Pre-Draft PC

Posted: April 20th, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 2 Comments »

Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni met with the media on Thursday to give out the Eagles specific draft plans, as well as talking about the signing of Olamide Zaccheaus and the addition of Matt Patricia to the coaching staff.

Howie shocked everyone by announcing the Eagles primary target. His name is Uniqueplayer Toolsintheirbody. I had a feeling this might be Howie’s guy, but it was cool for him to confirm it a week before the draft.

“I think the most important thing when you’re picking in the first round, and certainly when you’re picking 10, is that you get a unique player for our team,” Roseman said. “We understand how important it is to get this right and how do you get it right? You get a unique player.

“Sometimes it pays to take chances, whether it’s incredible tools in their body to become elite…”

I kid, I kid.

He is right that when you pick at 10 you should be looking for someone special. It can be tough to nail down exactly what that means. OT Peter Skoronski isn’t big or overly athletic. He is highly skilled. Would Howie consider being a polished product a special trait at a position like OL?

The first person I thought of when Howie spoke was Lukas Van Ness.

6-5, 272
40 – 4.58
10 – 1.64
VJ – 31
BJ – 9’10”
3C – 7.02
SS – 4.32
BP – 17 reps
34-inch arms
11-inch hands

Let’s compare that to Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat

HR

6-1, 237
40 – 4.52
10 – 1.59
VJ – 36.5
BJ – 11’1″
3C – 7.01
SS – 4.37
BP – 24 reps
32 3/4-inch arms
10 1/8-inch hands

JS

6-5, 251
40 – 4.53
10 – 1.55
VJ – 39.5
BJ – 10’4″
3C – n/a
SS – 4.28
BP – n/a
34 5/8-inch arms
10 1/4-inch hands

All three of them are gifted athletes, but Van Ness is doing that stuff at 272 pounds. That’s 35 more than Reddick and 21 more than Sweat. That is crazy. I guess you could say Van Ness has tools in his body.

Howie talked about not needing to take a polished player. It is up to the coaches to mold the raw talent and develop the player. Sweat is a good example of that. Jordan Mailata is the ultimate example.

There are other players that could be described as unique and talented. CB Christian Gonzalez has special tools and tremendous potential. LB Nolan Smith probably fits that description. Both could be there at 10.

Will Anderson and Tyree Wilson fit this description. The question with them is whether Howie wants to trade up and how much he’s willing to pay.

Bijan Robinson certainly fits the bill. He just happens to play the wrong position. We’d all be shocked if the Eagles took him. It would make for a really dynamic offense.

Jalen Carter also is special. We don’t have testing numbers for him, but his game tape is special. He was “the dude” on the best defense in college football for two years in a row.

Howie expanded on this.

“This is a huge game of poker and all you want to affect is the outcome of your desired results. Am I going to give you guys any answers today? No. Not even a little bit. But I think the reality of it is anyone who is sitting there and saying, ‘Hey, I know exactly what is going to happen at pick 11 or pick 12 or pick 6 or 20, it’s all a guess.”

Howie talked about not avoiding the LB and RB positions. He said you get into trouble if you choose position over talent. Some people are taking that to mean Bijan Robinson could be the pick. As I mentioned earlier, I just don’t see that happening.

Still, I did find this interesting.

Probably much ado about nothing, as Billy Shakes once said.

Howie had plenty of interesting nuggets. He joked about trading some of next year’s picks. They have 12 as of now so they could use some of them to move up next week. He talked about moving back and how that is based on the board more than a desire for more players. Howie is focused on adding talented players, not a bunch of players.

He was asked about age and said that is a factor, especially this year. There are plenty of guys that are 23 and 24. There are even a few guys who are 25. That requires context when you watch their game film.

Here is the full PC.

*****

Nick Sirianni and Howie both expressed a lot of confidence in Quez Watkins.

Watkins showed a lot of promise in 2021. He was up and down last year, but disappointing overall. Howie and Nick are right to express confidence in him. Their actions will speak louder than words. We’ll see how early they take a receiver next week, or if they do at all.

*****

The Eagles hired Matt Patricia to be a Senior Defensive Assistant.

This move won’t be popular with a lot of people, but Sirianni has been masterful when it comes to building a staff. He deserves the benefit of the doubt with a move like this. He said he did have a talk with Darius Slay to make sure this can work.

Patricia can be a help. The Patriots never finished outside the Top 10 in points allowed during his 6-year tenure as DC. They won a pair of Super Bowls. I’m guessing one of the reasons to bring Patricia in is that he learned about creative gameplans from Bill Belichick. You need those in the postseason. The Eagles couldn’t come up with any answers in the Super Bowl. Patricia has been in big games and should be able to help with planning.

Sirianni said it would also be good to have another former head coach to lean on. If you learn from mistakes, Patricia should be a fountain of knowledge.

Just keep Matty Patty as far away from the offense as possible.

_


2 Comments on “Pre-Draft PC”

  1. 1 Eagles News: Philly’s “worst-case scenario mock draft” has Bijan Robinson at No. 10 - Camel News said at 1:45 PM on April 21st, 2023:

    […] Pre-Draft PC – Iggles BlitzBijan Robinson actually matches the invoice. He simply occurs to play the incorrect place. We’d all be shocked if the Eagles took him. It will make for a extremely dynamic offense. […] Howie talked about not avoiding the LB and RB positions. He mentioned you get into hassle in case you select place over expertise. Some persons are taking that to imply Bijan Robinson may very well be the choose. As I discussed earlier, I simply don’t see that taking place. […]

  2. 2 Eagles News: Philly’s “worst-case scenario mock draft” has Bijan Robinson at No. 10 - News Load said at 2:15 PM on April 21st, 2023:

    […] Pre-Draft PC – Iggles BlitzBijan Robinson actually matches the invoice. He simply occurs to play the unsuitable place. We’d all be shocked if the Eagles took him. It could make for a extremely dynamic offense. […] Howie talked about not avoiding the LB and RB positions. He stated you get into bother when you select place over expertise. Some individuals are taking that to imply Bijan Robinson might be the choose. As I discussed earlier, I simply don’t see that occuring. […]