What’s Going on at 14?
Posted: April 15th, 2017 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 197 Comments »The draft is getting closer, but we still don’t have a great feel for what the Eagles are going to do with pick 14.
Most people would love to give the Eagles a CB. But who will be there and who is worth it? I have Marshawn Lattimore as my top rated CB. I think he’ll go in the Top 10. His teammate Gareon Conley is a player the Eagles would have serious interest in, but there is now a question of whether he will make it to pick 14. His ball skills plus his ability to play the slot or outside make him a valuable target.
The next couple of corners for me are Tre’Davious White and Kevin King. Are they worth pick 14? Maybe. The argument for White is that he excelled against SEC competition, which is usually the best of the best. He can play in the slot or outside. He isn’t a great athlete, but is a natural cover corner. He was the best CB at the Senior Bowl. King is taller, faster and quicker. He is a better hitter and tackler. King was versatile at UW, but needs to play outside in the NFL.
You can argue each of them is worth the pick, but it isn’t a slam dunk.
The Eagles have shown a lot of interest in pass rushers. They could go for Tennessee star Derek Barnett. It isn’t a lock he’ll be on the board, but if he is, Barnett would make a lot of sense for the Eagles. He’s productive, tough, and smart. He was at his best against the best competition. Barnett isn’t a special athlete, but his game tape is outstanding.
The only other DEs who could be in the mix at 14 are Takk McKinley from UCLA and T.J. Watt from Wisconsin. Pick 14 feels early for them,. but you never know which players a team will fall in love with. Watt is taller and more athletic. He played 3-4 OLB at Wisconsin. McKinley has longer arms and did some great things as a DE for UCLA.
Alabama LB Reuben Foster came to Philly for a visit. I just can’t see the Eagles taking him. Good player, but his shoulder stinger issues are a concern for a player that is such a big hitter. There are also some reports that he hasn’t come off well when meeting with teams. You only take a 4-3 LB in the Top 15 when it is a slam dunk pick, like Patrick Willis or Luke Kuechly.
Do the Eagles have to go defense?
Daniel Jeremiah on whether Eags should go O or D in Rd. 1: "When you have a young QB, you always err on the side of giving him more help.''
— Paul Domowitch (@pdomo) April 13, 2017
What about a RB? Leonard Fournette will almost certainly be gone. Dalvin Cook seems to think the Eagles like him.
Dalvin Cook on his Eagles visit: "Coach Duce (Staley), we got to spend a lot of time together, see the city a little bit…"
— Carlin & Reese (@CarlinReeseWIP) April 12, 2017
FSU RB Dalvin Cook and #Eagles have shown "heavy mutual interest" in each other.#FlyEaglesFly
— Brendan Walker (@BWalkerNFL) April 12, 2017
The Eagles might just like Cook. But I feel pretty confident in saying he won’t be the pick at 14. There are just too many issues with him. It is more likely that the Eagles are trying to figure out if he is worth moving back in the 1st round for or if they would try to move up in the 2nd to get him. Based on all the chatter, it sounds like Cook might be sliding to the 2nd round.
Watch his game tape and you see a special RB. But there are character concerns. Shoulder concerns. Fumbling concerns. Workout concerns. That’s a lot of baggage for a RB.
Christian McCaffrey is the only other RB who could go that high. There is speculation now that he’ll go in the Top 10. He is the kind of player I could see Doug Pederson, Joe Douglas and Howie Roseman loving. McCaffrey was a great college player. Great athlete. High character. Very versatile. The Eagles haven’t shown any public interest in him. Are they hiding something? Are they focused on other players? I wouldn’t be shocked if the team took McCaffrey. That’s not ideal for me, but if you have the right plan on how to use him, it could make some sense.
The Eagles could still add a WR. Corey Davis and Mike Williams are both strong prospects. You could make a good case for each of them at pick 14. I prefer Davis of the two. John Ross, the explosive speedster from Washington, is very interesting, but his injury history is a concern.
There is an outside chance the Eagles could go for an OL, but this isn’t a strong group so I don’t think the value will be there.
If I had to list the most likely picks:
1 – CB Gareon Conley
2 – DE Derek Barnett
3 – WR Corey Davis
4 – DE Takk McKinley
5 – CB Tre’Davious White
We’ll see if that list changes in the next couple of weeks.
_
I have no idea what I want the Eagles do. It’s just like last year when the Eagles were at 8.
I see the list of 5 and think….meh.
I agree with everything Tommy wrote, which is why I’m fully on board the trade down train. At 22-27, at the very least one of Conley, White, and King will be there. Value makes much more sense there.
That sounds great, but the team likely has preferences amongst the CB in that tier. Taking the leftover may not be worth a 3rd to them.
If they love a guy take him. However everyone is talking about starting caliber CBs being available in round 3. If you could land 2 for the value of pick 14 that is really tempting.
How far does Solomon Thomas have to drop to make the call to move up?
Love the kid, but also need picks for CBs this year.
I have no issue going DE with first pick. But you got to love the guy. I love Barnett as a pick, and haven’t thought it worth to even consider Thomas.
Needs to be a run on QB and probably 2 RB as well.
Is it certain that Connelly is worth a 14, and is he a fit with Jim Schwartz because he appears not to tackle well? I like your 5 choices but would be inclined to go with Davis or Barret first thinking that the Eagles could pick up a CB in the second round. Davis is really my first choice because the Eagles could snag a foundational X receiver if Jeffries doesn’t work out. If Jeffries does work out then – fabulous. Also I can’t help but wonder about a bit of groupthink on Connelly now that he is one of those “risers”.
I agree about Davis. I’m still very high on him and if he’s the pick, I’ll be ecstatic.
I’m warming up to Conley and fact is I think Schwartz would say “My style? Oh please, we need corners who can cover and he can do that well.”
I’m pretty sure that’s not what Schwartz would say. First, Rowe. Second, it’s just not his attitude/style. There are plenty of corners to choose from in this draft. But let’s take Davis and save the debate. 😉
Interesting – Kempski was saying that the “Rowe” card is off base – and that what Schwartz hated about Rowe was specifically his attitude and willingness to learn and be told what to do. But who know’s.
That doesn’t really sound like a Belicheck player, but who knows.
How could Belicheat know about this before taking the risk on him though? That’s the thing…And bad blood/poor chemistry between Schwartz and Rowe doesn’t necessarily HAVE to translate to the same in NE. Different situation, Rowe was a a Chip guy and might have gotten a bit of an ego prior to Schwartz coming in, then he goes to a SB caliber team with a HOF coach in an established locker room… not a similar scenario to control for variables….just sayin…
I have come to trust Kempski on many things.
Vintage Tommy. Always a great thing to appreciate.
I have to ask – as I’m personally warming up to King, Conley, White at 14 myself (along with Barnett and Davis as top options), am I the only one who finds it remarkable that Tommy omitted mention of Humphrey entirely?
Maybe Marlon’s landing spot is more 20-40 in the draft, and the others really are pushed up a bit higher in the real circles of the actual team’s analysis….
The Sidney Jones injury adds a layer of intrigue to this talented CB class. Is this a buyers market because there are so many options? Can we trade down and still get Humphrey? Could we pick up another 3rd round pick to spend on another CB or other spot?
I’m digging Cook/McCaffrey in rd 2 if either one is available, but I don’t know if I could pull the trigger if White/King are sitting there… taking a CB 1/2 in the draft feels a bit heavy handed, but I’d be all for it.
Sure does.
When it comes to where this team stands, the lack of top tier OT talent in this draft, what we need, and what’s there in the draft – I’ve come to following to conclusions about CBs:
– I don’t care about being heavy handed. I would be fine with CB, CB, RB, CB or CB CB CB even.
– I don’t care as much as I normally would be about the market. I think there’s very good CB talent in rounds 1 and two and if there’s a chance to get say Conley and White, White and King, I even throw in Witherspoon in this too – any combo of 2 of them, or even Humphrey in that, I’m very happy.
I also want Elder too. Or another very capable slot prospect.
Granted, I’m also falling in love with one of Barnett, Willis, or Charles Harris…
I don’t want RB at 14, but I’d be happy with McCaffrey or Mixon in round 2 if anyway possible. Otherwise, I want RB in round 3-5…
Witherspoon is another contact averse player, with great cover skills. McCaffrey won’t be around in the 2nd, which may explain the team’s lack of interest.
https://twitter.com/JuMosq/status/851256061445103616
I hate coaching guys like that. You need the athletic talent, especially at that position. But it’s deadly to team attitude. It gets harder and harder to find football players on the outside, offense and defense. Witherspoon also has the issue of wanting to be a surgeon. Great for him, but between that and not liking contact, you really have to wonder how long he’ll play. Better be a damn good interview.
It’s definitely enough to make you uncomfortable. Like you said it’s going to be all about interviews for those guys. Asante and Deion didn’t tackle but still clearly loved football, but it’s one of the things that scared the shit out of me about Justin Gilbert predraft.
I’d take: Humphrey, Des King and Corn Elder over Conley, Kevin King and Witherspoon.
I also find it generally amusing that one of the nice parts about Schwartz is he doesn’t need 6’9 CBs that run 4.3 but so many people love all these HWS guys.
Desmond King in the second or Tre’ White in the first with a trade down? I would take King.
Different kind of guys for me. Treddy is more of a solid outside CB with a ceiling of a Prince Amukamara. Des King could probably play outside for us in the short term but I think his best role is a S you can kick to slot in subpackages like Malcolm Jenkins or as a guy that you can use to stay in nickel 80% of the time as a full time slot that you’re not worried about people running on him (kind of what people think Peppers should be)
I actually think that White is going to be an eventual slot CB. It seems to suit him best if he doesn’t learn how to get more physical. Desmond King ran in the low 4.5s at his pro day so I thought that might have dispelled the notion that he’s too slow to play outside a bit. IMO, both guys would be more protected as slot CBs and exposed as outside CBs.
I think it’s the Seattle effect. People get so caught up in the wave of the future, they sometimes forget that the basics are the cornerstones.
Schwartz does want playmakers and guys who can tackle. I think that McKelvin quote we all laughed at last year was good insight into a Schwartz player.
Theres absolutely zero chance McCaffrey makes it to round two. And any CB other than Lattimore would be a huge reach, with CB talent being deep but not exceptional doesn’t make sense to reach in round 1.
Great article. Gonna have a ton of comments on this one.
I’m warming on Conley too. If you can cover you can play. Tackling is secondary. Look at DRC up in New York. Besides I think Conley is 20? Still some physical maturing to do.
21, but his tackling is more of a mental issue. Come playoff time, tough consistently beats finesse. Still, if the team thinks they can develop him, fine. I greatly prefer defenses with attitude, both because they are more fun to watch and because they win.
Need a couple of QBs to get picked ahead of us.
Would work in our favor, but I don’t like the word need there at all.
They will
They usually get pushed up as the draft gets closer. I think Browns at 12, maybe bears trade down a bit, niners, jets. I think two or three will be taken before we pick.
Wish List at 14:
1. Dramatic Faller (Thomas, One of the safeties, Lattimore, Allen)
2. Reuben Foster
3. Corey Davis
4. Derek Barnett
5. Gareon Conley
6. John Ross or Mike Williams
7. OJ Howard
8. Christian McCaffery
9. Charles Harris (don’t want McKinley)
10. King or White or Humphrey
Thoughts?
1,3,4,8,10,2,6,5. I’ll count Howard under 1. Still, it all comes down to trusting the team on any of these, or a move.
1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 5, 8, 2, 10, 9.
I’d put Ross higher, but i’m scared shitless by his injuries. Dont really value OJ Howard or McCaffery, although more than Reuben Foster.
Ross wasn’t even mentioned close to a top 10/15 pick until he ran his 40. Its like the reverse Barnett. Now if you are looking past Barnett’s combine how do you weight Ross’s so heavily?
One question I have is, why was the Eagles defense as good as it was last year when the corners sucked and the right side of the D- line underperformed against the pass? We know that Schwartz doesn’t like to blitz because smart QBs beat it. So Schwartz relies on pressure up front and a mixed bag with lots of press coverage to keep teams at bay. But if the line is really good maybe you only need competent not great CBs. The offseason would seem to back this up where offense and the DL were higher priorities than the CB position.
All this is to say that the Eagles might not feel pressure to take a CB at 14. That said there is some risk because there will be a run on CBs and if it happens in the early part of the second round it could be like Chip Kelly’s story on offensive linemen all over again.
It has the potential to stay ugly, if the team goes with that theory and Schwartz isn’t here long term.
Round 1 is not the only way to get a starting corner. Im sure plenty of starting corners will emerge from guys taken outside of round 1 in this draft just like every other draft
..
I also feel like top 15 corners come with a ton of bust potemtial (in recent history) that is being overlooked
The way I see it, the D’s problems were all focused because of horrible CB play. Once O coordinators realized the CBs couldn’t cover at all, they could relied on lots of quick passes. Not even a very talented DL like the one we had could make up for the suckitude. So gettting competent CBs is the key to completing this D.
With our linemen firing up field the back end needs to be able to tackle or short runs are going to turn into TD really fast. Thats what concerns me a bout conley. That being said in Joe Douglas we trust. So if he signs off on Conley im good.
Still hope we get Barnett through.
My fear is that Howard falls to 14. I don’t want another TE right now even if he is BPA. We need a skilled offensive player (wr, rb) or a CB defender. Allen is an exception. I’d take him with a smile.
There have been 18 tight ends taken in the first round in the past 20 years. I would take Zach Ertz over every single player on that list. Heck, I would take Brent Celek over most of these players too.
I’d rather take an offensive lineman at 14 than waste it on a TE.
Eric Ebron
Tyler Eifert
Jermaine Gresham
Brandon Pettigrew
Dustin Keller
Greg Olsen
Vernon Davis
Marcedes Lewis
Heath Miller
Kellen Winslow Jr
Ben Watson
Dallas Clark
Jeremy Shockey
Dan Graham
Jerramy Stevens
Todd Heap
Bubba Franks
Anthony Becht
Ertz over Greg Olsen and Dallas Clark?
Agree overall and thanks for the list though
Prime Vernon Davis and Tyler Eifert too, albeit Eifert can’t seem to stay healthy.
I personally just dont see Gronk or Tony G in OJ Howard. If you do, I can see why he is appealing at 14, especially with Celeks age and Burton IMO being little more than a JAG and considering we’re not in win now mode. I just dont think Howard is that can’t miss prospect.
The only real question mark for him is that he wasn’t heavily used by Bama. But he flashed in big games, and displayed all the skills. He’s not Gronk, but if he were he’d definitely go top 5. No one is really “can’t miss” under a microscope. But he’s really damn good.
Theres a big difference between special and good. Howard is probably very good, I just get tired of everyone talking about whether they shouldn’t just put him into the hall already. He has plenty of flaws.
Not a great blocker or really that powerfull while blocking, which to me is huge when talking about selecting a TE in the top 15, albeit Howard is probably more Jimmy Graham than Gronk.
I think his hands get a little to much credit, but maybe i’m just scared shitless of people with potential to get the dropsies. I dont really see the amount of WOW catches I would like to see when everyone tells me to watch the next Tony Gonzales.
Gronk demolishes people when he gets the ball, Howard looks basically as soft at people give Ertz shit for, at least at times.
While very athletic, i’m disappointed by his routes which are not very refined and almost completely reliant on being a special athletes, which won’t work in the NFL.
Rumors about Howard not being very good at the mental aspects of the game, but how can we as fans question a guys football IQ, just saying i’ve read the rumors.
If we take him, I’m onboard unless a few specific players were on the board. Howard is talented, no question, and his issues can literally all disappear with development. I just dont see the special talent, but very much agree that if he becomes that guy everyone says he will be, its not gonna be out of the blue.
You’re in the minority that thinks Howard is a bad blocker. Also why would a TE need to put someone on their butt all the time? You can go find Howard putting guys on their butts with a simple google search. “Jimmy Graham” doesn’t block a freak DE like Myles Garrett alone.
So he doesn’t make flashy catches frequently. Neither does Gronk. His hands are solid and you’re rarely going to get an OBJ at TE. Those guys go play WR.
He looks soft? I wonder how he looks soft then he fights for yards. Must be because he doesn’t try to plow through guys right? Did you just compare Howard to Ertz in terms of RAC? Give me what you’re smoking, must be the highest grade stuff out there.
The football IQ thing is new to me. Do you have a credible source for that?
Literally every site that looks a draft prospects strengths and weaknesses, mentions that OJ Howard isnt the blocker he should be. You’re talking about taking a non premier position in the top 15, despite basically not one of TEs taken there pans out. Fuck off with the comparisons with Gronk and Tony G if Howard doesn’t block, and OJ Howard better be fucking close to those guys if you’re trying to sell a TE when we have Ertz locked down.
Gronk has some of the best hands in the NFL and rarely drops passes? OJ Howard looks to have good hans, but again, you’re talking about OJ like he is already Tony Gonzales. I dont see it, especially not in the hands department. Its not my fucking job to guess how his hands are, its his job to show it and he hasn’t done that well enough.
Yes, he looks soft at times. OJ Howard is 6’5, 250 pounds, yet he can’t regularly break tackles or truck DBs in college? Again, TE at 15? I better see something similar to what Gronk did to the Redskins a couple of years ago. OJ Howard doesn’t do that. Fast and good with the ball in his hands. Great, but he isn’t a WR and just like blocking is a part of his job, he shouldn’t be getting tackled by CBs.
I saw or heard the Football IQ thing on NFL network or one of their podcast, probably from Daniel Jeremiah since he is pretty much my favorite. It is also mentioned by CBS, Scout.com and the less trusty bleacher report.
So you’re mad that you’re wrong? No one said Howard would be the next Gronk and Gonzalez but he has the potential to be the next. Literally every drafting site that has a decent reputation mentions that he could improve on his blocking. Nowhere does it state that he’s a terrible blocker like Jimmy Graham was. Also Graham has turned into as good of a blocker as Ertz. What a shocker! It’s like college players have to get better at some things at the next level. Nowhere does it say that he’s a bad blocker so maybe your reading comprehension blows. Try not talking out of your ass next time buddy and actually watch him play.
You’re either really delusional or perhaps don’t understand football outside of black and white scenarios. Howard has already displayed a good catch radius and soft hands. Dude has 6 drops on 114 receptions. But ya know, he doesn’t make flashy catches in his limited time as a receiver therefore his hands must suck ass. Also maybe you should take some anger management classes before you watch any tape.
Oh no, he’s not Gronk so he doesn’t plow through people!! If you watched any of his tape, you would have seen him break tackles and not shy away from contact. Gronk doesn’t run 4.5 so guess what? He has to plow through people. It’s like some players are different than others or some bullshit. It’s laughable that you even brought up Ertz in the same sentence as Howard when it comes to breaking tackles.
Ah yes the one report from CBS that says he has average football IQ. Again something that is vastly different from what you stated. Don’t know if you confused Howard for Reuben Foster but whatever. I don’t like to pick on dyslexic people but you deserve it.
I’m sorry you can’t comprehend my points. Hopefully its because you’re blinded by your love for OJ Howard.
And i’m sorry my english isn’t up to par. How about you learn danish or german, and we’ll se how you fare outside of your native tongue. Maybe we can try spanish too, but in all honesty, i’m not quite fluent, figured 3 were enough and sorta gave up ind the end some years back. If by some miracle you have swedish or norwegian heritage, we can try that to, but i’m afraid we’re in a similar situation as spanish.
Or you can try not being a dick.
Howard isn’t a great blocker. Howard doesn’t have special hands. Howard isn’t exceptional with he ball in his hands. Howard maybe doesn’t have the best football IQ, theres literally no way of knowing without questioning him, and neither of us would be able to do that. That doesn’t mean he is a bad blocker, or has bad hands or is soft or stupid. To me, its just not pick a TE at 14 with potentially other and better or equal options available, when we have Ertz locked up long term.
If you think thats worth no. 14 or that Howard literally is Gronk or Tony G, fair enough. I dont se either as a likely scenario.
Gets called out on bullshit, completely avoids topics in the discussion. Lets just agree to disagree.
Literally every writeup I’ve seen on Howard says that he’s a fantastic blocker. It’s probably first or second “pro” listed out of the gate. Mainly because that’s the only thing they have tape on from him…
You’re absolutely correct, the interview and background research for him is key, though that’s true for almost any pick. But I agree, if the team likes him I’ll be on board, if not I understand. I think he’s in between Graham and Gronk, and he’s certainly flashed.
My point is why take a TE early when the best TEs in the past 20 years were all taken after round 1. On the flip side, just about all the best pass rushers were taken in the 1st round.
Here is PFF’s top 17 DE/OLB pass rushers for 2016.
12 were 1st round picks
1 – 2nd round pick
1 – 3rd round pick
3 – UDFAs
Von Miller
Chandler Jones
Brandon Graham
Cameron Wake – UDFA
Khalil Mack
Cliff Avril – 3rd
Joey Bosa
Dont’a Hightower
Michael Bennett – UDFA
Whitney Mercilus
Carlos Dunlap – 2nd
Nick Perry
Jerry Hughes
Brian Orakpo
Lorenzo Alexander – UDFA
Anthony Barr
Julius Peppers
https://www.profootballfocus.com/pro-the-nfls-top-25-pass-rushers/
So where are you going to get this stud DE whose name isn’t Solomon Thomas and Myles Garrett? Derek Barnett is nowhere close to those guys.
You’ve missed my point. Pick any position other than a kicker, punter, long snapper, or fullback. I would choose any of them over a TE in round 1.
And that’s how you end up with Nelson Agholors, Danny Watkins, and Marcus Smiths.
This isn’t a vacuum where all those players are available right now. If there was one of those players of that talent that dropped to us, ok. But that isn’t that way in this draft.
It’s definitely something to consider. But it’s not like he can’t be great just because he was drafted in the first. The guy is very intriguing, but I understand teams and fans being reluctant.
What boggles my mind is how people are treating Howard like the second coming of Gronk despite no evidence that he can actually perform at that level on a consistent basis. It’s all written off to “how Alabama used him”. That argument is weak when it’s used to justify small school players as being worthy of high picks, so I don’t know why it’s somehow an acceptable argument when it’s a guy from Alabama who is supposedly fantastic at doing all this stuff that he never actually did in college.
Statistically speaking, Ertz wins hands down.
Ertz has over 1,000 yards more receiving through his 1st 4 years in the league than Olsen and Clark did at the same point in their careers. Ertz also has over 700 yards receiving in 3 of his first 4 years while Olsen and Clark did not reach 700 yards receiving until their 6th year in the league.
I gripe about Ertz getting easily tackled, but the guy is an outstanding receiver in both route-running and catch radius.
Ertz also started playing in a different era and was put into a much better situation to put up useless stats than those two. If you want to bring up stats then how about what matters, Ertz’s lack of production until the last 3 weeks of the season. Ertz is more overrated than Matthews at this point.
Ertz was put in a better situation than playing with Peyton Manning? Foles, Vick, Sanchez, Bradford, Wentz as a rookie was a better situation?
I wouldn’t call 10 years ago a different era.
I get your point though, you hate Ertz.
Lets forget the stat padding offense that Chip Kelly ran. Lets forget that Ertz was schemed to get open in that offense. Lets forget that despite all of that, Ertz has the career total of TDs as Dez Bryant had in one season. So you tell me why Ertz is so good and doesn’t deserve fair criticism.
Shockey, Davis, Eifert,Winslow and especially Olsen all had better year(s)/careers than Ertz right now. Shockey was just an ahole, if not for injuries Eifert would be the best out of the bunch. Lets not anoint Ertz as being something he is not just yet, he never broke 900 yards or had more than 4 tds in a year yet.
“Shockey, Davis, Eifert,Winslow and especially Olsen all had better year(s)/careers than Ertz right now.”
The stats don’t back that claim up. Some of those guys had a better individual year than Ertz during their first 4 years in the league, but not had a better cumulative start to their careers.
Except they do if you actually look at them. They all had way better years with more yards and more touchdowns than Ertz has ever had. I get it, you are an Eagles fan but believe it our not there are a lot of other teams out there and some of their players are better than ours.
“They all had way better years with more yards and more touchdowns than Ertz has ever had.”
Read my other posts. They may have had a better year, but not a better career through their first 4 years.
Unless the Eagles see Smallwood as a possible starting RB(Doubt it) it’s likely that RB will be amongst our most pressing needs especially with SPROLES retiring after the season and the need to take some pressure off our young QB. No one expects Ryan Mathews back for another year, and HOWIE is a veteran of the Eagles culture that hasn’t drafted a RB in round 1 in what over 20-30 years? But while Rosemans mentors/predessesors never took a RB in round 1, They respected the RB position enough to invest some premier picks in the position:
Shady rd 2
Westbrook rd 3
Buckhalter rd 4
Duce rd 3
Think Tony Hunt and Dion Lewis were also taken in round 4 (might have been rd 5)
So Even tho we didn’t run the ball as much as we would have liked under Andy, and we never spent first round picks on the position we still typivally made significant investments in that position. It’s been a long time since we were this weak at the RB position. That’s likely to change with RB being a priority even if it probably won’t be addressed at #14
Hopefully we can pluck a Duce staley out of round 3, or the next shady McCoy out of round 2 and continue our rich history at runningback. I think smallwood could be a nice complimemtary RB, but the sooner we can find our starting RB of the future, the better for a developing Wentz
Dalvin Cook was modest enough to compare himself to Jamaal Charles…
I think McCaffrey matches up better with Charles.
We have a passing offense with a good, young passing QB. And we need a RB. McCaffrey runs the ball and runs routes and catches like a WR. Sounds good to me.
It’s already been determined he’s in the Alstott/Riggins mold.
sly…
Is it because of the color of his….. helmet? I mean, Tampa, Washington and Stanford all have the color red on their helmets.
I’m guessing that’s how they are similar
🙂
Cook would hope he is a fraction of Charles, however he isn’t Charles unless he is saying a much slower as injury proned player with a bonus of making terrible life decisions. Also, the fumbles…
A lot of The best young RB in the game weren’t taken in round 1
Jordan Howard, the kid from Dolphins, the RB of the Cardinals. Hopefully Duce Staley, Joe Douglas and Howie can pluck a future pro bowl caliber RB outside of round 1 the way the Eagles always were able to do during the Andy era
Is,Jernigan already eligible for an extension? Any chance they try to get him to agree to an extension before we allow him to take the field and inflate his stats playing next to Cox while being unleashed in Shwartz scheme?
I would feel a lot more comfortable extending Jernigan than Alshon before seeing how they perform as Eagles. I think we know what we can get from Jeffries and the only question is will he be able to play 16 games. Where as I worry that jernigan can have a career year in terms of stats making it harder to extend him compared to what it would take to get an extension done before the start of the season.
Yes the Eagles can extend with him during the season, contrary to AJ.
Word is the reason the Ravens were ready to let him go was that they felt he was inconsistent and not a dependable player. He flashed big ability, but they didnt appear to want to risk handing him a huge contract. I think that should be taken into account, and I think the front office will use this year to get to know him better and what kind of a person he is – especially with regards to his commitment and motivation. Im all for that.
Im pretty sure the driving force behind the trade was mostly finances. Much like Logan’s situation with us this offseason. They are also reportedly high on the DT behind him. Can not think of his name.
Well no. It would be like logans situation with us if we had been willing to trade him away before last season for a move up in the third in stead of even trying to sign him while having him for another cheap season. Clearly the ravens had decided they weren’t going to resign Jernigan or even try, a full year before he reached the end of his rookie contract. That tells you they had serious reservations about him.
The fact that they still have a really good legit 2 deep on their DL plays a role too.
Nah, the Ravens are a very smart, disciplined cap team. Paying him what it would take just didn’t make sense for a 2-gapper, with plenty of young talent behind him. His athleticism should come out more in this system.
I have high hopes for him here with Schwartz. Out of all the free agent signings, he is the one I would like them to end up signing long term.
He wasn’t a great scheme fit. Thats a big part of it. He is more meant for an attacking scheme.
Did he do well for them? Yes. However, you arent going to pay a player big bucks if he doesnt fit your scheme. Esspecially while they just paid his counterpart.
It is Logans situation, its just that the Ravens chose a different course of action. Or more accurately they took action while we did not.
I’m not sure how you cant see the similarities of the situation. Just because someone chose a different course of action does not mean the situations are not related.
If Cox didn’t get the big contract we would have more then likely resigned Logan. If Williams didn’t get a big contract then more then likely they would not have traded Jernigan.
It was made very clear by the Ravens that this was mostly done due to the cap.
Then you have the similarities with scheme. Jernigan fits our scheme better then the Ravens. Logan while a very good player for us (like Jernigan was for the Ravens) wasn’t a glove to hand scheme fit.
That was my understanding too. After what they are paying Brandon Williams, it doesn’t make too much sense to spend big money on another DL to keep linebackers clean, but in an attacking style 4 man line that the defense will be built around, it’s easier to justify paying big Money to two Defensive Tackles, not to mention Jernigans skills were probably always best suited for Shwartz scheme, so if Jernigan is as good as I think he will be, it’s probably way easier to justify paying a lot for a second DT compared to the Ravens justifying it.
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You can allocate Big money to multiple starting DL, but then it becomes important to balance out the position group with cheaper rookie contracts who can produce as rotation backups
Hit the nail on the head. I meant to add the scheme change. But I simply became to lazy.
Part of Jerrigans “inconsistency” probably has a lot to do with scheme. I think it was actually very impressive that he put those numbers up with the scheme he was in.
As an aside, Kyle fuller interest? He was loved by birds prior to draft.
Tommy, I couldn’t care less if our pick at 14 can cover in the slot. Not only do we have 2 CBs who at least should be slot only with Mills and Brooks (+ Robinson, who’s probably better there). Draft is for the future, so much more importantly: you can find good slot CBs late in the draft. It’s much tougher to find good outside CBs. In general, and especially later in the draft.
Now, I don’t think King is worth #14. A trade down to 20 and it would be good value. But him being only a outside CB is no problem at all imo. And at the same time, White being able to play in the slot does nothing for me.
Thinking about taking McCaffrey at 14 got me thinking about RB production vs. draft investment. There’s certainly been some evidence of the RB position being devalued, for various reasons, but I just wanted to look at the top 5 rushers in total yards for the last 10 years, and their draft positions. So there are 29 players on this list:
2007
LT 1:5
AP 1:7
Westbrook 3:91
Willie Parker UFA
Jamal Lewis 1:5
2008
AP
Michael Turner 5:154
DeAngelo Williams 1:27
Clinton Portis 2:51
Thomas Jones 1:7
2009
Chris Johnson 1:24
Steven Jackson 1:24
Thomas Jones
MJD 2:60
AP
2010
Arian Foster UFA
Jamaal Charles 3:73
Michael Turner
Chris Johnson
MJD
2011
MJD
Ray Rice 2:55
Turner
McCoy 2:53
Foster
2012
AP
Alfred Morris 6:173
Marshawn Lynch 1:12
Charles
Doug Martin 1:31
2013
McCoy
Matt Forte 2:44
Charles
Morris
AP
2014
Demarco Murray 3:71
Le’Veon Bell 2:48
McCoy
Lynch
Justin Forsett 7:233
2015
AP
Doug Martin
Todd Gurley 1:10
Darren McFadden 1:4
Chris Ivory UFA
2016
Zeke Elliott 1:4
Jordan Howard 5:150
Demarco Murray
Jay Ajayi 5:149
Bell
So of the 29 players 12 were drafted in the first round, six in the second, three in the third, none in the fourth, three in the fifth, one each in the sixth and seventh, and three were undrafted free agents. So while it isn’t at all impossible to strike gold with a late round RB, 21 of 29 players (72%) were drafted in the top 100. I think it’s reasonable to assume that if we want a stud at RB we’ll have to get him in those first three rounds. Be interesting to see the amount of busts in those rounds on RB compared to other positions. For a devalued position, these guys still touch the ball a lot, and are key to a dual-threat offense. I don’t know about McCaffrey in the first but I can definitely see us pulling the trigger in rounds two or three on a guy like Cook or Alvin Kamarra.
I remember an article many years ago that said OLs take the longest to develop, and by far the most really good ones come from the first and second rounds. Nu_B’s post here also shows that, by far, top RBs come from the 1st and 2nd (18 of 29).
An outstanding RB really helps open up the passing game, too. That goes double if the RB is a good receiver.
Just because a guy racks up yards doesn’t mean he’s helping the team win.
All the more reason not to draft a RB in round 1.
So much hate for Barnett but all i see is a player who dominated top tier competition yet so much love for davis who dominated lesser competition.
Nothing against Davis he looks like he is going to be a great player. Barnett didnt have a great combine but his tape is legit. Davis didnt participate in neither the combine nor proday albeit due to injury. Tape evaluation alone is good enough to validate davis but barnett has a plethora of naysayers even though on tape he’s highly impressive. I think that Barnett’s biggest problem is that hes not myles Garrett and luckily for Davis there is no Julio Jones in this draft.
Because everyone is terrified that he’ll be the next Trent Murphy or Jarvis Jones. You don’t need freak athleticism in the NFL but it sure as hell helps compared to being an average athlete. College stats/tape is nice and all but rarely does that transfer over to the NFL i.e Jordan Matthews, Jarvis Jones, etc. What does transfer over is athleticism and technique. Barnett has one of those two. Do you think that’s top 15 pick worthy? I really don’t.
I get that. Davis could also be Nelson Ag..too…at 14 youre taking a chance on the prospect whomever he is. Trent had 9 sacks this year btw which was more than clowney.
We have no idea what Davis’ measurables are because he never worked out. However most are willing to trust game tape over lesser competition. We dont know how fast he is, how strong he is , his agility? Nothing. Yet most say hes definitely the top WR in the draft. Again this is all based on tape. Teez looked great on tape. Then we saw his combine and proday stats and boom now hes gone from rD 1 to RD 2 to 3. Yet based on tape everyone agreed he was a first rounder.
I’m not even sure why Davis is being mentioned here but I’m not all that high on any of the top 3 WRs this year. Davis has a bunch of red flags too but he’s not like some can’t miss WR that some people believe he is.
Trent Murphy was busted for PEDs, so now you know how he managed to jump from 3.5 sacks to 9 in a year. Clowney hasn’t been healthy but anyone who watches him play already knows that he’s a monster.
Teez was already being exposed by some scouts from the tape though? People were already questioning his speed before the combine and the combine + pro day sealed his fate. If you meant before the season started then I have bad news for you, most mock drafters with connections base their mocks on what teams leak to them.
The Skins had Murphy yoyo his weight a ridiculous smoking in order to switch positions, it’s hard to put on 30 pounds of muscle without some chemical help. He is limited athletically, but is strong and a great tackler. I think more LB should do rodeo training. 😉
I’m sure that’s because he wasn’t effective at his previous role. Juicers usually don’t have the same career after they get caught.
For the sake of Lane, let’s hope that isn’t a hard and fast rule.;)
Lots of teams project DE/Edge wrong, I’m of the opinion that happened with Murphy.
Lane’s situation is a bit different though. I don’t think Lane intentionally juiced. Murphy had to gain weight in a short time.
Such is life for NFL teams. Win some and lose some.
Agholor is an awful comparison. Davis is a great technician. He knows how to set DBs up and disguise his route.
I like Murphy, but he was not in the same tier as Barnett coming out. He also was misused by the Skins. I think Barnett’s strength counts as athleticism, his hand fighting is not all technique. I get the questions, but there are very few true can’t miss prospects. Even at 14, a player has to be passed over by a few teams. I think he could fit this D well, and fill an important role for the foreseeable future.
Agreed that there are very few complete prospects at 14. They go super early. Players with top athletic traits can win with those traits alone at times and have the potential to add technique. A Technique guy isn’t going to add athleticism.
Barnett is a guy who seemed the excel at timing the snap. He’d get a great jump off the snap and was tough to stop once he has an OT on his heels. When he didn’t get a great read on the snap count, he was much less effective.
Give me a guy that comes in with athleticism and we can teach him technique as he grows. To me Charles Harris and Tak McKinley are ahead of Barnett.
We need impact players. Guys with limited ceilings seem redundant with what we already have on the roster.
I think that ability to teach is overrated. If a guy makes it to the pros without learning, that’s usually just who he is. It’s a very boom or bust mentality.
I don’t mean it to the extreme. They can’t be completely lost at the position. Tak is pretty raw, but could be dominant with some refinement.
There is some boom or bust with this approach, but Agholor and Watkins were supposed to be safe picks. Lane Johnson and Fletcher Cox were guys that needed to be developed. It’s always a crap shoot,but when you hit on a guy with athleticism you have a top talent. When you hit on a guy with a average athleticism you still only have an average talent.
Charles Harris-the guy that comes in with athleticism
https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/charles-harris
He didn’t have a great combine but was really fluid in the LB drills. That tells me he just tested poorly. He also improved greatly during his pro day. Another sign that the combine wasn’t a good indicator of his athleticism.
He isn’t an athletic freak, but still a good athlete. DB is much more stiff. CH is certainly a better athlete on film.
That remains to be seen actually. I don’t think it’s power that he wins with. I’ve seen him get shoved around too many times after failing to bend around the edge.
Sure he could fit well but would you spend a premium to get something that could get the same results as a cheaper alternative? If the team thinks that he could excel then I’ll put some faith in them but the skepticism will remain until he proves us wrong. It’s the big picture that truly matters.
Fair enough. Most guys get shoved when they fail to bend the edge. He’s strong against the run, tape and numbers both support that. Absolutely agree that it’s a case of trusting the team on him, though he may very well be gone by 14.
We’ve reached the point in the offseason where you’ve all convinced me that every prospect is terrible and that none of them are worth the pick at 14.
Lol, at times i get to that point as well. The NFL draft is 1 thing I over analyze.
I basically shut down for draft season. There’s so much change from the end of the season to draft day. I perk back up once we get within about a week.
This is great advice. I could have used it a few months ago!
Yes ! The top 5 all have issues and then it’s parity .. corey davis or monster tight end or trade back for as many good athletic bpa’s
I really don’t get what people see in Barnett. He just seems to dip and rip around the edge all the time. I don’t see physical dominance or a variety of pass rush moves.
When dipping and ripping all the time ends with quality pressures and sacks, or run stops…well you left out the best part!
But it won’t work as well in the NFL. That is the part you keep ignoring
Rip and dip is the most important move to know. Counter moves can be taught
Agreed. I’m against Barnett as our pick because I don’t think he has a high ceiling. He isn’t some bum. He has talent and is a solid pass rusher. I do think people are getting too caught up with his college production. That type of production isn’t likely to translate to the NFL due to his physical limitations. Adding Barnett improves our DE position. It’s just poor value at 14. It’s exactly the same way I feel about Christian McCaffery.
Do you think mccaffrey has physical limitations or just poor value? If the first why?
Poor value. I think our offense was best when we had a healthy Ryan Matthews running the ball between the tackles. It kept the offense balanced and on schedule. It also kept the defense fresh. I think that is CM’s only real weakness.
I also don’t think DP is a creative enough play caller to get the beest out of him. I don’t think he uses Sproles well enough. I have no reason to believe that will change.
CM ran mostly between the tackles in a power scheme similar to ours (Stanford runs the same system as Alabama which we now also runs)
He did it in a weak PAC12. Washington had NFL caliber DL and he struggled in the running game. I’m not sure that translates. It’s clearly a projection, but not one I am comfortable with. Like CM, but would rather have Cook, especially in round 2. Overall that is significantly better value
If the DL man handles the OL, how is that on the RB?
A great RB is nothing without at least a good OL, they work in tandem. Not even AP could run against great DLs
Neither will your “athletic” guy’s athleticism…
There are athletic guys like Obum Gwachum from last year who get drafted in round 6. That is not the athletic guy I’m talking about. Tak McKinnley is a significantly better prospect overall. If not for his injury, he has the ability to be a productive rotational player as a rookie. He can certainly win with his get off right away.
“He can certainly win with his get off right away”
So can Vinny Curry…
https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/vinny-curry
https://www.mockdraftable.com/player/derek-barnett
Well it actually does since the top 20 pass rushers are pretty athletic..
I like him so I see why he’s liked . It wouldn’t be a terrible pick but it wouldn’t wow me.
I personally don’t think he is so much better than Tanoh KPassagnon, DeMarcus Walker, or Jordan Willis. It’s the same argument as CB and RB in this draft so why not go CB which is so much more of a pressing need or WR or Foster? If they don’t think Conley or White or King can be their #1 CB then maybe it’s a different story for me.
But we all have our preferences. I prefer Davis or Mike Williams or Conley if they think Conley can be a #1 CB (I know some hate that term ) in Schwartz’s scheme.
Happy Easter all!
Easter bunny has whispered in my ear this morning to stay away from Humpty Humphrey. A corner who gets lost in space to not be able to track the long ball is determined to bust on the next level.
Give me a corner who can cover with less tackling skills (Conley) all day long.
Happy Easter
Alice
Well, I suppose that’s as good a source as any during the silly season. 😉
So if you wanna know whom the Eagles should draft . . .
Go ask Alice — When she’s 10 feet tall.
What’s the sparq score for a lineman who’s 10′ tall?
I only recently discovered Jefferson airplane. Love this song
Check out their Volunteers album.
wait until you reach the “Starship” era…
“When logic and proportion have fallen sloppy dead…”
Like many Eagles fans.
Remember what the door mouse said.
Feed your head
Gotta love the yearly Over rated top CB prospect out of Alabama. Seems like we had this discussion the last 4 years. I guess law of averages says that an Alabama corner is due to live up to his first or second round grade sooner or later. Personally im not at all familiar with this kid other than his measurements. feel like Alabama has an elite CB prospect every year, yet so few went on to prove that they were worthy of the hype and early round investment. Of course they don’t really have anything to do with Humphries succeeding or failing but for me It’s typically a red flag when a top rated Corner comes out of Alabama, just like when a top QB prospect comes out of USC.
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Off the top of my head, I don’t recall the Ravens or Bears having many special corners while Douglas was in those front offices, and the best corner Roseman ever drafted might be Jalen Mills? Hopefully Douglas, Roseman and Schwartz can find the solution to our cornerback problems. In fairness to Roseman, he sucked at evaluating safeties for years, but eventually got it right with Jenkins n McLeod. Hopeffully it’s time for Roseman to get the corner position right
Couple of years late there buddy. The last Bama CB drafted in the first round, was Dee Milliner in 2013 and Dre Kirkpatrick the year before him.
Cyrus Jones was drafted by the Pats in the 2nd last year and he was horrible, but thats the only 2nd round CB from Alabama in the last 5 years.
Isn’t it LSU who generally have all these high rated CBs who all end up busting? Might be Texas, although IIRC thats with safeties.
Safeties from Bama however, you just have to avoid the Mark Barron and select Clinton-Dix or Landon Collins, then you’re golden. As someone who doesn’t really want to see Foster at 14, with the last Bama LBs taken high being CJ Mosley and Dont’a Hightower, and to be fair Rolando McClain, maybe its time to reconsider. Even Rolando turned out to be a good player, even with his, um, adventurous character.
Apparently more anonymous Front Office Execs seem to think that Saben runs his players into the ground and a lot DONT have much left in the Tank when they get to the NFL. This would be an interesting study to look into but I don’t have the numbers for what percentage of top Bama picks DONT live up to their college career at the NFL level
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And No, it’s the Alabama corners for sure, I remember because part of it was questioning whether or not the crab walk technique he taught his DBs instead of back peddling which all NFL teams ask of corners played a role in while highly rated Alabama corners werent translating to the pro level
Humphrey can back pedal. I think the crab walk thing is overblown.
Hi patrick, can I call you patricia, lets make a deal you keep on posting and Im gonna post your lips, we cool
I don’t love Humphrey, but he is a better athlete than your typical Alabama CB. He has the tools to be an elite cover guy in the NFL and he’s only 20. He’s not my top choice at 14, but if he’s available in the 2nd I’d be all over him.
Interesting to see the fan and media reaction to their #14 pick. I kind of get the sense their won’t be much hype but nor much disappointment either.
Finding it very hard to believe that Roseman isn’t going to acquire a young starting CB via trade between now and the draft. It just hard to believe that HOWIE will allow us to go into the draft desperate to draft and hit on two starting CB prospects because it’s sounds really dysfunctional especially for a GM that has had no success drafting cornerbacks. if they didn’t have a trade up their sleeves, you would think they would have allocated Money to a better FA corner than Patrik Robinson, unless the Eagles see Robinson as a better player that will exceed our expectations but im not really sure what they could point to that would make them feel that way about him.
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Jalen Mills might eventually prove to be best suited for nickel corner, but he showed enough promise during his rookie year to where I wouldn’t completely rule out seeing significant improvement from Jalens ability to play outside. There are probably still some corners on the trade block. Not sure how well kids like Malcolm Butler or Fuller fit schwartz scheme
What did Jalen show last year? Rookies improve, so it’s within the realm of possibility that he turns into a serviceable starter, but he was trash last year.
Ok
He was our best CB by the end of the year. Rookies take time to adjust at CB. He challenged guys all year and gave up far fewer plays late in the season. I am perfectly comfortable with him as one of our top 3 guys. I think he will take another step forward.
Yeah I dont think he understands how bad rookie corners can really be and every one of our defensive coaches would probably disagree with his assesment of his rookie year, I think he should probably have a little more appreciation for what was a promising starting point for a rookie corner, especially one we got the end of the draft. To call his rookie year trash is laughable. He has a long way to go before he can become a Long term starter, but he showed a lot of promise in that he was able to play really aggressive and challenge WRs, while managing to keep the majority of them out of the ENDZONE. Don’t think fans should be taking that for Granted. Disengenouus to act like his rookie year showed no promise.
Again, I’m not writing him off. I’ve also seen plenty of rookie CB’s play, and I understand it’s one of the hardest positions for a rookie coming into the NFL. That being said, I didn’t see enough out of him to count on him for this year. I’d say he was closer to Curtis Marsh than Eric Rowe. He got quite lucky quite a few times last year (especially towards the end of the year) when he got burned but the QB couldn’t connect. I think this artificially inflated some of his results.
Hey, I’d love to be wrong though. Definitely hoping to see the Eagles’ CB nightmare end. I just see him as a much better fit in the slot, and don’t see the same upside that you clearly do.
I think he’s a slot guy too. He is feisty and it will hide his lack of long speed. Still think he will get better and can be our long term nickel.
I can speak for most of us on here, please shut the computer down and stand in a downpour, I am your fadder
I’m typically an overly positive Eagles fan and tend to buy too much into the hype on our young guys. Just don’t see it with Jalen is all.
Show me some trash CB’s and I’ll look first at the DL. I think Schwartz knows that his defensive backfield cannot be as aggressive as desired if his DL is permitting long QB reads. Pass covering LB’s also let the DB’s make quicker decisions. I’d be curious to hear an unfiltered Schwartz telling HR what his top need is.
Anybody on the trading block that HR may target?
I sure hope so. No idea who that would be tho. The only CB names I heard mentioned this offseason were:
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1) the Trumain Kid from the Rams who they franchised but then were rumored to be interested in trading even tho they loss Janoris Jenkins last year
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2) Richard Sherman which isn’t happening
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3) Fuller, I have no idea what to think of him at this point in his career
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4) Malcolm Butler who looks on his way out of New England
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Im hoping HOWIE has a Miracle up his sleeve like when the Bills decided to trade us a young Jason Peters. Hoping he pulls off a trade for a young stud at corner like a Darius Slay, Ronald Darby, Xavier Howard, or Bradley Roby, someone who we would be shocked to find out was traded but for some crazy reason the team wants to get something for them before having to pay them. Every one of those names are probably totally unrealistic. But I would have also said that The Saints trading a young Brandin Cooks would be unrealistic, I would have said the Pats wanting to trade Malcolm Butler was unrealistic, and I still can’t believe the Bills traded us the best LT in the NFL as he was just entering his young prime, So im still holding out hope for a Miracle where Roseman manages to acquire a young CB that shocks us all. I was kind of hoping the Falcons would trade us Trufant but they ended up agreeing to an extension. I can’t come to terms with going into the draft with only Pat Robinson, Mills and an Injured Brooks at corner.
It’s hard to imagine that Jason Kelce or any other “expendable” player would be suitable exchange for a starting CB, so I’m guessing the right draft pick would be the only way to talk some team into letting go of a starting caliber corner.
The brandon Graham interview with Ike Reese was interesting. BG wants a CB, RB or a middle linebacker at 14, specifically because he loves Rueban Foster.
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Sounds excited about the Jernigan addition, and talked about the need for starting corners who can take an opponents #1 read away which buys the DL some extra time to get their hands on the QB. Thinks Torrey Smith is going to have a nice year going from the San Fran offense to philly
He wants anything but a DE. There’s a reason for that.
Doesn’t want to offend his teammates Curry, Smith, and Long?
I took it as his honest opinion since CB and RB are consensus immediate needs amongst Eagle fans. And Foster was the only guy he was willing to name because he really likes him, and I assume that has to be genuine since the LB position DOESNT have huge holes on the starting lineup like we have at RB and CB.
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I was hoping ike Reese would have asked a Follow up about how BG would see Foster fitting with Bradham and Hicks, but Reese may have not want to put him in position to crap on teammate Kendricks.
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Most players would give some BS politically correct company line if media asked them that question, so im kind of surprise BG went as in depth with it as he did, so I have no reason to think his opinion wasnt genuine. But who knows
Because any DE available at 14 is likely to not be worth pick 14?
Only if you think that neither McKinley nor Barnett will be available, if you like neither of them, or if you think BG looks forward to competing with a first round pick.
I can’t find the link, but a buddy put me onto some analysis of Barnett doing a lot of guessing of snap counts as his main method of attacking the QB; that won’t translate.
McKinley is a guy I’d jump on; at 43. I can’t see a need to mega-reach for him at 14.
He’ll be gone long before 43. But you know the real reason is #3. He would never view his position as needing an upgrade.
That’s fine from his end and I don’t think you’re reading BG wrong as well, but neither of those two guys is worth it at 14 to me.
Well, I think Barnett ceiling is too low. No read on McKinley ‘worth’ but think he will end up a better pro. And unless the Phillies can find someone who can close a game, I’m going to obsess on this shit.
F the Phillies right now. Allowing scumbag Harper to hit that well above his overall career numbers when he plays us is vile.
I’ve noticed that too with Barnett. He is great at anticipating the snap count, but when he does t get a good jump his easily held in check. He needs to develop some counter moves. Even then he won’t be an impact rusher. I do think he will be a solid 10 year pro though.
I think Tak could go earlier than a lot of people project. I think he’d have more buzz around him if not for his surgery. That will make it tough to have an impact as a rookie.
BG isn’t losing any reps to a rookie. It’s the other guys that would be looking over their shoulder.
Maybe not in year 1, but it could cost him millions in year 2.
I just hope whoever they take at 14 doesn’t feel like a reach and/or isn’t fragile.
Round 1 Pick 14: Jamal Adams, SS, LSU (A)
Round 2 Pick 11: Tre’Davious White, CB, LSU (A-)
Round 3 Pick 35 (COMP): Taywan Taylor, WR, Western Kentucky (A-)
Round 4 Pick 12: Daeshon Hall, DE, Texas A&M (A-)
Round 4 Pick 32 (COMP): Julie’n Davenport, OT, Bucknell (B+)
Round 5 Pick 11: Eddie Vanderdoes, DT, UCLA (A)
Round 6 Pick 10: Dylan Cole, OLB, Missouri State (B+)
Round 7 Pick 12: Nate Hairston, CB, Temple (B-)
Desired RBs kept going a few picks ahead of where I wanted to take them.
I’d settle for this turnout!
I Davenport really a 4th round value?
Technically 4th round comps are really 5th rounders, so…………………..
but opinions differ on Davenport for sure.
Yeah, the whole Bucknell thing is probably giving evaluators fits on where he will go.
Chad Reuter sucks at life.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000799773/article/chad-reuter-6round-mock-draft-browns-take-trubisky-no-1
Round 1 -Has the Eagles taking Mike Williams with Corey Davis on the board
Round 2 – Has the Eagles taking Adoree Jackson with Marlon Humphrey on the board
Round 4 (first pick) – Has the Eagles taking soft Conor McDermott.
That’s a lot of bad drafting.
I would love to see Trubisky taken with the first pick.
McCaffrey hasn’t done a single private workout and also skipped the Sun Bowl. I really like this guy, he’s a systems-thinker with plus intelligence. Going to cry a little bit when he gets scooped up before the eagles get their chance to get him.
They need to clean the workout skipping up in the next CBA.
Personally I love the trend of good players skipping bowls and even workouts. NCAA is a criminal corporation that deserves 0 respect.
I don’t mind the skipping of bowl games in order to protect one’s NFL career, but the workouts (with NFL teams) are needed by the teams to assess the prospects. I agree with you on the former (and the NCAA as a whole), but the NFL can enforce the workouts in the next CBA.
The irony here is that he will not be able to participate in the NFL offseason workouts due to Stanford’s late graduation date.
That also needs to go; both the rule and the f-ing quarters system.
They aren’t union members yet. Are they?
They have to drug test at the combine, so attendance at the team led workouts can also be set as a pre-condition of joining the league.
McCaffery participated in the combine and at Stanford’s pro day. Why would you begrudge him skipping further individual team workouts? Will any of these teams compensate him if he is injured as Sydney Jones was at his pro day?
Because those team workouts are important for teams trying to sort these guys out.
I would say they individual workouts have little to do with overall draft grades, especially for high draft picks. You have game tape, scouts at practice, bowl games, combine, and pro days to figure out what kind of football player a guy is. Is a privately held practice going to change a grade all that much?
Meetings are important for getting to know these guys and what makes them tick. I’m sure CM was available for visits to teams where he is not permitted to work out.
You’re not addressing the key issue. What happens to someone like Sidney Jones if he’s forced by a CBA which exists between a league he doesn’t play in yet and a union of which he’s not a member yet, when he gets injured? Sorry, the league, the union, and the NCAA can go f themselves. These are kids who are treated like cattle, and they have a right to preserve their health.
Imagine a kid getting injured because he’s doing a private workout for a crappily run team like the WFT or Tampa Bay. Imagine he gets SARS or whatever the hell was floating around the Tampa locker room a few years ago. That’s not worth it.
You can have your doctor look a a kid, fine. But if you need to work him out separately from all of the other workouts, including the combine, before you can make a decision, as well as all of the game tape, then I think there’s a problem with your scouting department.
No. If it hurts a teams feelings that much don’t draft him.
He played in college. He did the combine. He’s already flying all over the country for visits. On his off days let him just workout and live his life and get better at football rather than do a bunch of dumbshit drills 30 times.