortable
I moved to TCU as a running back coach and really was enamored with the way that they ran the ball at TCU at the time. They got the ball to the perimeter; they ran some option stuff; they did some things formationally. I think that had a big influence on me, and then eventually I became the coordinator there.
http://wtvr.com/2015/11/30/justin-fuente-virginia-tech-head-football-coach/
I found this quote telling:
“That being said, we want to change the tempo. That doesn’t mean we want to go at such a speed that we hang the defensive side of the ball out to dry, so to speak, by making them play the whole game, but we do want to control the tempo. We have been a run-the-ball-first team. We have made big plays through play-action pass and moving the pocket and getting the ball on the perimeter, and that’s what we’ll continue to try to do.”
Lol are we sure the Memphis playbook ISNT more complex than the 5 plays Chip runs?
He’s got 6th round facial hair.
Kelly’s not making the decisions in San Francisco.
Maybe he has input. Maybe not.
Baalke — with a track record, along with York, of driving away one of the best coaches in football — makes the calls on draft day.
Baalke’s been a key personnel guy (either #1 or #2) since 2008 — which is 4 coaches ago.
So it’s possible that Kelly’s input means spit to Baalke.
No ax to grind here, but it feels like the departure of Jim Harbaugh from San Fran is a continually revised history. Didn’t the volatile screamer earn a good bit of animus from owner to FO to fans? I neither love nor hate him, nor do I have more than a passing interest in how the old GM is getting on with the new hire, but I do think that Kelly’s rep as a coach will either be resuscitated or declared dead with no personnel issues to distract him.
Its not like Matt Barkley, Sanchez and Bradford are bigger than Goff and all 3 share similar traits to Goff that Kelly wanted
Kelly wanted Mariota and the traits he possessed (running ability and accuracy), he settled for Bradford, Sanchez and Barkley.
I’m not saying Chip wouldn’t like Goff to be his QB, I just think Lynch checks off more the boxes that Chip desires.
Does Kendricks –on his contract, coming off a down year– maintain any sort of trade value? You obviously hope for a bounce back, but both he and Barwin strike me as potential trade chips depending on how Schwartz thinks of them as system fits. While Jack definitely seems like a tantalizing prospect that could thrive in that WLB role.
Some I’m sure, but not a lot.
They lose $1,800,000 of cap space if he’s traded according to overthecap.com . I’m not a cap expert to know if that’s prohibitive but they can carry over cap space and with Fletcher contract. etc. we need all the space we can get.
They would need a really good offer which ain’t happening. But they need depth even if they get Jack and I think Kendricks will be easier to move next year.
there is no way I see us trading KEndricks this year…, as is, it will already be difficult to get as much LB depth as we would like.. With KEndricks, Bradham and Hicks all having durability concerns, THATS one area where we can’t afford to lose talent. Even if Myles Jack falls into our lap, I don’t think we can afford to lose Kendricks. He would be more valuable on our bench, than what we would get for him in a trade…. Nor do I think they even want to trade him. I think Schwartz views him as a valuable piece of what he will build, with Mychal being one of the players most positively effected by the scheme change
Trading Kendricks would be selling low. If he plays well this year he’s going to put up monster stats. If they want to still move him because we have Jack then his value would be much higher after the season.
Group A..Players I would feel thrilled to end up with:
1) Tunsil, …..although he isn’t the all pro lock people make him out to be. I haven’t forgotten the Predraft Greg Robinson Hype, but I’d still love to be able to add him which is highly unlikely
.
2)’Ramsey’s,been my dream for two years now..Probably not going to happen
.
3)Myles Jack… His talent Is a no BRAINER for me if he is still available at #8
..
4) Zeke Elliot… I think the devaluing of RB of any position for that Matter is absurd, and overstating RB shelf life is also silly. The kid will turn 21 at the end of July and is aalready more well rounded than most RB who come out of school.. The kid can be a great weapon for us for the next 5-7 years…. In today’s NFL, give me 7, 8 great years out of a first round pick And im thrilled… This argument to try and find tackles who can play 15 years is absurd… Injuries impact careers, coaching changes, scheme changes, free agency, you get 7 or 8 great years out of the #8th pick, is Great as far as I’m concerned, and there is no reason why I shouldn’t be able to expect 7 great years out of a healthy RB like Zeke… Wanting to draft a kid who will be an eagle 10 years instead of 7 years sound like a silly reason to factor into who we draft. If we pass on Zeke, it better mean that we got a Special Player great enough to compensate for the Fact that we will basically be allowing the Giants to pair Zeke Elliot with Odell Beckham. kid is too special of a RB to make it past #10. One way or another (Dallas, Philly, Giants) Zeke will be the best RB in the NFC next year and possibly past next year. if we deliver him to the Giants, we better have gotten someone even more special… But im so tired of hearing people devalue adding a Great player who we can feed the ball to 25 times a game for the next 7 years. We lack weapons, makes no sense to completely devalue the best weapon by far in this entire draft, at a position of néed at that
..
5) Deforrest Buckner: if available at #8, I expect him to be more in play than Eagle fans think..
..
group B…. Guys I don’t want but acknowledge that they will be top 10 picks:
1) Wentz
..
2) Goff
..
3) Bosa
..
group C… Over Rated players that I don’t believe will be drafted in the top 10
..
1) Vernon Hargreaves.. Solid corner, but there is Nothing special about him that should make him a top 10 corner, you are lucky if you can find 1’DB in each draft worthy of a top 10 pick.. I don’t see Hargreaves as This special transendant prospect who will be on of the best 5 players on our team 4 years from now, Thus Hargreaves Name shouldn’t even be mentioned as a possible target at #8
.
2) Mackensie Alexander… Like Hargraves I think he has a future as a quality #2 CB, but not the type of talent you stick on an Island against Julio or Dez
..
Group D: Prospects that complete baffle me:
1) Ronnie Stanley…. I don’t know what to think about him. Sometimes I feel like he can be an all pro caliber NFL RT and list him in Group A… Other times I worry that he is closer to Conklin than he is to Tunsil and list him in Group B… There are even times that I wonder if he challenges Hargreaves as the most over rated top 10 prospects who could end up falling out of the top 10 all together..
..
The name of the game is to come away from the draft with as much talent as possible.. It’s not often that we get a top 10 pick, instead of devaluing positions, we should be concerned with 1 thing, making this #8 pick count, adding a Great Gamebreaking talent that our roster lacks.. It’s way more important that we spend the pick on a kid who will be one of our 5 best players 4 years from now, than it is to add certain positions,… The Player we draft NEEDS to be somewhere bêtween Lane Johnson and Fletcher Cox as an Elite Talent… If you get a Good Tackle at #8, but Pass on a GREAT RB or LB(or whatever posituon devalue), then the draft is a FAILURE!
..
Each draft class is different. You have to take the best player the draft class provides, regardless of position… The single worst thing we can do is let NEED factor into who we spend the 8th pick on. The draft doesn’t give a shit about what we need, or what position we value, have to be flexible and be Disaplined enough to take whoever will be the most special NFL player when it’s our turn to pick… So I guess my wish list will look something like:
1) Ramsey
,,
2) Jack
..
3) Zeke
..
4) Buckner
(The best LT will never last Til #8)
Get me one of those players and I will be thrilled
You need get Zeke off of your top list.
You NEED to worry about your list
Ha. As long as taking a RB at 8 isn’t on the list, I’m ok with it.
So seriously……are people going to be pissed if we did end up with Zeke? I can understand him not being the top option, but I feel like some here would be upset.
2 months ago it was cowboys going to land zeke? aww man he’s going to be a monster. Now it’s hell no don’t take zeke at 8.
I think you’re worried about one person’s emotional roller coaster. I’d welcome the Cowboys taking a RB at 4.
if halfway through the season, Zeke is looking like Murray of last year, then i will dislike him as much as anyone else.
If he is playing like Gurley, then we will all love him and forget where he was drafted (until he has a bad game).
Same goes for any player at any position. This “no RB ever in top 10” or whatever top list is getting too trendy to think it is warranted as much as it is voiced.
I like the no shiftiness comment, treating Elliott as a player and not just a “no RB in top 10” concept. If he has no shiftiness that would be a problem and I agree a RB with no shiftiness should not be in the top ten.
I’ll be upset.
Me to.
Lol….i know you will. I’m torn. . I’m just hoping we don’t get an “ugly baby”. I’ll be happy whatever position they play if they become a good or better starter.
Since everyone here is now familiar with my thoughts on Hargreaves, I think Elliot will clearly be the BPA at 8.
I assume the top 7 off the board in no particular order will be Wentz, Goff, Tunsil, Jack, Ramsey, Bosa, Buckner…that leaves Elliot, Stanley, and Hargreaves.
Im not in love with Elliot. He lacks ellusiveness and while 4.4 speed is great for a back his size, its not elite break away speed. I think a truly special back would at least stand out in one of those categories. Elliot is such a good prospect because he is so well rounded. But hes just not special in any one thing.
While I dont love him, I think hes easily the best of that group of 3 most likely to be left over at 8.
I say in typical philly sports fashion, we are unlucky enough to have the 8th pick in a draft with 7 elite prospects.
Depends if the list has Lynch top 10 as well i suspect ^^.
I am on board with the #NoZeke@8 bandwagon, I just think the RB is just too high a risk to take at 8, for too little a gain for it to be worth while. History shows RB is one of the hardest to evaluate positions in the NFL, and that college production has limited role in predicting NFL performance. Combine that with the reality is that premium RB’s are rarely difference makers for their teams in actually having post season success means putting resources there is just something i cannot justify.
I think No General rule should be valued more than fairly grading the individual prospect… It’s not like I have ever before in my life wanted to draft a RB in round 1… I just see this kid as a special circumstance.
..
I don’t care about general RB Philosophy, if I can have someone like Laveon Bell, Jamal Charles, AP in round 1, I can’t scoff at that… But if we can have a better player than Zeke at #8, sigń me up!!
It sounds like you want no one barring an unlikely drop.
Why? I think there is a chance of Jack Falling, Id be open to moving up to #6 for him if he fell that far….im also comfortable that either Zeke or Buckner will definitely be available and both provide serious talent… I also am not ready to close the door on Ronnie Stanley yet, he baffles me at this point. I struggle trying to figure out what I think he will be..
..
Also, I know we like to think that we have an accurate picture of the top 10 to debate. We would like to think that the media has the top 10 figured out, but it doesn’t always work out that way.. There could be two or three players that end up in the top 10, that the media tells us will go in the #15 range
..
I just want a great player worthy of the 8th pick. I Genuinly don’t care what position, we have just about every short term starting position on paper filled at least temporarily, so I’d gladly take a GREAT Player at whatever positipn this draft class provide.. I care about getting a player who ends up with Cox and Lane As one of our best players 4 years from now… I want Greatness, game changing Talent, and I simply understand that it’s much harder to find if we start trying to target certain positions… every draft class is unique, and I simply want the best player that this draft provides at #8… I cringe at hearing positions devalued, and allowing NEED to factor into the debate about who the best player we can get at #8 will be..
..
And if one of the kids I don’t like goes on to be a special player, I hope the Eagles were smarter than me and drafted him…
I don’t want any player bad enough to be available when we pick.
I’ll buy most of what you’re selling, but I have less love for Zeke and more for Hargreaves than you do. VHIII doesn’t have ideal size, but he is a baller, and he could possibly nail down a starting corner position before Thanksgiving. He may need work in man coverage, because his game is all about seeing the ball, but JS will show zone backfield often enough to allow VHIII to play to his strength. What i love about this guy is his no fear/bring it on swagger.
Fair enough… I don’t think Harreaves will be a bad NFL player, I just don’t see him becoming one of the top NFL #1 corners, and if he won’t be that, then he has no business being drafted at #8…. I trust hargreaves to become a quality -#2 CB, but you DONT draft them with the #8th pick….
Poor Tray Walker. That accident sucks.
I really wish players would stay away from Miami, Atlanta, and Vegas. There is such a disproportionate amount of thuggish behavior and arrests / tragedy with players in those 3 cities.
Think he would be better off staying off a dirt bike especially in dark clothing at night with no lights…more than its important to avoid a specific city… Plenty of Dirt Bikes all over the streets of south And North Philly… Same behavior could have gotten him injured in Philly
True, but the sheer number of incidents involving players in Miami is staggering.
Florida also has more players in the NFL than any other state. Walker is from Miami. He’s not supposed to go home?
Not if “home” is full of miscreants.
Bernard Hopkins is from North Philly, but he chose to clear out and move to Hockessin, DE just to get away from bad people being around him at every turn.
He wasn’t wearing a helmet.
Died.Sad Day.
Yup. Such a waste.
MSU lost to 15 seed. Wahoowa.
Unreal. Michigan State is the ONE team you expect to not choke………………..until today.
They were too busy whining about not being a one seed.
Screwed my bracket up, I had them in Final 4.
Well you should have taken UVA
No you’re kidding Captain Obvious lol.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
The refs missed at least 10 over the back calls on Iowa all game. Nonsense.
Hated the Temple – Villanova seeding . . . local teams facing off, potentially, in Rd 2.
The NCAA committee avoids that sort of thing with high profile teams and teams from the power conferences.
You never see Kentucky v. Louisville in Rd 2.
Or Texas v. Ark
Or FSU v. UFL
Very bad year for the NCAA selection committee — which is saying something.
Texas-Texas A&M are slated to play in round 2.
Also saw IU v KY in R-2
Don’t like it. But what do I know
Were.
https://twitter.com/jensenoffcampus/status/710942577889914880
MM:
Quick FYI . . .
I’m not in favor of Elliott at all. Not at No. 8. Not at 28.
My calls of “ZEKE(!)” are entirely ironical.
Word! My faith in you is restored.
Yeah, it was very obvious.
ACV have you read this Yale bball expelled. Slept with girl 4 times and she says the 4th time wAs without consent. Now obv I don’t know the details. But wth??
A quick skim of the NYT article.
I slammed on the brakes to scratch my head when I read about their 4th bodily conjoining.
Given the reports, Yale admin went ridiculously hard against the player.
Was it “Slam the athlete”?
You hope there’s much more — in the way of corroboration — that was shared behind closed doors.
no means no you cretin.
No need for name calling dude. Did you read the details?
Did I say otherwise?
Baalke’s relationship with the younger owner is a curious one.
He, Baalke, may have the luxury of burning through another coach (i.e., Kelly) before York drops the ax.
It is a joke that York owns that team anyway. His wench mother stole it from one of the greatest owners in the history of pro sports.
100% this. I was living in SF when it happened. Eddie brought it on himself, but his sister and her doughy lump of a husband have no business owning that franchise.
When I was a kid, that is the franchise I wanted the Eagles to be…………………….but now.
As a Californian its hard to see the Niners become this. I didn’t see the Raiders becoming the best team in the state; or the Clippers and Warriors both surpassing the Lakers
Free agent RB Montee Ball was charged with strangulation, battery and
disorderly conduct Thursday in connection with an alleged incident at a
Madison, Wisconsin hotel in June 2014. His career is over.
What a dope.
Great college player still living off of his college accomplishments. Self-entitled asshole who’s pro career never amounted to anything and will never amount to anything. Good riddance. I guess you can tell I was never a fan of his.
What’s wrong with humans?
There was some conversation about the Erin Andrews verdict a couple of weeks ago ($55m) — Hulk Hogan just got $115m for the posting of a “secretly recorded” sex tape.
Who the heck is shelling out that kind of cash to see Hulk Hogan go buck wild!?
Hulk Smash! Wait….wrong guy!
Probably some macho man.
Reading the depositions, especially that of AJ Delaurio, it’s hard to feel sympathetic for Gawker.
Fired up a quick mock.
Took Goff b/c he’s my preferred QB, happy to snag Westerman and Haeg for O-line help. Took a flier on Williams at RB. Feeney is a guy who has size/speed/production I like for a shot to be our SAM in a few years. Seumalo is a potential center. Seymour, Seau, and Weatherly are all shots a depth at several spots.
Round 1 Pick 8: Jared Goff, QB, California (A+)
Round 3 Pick 14: Christian Westerman, OG, Arizona State (A)
Round 3 Pick 16: Jonathan Williams, RB, Arkansas (B+)
Round 4 Pick 2: Joe Haeg, OT, North Dakota State (B)
Round 5 Pick 14: Travis Feeney, OLB, Washington (A)
Round 5 Pick 25: Isaac Seumalo, OG, Oregon State (B+)
Round 6 Pick 13: Kevon Seymour, CB, Southern California (A+)
Round 7 Pick 12: Ian Seau, OLB, Nevada (C+)
Round 7 Pick 30: Stephen Weatherly, DE, Vanderbilt (A)
Round 1 Pick 8: Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State (A+)
Round 3 Pick 14: Christian Westerman, OG, Arizona State (A)
Round 3 Pick 16: Chris Jones, DT/DE, Mississippi State (A)
Round 4 Pick 2: Joe Haeg, OT, North Dakota State (B)
Round 5 Pick 14: Rashard Robinson, CB, LSU (A+)
Round 5 Pick 25: Keith Marshall, RB, Georgia (B-)
Round 6 Pick 13: Charone Peake, WR, Clemson (A+)
Round 7 Pick 12: Juston Burris, CB, NC State (B)
Round 7 Pick 30: De’Runnya Wilson, WR, Mississippi State (A+)
I took Wentz because i like his potential more, and we have time to develop him. I really think we can get a really good young DT in the 3rd round because this draft class is so deep – getting someone like Chris Jones would be almost robbery imho.
Marshall/Peake are 2 of my favourite Day 3 upside guys. Both are elite athletes who due to injury’s fell behind some very impressive competition and slowed down their development – but both have elite potential if you can help them achieve it.
Robinson will not be there in the 5th come draft day but was too good to pass up and i like Burris as a special teams CB depth guy who plays tough and aggressive.
Since we are posting Mocks, I figured I’d give it a go.
Your Picks:
Round 1 Pick 8: Myles Jack, OLB/ILB, UCLA (A+)
Round 3 Pick 14: Vernon Butler, DT, Louisiana Tech (A+)
Round 3 Pick 16: Sebastian Tretola, OG, Arkansas (A)
Round 4 Pick 2: Jordan Howard, RB, Indiana (A+)
Round 5 Pick 14: Harlan Miller, CB, Southeastern Louisiana (A+)
Round 5 Pick 25: Charone Peake, WR, Clemson (A+)
Round 6 Pick 13: James Cowser, DE/OLB, Southern Utah (A)
Round 7 Pick 12: Demarcus Robinson, WR, Florida (A+)
Round 7 Pick 30: Cody Kessler, QB, Southern California (B+)
I have been trying to get Jack to fall to us at #8 and tried to get a good OT but one didn’t fall to us where we’d get value.
I did manage to grab good value throughout but I was surprised to see Butler fall into the third round.
Butler would be fun to mix in with Logan and Cox. Jack doesn’t need commentary.
Cowser is a guy who I have trouble projecting and he looks really weird.
I didn’t put much research into the later rounds as I was purely looking for value.
What do you mean that Cowser looks really weird?
Free agent CB Patrick Robinson will visit the Cowboys next week.
Dallas had interest in Robinson last offseason before he signed with the Chargers. He also visited with the Rams, but left without a contract. Robinson is Rotoworld’s No. 1 available corner.
slow clap, tommy. I agree with this almost 100%
love william jackson III almost more than mackensie alexander, but same logic; don’t think he’s #8 great
I think people are getting stuck on Hargreaves 40 time. Talent > Measurables
but he is also a bit short at 5-10. If picked at 8, then he needs to be projected to be a shut down corner that can handle the too many non-Eagle wide receivers that are 6-4 plus, and 4.4 runners. Being six inches or more shorter AND slower is not a good place to start as a corner when against the tall/fast wr.
How many of them are there in the NFCE? The biggest WR in the NFCE is Dez at 6-2, but he is thick. The other great WRs are Beckham who Hargreaves battled to a tie with in college, then there is Desean who a thick build CB like VH can press and the last is Jordan Reed, but he is TE/WR tweener who needs to be covered by somebody like Jenkins.
Think the 40 speed is not a concern, because he is very quick and twitchy which puts him a step up on most bigger longer striding CB’s in coverage anyway. I would not be surprised if he runs a better 40 at his pro day next week, since 39′ vert and 130 broad should give a better 40 than 4.5.
And while 5’10 is not ideal he has a huge leaping ability (and does it well on tape). If this had been Chip and Billy’s scheme the Eagles not to be interested, but Schwartz is less concerned with one type of body at CB, and at @204lb’s he is a well built and powerful 5’10.
out of these eight, Elliott, Hargreaves, Goff and Buckner seem most likely to still be there at 8. Buckner would have been great last year of course, but does not seem a great fit. If Goff is there, then just pick him. But if Goff is gone, then it is a pretty good bet that it becomes Hargreaves vs Elliott (with Tommy’s list), in this post-combine mock draft environment.
Maybe they just love Lynch and felt they would be jumped over at 13, so feel like they need to be at 8 to get him. And then they will do their best to keep their cards hidden and not broadcast that they covet a QB at 8. And maybe signing Bradford also helps keep their love of Lynch (or Goff) hidden. If did not sign Bradford, every, every mock draft would have the Eagles picking a QB at 8.
Would like taking Jack at 8 but doubt he’s there. Juste watched vs Virginia ans He’s knocking back guards and tackles while also covering wr.. Cant really find holes in his game even thought they must bé some. Other prospects i like are thr two Clemson DE’s especially dodd. He’s 6’5 275 and the way hé usés his reach linemans have hard time getting to his body. Did not run the best 40 but has good busrt and quickness. Also is it just me or this draft seems weak at the top comparer to other class?
Looking more and more like both Goff and Wentz will be gone before 8. I really wouldn’t be surprised to see the Rams make a big move up to 1 and then QBs go 1-2. If not, then you could have QBs go at 2-4, 2-7, or 4-7. I don’t really think DAL will take a QB at 4(more likely in Rd 2 or 3) If one of the QBs is there at 6, I think Rams may jump SF for one. If we assume 2 QBs in top 7, then I think the other players guaranteed to be off the board are Tunsil(TeN at 1, CLE at 2(total re-build/Joe Thomas potentially trade, SDG at 3, BAL at 6, SF at 7), Jack(3/4/5), and Ramsey(1/3/4/6). Outside shot at Bosa but I think he goes one of 4/5/6. I think the choice at 8 then comes down to Stanley/Hargreaves/Elliott/Conklin. I don’t see Buckner as a great scheme fit.
Of those 4 possibilities at 8, I think Hargreaves is the best combination of talent value, need, fit, and positional value. You want a player drafted in the top 10 as a cornerstone player and hopefully they’re with you beyond their rookie contract. RBs are typically spent by the time their rookie deal is up and signing them to an expensive 2nd deal is almost always unwise.So, Elliott gets eliminated for me for lack of positional value. Ronnie Stanley grades high in terms of talent value and need but I don’t think is the best fit. We’re paying Lane Johnson on the basis of eventually switching to LT and if he’s left at RT then his contract becomes a cap negative. While it pails in the importance of potentially having LT locked down in the future, the lack of ability to immediately contribute at G while Peters is still here is also a minor negative. I think Conklin is a great fit, but in terms of both talent value and positional value(likely a G immediately and future RT), 8 is probably a slight reach.
I think Stanley is a great fit for the Giants. Flowers should be a RT, not a LT. I know no one wants to do business with their enemy but I wouldn’t mind swapping 8 for 10, picking up the Giants’ 3rd and then taking Conklin(who’s a guy I think coaches will fall in love with) at a spot a little more commensurate with his likely pure talent ranking.
Going 15 to 1 is insanely hard and IF you were wanting to do it you would have done the trade by now…. you want to make adjustments to your free agency plans to reflect what you would give up in a trade.
You probably need to trade up into the top 7 pre draft (which is more expensive since teams do not know who they are passing up on), and then need a deal in place to get No.1 of the Titans. I mean you are going to have to give up pretty much an entire drafts worth of assets to get it done.
Even if they aim for no.3 then similar problems are there getting the deal done. Both the Chargers and Titans focus is on selling tickets to their fanbases, and future draft picks do not get bums on seats… elite college playmakers that fans know do. Think there is a big enough drop off from Tunsil/Ramsey to whoever would be available later that it will not be easy. Plus this draft class of QB’s is higher risk…. your mortgaging the franchise on a 25% chance?
I think there is a chance Goff/Wentz fall to no.6, and then the Eagles need to decide if they want to jump in front of Chip for a QB or if they want to let him consider it and hope a QB makes it to 8 (assuming they like the QB that falls.)
If the top 4 go: Tunsil, Wentz/Goff, Ramsey/Jack, Bosa/Elliot/Ramsey/Jack; leaving one of the QBs at 5……..I could see the Rams being able to get from 15 to 5.
5 is worth 1700, 15 is worth 1050. So the Rams could easily get another 650 in points by trading the 2 we gave them (470) and some other combo of picks that equate to a net of 180 points (typically a mid 3rd rounder).
“RBs are typically spent by the time their rookie deal is up and signing them to an expensive 2nd deal is almost always unwise.So, Elliott gets eliminated for me for lack of positional value. ”
Agreed x 1000
“Ronnie Stanley grades high in terms of talent value and need but I don’t think is the best fit. We’re paying Lane Johnson on the basis of eventually switching to LT and if he’s left at RT then his contract becomes a cap negative.”
The combined money we’d be paying both tackles, if we took Stanley at 8 wouldn’t be a problem with the cap until 20-21 (Stanley’s option year), or 21-22 (Stanley’s) 6th year. At that point it might be time to move on from Lane at LT or maybe Lane never made it at LT and Stanley is holding down that spot. I’d rather over-invest at two LT quality level starters at both tackle spots than look at a Michael Oher / Mike Remmers combo.
If dallas or the Eagles DONT take Zeke… I assume we will be playing agaisnt Odell Beckham and Zeke Elliot twice a year for the next 7 years,..
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I don’t believe the Giants will pass on Zeke
,l
Zeke will be the best RB in the NFC east, the only question is who willl he be playing for?
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Don’t believe we will rate Hargeaves as a top 10 talent, and I could see stanley also not having a top 10 grade… But who knows…. There could be 3 kids drafted in the top 10 who know one is mocking in the top 10 today
Trying to get into the minds of Roseman and his staff, I just don’t think that QB ranks high in their first round selection plans. You just don’t re-sign and sign two quarterbacks to multi-million dollar deals only to take another QB at the top of the draft who will sit on the bench. If Daniel had not been signed, sure, I would put drafting Goff or Wentz near the top of my list. And, Goff and Wentz are not Winston and Mariotta. They are not sure bets.
OL, CB and RB (not a fan of drafting one in the first round) are more pressing needs for 2016. As I have stated more than once, draft a stud in the first round and then target a “developmental” quarterback mid to late and move on.
Where I’d caution you on that is that a top 10 pick of a QB under the current salary cap rules is very easy to afford and they could easily move Bradford going into 2017 and avoid any scary cap issues.
I think they really do like Sam and see him as a franchise QB, but this is one of the most valid reasons to take a QB at #8. You get him for 5 years with and option to franchise for year 6.
Year 5, for a guy in the top 10 at QB, is really franchise-lite if you look at it. But I agree with the core of your point.
Yes, 5th year is transition tag number.
Valud reasons to take a QB #8 is total bullshit. They will conduct a fair evaluation of each prospect and if they deem these QBs too good to pass on, they will draft the QB.. if they like them but don’t love them, they won’t spend the 8th pick on a QB…. NOTHING ELSE will factor into this equation.
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What we did in Free Agency is for THIS YEAR, what we do in the draft is for our FUTURE
Gian, you post a lot of good stuff on this site, but when you speak in absolutes like you are an experienced GM or all-knowing mind reader of the Eagles front office and everyone else is wrong, it’s hard to take your posts seriously. I appreciate your opinion, but these condescending posts make a discussion with you really a one-way conversation.
Actually when I post in “absolutes” I expect you to have some minimal intelligence to be able to asssume that im not speaking from a GM poïnt of view… Everyone is ONLY posting their opinipn, an uneducated one at that…, so I expect you to understand that instead of having to write IMO before every single fucking thing I post… If you don’t interpret that correctly, sounds like a personal problem…
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How the hell can anyone speak in absolutes when we are going off a fraction of the info that goes into making each decision? That should automatically be understood in EVERY comment section of a blog
Thanks for taking my olive branch and being a douchebag about it.
Good effort. That always sucks.
“unless the Eagles trade back, which doesn’t seem likely”. I agree at first glance. But then there’s the lack of a 2nd round pick. What if a team behind them, somewhere in the teens, offers them a 1sr & a 2nd to move up because they are absolutely in love with who’s still on the board at #8? That also puts the players mentioned above, who you like but not at #8, back in play. Seems unlikely, but then, it seemed unlikely that the Eagles could get free from those bad contracts for Murray & Maxwell. But they did.
The fact that they moved up into the top 10 and Howie mentioned needed to get up there; I’d see them moving up a few spots as more likely.
If they move back, as long as it’s not too far, the spin can always be well a couple of guys got taken ahead of us that weren’t in our top 10 so we knew we could still land one of those guys and then Hey, he was the #1 guy on our board at #8 anyway!
I’ll have to judge who is still on the board at 8 to determine if that is a wise line of thinking.
Consider Howie have said he thinks there is 10 guys with pro bowl talent, he cant really spin it
Sure, one of two of these other clueless GMs took someone who wasn’t in the real(my) top 10 so I was able to trade down and still get a real top 10 pro bowl level player.
To get a 2nd back though you’re looking at moving back to the late teens.
More likely we can use a 3rd and a 5th to get into the end of the 2nd if we really need to.
Yea we’ve got ammunition to jump in if a run happens.
Yup. I’m not trying to come out of these mid-rounds without 2 good o-linemen if we don’t take Stanley at 8.
And FYI, you have have me totally hooked on Haeg.
Haeg, Tuerk, McGovern, Glasgow. Give me one and I’m happy. Give me two and I’ll be pumped.
If we can get a guy like Tuerk to play a year at guard and then take Kelce’s job at center for 2017 – I’ll do a victory lap 5k or 10k.
That would more be Glasgow. I think I actually may like Tuerk most at T, I think he can legitimately play all 5 spots.
I think I dislike Kecle, so however we get that done I’m in favor it.
Trade chart goes out the window if a team is desperate and/or stupid enough. In 2004, Cleveland gave up a 2nd round pick to move up from 7 to 6.
I don’t think our Front office has to be able to “spin” something to justify to us doing what they feel is best for the eagles.
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If our GM is so weak that he only makes moves the public can understand, we are really screwed, personally, I’d like to think Roseman is better than that
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How realistic do you guys see:
Titans – Tunsil
Browns – Goff/Wentz
Chargers – Ramsey
Cowboys – Bosa
Jags – Bruckner
Ravens – Jack
Niners – Goff/Wentz
as the top 7 taken?
Buckner to a 4-3 team? Highly unlikely.
Jags aren’t 4-3 hoss. Gus Bradley runs Seattle’s hybrid system.
They run everything but they’re still a 4-3 team at heart.
They’re a 4-3 under team. That isn’t real 4-3 Bud Carson style.
I think you can look at the litany of down linemen Seattle has used to see how Bruckner would fit in with the Jags.
Bradley has learned that you’re going to have 3 big ol’ DTs and one pass rusher on the front 4. Buckner just isn’t that pass rusher.
Fowler is that pass rusher. Bruckner provides several types of utility in several types of fronts.
Not that I particularly care about who they draft but I just don’t see it happening. Buckner is not that versatile and will have to be a DE.
So you can’t go; Bruckner – Jackson – Roy Miller – Folwer and sit Alualu’s medicore rear end on the bench?
Sure you can. Seahawks did that with Red Bryant when they had him but they moved away from it since they wanted more pressure. Buckner has potential as a pass rusher but he’s not going to be JJ Watt. He’s going to be an effort rusher. People are hyping him up to be as athletic as Mario Williams but he’s just not.
I disagree… For starters, I think Buckner can go as high as #3 to chargers.
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If I don’t think Buckner will be removed from the Eagles big board even tho we are running a 4-3 scheme, then I don’t believe the Jaguars would remove him from their board.
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Everyone runs multiple front defenses these days with how much specialized subpackages we see in TODAYS game… An interior pass rusher wjIll always be highly valued, there is no pressure that can effect a QB more than Pressure up the middle… To have Cox and Buckner as our interior DT pass rushers on our 3rd down four man pass rush line would be awesome..
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I can see a scenario where Buckner falls to #8 and we take him because he is the best player available..
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Deforest Buckner is a 9 lb weight gain away from fitting a 4-3… Hardly a smart reason to pass on him if he happens to be the BPA
Buckner is a 9lb weight game away from fitting in a 4-3
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My favorite tape is watching Buckner completely dominate and toss around Stanford Gaurd Joshua Garnett like he was a rag doll
You’re negating his strengths as a player if you put him in as a DT. Not to mention that Buckner is a joke of a pass rusher compared to our guys. If you want a potential DL guy at 5 or 8 in a very deep DL draft then be my guest.
Buckner is a 5 tech. The Under front the Jags run has a 5tech. I’d guess they probably want to use Malik there but they could try him at the 3 and let Buckner play 5.
That’s quite certainly a possibility. Maybe not in that order, but those 7 coming off the board before us.
I still think the Cowboys take a QB.
I see that in more round 2 or round 3. I don’t see how they don’t talk themselves into a player at 4 who can seriously improve their chances of being a title team in the next few years.
If they see Goff or Wentz as a franchise QB, how can they pass with Romo’s age and injuries. Romo broke his collarbone three times and now has a plate in it. If he breaks it again, the Cowboys are done for another season.
The odds of finding a 2nd round QB who will ever be a franchise player are slim compared the the top 5 picks in the first round.
Do you see Jones are going ride or die with Romo for 2 or 3 more years? I do, but I bet you don’t. I think that’s where we’re diverging on the Cowboys at 4.
I hear what they say publicly, but I guarantee Romo’s shoulder has them really worried. The Cowboys realistically can’t count on injury-prone Romo to last until he is 37 or 38. Heck, the Rams gave up on Sam only at 27 worrying about injuries.
This assumes that they wont think drafting a QB at the top of round 2 is an option..
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And it assumes Dallas won’t trade for someone like Mettenberger, McCarron, Glennon, Foles
Probably a mistake to assume that Jerruh will always do what’s logical.
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I could easily see Jerruh thinking he can draft a player at #4, and get away with taking Romos backüp in round 2
You’re missing my point, the Cowboys shouldn’t be looking for Romo’s backup at #4, but his successor.
I know what they should do, I just don’t kno what Jerruh will do..
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Btw, people who spend second round picks on QB ARENT dong so because they expect the QB to be a back..
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Back up QBs are typically drafted starting round 4
I agree with GEagle that Jerrah doe t always do what makes sense. He did specifically say they are. Of taking a QB, though, which seems almost too open to be smoke.
I would not be at all shrprised to see them take Elliot, hoping to quiet the talk that they made a mistake thinking scrubs could replace Murray.
If im Jerry and I plan on Drafting Zeke, I would try to trade back with the Ravens, allowing Baltimore to leap from the Jags to #4 so they can steal Myles Jack or Ramsey from Jaxonville, and the Cowboys still probably end up with Zeke at #6
God, I’d love to see them take Elliot.
Until you have to play against him twice a year.. Nothing funny about have to face a RB THATS better than Murray ever was behind that OL
I’ll take my chances at shutting that down with our front 4.
It will be easy to stop Zeke when Romo is injured and the backup QB is in.
Nah, I’m totally confident that our Defense can bottle up another RB, just like they did with Murray.
Exactly. Really, they should consider trading up to make sure they can get the QB they want.
They would be stupid not to.
Walter has Titans taking Ramsey and Chargers grabbing Tunsil. Cowboys – If Steve Jones likes one of those QB’s, I think he pulls the trigger, but Bosa is the mock favorite. Jags and Ravens are either/or between Jack and Buckner. The more I stare at that list, the happier I will be if HR trades back and grabs Conklin and Hassan Ridgeway in late first, mid second. Ravens are down a CB, but I doubt it impacts their first pick.
The most likely scenario, barring any trade-ups. The true wild card is where Jack goes balancing his rare talent with team need and concern about injury. Dallas needs pash rush and Bosa, but they could opt with best defensive player on board and take Jack at 4.
I think the Niners in a subsequent round will pick up Vernon Adams
Comical, but probably true.
I could see a scenario where the Niners don’t take a QB at #8, take a guy like Adams in the 4th round, go 2-14 next year and then chip gets to draft the QB from Clemson
Running back from Clemson?
Watson
Yes, the running back from Clemson. People need to GTFO with that dude as an NFL passer.
You won’t see me hoping that we tank the season for him
Nor I.
Im always with you when it comes to not wanting to see the Eagles QB run… Give me an immobile statue who will stand tall in the pocket and Chuck it all day long
Yup!
Playing the game the right way.
Guess you won’t be thrilled when they snag Brisset in the 4th?
Not at all. That guy has little to no passing skills.
He’s got an arm, has been accurate, and can move in the pocket. Clearly needs a couple years to relearn footwork and mechanics, but we’ve got 2 former QB’s as coaches, and Brissett has more natural ability than either of them showed on the field, arguably. I’m not jazzed by the top QB’s this year, so a fourth or fifth rounder is fine by me. Maybe they like somebody else more. I just hope they pick one – every season until they get lucky…and then start the process again.
Dig the philosophy on taking QB shots in later rounds, but I need it to be with actual QBs.
I’m not enamored by Brissett, but scouts have him comparing reasonably well to Hundley. He needs some time and TLC, and even then he may suck, but I think he’s worth a look.
I’d agree with that comp. And Hundley is terrible as well. I’m glad we didn’t draft him.
We gonna fight.
At least we didn’t need to say his name a full 3 times before you appeared.
Rd 2
Very realistic IMO.
Cossel is calling the signing of McLeod the Single best signing of entire free agent market… I assume that means the combination of caliber of player, $$$ it Took to sign him, and need…. “Earl Thomas-lite”
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I don’t even know what it feels like anymore to get to next years offseason and not be desperate for Safety help… here’s hoping..
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Loved hearing Nolan talk about how uncomfortable he was during his Cowboys visit. Nice knowing an Eagle player is as disgusted by dallas as we are
Cowboys are bringing alfred Morris in for a visit
Am I crazy to think that Lynch is the best QB prospect in this draft?
Highest upside i can agree with, and some of the highest highlights as well – but those come with a really poor final 4 games in college that a team needs to be comfortable understanding/forgiving. He also has the biggest challenge to transitioning to the NFL, coming from a pure spread scheme, and technically he has poor footwork in the pocket at times.
But he can be really good if he has time to develop and fix his flaws as he has all the tools you could want in a QB really.
Too often throws with feet too close. That can be fixed. He’s got a good throw and release
Crazy, no.
But I have him as the bronze medal winner behind Goff and Wentz.
Anyone have an opinion on Noah Spence?
Yes.
Drug addict and not trustworthy due to repeated drug test failures. Folks have pegged it at a minimum of 3. Also not talented enough to justify taking in the first round.
I think he is talented enough…. But no amount of talent is enough to trust this irresponsible kid as a first round pick… I think he is a better pro talent than Randy Gregory was..
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What Happened to Shane Ray? Did he see any playing time as a bronco this year?
Haven’t heard a peep about him since he fell on draft night after his weed bust
Yes, some.
But I’d offer that Ray is a better player and less of a drug risk.
They certainly DONT have to worry about him getting arrested for pot again, playing in Denver..
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I forgot all about Ray this year… I know nothing about his rookie year
He was behind Von Miller and Ware on the depth chart. Assume his snaps pick up as time goes on with Ware losing some snaps. I think he made one or two good plays in the Super Bowl.
And arrest, no.
But failed drug test, yes.
Spence: He’s explosive in first step and that’s a big thing.
For sure,,, Very intruiged by Noah Soence “the Talent”, can’t take that away from him… but Noah Spence “the Person” scares the bejesus out of me…
Not comfortable buying stock in Noah Spence, at least certainly not in round 1
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I think he’s highly talented but yeah, the drug stuff will knock him down. Probably should be a 3-4 OLB rather than a 4-3 DE
At his height (6-2), I’m not sure if he fits all of the stuff you need from a 3-4 OLB, so I might more see him as a 4-3 guy.
Doesn’t set the edge or power rush. So there’s a problem with him at 4-3 DE in many schemes. But all that said, might be best speed rusher in the draft
But his “speed” coming in at 4.8 didn’t do him any favors in that department.
Sucks that Nolan has to rehab injury this offseason… He allegedly worked like a madman last offseason to earn that starting spot, after a year of starting outside experiemce, I would have loved to see how much more he could have grown working his ass off the way he did last offseason…. But at least he should be a fool go for June..
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nolan said it was HIS decision to only sigń a 1ye deal, which means Eagles were offering him a multi year deal but he thought he could make more next offseason so he chose the 1 year deal which is the same thing that happened here with Maclin..
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So when we see a guy only sigń a 1 or 2 year deal, you can’t automatically assume “see Obviously the Eagles DONT really like him since they only signed him to a one year deal”, a shorter deal can be the players decision, instead of the Teams,,… If a playr and team can’t agree on the money for a long term deal, it’s not uncommon to see the player take a 1yr deal trying to get his value up for a better LongTerm deal next offseason..
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Can’t assumie that because we signed a guy to a one year deal, that he isn’t in our LongTerm plans…
for once, Kempski made an interesting point, showing what a Novice Chip was as a GM compared to Roseman, and a perfect example of it is comparing the Miles Austin chip signing, with the Chris Givens Roseman signing..
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18 days into free agency when players start to get desperate to find a job, inexplicably, chip signed AUSTIN to a 1yr deal worth $2,225,000 with $1mil guarenteed which pretty much ensured that Austn would be gifted a roster spot No matter what.
“Chip gave AUSTIN a deal that made him the 64th highest paid WR in the NFL which is essentially a low end #2 WR, or high end #3 WR money”… Austin should have been signed to league minimum which woudlnt have guarenteed him a roster spot, forcing him to earn it in Camp….. That’s how a Novice GM operates,.
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An Experienced GM like our supreme leader, Kim Jung Roseman, got Chris Givens on a contract that only pays him $840k with ONLY $180,000 guaremteed which means that he will have to earn his roster spot in Camp….givens won’t be a game changer for us, his ceiling is a Greg Lewis type for us, but I’d bet My House than Givens will be better than what the Pathetic Austin was for us last year…
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I can’t even Imagine how much more damage to this franchise Chip would have done had he been given control of this offseason …. I would assume that we would have seen Chip give a team a draft pick just to take Murray and get him out of chips sight, instead of Roseman who was able to dump Murray and get some actual compensation in return… Who knows what other damage Chip would have created this offseason.. For Starters, we would have lost VINNY Curry in free agency. Bradfords super Agent would have Bent chip kelly over and forced him to give Bradford an crazy extension that even a huge bradford supporter such as myself would have thought was An Insane extension
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It probably would have cost us much more to eventually extend Lane and ERTZ than the price Roseman got them for this offseason..
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I hate myself for ever drinking the Chip Kool aid, Drinking the Kool aid is an understatement, I was beer bonging that chip Kool aid SMH, chuggin that shit. Embarressing… What really bothers me is I wanted NOTHING To do with Chip during that coaching search before we ever hired him, yet I ended up chugging the Kool Aid. hopefully I learned a lot from this monster error in judgment…
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What’s really bad is the narrative that Chip is a bad GM, but is still a great coach,.. Can’t make that statement when the 2015 Eagles consistently displayed all the signs of a poorly coached team… Having said all that, I still think Chip is capable of becoming a really good NFL coach, but im not sure if his ego will allow him to make the many changes to his core beliefs and changes to his personality Needed to becone a great NFL coach…. If Chip was still in charge, all offseason we would be worrying about whether or not Chips ego will finally allow him to make the changes he needed to make to succeess… Allowing Chip to coach your team is almost as Big of a concern as allowing him to be the GM.
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I despise the Narrative that Chip is still considered the perfect coach for Mariota by Eagles fans who are upset that we didn’t trade half our franchise for Mariota…I wipe my ass with that Narrative after the friggin Titans decided that Garbage MIKE Mularky is a better option to coach a team with Mariota than Chip Kelly… the Titans didn’t even grant Chip an interview… While I will never agree with with trading what was rumored to be offered for Mariota, on some level it would have been fun to see Chip get Mariota, and then get fired a year later.
you meant to say “for twice” because his article on why you take a RB at 8 was very correct.
Nope.. I don’t believe in devaluing any position… I believe in general Philosophies like “not drafting a RB in round 1″… But I also believe in Not being a Slave to those Philosophies to the point that it blinds us and causes us to miss out on the Exception, and there are always exceptions to each rule.. You can’t find another time where I have ever been willing to consider drafting a RB in round 1… I just happen to think we are talking about one of the Rare exceptions To a rule that I have always believed in.
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And im not even pounding the table for Zeke. He isn’t my favorite option at #8.. Im hoping that there is someone I view as a better prospect available when it’s our turn to pick… Ultimately I really don’t give a shit who they draft, all I care about is that they hit on the #8th pick and we end up with a kid who will be up there with Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox, as one of our top 5 players 4 years from now… We are fortunate enough to pick in the top 10, when we have some really solid players on our roster but lack premier, elite, game changing, top tier talent.. I care that we spend the 8th pick on a kid who will grow into an elite NFL player at his position, and I don’t really care what position he plays. I rather have a Great player at a position we devalue, than to miss out on a great player and end up with a good player at a position we valued more.
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All I want is to make this pick count, And come away from this draft with premier talent, and I happen to understand that we would be seriously decrease our odds of drafting Greatnss, if we łet Need, or targeting positipns factor into the equation
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I have my ideas on players I think I prefer like everyone else. But those are just ideas. Ultimately I want Roseman to get it right, and land a kid who’s talent will be somewhere between Lane and Cox, even if that means not drafting one of the kids I think I prefer today
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It’s going to be rare when you see argue for drafting a RB that high, but for me, Roseman missing out on a special player because of a general philosophy is unacceptable.. More times than not, I won’t think there is a RB, Guard, or Center worth drafting this high.. But once in a blue moon there will be an exception, and when there is, missing out on a special player is unacceptable.. HOWEVER, while I hope Roseman goes against General philosophies when a special RB, TE, Guard or Center happens to be available, if he is going to draft one of those positions that high, he had BETTER be RIGHT! Drafting a Guard or RB at #8 who doesnt go on to be a special NFL player should get a GM fired… Then again, drafting a Bust in the top 10 at any position is something we wouldn’t be ok with Tolerating
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This isn’t a pro Zeke post, and it’s not an against Zeke post, this is simply me wanting the Eagles to make an accurate Evaluation of the top 10 prospects, and when it’s our turn to pick, I want them to take the highest rated player that has the best chance to go on and become an Elite NFL player at his position. If there is a higher rated player than Zeke available, then I hope we draft Zeke
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But being a slave to these general philosophies is absurd. Every draft class is different and Unque.l. the draft doesn’t give a shit about our needs, our wants or what positions we value… I simply want an accurate evaluation and the Eagles to draft the Best Player that this Individual, Unique draft class happens to provide, whether it’s zeke, a Guard, a center, a TE, a QB, LT, I don’t care.. I want GREATNESS added to the roster… I would LOVE to see a RT, QB,LB,CB happen to be the highest graded player when it’s our turn to make the 8th pick, but if the best player doesn’t play one of those positions, Oh well… Take the very best player.
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free Agency is for filling immediate Needs… The draft is about adding the best Talent possible, and if the Kid we draft at #8 doesn’t end up being one of our top 5 players four years from now, then it was a FAILURE… Getting a GOOD player at #8 is Unacceptable,,. We should be able to get Good starters in rounds two and three.. At #8, we better be getting Greatness.. I know that at least 8 great playerswill emerge from this draft class, I just want one of 8 best players… And allowing Need or Value to factor in as anything but a tie breaker between kids with the same grade is a Mistake.. That im sure of
That was quite the long reply. All I have to say is position aside, Zeke isn’t good enough for 8. 12 to 18 maybe, but not in the top 10.
If you think Zeke won’t go on to be one of the best RB in the NFL or at least one ofnthe top 8 players from this drafty class,, then you shouldn’t want him as the 8th pick.
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But if you say that No RB will EVER be worthy of the 8th pick, that I can’t agree with
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I don’t believe in devaluing any position
I think the guy needs to be a Peterson level generation talent at RB to be a top 10 pick given the lack of longevity of players at that position.
All my upvotes.
Thank you.
That fair… If you don’t see Zeke as an elite NFL RB, then you shouldn’t want him with the 8th pick… If there happens to be a better player available, then you SHOULDNT want Zeke..
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I just don’t believe in devaluing positions.. I watched the Eagles have a franchise QB(‘McNabb), and ELITE RB (Westbrook), and a top ranked defense, and still not have a Super Bowl win to show for it.. Even worse is we also had an elite hall of fame WR and still couldn’t get it done.. So devaluing positions for me is a mistake..
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And I really hate the Lack of Longevity argument for RBs… If we get a player who will be GREAT for 7 or 8 years, I can’t ask for much more… The argument that we should be trying to draft a player who can be an Eagle for a Decade is bogus as far as im concerned… With all the injuries in this sport, free agency, GM regime changes, coaching Regime Changes, scheme changes… I think it’s ridiculous to count so many chickens before they hatch that we should expect ANY player we draft to be an Eagle for 10 years. The longevity argument I completely disagree with..
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Give me Greatness for 7 or 8 years, and I will view it as a brilliant draft pick.
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If you don’t think of Zeke as a special RB, THATS a perfectly understandable reason to not draft the Kid… But as for the longevity argument, I think it’s well worth the #8 pick to get a Great RB who we can feed the ball to 25 times a game, for 7 years, helping out our QB, the WRs, defense, time of possession…. I hate seeing that devalued.
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I also happen to think there are a Lot of quality regular season RB’s, but when it comes to cold weather playoff games in January, THATS where you seperate the Boys like mcCoy who failed to step up in both playoff games,from the Men like Bestmode and Brian Westbrook who helped carry their teams to countless playoff wins…. Come cold weather January, you face the better defenses, all of which go into every single game with shutting down the run as their Primary Objective, and if you have a RB that can carry over his regular season success to the Playoffs, THATS extremely valuable in the post season, and that is very much worthy of the #8th pick… Whether or not Zeke is that tyoe of RB or not is what should decide how high he is rated, and what else ends up being available when it’s time to make our pick is what should decide whether or not Zeke becomes an Eagle or not,,,,
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I will NEVER blame someone if they simply don’t View Zeke as one of the future Elite NFL RBs. If that’s how you see it, not wanting him at #8 is perfectly understandable,
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Personally im hoping a better player that keeps us from Drafting Zeke ends up being available… But I view him as a very special RB that could end up being the best player available when we pick..
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I don’t see 10 players from this draft that I would take ahead of Zeke… So my opinion will come down to what happens with the 7 teams ahead of us
I agree with you that , in hindsight, Austin was overcompensated, but I have to admit that, before he lacerated a kidney, he was making Dallas wish they’d never let him go. To me the real bummer was his strengths as a sure-handed, clean route-runner were never evident in Chip’s monotone offense. So the GM MAY have overpaid, but the HC definitely failed the player.
I won’t dispute any of that,.. But the impression I got was that he didn’t give a crap and didn’t even come close to putting forward an acceptable effort for us last season, whch is really terrible when we consider the contract he was gifted… I don’t recall seeing him out there fighting for his teammates, coaches, and us fans… I won’t completely crush a guy if the effort is there,, but it’s not that he failed us, it’s How he failed us that drove me insane..
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Between Miles Austin looking like he didn’t even want our QB to throw him the ball, and Murray sliding to avoid getting hit by a 190lb corners, it will probably be a while before im willing to embrace scumbag Cowboys as Eagles..
Now you’ve got me racking my brain to think of just one former Cowboy who became a productive Eagle. So far I’m coming up blank.
G Cobb
Crap, I have that backwards. He went to Dallas after us.
Ding-Ding-Ding…We’ve got a winner. Cobb had the ignominious distinction of playing on one of the best defenses in the league, for a team that could not buy a postseason win.
See below. I was wrong. He was here first, then Dallas.
I didn’t catch your reference, but you weren’t wrong. Cobb was drafted by Dallas in 1979 and waived that same season. Moved to Detroit and then joined Buddy’s pride. He probably had his best pro years in Philly.
Kempski puts out an article every day or two and easily makes more interesting points than you do in your 50 posts a day.
Bwahahhahahahhahaha. I lol’ed irl
“An Experienced GM like our supreme leader, Kim Jung Roseman”
You seriously need to get help. For real. Professional help.
The Flyers need to pick it up today. They’re playing low grade Pittsburgh trash that must be driven from the playoffs.
Re-stated from an earlier comment of mine;
Greg Cossell is on the Ross Tucker podcast expalining why he thinks Williams from Arkansas is just as good of a RB prospect as Elliot. Worth your time to download if you’re on team “No Zeke at 8”
Alex Collins is better than Williams. Williams isn’t explosive like or nearly as athletic and agile as Elliott. They aren’t even close.
That isn’t what Cossell said. When he speaks I’m inclined to listen. He isn’t batting a thousand, but I tend to generally trust his work.
My bad I was confusing him with this guy. I remember watching Arkansas and thinking I like Collins better than this Williams. That explains it. DJ was excited too and I was wondering why because I don’t really see much burst with him but I just remembered name Williams.
https://youtu.be/HFWzauuWmtY
I personally know about 20 people with the last name Williams, so no biggie………….
I looked up, and Jack was there at 8………..so I went with that. Shoutout to D3 with my line picks.
Round 1 Pick 8: Myles Jack, OLB/ILB, UCLA (A+)
Round 3 Pick 14: Deion Jones, OLB, LSU (B)
Round 3 Pick 16: Jonathan Williams, RB, Arkansas (A-)
Round 4 Pick 2: Connor McGovern, OG, Missouri (A-)
Round 5 Pick 14: Graham Glasgow, OG, Michigan (B+)
Round 5 Pick 25: Justin Simmons, FS, Boston College (A-)
Round 6 Pick 13: Adam Gotsis, DT/DE, Georgia Tech (B-)
Round 7 Pick 12: Deiondre’ Hall, CB, Northern Iowa (A+)
Round 7 Pick 30: Yannick Ngakoue, OLB, Maryland (A+)
Justin Simmons was a great round 5 pick as well.
The more I read about him, the more I like him as a guy to tuck into the 3rd/4th/5th safety mix and on special teams.
Nobody really told me I was full of it, but I called this 9 months ago…….
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/03/19/robert-griffin-iii-visits-the-browns/
i agree with this article.
esp about stanley. we need a OG but i dont wanna spend 8th overall on a guy to be on the bench like that. plus Lane is the LT of the future anyway.
If we can get one of those 9 tommy listed, id be fine, although id like to take hargreaves off the list, too small not fast enough for 8th.
Tunsil and Ramsey im not thinking about, they will go early.
Jack, Bosa or Buckner, id be pretty damn happy about drafting. Each could add a new threat to the defense. I think Buckner has the best chance to be there, Myles Jack has the least chance, Bosa IMO is the best possible/most realistic scenario for draft night.
If those 3 are gone, we got Zeke, wentz and goff. The 3 wildcards.
Id be still fine/happy with any of them. But IMO id might go laquon treadwell/Coleman because i love me some WRs!!!
I actually like Doctson as much as treadwell and coleman, but some how feel that would be too high to draft him. I mean id do it, but idk if eagles will.
Tommy this might be the reason Ronnie Stanley tested poorly in the agility drills
I’m wandering about the Eagles potential interest in Kevin Dodd at 8. I’ve watched three games a piece of Shaq Lawson and Dodd and came away liking Dodd more. It seem’s that Dodd’s length on the outside is something the Eagles haven’t had in while. Additionally, Schwartz has utilized long pass rushers in the past. On tape it seems like Dodd’s first step is as quick as Lawson’s, but Lawson did run the 40 faster. Dodd didn’t do the agility drills at the combine, so I’m not sure what those numbers would look like comparatively.
[…] Speaking at the NFL owners meetings this week, Doug Pederson committed to Jason Peters as Philadelphia’s starting left tackle. Lane Johnson is the current starter at right tackle and future starter at left tackle so Stanley wouldn’t be a Day 1 starter, as McShay points out. It’s been suggested that Stanley could play at guard in the short-term before moving to the outside, but others are skeptical of that idea. First, Tommy Lawlor of Iggles Blitz: […]