Pre-Draft PC

Posted: April 21st, 2021 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 2 Comments »

Howie Roseman, Andy Weidl and Nick Sirianni met the media on Wednesday to answer questions about the Eagles and their preparations for next week’s NFL draft. The PC ranged from paint drying to genuine fun.

Let’s see what we learned from each of the three men.

Howie Roseman

The pre-draft process has been very collaboartive between scouting and the coaching staff. Everyone is on the same page. The Eagles have talked to all 32 teams and have worked out potential deals, moving up and back. One of the things that helped the Eagles decide to move back is knowing SF was moving up to 3. That meant the first three picks are going to QBs. The Eagles made sure there were 12 players they are comfortable taking. One of those will be on the board.

Andy Weidl

I know what is going to happen and I will not give you a single hint.

Nick Sirianni

This was Sirianni’s best PC yet. He was open and enthusiastic. He gave some honest answers and made his generic answers interesting.

The highlight moment came when he talked about playing Rock, Paper, Scissors against draft prospects to get a feel for how competitive they were. Some people have looked at this as silly or crazy. I like it.

I have to do job interviews on a regular basis. Candidates are taught what to say and how to act. I conduct interviews in a very different way to get them off their game. I don’t want a bunch of “Yes sir” and “I’m a quick learner” answers. I have my own unique way of turning the interview into a conversation. I want candidates to let their guard down and show me who they really are.

Sirianni isn’t doing the exact same thing, but the point is the same. He’s got a short interview and is trying to learn something in an unscripted way. I think that is creative and smart. We’ll have to wait and see if it works. My methods have proven to be very successful for me so I’m hoping Sirianni gets the same kind of results.

Les Bowen asked Sirianni what kind of players he wanted. Sirianni wouldn’t get into specifics, but talked about the four key things he looked for:

Do they love football?
Are they competitive?
How tough are they?
What is their football intelligence?

Sirianni said guys with good marks in those areas are more likely to maximize their talent.

Before you think Sirianni is going to fall in love with grinders and overachievers, he did point out that everything begins with talent. He’s not going to just load the roster with “try hard” guys.

One of the things I liked most is that Sirianni talked about how players come in different shapes and sizes. Someone asked about the Eagles adding bigger players to handle the X-receiver spot. Sirianni talked about T.Y. Hilton (5-9, 185), Dwayne Bowe (6-2, 220) and Keenan Allen (6-3, 200) all playing the X spot for him. Hilton won with speed, Bowe with power and Allen with quickness.

Smith is more natural in the slot or Z position, but Sirianni would tell you he can play anywhere if he can beat one-on-one coverage. It is easy to obsess on size and numbers, but watch the tape. Smith showed the ability to get open at Alabama. He would seem to be the undersized guy to take a chance on.

I did wonder what Sirianni would think about players who opted out of the 2020 season. He wants players who love football. But what if there are health concerns? That gets tricky. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles take anyone who sat out the season.

The fact that WR Jaylen Waddle played in the playoffs on a bum leg would make you think he is the type of guy Sirianni might covet. That’s a gamer. Maybe he is a guy the team really wants.

*****

There were questions to Howie and Sirianni about Jalen Hurts being the starter. Howie didn’t address it. Sirianni said he wants competition everywhere and that no positions are set right now.

I didn’t get the vibe that the Eagles are looking at QBs. I think Hurts will be the guy this year, but they’ll make him win the job this summer.

_


2 Comments on “Pre-Draft PC”

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