Misc Draft Talk

Posted: May 1st, 2012 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 74 Comments »

For SB Nation Philly I wrote about what a good job Howie Roseman did of playing the board.  That meant moving up for Cox, moving back and getting Curry, and waiting patiently for Boykin, among other things.

Sam wrote on Twitter a few days back that there was some luck involved with the Eagles draft.  He’s absolutely right.  That’s good, though.  Tom Brady could easily have been taken before he fell to the Pats in the 6th round.  There were multiple teams after Joe Montana.  Bill Walsh waited to the perfect spot to take him.  And so on.

Any time there are 31 other teams/sets of variables, you need luck for your guys to fall to your area.  There could have been a team in the 20’s that coveted Bruce Irvin and thought they would shock the world by taking him early.  Boom – SEA takes him at 15.  So much for that plan.

The Eagles have had good and bad luck with picks.  The team liked Asher Allen a few years back and hoped to take him in the 4th round.  MIN got him in the 3rd and he’s stunk up the joint for them.  In 2008 the Eagles had the 19th pick.  The 2 players they were most focused on were OT Branden Albert and CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.  The Eagles tried to move up for Albert, but KC got the pick.  Then the Cardinals snagged DRC.  Albert is a solid player and DRC has been all over the place.

Losing out on Albert, DRC was bad, but there was a silver lining.  The Eagles ended up trading back and acquiring a 1st round pick for the next year.  That was used to trade for Jason Peters.    (section edited to correct mistake)

* * * * *

Andy Reid was on Jim Rome’s show yesterday.  He said that Cox, Curry, and Boykin all had a chance to play right away.  Cox and Curry will be backups on the DL.  Boykin should be the KOR and could challenge for the Nickel spot, as Andy calls it (to us – slot corner).

He didn’t say that Kendricks would be the starting SAM, but talked about him playing as well.  Since the other guys have situational spots, it is easy to project them into roles.  Kendricks would need to start to really contribute.  He could play in the Nickel, but I didn’t get the feeling that Andy was referring to that.  I missed part of the interview since a local minor league team’s baseball broadcast cut off Rome’s show at 12:50.  Ugh.  Would have been nice to hear more from him.  Andy seemed relaxed and open in the interview.

Cox, Curry, Kendricks, and Boykin all bring speed and skill to the table.  I want all 4 of them getting a chance to play.

* * * * *

Misc things I learned from Big Red over the weekend:

* He has a friend on the Kansas State coaching staff.

* He is friends with Lane Kiffin, the coach at USC.

* He went back & watched 2010 tape of Brandon Washington (probably other prospects, too)

* Eagles had a 4th round grade on Chris Polk, issues aside.

* He acknowledged that the team is “rolling the dice” on Bryce Brown.

* He looks more and more like Wilford Brimley

* * * * *

Draft nuggets from Howie:

* Eagles had 27 players with 1st round grades

* Eagles had 36 players with 2nd round grades

* Eagles had Ryan Tydlacka ranked as the #2 Punter in the draft

Howie met with the media yesterday and offered some thoughts on how the draft played out.

Here is Les Bowen’s take on things, a good read as you would expect.

Bo Wulf did a great job of listing out every quote from Roseman and fashioning them into 2 stories.

The early picks.

Late rounders / UDFAs.

* * * * *

NFL Gimpy has posted a new MAQB column.  Be sure to check it out.

Matt Alkire wrote his review of the Eagles draft.  He’s got a different take on some things.


74 Comments on “Misc Draft Talk”

  1. 1 JRO91 said at 11:54 AM on May 1st, 2012:

    Tommy – Do you think Tapp could be offered as trade bait for possibly a 5th or 6th next year? It seems he is the odd man out….We have seen Tapp’s max potential, Hunt has much more upside (at least at this point he does) He showed glipses at the end of last year of really getting after the QB. Or do you think the Eagles let it play out during camp and cut the worse of the two? Hunt has more explosion off the ball, and adding the additional weight he will anchor against the run much better.

  2. 2 TommyLawlor said at 12:48 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I would prefer to keep Hunt over Tapp. Others feel differently.

    I do think we should shop Tapp at a certain point. It might be wise to hold him through the early part of the preseason so we can get a good look at Brandon Graham’s knee. If BG looks good, trading Tapp makes sense. Won’t get much for him, but picks are picks.

  3. 3 dislikedisqus said at 1:46 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Unfortunately injury is always a risk. I’d rather keep him til the final cut as insurance than pick up a 6th round pick and see someone go down in preseason.

  4. 4 TheRogerPodacter said at 3:56 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    definitely. keep him until you are forced to get rid of someone. we have the room right now so there’s no rush.
    who knows, maybe another team will suffer an injury at DE and will be willing to offer more for tapp at that point?

  5. 5 T_S_O_P said at 12:08 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Really this is from the last thread which I was reading this morning before work, but can go in this which is up after work. Cliff Harris’ athletic work outs must have been somewhat hindered by not playing football for most of the year, don’t you think? I wonder how much of a writers diet he chose over an athletes diet if you know what I am saying. 😉

  6. 6 TommyLawlor said at 12:51 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    How dare you, sir. As a writer that is in tremendous shape, I am offended. Just the other day I almost did a sit-up.

    Here’s the thing…these guys go to performance training/speed camps in January to get ready for the Combine, which Cliff did attend. If a guy can’t get ready in one of those camps, that sends up a red flag. Work ethic becomes a huge question mark.

    Cliff had a solid VJ and 3-cone time. He just doesn’t seem fast.

  7. 7 T_S_O_P said at 1:35 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Just the other day I almost did a sit-up.

    What startled thee so from thine sleep? 😉

  8. 8 TheRogerPodacter said at 3:57 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    i’m imagining tommy as the father from the “don’t wake daddy” board game for kids. haha

  9. 9 Razz_A_Matazz said at 3:53 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Hey! Reaching from the recliner for the Funyuns you accidentally left on the coffee table, or in some cases the piece of plywood resting on stacks of old SI Swimsuit additions that serves as a coffee table, doesn’t count as a sit up.

    I hope we can reach this guy, as a person. Get his head on straight. Sounds pretty gem, as competition for Nickel n Dime sets and of course, as a RS. I like the fact that he’s been in contact w/ Dungy. Also, I feel like mentoring is one of the very underrated skill sets of Mike Vick. On either side of the ball, he seems to have credibility with young guys and a real ability to connect with them in a non-judgmental way. Most importantly, he seeks out that role and has the willingness to do it. Can’t discount that.

  10. 10 Razz_A_Matazz said at 3:55 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I’d make the same point with BB, Thomas and Polk.

  11. 11 TommyLawlor said at 4:12 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Have you been spying on me???

  12. 12 Razz_A_Matazz said at 10:36 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Ha! No way, man. …but if everything starts sliding to one side, it might be because the Paulina Porizkova issue is missing.

  13. 13 T_S_O_P said at 12:15 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    He looks more and more like Wilford Brimley

    Somewhere between WB and Geert Frobe (particularly his moutasched roles)

  14. 14 Thunder_lips said at 12:47 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    No, Mr. Romo. I expect you to DIE!

  15. 15 teltschikfakeout88 said at 1:36 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Tremedous Dr. No line. Every time I hear that I just laugh out loud as if seeing young Sean Connery strapped down with a lazer coming towards his junk isn’t a funny/cheesy enough scene

  16. 16 Thunder_lips said at 2:23 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Goldfinger, not Dr. No (although both are great).

  17. 17 teltschikfakeout88 said at 3:47 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    correct, my memory is failing me. I don’t know why always associate Odd Job with Dr. No. In any event the movie is chock full of great memories from my youth. Odd Job throwing his hat like a frisbee cutting the head off a statue. Total cheese but still very fun to me.

  18. 18 TommyLawlor said at 1:45 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Well done by both of you.

  19. 19 aceandson said at 2:56 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I see him more as Richard Riehle with a 70/30 pass ratio in place of his stapler.

  20. 20 T_S_O_P said at 12:22 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Bo Wulf did a great job of listing out every quote from Roseman and fashioning them into 2 stories.
    What else did he HAVE to do, I heard him say it but as I flicked back to the tab with PE.com I missed it. 😐

    He went back & watched 2010 tape of Brandon Washington (probably other prospects, too)
    This is definitely the MO of later round picks – Trevard Lindley, Greg Llyod and in Bryson’s case he went back to ’09.

    I also get the feeling that he really knows his early picks, like know them as people as well as footballers. He introduces them as such.

    Finally, and for no reason, with all the love that Mudd and Wash get (and I love them too), Bobby April is GREAT.

  21. 21 TommyLawlor said at 12:53 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Great point about Lindley and Lloyd and their junior tape. Hadn’t remembered that. Definitely something for me to focus on for 2013. I need to do a post on draft habits for next year.

    Thanks for the heads up.

  22. 22 D3Keith said at 8:13 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Okay, I’m gonna come out and admit it.

    I love Roseman. Like he’s one of my five favorite players on the team like, and he doesn’t even play. Like drinking the Kool-Aid and stirring up the next batch.

    Every time I read his quotes I’m nodding like “yup, that’s exactly how I want my GM to think.” I’m sure some of it is him knowing how to play the game and say the right things.

    His early returns are mixed, but he killed free agency last year and the draft this year. The roster has completely turned over from the older team we used to be without ever falling below .500. But my favorite thing is that he refuses any accolades, basically saying “In Philly, none of this means [crap] until we win a Super Bowl.”

    Exactly how I want my GM to think.

  23. 23 MysweetBrick said at 1:00 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Tommy — I have to take issue with your opinion that Tom Heckert did a brilliant job in 2006 with Bunk, Justice, Gocong. OK, they maneuvered correctly to get the player they wanted and outfoxed the Jets for Gocong and made Mangini cry.

    Big deal. They were fixated on Bunkley when they should have been doing anything they could to get Haloti Ngata. Justice was a middling starter who had one OK year. Gocong has hung around the league, is hardly a force.

    If you are going to say something is brilliant, shouldn’t the players they picked have turned into something special?

  24. 24 Cliff said at 1:16 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    But you’re using hindsight to grade those picks. Heckert made moves based on their draft grades at the time. Drafting Bunkley and Justice was considered masterful when they happened.

  25. 25 MysweetBrick said at 1:22 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    True enough. I’m fine with the bouquets being tossed at Heckert in and around the time of the draft. But in hindsight, it’s a mistake to call these moves brilliant, IMO, particularly when the Eagles missed out on one of the greatest defensive players of this generation by just a pick or two, in a year they were clearly targeting a DT in Round One and there were only two DT’s to choose from.

  26. 26 teltschikfakeout88 said at 1:45 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Are you talking about Haloti…..come on man lets be reasonable in evaluating draft results. We got one of the two best DT’s who is still in the league, Gocong was a solid contributor who is still in the league and if not for the defensive scheme change may still be on this team, Justice played well for us when we moved him to RT. All 3 guys played well enough and got us picks when we traded them. Expecting a draft to net future HOF is crazy or criticizing that we should have taken Haloti instead of Bunkley to judge the success that Heckert in 2006 is unreasonable. Haloti does not get us SB nor has he gotten on for Baltimore yet.

  27. 27 T_S_O_P said at 1:39 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I remember it so well, the first draft on The Scouts Notebook’s message board. It was scary Mary all the way ’til Bunk was drafted. There was no way we could get him at 14. It may have been worse, because just like Luke and Cox this year, he and N’gata were the consensus among fans.

  28. 28 dislikedisqus said at 1:43 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Cliff is right. People were as happy about that draft as they are about this one. I questioned Gocong as a LB but hoped they would have the brains to use him as a DE and didn’t question the pick as you could see the DE talent in the film. That was not a bad pick, just a bad deployment. But everyone thought Bunk and WJ were BPAs.

  29. 29 TommyLawlor said at 1:44 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I’m not saying the picks were brilliant, but rather the moves that allowed the picks to be made. Heckert and Reid had certain players targeted and went after them. They got them in a variety of ways. That was brilliantly done.

    You can argue against the individual players if you want. That’s a whole other subject.

    In hindsight, trading all the picks for Ngata would have been a decent deal. Haloti is an impact player. Understand that there were plenty of concerns with him at the time. That’s why he fell as far as he did. Dominant DTs with size normally go early. He slipped into the teens.

    As for our guys…Bunk was a better player than he’s given credit for. Very good run defender. Never developed as a pass rusher. NO just gave him $25M so NFL teams are still high on him.

    Justice had the one good year at RT and looked like someone who would start for the next 5 years. Then he hurt his knee and had microfracture surgery. He’s not been the same since.

    Gocong has been a starting LB for 5 straight years. He’s not great, but that’s solid value from a 3rd round pick.

  30. 30 MysweetBrick said at 3:56 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Well, I don’t know. As far as I’m concerned, that’s the “we should have gotten Haloti Ngata” draft.

    There were two guys on the board seen as legit first round DT talents that year. Bunkley and Ngata. One guy is the best damn DT in the game. The other guy is the second coming of Hollis Thomas. They had a 50 percent chance of picking the right guy, but missed.

    I agree that Bunk, Justice and Gocong were solid players. But in order to call a draft “brilliant” — and that includes the machinations beforehand that got you the players — I think at least one has to be really good.

    If they had only done a Fletcher Cox like move that year, moving up three spots, they would have snagged Haloti. And if my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle.

  31. 31 TommyLawlor said at 4:15 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    What makes you think the Eagles had Ngata rated above Bunkley?

    Again, you’re judging from the present. I had Ngata rated above Bunk, but I get the feeling the Eagles didn’t. And they weren’t alone. Ngata scared some teams. Big guy, but inconsistent player at Oregon.

  32. 32 MysweetBrick said at 4:48 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I’m not making that assumption at all. It’s possible, even likely, that they didn’t. Of course, that’s an error in judgment that counts against Heckert and Co. for this draft.

  33. 33 Kevin_aka_RC said at 1:34 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I don’t understand the Vontae Davis comment. The Eagles passed on him for Jeremy Maclin. Not saying that’s right/wrong, but that if we really wanted him, we would have gotten him. There was no way that Davis was lasting to our 2nd round pick that year (Davis went 5 slots after Maclin).

  34. 34 TommyLawlor said at 2:21 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I must have screwed up my years. We did want Vontae. Thought we missed on him.

    Thanks for catching my mistake.

  35. 35 Kevin_aka_RC said at 2:59 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    No worries! You didn’t make a mistake. A mistake is drafting Brandon Weeden to be your starting QB in RD1.

  36. 36 TommyLawlor said at 2:47 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Fixed. Sloppy writing on my part. Went off memory instead of doing research.

  37. 37 D3Keith said at 8:18 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I do that too and occasionally it bites me in the same place it bit you. Sometimes having so much history stuck in your head is both gift and curse.

  38. 38 dislikedisqus said at 1:41 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Very interesting, thanks. It is a little concerning they took so many guys with character concerns as a 7th or UDFAs. I understand they have talent but when you put your final squad together you have to think about whether the character issues are going to surface during the season and make a waste out of the roster slot you gave them. I hope they cut some of these guys along the way. You can take one or maybe two risks like that on a squad.

  39. 39 the guy said at 3:19 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I actually kind of liked them taking a chance on guys with character concerns as UDFAs (that 7th round pick was nearly a UDFA).

    Normally the Eagles go for players late who practically have “career backup” tattooed on their forehead. Some have worked out recently as starters, but with the exception of Kelce and possibly Rolle I don’t expect any to stay that way.

    With the roster looking more or less set, I really like the idea of throwing the dice on guys with starter talent but other concerns, especially if all it costs is a bit of money I don’t have to pay and a roster slot that disappears before the season starts. It’s hard for me to imagine that a 7th round or UDFA rookie can really be a locker room issue anyway.

    I have no doubt most won’t make the team, but if just one or two guys make it, it could be the icing on an otherwise promising draft cake. (Mmm, cake)

  40. 40 PK_NZ said at 8:23 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Aside from Cox and Curry, I think this year we’re taking a lot more calculated risks across the board. Injuries and character concers. A lot of players who slid for different reasons… smart or not, but feels like a bit of a different approach.

  41. 41 iskar36 said at 1:59 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    If character and injury concerns are ignored, is a 4th round grade a bit low for Polk? Pretty much every where I looked had Polk graded as a 3rd rounder and one or two had him as a late 2nd rounder even.

  42. 42 Steve H said at 2:33 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Guess the Eagles weren’t as impressed as other evaluators.

  43. 43 Razz_A_Matazz said at 2:48 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    The 4th round grade is taking the injuries into consideration. Not the same thing as ignoring them. Even then, character concerns that came up at the Combine interviews knocked his grade down even further, or precluded him completely from draft boards. Obviously. He did go undrafted.

  44. 44 iskar36 said at 2:53 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I haven’t seen/heard the audio myself, by the way Tommy said it both in this post and in the comment section in a previous post, I was under the impression that the 4th round grade AR was talking about was ignoring the concerns about injuries and character. I could be flat out wrong about that since I didn’t hear the audio personally.

    If the 4th does take injuries into consideration, that would match up a lot better. Of course, teams don’t have to match up with a scout’s evaluation, so maybe it is as simple as the Eagle having a lower value on Polk, but you would think the team that ended up with him would have had the highest rating on him. So I just thought it was a bit curious.

  45. 45 Razz_A_Matazz said at 3:18 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I was as surprised as anyone that his name was never called. It would make sense that a players injury history, would always be a variable used to determine the grade. Just not sure why it matters how other teams had him rated, since no one picked him. Can’t imagine what this dude must be into in his personal life. I’m sure there were different reasons for everyone to take him off their boards. I ask myself this, though. If he was so highly sought after, why use your 7th on Bryce Brown? If your character concerns have dropped you from ultra productive All PAC12 RB, to being less of a risk than Bryce Brown??? This dude must’ve been pulling the wings of house flies, as he interviewed with FOs at the Combine.

  46. 46 iskar36 said at 3:38 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    “Just not sure why it matters how other teams had him rated, since no one picked him.”

    Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying this is an important issue by any means. Like you said, at the end of the day, it really doesn’t matter what grade they had him rated as, especially since they got him as an UDFA. I was asking purely out of curiosity, nothing more.

  47. 47 Razz_A_Matazz said at 3:59 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Right on, brother. I meant it to be a little smart assy, as such is my way, but didn’t mean it to sound as prick-ish as it did.

  48. 48 nopain23 said at 3:08 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Off topic.anybody knows when the rooks get their jersey numbers assigned?

  49. 49 TommyLawlor said at 3:29 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Some already have. Cox is 91. Curry is 75.

  50. 50 T_S_O_P said at 3:36 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Not a fan of 75, even though I am a fan of 75 if that makes sense!

  51. 51 the guy said at 3:50 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I’m already a fan of Curry. Hard not to be.

    I’m really rooting for him to be the next Trent Cole on the field, because he’s looking like a strong candidate for my favorite Eagle off it. (No offense to @EvanMathis69 intended)

  52. 52 bridgecoach said at 9:35 PM on May 4th, 2012:

    How did Curry not get 76?

  53. 53 scott_mather said at 3:45 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Foles is 9.

  54. 54 scott_mather said at 3:45 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Clear as milk.

  55. 55 Jack Bauer said at 4:54 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Random scenario:

    Go back to pick 58 (Tampa) and for the sake of argument say Tampa instead chose Vinny Curry.

    What do the Eagles do at 59? Lavonte David would then be available? Trumaine Johnson, Dwayne Allen and Sanu? Who is on their board at BPA for Plan B the 59th pick if Curry didn’t make it? Do they trade out?

    I just thought the trade back w GB and resulting Curry pickup seemed like such a turning point in this draft. How would this draft have looked if the best laid schemes of mice and men …..

  56. 56 TommyLawlor said at 5:28 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    That would have made things change quite a bit. I haven’t heard a word about other targets at 59. Would be interesting to know. Allen might be my guess.

  57. 57 Jason said at 10:02 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I was hoping for Allen or Sanu, just because the Eagles have done virtually nothing to improve the receiving group from last year. Apart from McNutt and DeSeans extension…arguable how much those improve the group. To me the receiving group was pretty average in 2011, possibly the weak point in the offense to my eyes. They weren’t bad, but nothing special either, and I think some competition for any of the starters would have been welcomed. As it is now, DeSean, Maclin and Celek swan into camp with jobs secure, and I’m not sure their performances have deserved that security.

    In some ways I wish we’d taken a receiver there, as much as Curry is cool, I don’t think he’s going to be a massive upgrade over Tapp. I wonder if it was as to scare Brandon Graham as it was to get an upgrade at DE.

  58. 58 TheRogerPodacter said at 10:22 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    best way to improve the offense this year is to cut down on the turnovers. get that done and the offense will be fine.

  59. 59 D3Keith said at 8:24 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    That’s a great question.

    My whole deal with the Foles pick was that I like it if we get the guy I wanted there (Boykin) later. I nearly punched a lady in line at the diner when I took out my smartphone, saw it actually happened, and fist pumped.

    In a lot of ways, this draft only looks as good as it does because the things fell into place. And one different move, like Curry going at 58, throws everything into question. In that case, we don’t like the player we get at 59 and insist we should have stayed put and just drafted at 51, we still take Foles, and then the fourth we recouped no longer goes to Boykin, then we just hate the whole middle of the draft and are mad at Howie for trying to be too cute.

    Instead, good vibes all around.

  60. 60 Jason said at 10:04 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I also wonder whether a trade back for Russell Wilson would have been the go. Andy specifically mentioned he liked Wilson as well as Foles. Wilson might have been preferred had both been available.

  61. 61 Zach Reese said at 5:04 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Any interest in recently released Texan Jacoby Jones? Could add some more competition on STs.

  62. 62 TommyLawlor said at 5:29 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    I’d be open to bringing him in. Good RS, okay WR. Has some size.

  63. 63 nicolajNN said at 6:00 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Sounds like Phil Savage will be named executive director of Senior Bowl. First of all what is it he do for us? McLane calls him a scout, but that’s not correct as I recall, meanwhile LaCanfora says personnel exec which isn’t very precise. And can he continue to do whatever it is he do for us?

  64. 64 nopain23 said at 6:13 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    By all the fan reaction V Curry is the obvious favorite of all the iggles 2012 draftees.But I have to say that I’m most excited about Boykin.hope he lights it up in training camp ans becomes the no.1 slot CB.Hope his concussion history doesn’t plague him…cause the guy is very physical and that might be an issue….

  65. 65 Virgile - Bubqr said at 6:42 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Quick comment: Why, if Polk really had a 4th round grade, did the Eagles draft Brown in the 7th ? As we’ve read everywhere that the Eagles “have been playing the BPA card” this year, then it has to means that Brown was a better prospect than Polk, right ?

    I just don’t buy the “4th round grade” thing. I’m pretty sure he had a 4th round grade before they became aware of his hip/shoulder injury status, and then he dropped out of their board entirely. That’s just pure PR.

  66. 66 mheil said at 7:23 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Reid said they drafted the BPA until the 7th round, then they took a chance on a player with great skills. You can chose whether or not to accept him at his word.

  67. 67 Jason said at 9:56 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Yeah I can believe Andy on that. I know my spreadsheet of the top prospects had a lot of guys sliding down from where they were placed on my ‘board’. It would be like that with a lot of teams. So when Polk has a 4th round grade, that means that the other 2 OLs, Foles, Boykin, McNutt – all would have had 4th round grades or better. Seems realistic to me.

  68. 68 Razz_A_Matazz said at 8:16 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Became aware? Think they neglected to check his Wikipedia page, pre draft?

    Sounds more like the interview process that was the issue. Read Tommy’s UDFA post, or check out the PE.com spot with Tony P.

  69. 69 D3Keith said at 8:27 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Do you know what grade they had on Brown if they apply the same criteria — skills only?

    Seems like a guy who could be worth more than a 7th round pick if looked at speculatively. The checkered past is what got him down there.

    Also I’d wager that since they said they didn’t want to get in a bidding war for Brown, they felt one of two things: 1) They’d have a good chance at signing Polk as a UDFA and/or a good chance of him going undrafted the rest of the draft, 2) They evaluated them both with the 7th rounder and decided either Polk was the one they could live without, or Brown had the greater upside and was more worth the pick.

  70. 70 Alex Grimaldi said at 7:25 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Tommy,

    Thoughts about Kendricks over Bobby Wagner? They were my two favorite LBs in the draft other than Kuechly. So I’m just wondering how the two compare.

  71. 71 Michael Campagnaro said at 7:52 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Tommy what do you think about Shamawd Chambers from Wilfed Laurier getting a tryout for the birds this weekend? He was rated the 3th best CFL prospect by the CFL scouting Bureau (number 1 was Cowboys 3rd round pick Tyrone Crawford and the 4th prospect was Austin Pasztor who signed as a udfa with the Vikings). He’s 6-3 219 ran a 4.42 40, 38.5 vert, 10’4 Broad Jump, 4.04 SS, 6.91 3 cone, 13 BP reps. I know he doesn’t have a chance at making the 53 man roster but what do you think the odds are of him getting a contract and making it to training camp?

    Highlight video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnPdx_QNuA8&feature=related

    Link CFL combine: http://www.cfl.ca/page/ecamp-results

  72. 72 PK_NZ said at 8:58 PM on May 1st, 2012:

    Whoa, saw a tweet saying the Eagles have the most cap space of any team right now… $21.5M… must make other teams sick!

  73. 73 JJ_Cake said at 2:12 AM on May 2nd, 2012:

    Sweet. Now all they gotta do is win a SB.

  74. 74 Sean Black said at 11:32 PM on May 2nd, 2012:

    Watch out, Brown could possibly be the steal of the draft. Still lived in Knoxville the year Brown was a freshman. He had a great freshman year splitting carries with Hardesty; he looked like a future Heisman candidate. Then, Kiffen left and was replaced by Vince Dooley. My understanding is that Brown left because he did not get along (or want to get along) with Dooley and Dooley tried to hard ball him into staying in the program. Dooley is on his last legs at TN; he will not make it to 2013; his coaches were leaving him end of last year; what does that tell you?

    Brown was not a problem at TN; there were no stories of him doing bad stuff. Not a Kiffen fan but at least he went to bat for the guy after leaving him high and dry! Brown has a chance to make the Eagles. He runs with real power, he has great speed and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. Could make it as a tailback, or maybe a fullback? I mean this guy is 225 lbs and he is built like a rock. Eagles took a gamble on this guy because he ‘looks’ the part. Only issue I see with him is durability; can he play through injuries. Believe he missed middle of the freshman season due to injury. Now he has to play like he looks!