7th Rounders to the D
Posted: April 30th, 2016 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 463 Comments »The Eagles had a trio of 7th round picks and added a trio of defenders.
S Jalen Mills, LSU
DE Alex McCalister, Florida
ILB Joe Walker, Oregon
I was shocked that Mills fell this low. I had him going in the mid-rounds. The only question is if he would be viewed as a Safety or CB. The Eagles are listing him at S for now. The 6-0, 191 DB is very talented. He fell in the draft for a couple of reasons. He ran a 4.61 at the Combine. He was much faster at his Pro Day, running 4.47. Mills also had character issues. He was arrested for hitting a woman. The charges were lowered and then dismissed, but it hardly sounds like he’s totally innocent. I’m not a PI so I’ll stick to the football stuff for now.
Mills reminds me of Walter Thurmond. He’s not as much of a playmaker, but is much more physical. I think Mills can develop into a starting S in the NFL. He has a good frame and can add a bit of weight. He can play the slot or even cover on the outside.
The Wide 9 needs DBs who can tackle. That said, Jim Schwartz is no longer a coach that wants a pure box Safety. He now believes in the importance of cover skills and likes interchangeable DBs. Mills makes a lot of sense from that standpoint.
McCalister is a 6-6, 239 pass rusher. He obviously must get bigger and stronger if he’s ever going to push for a starting role. He is a DPR (designated pass rusher) for now. McCalister has a natural bend and dip as he gets by OTs. Some players are quick or fast, but stiff. McCalister’s agility helps him as a rusher. While he lacks ideal strength/power, McCalister has the kind of long frame that Schwartz loves in his DL.
I think McCalister can bulk up to the 260-pound range and eventually challenge for a starting role. I’m not saying that will definitely happen, but he’s got the kind of frame to add bulk and carry it well. He was good value in the 7th round.
Walker is a player I need to do work on. I watched him play early in the year and thought he looked like a late round or UDFA target. His Pro Day results shocked me.
40-yard dash: 4.56 seconds
Vertical: 37 1/2 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, 4 inches
Short shuttle: 4.31 seconds
3-cone: 6.81 seconds
Bench: 23 reps of 225 pounds
Those are great numbers for a guy who is 6-2, 236.
I need to re-watch tape on him to see if I missed something or if Walker is a workout warrior. He did start for 2 years at Oregon and led the team in tackles this year so it isn’t as if he’s completely a workout guy. I just didn’t see that level of athleticism.
Walker makes a lot of sense when you consider his size and workout numbers. He could be a backup at SAM or MLB. The Eagles aren’t exactly set at either spot.
*****
Lots of UDFA rumors right now. Every year we find out some reports are wrong so don’t get too excited by anything you see tonight. We’ll have a more definitive idea of who really signed where on Sunday or Monday.
_
So basically Walker is Kiko without the injuries or expectations and probabaly plays at the same level?
Hopefully more like Kiko than Casey…
And yes thats a low bar
I’m still dumbfounded by the Countess chick we drafted in the 6th round.
We grabbed a UDFA named Destiny? What chick names their boy Destiny? That had to be rough…
A stripper who names her son after herself? Would that make him destiny Jr.?
He could be one of a long line of Destinys (Destinies?) Fuk it…
Do you think the scout that found him came to the meeting and said, “Howie, this is your Destiny…”
Perhaps he came to the scout himself and said, “I am your density… I mean, your destiny.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqKmb7SSpTE
Destiny’s child, you mean?
The good news is he can send his signing bonus to his mom so she can finally pay for nursing school.
http://www.nfl.com/draft/2016/profiles/blake-countess?id=2556374
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1868370/blake-countess
Another Oregon boy! UDFA RB/WR Byron Marshall hahaha
Running track of UDFA signings:
WR/RB Byron Marshall, Oregon
WR Hunter Sharp, Utah State
DE/DT Aziz Shittu, Stanford
DT Destiny Vaeao, Washington State
DT Connor Wujciak, Boston College
LB Quentin Gause, Rutgers
CB C.J. Smith, North Dakota State
LS John DePalma, West Virginia
By my count, 1 roster spot left if we don’t make cuts.
That Shit-tu guy seems like a solid prospect.
Destiny could get Shittu-ed on by the Countess of Smallwood? Is that how this pun thing works?
You really forced that one out.
He’s the shit.
All joking aside, he was a guy I occasionally took in some simulations.
All joking aside? No one agreed to that.
If you are trying to get rid of me, just say so.
Seumalo owned him when they played Oregon St.
Definatley dont want to get Shittu around Cox.
Surprised Landon Turner didn’t get drafted. I know he isnt the best athlete but he blocks well.
Think teams are worried about his weight.
Imo, the bigger, the better.
Strongly disagree.
Thats not what she said.
Well played.
Max. Jean. Gilles. Ugh.
I’m getting pretty good at saying “Halapoulivaati Vaitai”.
It’s fun! I recommend it!
Impressive. I’m sticking with H-Vat
Hyper-V?
You’re like the Anti Chris McPherson.
I really think we need to make HPV stick.
I think it does that on its own.
Tommy: “I’m not a PI so I’ll stick to the football stuff for now.”
Perhaps we can hire this gentleman…
Last year many of us were clamouring for OL OL OL!!!!!! Howie grabbed 2 of them with some upside. Im pretty happy overall with this draft. I dont think it can be overstated how important it is for a new coach to get HIS qb, a luxury Chip didnt get which was partially his fault. I pray that Wentz has some stability for several years to develop as a top 10 qb.
That nobody from nowhere 6th round corner over Travis Feeney was wrong.
But I’m good other than that.
Its the 6th round though, could have been worse.
He was ranked 613th………..and I REALLY wanted to get Travis Feeney.
Then say so.
Aren’t we all somebody from somewhere?
Indeed, but we all had about the same pre-draft ranking as Countess
Pre-draft rankings are subjective and historically proven to be trash data but you are beholden to trash data forever.
As opposed to the relativistic non-judgment you want to apply?
Again, until you can provide something better you’re providing nothing.
He’s a real nowhere man…
He is Boykin 2.0.
but but most fans want him to be Jacorey Shepard 2.0!!
Good lord the Eagles has a lot of CBs. I’m gonna be surprised if some good players dont come out of them.
We have more corners under our control than the Crips.
I haven’t seen this many corners since I started baby-proofing the house.
Proper team management means no cutting corners
Can we ask desean Jackson to verify that?
Desean won’t be happy about this.
Question is, do they have two starters? Rowe played fairly well down the stretch, but no one will mistake him for Rod Woodson. Carroll was meh. No-one on the roster is going to be mistaken for Sheldon Brown either. Gambling that someone manages to surprise and stand out.
I have faith in Watkins. We’ll see what we have in Shepard this year.
Watkins has flashes of looking competent, then promptly does his matador routine attempting to tackle someone. Still has a chance to be a decent chance to develop into a solid player. Not holding my breath.
A chance, as in ‘I still have a chance to win the lottery’ ?
The NFL report Mike linked below says he is 5’9″ and can play inside.
Hell no
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1632063/brandon-boykin
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1868370/blake-countess
Straight up UDFA material.
He looks more like a 6th rounder to me.
Or a waste of one.
The dead horse miraculously had babies and you beat them too?
Until the stable has the 53 best possible horses in it; yes.
3 DTs in UDFA. That’s a bit aggressive.
We missed them in the draft.
Cox, Logan both obviously locks. Martin probably makes the roster. You’ve got Beau who while a bit of a weird fit is certainly capable of filling a role. Curry can kick inside in nickel sets. Raciti and Hart don’t fit well but it’s not like we’re desperate for bodies.
We’ll keep 4. We’ve got 2 locks and a heavy pencil already.
Raciti seems like a good fit to me. Not Hart.
I thought I remember him doing well in a 34 and struggling in 43 in college. You’re correct he did better as an attacking DT.
No matter what, Raciti and Hart is a great 80’s cop show.
Just sold the script to TNT
No when we’re trading Taylor No Hart and Beau Allen for conditional 2017 7th picks.
As PReDICted!
I NOW i sayD wE HurD to IN rouN ThRee. BuT ThESe gUYs I nEvaAh heaR of ARe BeTTAh anYWays!!!
._.
On the Eagles’ draft coverage, they said Howie was waiting to do the post-draft PC until signing the UDFAs. They’ll likely be announced tonight.
NOW
They’ve re-started Eagles live. Haven’t seen team officially announce UDFAs yet.
press conference on now
Joe Walker is the king of shoestring tackles:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-gV9-rpJ_k
I like those better than missed tackles. 🙂
Howie press conference on the mothership now.
TV?
http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/
Eagles website
ouch. I’m out then. I’ll have to catch the presser on the news.
Love what I see here on Destiny. 1:55 mark forced fumble on Hogan. Wash State held him to 86 yards passing. They lost to Stanford 30-28 but played fairly tough vs. Stanford. More Stanford footage later in tape.
https://youtu.be/TEw6AotTqHE
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000659023/article/top-undrafted-free-agents-following-the-2016-nfl-draft
If anybody wants to see if the UDFAs we signed are any good.
Not gonna lie im intrigued with Byron marshal. Better RB than Barner and pass catcher than Huff. Pederson had dAT in kC, he knows how to use offensive weapons.
RB is a position that screams UDFA value; certainly more so than taking one at #4.
I hope im wrong, but i dont like the RB we drafted.
I hope you’re wrong as well. He clearly needs to get rid of every single person from Wilmington he knows, but I like his talent. I think he’ll be good.
Im hyped about Jalen Mills though. Ihope they give a look at CB in camp. The RB, CB and WR competition will be fun.
I’m generally into anybody from LSU’s D.
But Mills seems like a great pull from round 7.
I thought he would go early today
His Mom lives in Smyrna now.
I liked him in the hype video tommy posted. Seems to have good feet, though I did see him hesitate on one of his jump cuts. Was able to bounce and spin off of tackles and keep going. Has some big time agility.
Aaron Wilson
@AaronWilson_NFL
2m2 minutes ago
Incarnate Word linebacker Myke Tavarres to Philadelphia Eagles on free agent deal. Athletic Arkansas transfer
That should be the last signing assuming no cuts. Might be other players who come into minicamp as tryout players.
Kenny Morales
@KennyMoralesTV
3m3 minutes ago
Former Valdosta State RB Cedric O’Neal has signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an UDFA.
That’s 10. Either I miscounted # of spots open, some players are getting cut, or some of these guys are tryout players.
If you need a roster spot for a RB; Barner can go.
I don’t get the Barner hate. Needs to work on ball security but played well last year.
He did not play well last year because of the ball security. He also did not validly earn a spot on the roster. He was clearly outperformed in games by Mostert, yet the team kept Barner due to clandestine back-room duck nonsense.
I think it came down to STs ability.
I think it came down to being from Oregon. Hopefully he’ll be gone this year.
F (_) C k chip and his idiot duck blinders. on to his own detriment, cetainly to our detriment
http://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/article-5/Browns-claim-RB-Raheem-Mostert/e11c1989-0471-4a5e-b3d0-0b035505dee6
And Mostert was a better return man anyway.
That’s just, like, your opinion, man.
You really need to give it up.
Not until he’s off of the roster. I’m not going to tolerate mistakes in the roster that hurt the team.
The long wait for Eagles picks were demoralizing.
Watching the Giants and Waste team take good players was tough
Absolutely brutal. I was actually cranky during the entire process because of it.
http://www.rotoworld.com/player/nfl/5161/sam-bradford
Eagles coach Doug Pederson says he’s yet to have contact with Sam Bradford since the quarterbacks’ trade request.
Pouting Sam remains inconsolable, even after the Broncos’ selection of Payton Lynch took them off the board of potential suitors. The reality is, Bradford has nowhere to go, and will be in Philadelphia competing with Carson Wentz and Chase Daniel this season. The sooner he realizes that, the better. The Eagles could have handled the situation better, but Bradford is well compensated. This is life in the NFL for mediocre quarterbacks. Apr 30 – 8:19 PM
He’ll be back once we can start fining him.
you know your starting QB situation is not great when your headcoach is asked a question about the assumed starter and he starts his reply with, “Obviously, he is still on the roster.”
How could the Eagles have handled it better? It’s the NFL. You compete for your job.
Good Lord, the Eagles needed a QB, Bradford needed a team, they reached an agreement. At the time, the Eagles did not believe they’d have a chance to draft a QB. Then new moves and information came about and they did.
This story annoys me to no end.
Never should have resigned him imho.
So you go into the off-season with Sanchez as your QB? Brilliant.
Given what they knew, if not him, who? You would have to count on getting 2 QBs unless you kept Sanchez. It was the right decision.
How much better was Bradford than Sanchez last season? I know everyone says ‘we got blown out the two games Sanchez started’, but the defense was awol that year.
Bradford was the single most overrated QB I’ve ever had the displeasure of watching as an Eagles fan. Not the worst QB, but the only one where fans constantly told me ‘oh, he’s really good.’
Eye test baby!
Yeah, heard that !@#$ing BULLSHIT way to many times.
Sanches is a back up…at best…
So’s Bradford.
Not a fan of Sanchize either btw. At least fans don’t delude themselves into thinking he’s something he’s not.
Dont think u want sanchisr on the premises
The defense did fall apart when Sanchez came in, which was odd, so he didn’t get much of a chance.
But I thought Bradford was getting quite reasonably good by the end of the year. I could have lived with him. I also liked the idea of having a competition with a younger QB, but not sure I like the idea of giving up so much that it’s not really a competition due to investment cost.
Much better. The answer to your question is “much better.”
Aaron Wilson
@AaronWilson_NFL
47s48 seconds ago
Eagles signing long snapper John DePalma to deal includes $15K base gtd this year and $10,500 signing bonus
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Dorenbos is gone. You don’t do that unless you think he is going to be your LS.
Sad. Had to happen eventually.
Not officially…..Yet.
They are at least thinking about it. A 25K investment isn’t all that much, just that they wanted that guy for a serious look.
Yeah, with UDFA’s they’re competing with other teams. With no 2nd rounder they had money to burn.
http://www.phillyvoice.com/eagles-projected-depth-chart-updated-after-draft/
Kempski = God.
He already has Smallwood over Barner on the depth chart.
Soooooooooooo sparse at LB.
A couple of more –
Cayleb Jones, WR, Arizona
Dillon Gordon, TE, LSU
Updated list:
RB Cedric O’Neal, Valdosta State
WR/RB Byron Marshall, Oregon
WR Hunter Sharp, Utah State
WR Cayleb Jones, Arizona
TE Dillon Gordon, LSU
C Bruce Johnson, Maine
DE/DT Azziz Shittu, Stanford
DT Connor Wujciak, Boston College
DT Destiny Vaeao, Washington State
LB Myke Tavarres, Incarnate Word
LB Quentin Gause, Rutgers
CB C.J. Smith, North Dakota State
LS John DePalma, Rutgers
DePalma is West Virginia I think
Add Marcus Johnson, WR, Texas
Gordon is 6-5, 308 pounds. He just entered the draft a week ago when the NCAA denied him a 5th year of eligibility. Possible OT conversion project.
Hey! That’s the guy I asked about last week. He seems like the perfect backstory to turn into the next JP.
We don’t block well enough at TE; keep him there.
Celek retired?
Just about. Celek won’t play forever and I’d rather not waste Ertz / Burton in blocking assignments. This dude can be the in-line TE compliment to our other two guys long term.
If he’s only going to be used as a blocker, why not go the distance and just put in another lineman?
Need to “keep them honest” or something of that nature.
While S was thin in numbers if you judged it by ability to actually play the position, the numbers went up if the ST’ers were included. So why draft 2 safeties when our picks are limited this year? Could it be part of a movement away from just making the team solely on ST ability of the CK era and a return to the AR philosophy of the ST’ers also being good back-ups? The result could be better back-ups, but lessor ST play.
Jalen Mills has STs ability. Not sure on Countess.
Damn your whore mouth. I refuse to go back to the Greg Lewis, Reno Mahe, or Jeremy Bloom days.
Bloom was actually drafted solely for his ST ability. Of course, when he hit the field, the Eagles discovered he had no ability 😛
Also, since Lewis is the WR coach, aren’t we already back to the “Greg Lewis days?”
I really love this from Jerry Jones.
“I got to bed about 3 thinking about the Lynch thing, got up at 6 and before the morning was over had talked to six people about how I messed it up,” Jones said Saturday. “I was still mad about it the next morning.”
http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/203544/jerry-jones-lost-sleep-over-missing-out-on-paxton-lynch
Honest question: Did they have a pre-draft plan for getting him? Was it just a spur of the moment thing? Or is he just mad he didn’t offer more?
Probably spur of the moment. Not many people thought that the QB needy teams like the Jets and Browns would pass on him.
Well, he can console himself that he did end up with the QB that FootballOutsider’s QBASE predicts will be the second-best QB in the draft:
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2016/qbase-2016
Lol, they had Matt Barkley rated higher than Wentz.
Seems you miss the irony in your statement.
I take it your not a Wentz fan?
I like the kid, but I consider him a flavor of project. But dude hasn’t taken a snap in the NFL. No one gets everything right, but Football Outsiders’ stuff is worth keeping in mind.
“QBASE favors quarterbacks expected to go high in the draft who also have a relatively long resume of college success according to the stats.” “To come up with NFL projections for this year’s top quarterback prospects, QBASE looks at college performance, experience, and expected draft position. The last of these is included to account for the scouting information that college stats miss. ”
Huh?!?!? Football Outsiders is quantifying a player’s potential simply on guys that have good stats, lots of starts, and higher mock draft ranking/scouting reports. I don’t think you need math for that.
What do the top 7 on their list all have in common? They were 4 year college starters with good stats. The next subset of players are 3 year starters with over 40 starts. The next subset of players are 3 year starters with over 35 starts. It’s pretty simple extrapolation without using statistical equations.
This obviously has a huge bias on recent QBs that get many more starts per year then 10 years ago. Heck, Mariota had 15 starts in his senior season compared to Peyton’s highest number of 12 his senior year. This is the reason Tim Tebow and Matt Barkley are rated so high, they accumulated 4 years of starts.
If Wentz would have been a 3 or 4 years starter (and not missed time with a broken wrist), he would be near the top of the list if he could have put up similar numbers to his junior or senior year.
Football Outsiders QB rankings is junk analytics.
Oh my god, you found the dirty secret that players that beat out incumbents, play well for years against top competition, and are thoroughly scouted and probed tend to make good pros! You should tell someone…
I’m saying the exact opposite.
Tim Tebow Danny Wuerffel weren’t good NFL prospects, yet since they had a lot of college starts at big name programs and each won the Heisman, Football Outsiders calculated that in the past 20 years, they were ranked in the top 30 overall. Scouts were not so kind for either guy. The only scouts (and dumbass head coaches like Josh McDaniels) that believed in Tebow and Wuerffel were also the idiots that use the phase “all he does is win”.
So–it happens to be the case that players that aren’t good enough to get college starts, do not consistently play well against top competition, and do not accumulate enough tape tend to not make good pros. And the opposite. No system exists which is 100% accurate. Rejecting a good system because of some outliers is sloppy thinking.
Also:
“3. Projected draft slot” is one of the 3 main factors they use, which obviously takes into consideration scouting reports, and not just “dumbass head coaches”.
What you are calling junk stats (and no one who used the word “junk” stats or science ever makes a good argument; it is a bumper sticker word) is a model which relies on a combination of the most relevant stats and the “wisdom of crowds” of scouts and draft experts.
While statistics are extremely valuable, they are also notorious for being a means that people (in this case Football Outsiders) use to make false and misleading arguments. Football Outsiders has a business model based on statistical fallacies by presenting statistical data in a very biased way. I question their methodology behind collecting and presenting the data in this manner. Calling me a sloppy thinker thinker who uses bumper sticker words won’t change that.
Glad to hear. It is very interesting because normally you will not here a GM speak like that until a year after the draft at least. It goes to show that he really doesnt trust in Romo staying healthy.
In all honesty i think it is unfortunately a blessing for the Cowboys that they didnt get him. I do not see him being a successful starting QB in this league.
He definitely has the physical tools, the mental aspect seems to be lacking, if you believe some of the scouting reports. Obviously Doug and Howie didn’t believe in him, otherwise they never would have traded up for Wentz.
Yeah, but you hear more QBs fail due to the mental aspect then the physical aspect. You can be somewhat physically limited as a QB in the NFL, but if the mental aspect is clicking on all cylinders you can make up for it.
Couldn’t agree more.
Ryan Leaf vs. Peyton Manning 🙂
We could probably sit here all day coming up with examples.
And they “fixed” it be taking Prescott later. That’s great.
Seattle signed Trevone Boykin & are bringing in Vernon Adams for a tryout.
They are a little short on WR there.
Im not a fan of ‘needing backs who can tackle “, sure if its recievers but not 6 foot 250 RBs with a headstart . Id rather hsve linebackers who knoack RBs off their feet and instilll fear
Even with the type of LB you speak of it is very important to have DBs that can tackle effectively in this scheme. Really any scheme it is important, but this one in particular.
I’m having trouble thinking of 250lb, 6′ RB’s. Care to name any?
T h e QB that gives up in the Super Bowl
Does the complete lack of depth at DL and more particularly LB scare the shit out of anyone? Add that our D scheme requires more then 4 good DL, and it doesnt help that 2 of our 3 LBs are injury prone.
Not trying to be negative. I am very happy with the personnel that Howie and Doug have added but i think the lack of depth is troublesome.
I do understand that there is not 1 team in the NFL that does not have holes.
We’ve got about 1000 DTs on the roster.
LB is thin. I think we could see some player for player trades there.
While we do have many DTs they are by no means quality. Furthermore they dont exactly fit the scheme. That is important when we need to sub players in using this scheme.
I really thought LB would be addressed in the draft, and i guess you can say it was with a 7th round pick, but that of course is not enough.
Player for player trade is what i am thinking as well.
True, but it’s easier for 2 gap players to transition to 1 gap than vice-versa. Cox and Logan are both red to blue chip players and while I don’t think either of their backups are guys who I want to start, neither should embarrass themselves.
LB, not sold on Kendricks in this scheme. He lacks the discipline and instincts. Hicks should be fine, but can he stay healthy. Bradham had one solid year. Good news, it was in this defense under Schwartz. Goode is a less athletic Kendricks.
Really, really need a LB to step up.
Goode is less athletic, but i do think a bit more disciplined then Kendricks.
Kendricks does worry me in this scheme. He will have good moments and then bad moments that will only be exemplified by the scheme. Feel safe in saying that he will be responsible for some long runs this year.
Hicks does worry me a bit because one of his biggest issues coming out of college was shedding blocks from OL. Unlike the 2 gap 3-4 Hicks will not be protected by his DL.
There is a reason why many want a thumper of a MLB.
If Hicks and Kendricks do struggle i think Hicks should move to Will and a big Mike drafted or picked up in FA next offseason.
Hicks doesn’t worry me if he’s healthy. He’s a film-rat who will consistently put himself in the right place. You’re right, he may occasionally struggle getting off blocks, but while he won’t be as protected as he was in the 3-4, I don’t think OL will constantly have a free shot at him either. Problem is, he’s never shown he could stay healthy for a long stretch going back to college. Some guys just can’t stay healthy and when he went down last season, the run-d just went to hell.
That along with Logan being hurt. His durability is a huge concern for me as well, which again leads to my concern of extreme lack of depth at LB.
Martin and Beau are both solid backup 1 techs.
Destiny seems like a guy who could be something, Shittu can certainly do a job as aninterior pass rusher. Raciti played better as a 43 DT in college.
Hart is the one who really doesn’t fit.
You clearly know more about our backup DTs then i do. I will admit i do not know much about them outside of Hart, Beau and Raciti.
Beau will be nice on known run downs, but if Logan gets tired i would not want him in there to rush the passer. I agree with Hart. Raciti i was very high on as a 2 gap DE in a 3-4 in the NFL, but although he played better in college as a 4-3 DT i do not like him in that position in the Pros.
Again i dont know much of anything about Destiny, Shittu, or Martin. You seem to be high on them so you have eased my angst a bit.
I don’t think Howie is done yet, just wait and see. He is an opportunistic bastard, and he will be looking to trade players for better scheme fits throughout training camp. And them there will be depth players available as teams cut to 53 later. I’m sure depth will be improved.
Very true. One thing Howie seems to do well is have a plan for everything.
I think our depth at DE is fine. I think Smith is a much better fit in an attacking 4-3 than he was as a read-and-react 3-4 OLB. I do think we need to be looking at veteran LBs. Not much out there right now. I’d guess they’re waiting for the Lions to release Tulloch.
I am not as worried at DE as i am DT. I actually agree regarding Smith. This could be the best thing for him.
We really do need to pick up a veteran LB, but as you said there are not many out there. I dont think the Birds are interested in Tulloch. May just cost too much.
More worried about LB. Don’t have a backup middle LB I trust at all.
My biggest concern by far as well.
DL looks something like
RDE: Graham, MSII, McCallister, Means
1Tech: Bennie, Martin, Beau, Wujciak,
3 Tech: Cox, Destiny, Shittu, Raciti, Hart
LDE: Curry, Barwin, Braman, Long
It ain’t the 85 Bears or 91 Eagles, but we ain’t the Cowgirls either 🙂
I like DE. I actually think this will bring the best out of Smith.
Again, there are numbers behind our starters at DT, but those numbers do not include talent.
1 tech is fine, we need one of these guys to emerge at backup 3 tech, and even then Bennie and Curry can both play there.
Agreed. I wouldn’t be all that surprised if Barwin starts over Curry. Curry will still get starter snaps though, between backing up both sides and sliding inside on obvious passing downs.
I don’t quite get why so many fans and writers have completely written off MSII. Had an awful rookie season, but honestly, was to be expected especially with them bouncing him from position to position. Still, showed some more flashes last year and the athleticism is still real. Hope he steps up.
He really hasn’t gotten enough playing time to have a chance. Whether he earned that time in practice or not, or if Kelly/Davis was holding a grudge, not sure. They basically were playing him under 100 snaps a *season*.
The reason i have hope for Smith is that the few snaps he was in on D, he by far looked the best with his hand in the ground. Even recorded a sack and a couple pressures that way. Simply passed the eye test alot better with his hand in the ground as opposed to not.
He reportedly also struggled with the mental aspect of the game. With his hand in the dirt the game will be alot more simplified.
DL, not really.
LB, absolutely. Especially when we drafted a guy in the 6th to play corner who we could have acquired as an UDFA instead of drafting Travis Feeney.
This is the 4-3, LBs are way less important than LBs.
Jim Johnson went by smokes and mirrors at LBs, but we had top D as long as the DL and the secondary was playing well.
The only position that might have value is MLB, but we have Hicks and Kendricks can play there if needed.
I agree with that logic as to why we shouldn’t be investing big money in free agency and/or high draft picks at LB.
But Johnson’s squads were at their best with Emmons at SAM. F-ing bums like Dhani Jones and Chris Gocong were a constant liability to this team.
One of the best Ds we had was 2008 with Gocong, Stewart and Gaither as LBs.
Great play from the front. Great play from the DBs.
Gocong was constantly shredded.
And the 08 D wasn’t as good as the 2000-03 group.
The Valdosta State RB seems fun.
So this was Howie’s draft, right? No Reid and no Chip. So what does this tell us about past drafts and who did what?
Or is this the “new” Howie after his “time off.”
Well I would put the second round on chip
https://twitter.com/Astonia67/status/726599504703660032
Here’s highlights of the UDFA RB, seems pretty solid.
http://www.hudl.com/athlete/4030171/highlights/319461468
Reminds me of that Stony Brook guy.
Hurdles the S in the first clip. He looks worlds above talent around him.
Hard to tell what kind of player he was playing against those defenses >_<. Guess all you can ask him to do is to dominate his level of competition.
Yea. Looks better to me than Mongani or the Lafayette kid.
Aaron Wilson
@AaronWilson_NFL
4m4 minutes ago
Eagles deal for offensive guard Durrell Green includes $100,000 of 2016 base guaranteed along with $5,000 signing bonus
Pretty sure he means Darrelle Greene of San Diego State. PHI had a private workout with him before the draft.
I would be so stoked if we got Greene somehow. Road grader with athleticism .
That’s a ton of guaranteed money for an UDFA. More than 6th rounders make I think. They also guaranteed $95K to Myke Tavarres, $90K of 1st year salary and a $5K signing bonus
He has the talent to start. A hundred grand is nothing if that makes him land here.
His draft stock took a hit heading into his final season after being suspended for six games after testing positive for marijuana.
http://www.thedailyaztec.com/77722/sports/aztecs-nfl-draft-streak-is-snapped-slater-signs-with-jaguars/#sthash.b3A0luwn.dpuf
Looks like they want to pre-empt a bidding.
Ben Volin
@BenVolin
7m7 minutes ago
UDFAs usually get a max of $15-20k guaranteed. #Eagles gave $95k to LB Myke Tavarres and $105k to G Durrell Green. Wow
Woah
Er. Muh. Gawd!
Spending that unclaimed 2nd rounder money?
Someone give me the rundown on Jalen Mills. I’m reading he was supposed to be a 3rd rounder and fell to the 7th? Does he actually have a chance to be good?
Is McCalister a project they hope pans out?
Mills was a great pick. I think he’s got a chance. Somebody else may be able to tell you more about him.
McCalister’s got great physical tools. Terrific dip move. That’s about it though. He needs to get bigger & stronger & develop more moves. His arms are ridiculously long though. Can’t teach that.
Mills can play, he is NO normal 7th round talent…. He just has a ton of ugly red flags. But a kid like him is lucky to get this chamce and he better be walking on eggshells now because they are getting a 2nd chance and they probably won’t get a 3rd… But for a 7th round pick, Mills provides plenty of talent….
.l
Andy Reid made a career off being able to handle giving kids a second chance and be able to keep them on the straight and narrow. Hopefully Pederson has a similar touch..
..
Safe to say mills would have never been drafted if chip was still here
What is he good at? I watched the Alabama game and it wasnt pretty. I need to watch more though.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai’s brothers’ names are Kevin & Will.
lol
I feel like this should be in that Names chapter in Freakanomics. LOL. Question is how well are they doing?
Anybody else feel Howie may have swung too far on his “let’s take chances” stance? Chip was clearly “choir boy only,” which cost him some talented players. Unfortunately, feels like Howie went to the opposite extreme a bit. I don’t mind taking a flyer on a talented kid with a questionable past, but when several of your picks can be described that way, your the Cincinnati Bengals of the 90s 😛
Who besides Mills (a 7th) and Smallwood (a 5th)?
Weren’t most of our picks 5ths and 7ths?
Darrell Greene udfa – suspended by team
Cayleb Jones udfa – punched teammate
Hunter Sharp udfa – suspended by team
Alex McCalister 7th – suspended by team
add those to the two you mentioned.
Meh, I guess that’s part of the reason those guys are available in the first place. Low risk decent reward.
True, and I generally agree with the mindset that the 6th and 7th rounds are where you take risks on players like this. You can include udfa in that as well. Still, not fond of the percentage of potential knuckleheads added to the team all at once.
Greene was kicked off the team for weed.
I stand corrected. Was glancing through another article and just commenting off the cuff.
Most 7th rounders and UDFA’s amount to nothing because of lack of talent, so there’s not really a huge opportunity cost signing talented red-flag prospects over the more untalented schlubs.
Obviously they did their homework, but I think they might also have been more picky about character and injuries in the later rounds, had we had more higher picks. Its speculation of course, but when you trade away a lot of picks, you have to make the rest count, even UDFA have to count. How many late round picks pan out? Whats the actual percentage of 6th or 7th rounders making the team? Becoming starters? Good starters?
You’re not gonna fill every need, but if you have a lot of holes and no way to fill them all, it gets mighty difficult to have met Jalen Mills and believed in his person and have him on the board with his talent.
Lets not forget that Lurie spoke a lot about bringing the team closer and being a family when he fired Chip. I think everyone will work hard at making our locker room able to handle those kind of types. The Cardinals have done a wonderful job at that, which is why Robert Nkemdiche will be a great pick for them. The Bengals handle it well of the field, but the expected players melt down on the field in high pressure situations, and i’m not sure we’re going that far. The Bengals basically signed all the good scum players for a while.
Lets not forget that Andy was, AFAIK, the only coach willing to give highly controversial Mike Vick a chance. Doug P was there and was Vicks QB coach.
Think there is little risk to this team bring in 1-2 late round guys with some rough edges (although fuck the domestic violence guy). Chip purged the roster of anyone with character concerns who was not 100% football so droping 2-3 guys (on the 53) who have some issues should not be a problem since the locker room should police itself at the moment.
We can justify it however we want, there’s big money in the NFL and lots of pressure to win/keep jobs. I get the feeling Howie is thinking more like the Cowboys than I’m comfortable with. The risk isn’t the low draft pick with these guys, it’s the slippery slope of thinking football skill is all that matters, you end up with locker room “leaders” like Desean Jackson.
But Jackson was a high draft pick with a big contract…
If a handful of undrafted rookies (who probably won’t make the team anyway) can infect your locker room, there’s a much bigger issue going on.
They shouldn’t by themselves. But for the GM drafting like this, it’s a case of “the first hit’s free”. Continuing to go to the well is the problem. Is he really going to stop after this year?
Jackson really wasn’t a problem until he was given a huge contract. That is what causes problems in the locker room, when your big contracts are goof offs. And this is the guy who gave him that contract.
Eh, I’m willing to cross that bridge when we come to it.
Having a problem with rookie UDFA’s because eventually they may prove to be talented enough to warrant a big contract in four years seems like putting the cart WAY before the horse.
I’m sure by that time the FO will have a fairly clear idea of whether their off-field issue was a youthful indiscretion or a more substantial character blemish.
It’s not like he’s out there signing Greg Hardy or Ray Rice to big free agent contracts…
With 7th round pick? Does it really matter?
..
When you draft in round 7 you hope that there are a few guys left on your board with an earlier round grade. But those type of players usually have some type of Charechter or injury concerns attached to them. Can’t expact BALLERS out of round 7, so you should be trying to swing for the fences with Those picks because if you strike out, no big deal….
.
Also important to remember that im sure there were countless kids with Charechter issues who we investigated but ultimately removed from our board because we weren’t comfortable with what we found out about them, so it’s probably not a case of Howie overlooking any red flag as long as a kid can play. These kids were all thoroughly investigated and obviously they felt comfortable enough with what they found out to keep them on their board and give them a chance, what they do with their chance remains to be seen
..
Not every kid with mistakes in his past is destined to repeat this mistakes… But if we are going to take fliers on these types of kids, 7th round is the time to do it.
I hope Mills plays better than the Alabama game I just watched…. No wonder he lasted till the 7th. Poor instincts and speed. Not a ceru forceful tackler and will get eaten up if put man to man on Beasley.
Mills will never be a slot CB
Yep, WAY too slow unless its against J-Matt.
Good point. Glad to have his a safety depth.
I just love that we got a guy from a Wizard School. I mean if all fails, he can just incarnate a word that can help him
How did the 49ers not go get Vernon Adams after the draft? He’s joining the Seahawks as a camp tryout. I figure either Chip didn’t want him (measurables), Baalke didn’t want him (conventional wisdom), or Adams just didn’t want to join the 49ers (self respect)…
Surely if a team wanted him on their actual roster, he’d sign with them, right? Or did he just prefer Seattle? With all the crap QB’s signing as camp bodies, was there seriously no one interested in this guy?
Honestly, he just isn’t that good. Watched a few games of his, and he was really meh. Arm is good, but lacks accuracy. Lack’s height and from what I saw, he was a one read and run QB.
I only saw the all-star game he was in (East-West Shrine game?); he looked great. Also, I’ve seen a few scouts give him high marks.
Still, considering the dregs (including really awful QB’s) that get added to rosters during the UDFA period, it’s weird that not a single team would give him a chance…?
He was injured first half of the year…played much better once his hand got healthy.
He didn’t play for Chip. He has no loyalty to him.
He didn’t play for Pete Carroll, either. I’m thinking more about system fit.
Our offense didn’t resemble what Chip ran at Oregon. We don’t know what he’s going to do yet.
Chip isn’t running his Oregon offense. He’s using some concepts, sure. We’ll see if that changes, and if Kaep stays, but to just say it’s a scheme fit bc he played in the Oregon offense is lazy.
It was very similar that first year… Fishduck was even using screenshots from his Oregon offense to explain concepts the Eagles were using.
But either way, it’s far closer to what Oregon ran than what Seattle is running.
I think its more telling that they drafted Driskel over him.
Does anybody here have any info on what exactly (rather than the vague BS lie of “team rules” with ZERO specifics) McAlister did to get suspended?
Nothing for sure – think he had multiple suspensions at times. Someone said he last suspension was leaving the team to start draft prep before the bowl game which he could not play in due to injury. Not sure about any other ones.
Thank you. I’d just like a full slate of info on the guy. I hope our reporters dig it out. I cannot stand vague and/or clandestine obfuscation of vital information by teams.
Now that we’re all set with draft picks and UDFAs; I have my focus areas for the year.
1) Make sure Smallwood is at least 3rd on the RB depth chart. And that one of the UDFA guys is the 4th RB over Barner.
2) Keep Kelce in the cross hairs all year with the hopes that we have Seumalo ready to rock at starting center in 2017.
3) Monitor LG closely for signs of life and have champagne corks ready to pop once Barbre Doll is no longer listed at LG1 on the depth chart.
4) Monitor the development of Travis Feeney with the Steelers and keep that juxtaposed to Countess for as long as they’re both in the NFL. I’m still miffed that we used a 6th rounder on a UDFA quality guy while leaving our LB corps paper thin………especially because two of our three starters really enjoy missing games.
Agree w/4
I always get concerned when I have a guy I like and he’s taken by Pittsburgh, Baltimore, New England, and/or Seattle.
None of the ILB’s past the 4th round can be reasonably projected to be starting LB’s of any quality. It was a thin draft group.
Freeney was probably the last interesting project because he had the athleticism to be a quality player.. but he is a liability in the run game which is a problem for a LB in a schwartz scheme who will be put under a lot of pressure at times in run defense.
Think i would be a lot happier with Freeney in more sound run defencse scheme where he can play as a pure WLB with limited run defense responsibilities.
I would have liked to have seen Feeney used as a special teams player and backup SAM for 2016 ans 2017 will putting some weight on him before moving him into the starting role there for 2018. I need the next Carlos Emmons at SAM and Bradham falls short of that.
Also looking at Feeney next to mega-reach with Countess is what’s most upsetting.
You’re forgetting about Stephen Tulloch. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him get picked up as backup MLB & insurance against Hicks getting injured again. I imagine he’ll be released any day now.
That would be great depth, but it doesn’t help me add a 6-4 SAM who shut down TEs.
If Bradham gets injured, Barwin can slide into the Sam role. As for TEs on seam passing plays, that will most-likely be Jenkins.
That is a good temporary fix, but it doesn’t solve the problem long-term. I need a guy with height / speed / coverage skills in the SAM role for me to feel comfortable. Feeney would have been that guy.
Sam plays 35-40% of snaps only these days since they come off the field to go into nickle or dime defense. If your SAM is getting abused in pass coverage just throw on a extra safety and sit in nickle on anything but goal line and 3rd and 1 situations. My concern is getting MLB depth which is crucial since i do not trust Kendricks to line up and call defense.
Why not do both? It isn’t like our “depth” at LB is anything we could cut into oblivion by adding Feeney and a vet.
This is me playing devils advocate, but if they think that Freeney cannot hold up in run defense which is his scouting report MO, then do you want to further weaken your run defense by letting teams run to strong side where you are over matched already. While Freeney has the length to play SAM he does not seem to be a good play fit, being much more a WLB in his play style.
Philosophically there are very few quality multi purpose TE’s in the league these days. If you are against a blocking TE then you want a big 260lb banger at SLB who will go battle and you can always find 3-4 college OLB’s who lack the athleticism to effectively rush at the NFL level to do that role (hi Travis Long). If you are against a TE who is a receiving option bring in a specialist to try and cover them with a safety or CB.
Well put.
But given the horrific “ability” of Kendricks to miss tackles, poorly cover players in pass routes, and milk injuries for extra time off (all while playing on a deal that pays him over his level of production)………………….. we could also use some help at WIL.
Not convinced he milks it. I am convinced he can’t play hurt. When he’s healthy and playing under control (I know, pink elephant, but yeah) he’s a borderline pro-bowl player. When dinged? He’s a catastrophe. Can’t cover, relies on athleticism instead of keys meaning he gets burned over and over. To make matters worse, when he struggles, he starts guessing which leads to even more mistakes.
I really hope he gets back to the player he was for the majority of the 2014 season cause he was a disaster in 2015.
Agreed. I just think the sum total of what we’ve seen from him doesn’t equate to me being comfortable with him staying on our cap with that level of deal. If some actual level of coordination on D helps him; I’m all for it. But I need to see him out there for all 16 games.
GE’s steals and reaches:
1. Best value: a tie between the first three beers during happy hour and the No. 5 which was received in a ‘buy back’ trade.
2. Biggest steal: free chicken wings and a super hero lasting from pick #3 to #15.
3. Biggest reach: beer #11 when it was clear the Broncos wouldn’t trade their first round pick for Bradford.
Yeah i have to say i was hoping to get some picks for Bradford during the draft. I was thinking something like a 3rd with a conditional 2nd next year or something.
Oh well lets hope he wakes up and turns up or just asks for his contract to be voided, because there is 0 trade market for him now.
I know it’s early but I KNOW Carson will be a beast so I’m going to give him the “Red Cannon ” nickname now. Anybody got something better?
HPV. Wait, wrong guy…
Too similar to whatever Andy Dalton’s nickname is, actually.
How about the Ginger Giant Killer because he’ll be tearing up the Giants for a decade.
I go with ginger gunslinger
John Gruden will surely call him Wentzy.
Personally, I think trying to create a nickname and force it upon a guy is where most of the grating and ill-fitting names originate – Shark in the water, baby Huey, Pope Jordan come to mind. Let it happen naturally, it will be more real.
For example, HPV. That guy has been earning a nickname since his birth certificate was filled out. By the way, I do not remember who suggested it in the heat of the moment as he was drafted, but the originator should step forward and take credit.
Hey, that was me! I hope it sticks, I’ve never nicknamed a guy before…
Someone at Birds 24/7 suggested Cherry Bomb, which I kind of like.
WEntz needs a weather-related nickname.
I don’t know, something like…THE SNOWBRINGER. No no, that’s not quite right…
Whatever it ends up being it will be better than “Big V”… he needs to complain to the nickname committee.
I read the Bismarck Bomber somewhere
I give this draft a solid B-B+. What did yhe Eagles need? A possible franchise qb? Check. Some OL help? Check, check, with some possible good value in HPV. Another running back to add to the committee? Check. Even grabbed Mills later on which is deemed by many as a steal. Some people may be upset about DL but Howie didnt have the picks AND you cant fix everything in 1 draft. The only thing i would have maybe changed is Smallwood for a DT/ILB but I cant remember who was available then. In regards to ILB, last night some folks were talking about an UDFA who got signed with some big bucks. Is there that huge of a drop off between him and Daniels/Kiwatawski?
I can’t do grades this early, but I like the guys we drafted very much with the exception of Countess. There were much better defenders there to be had and he could have been signed as an UDFA.
I really like the strategy – aggression early, solid contributors in the middle, talented long shots at the end – but this draft either ends up as an A or a D/F based on one guy. There is no way this draft class ends up somewhere in the middle.
I was speaking in terms of how I felt right now but for the future I agree.
A solid draft is 3 quality starters,.. If Wentz, Isaac and Big V go on to become quality NFL starters. The draft will be a success as far as I’m concerned
Thats the normal standards. If you get a franchise QB only it makes it a successful draft
True… But they say that studies show that’if you hit on 3 starters in each draft, you put yourself in position to not have to try and build a team thru FA..
.
3 starters is a Quality draft, 4 starters is a home run draft…
..
This can’t be a great draft if Wentz doesn’t prove to be the truth.. Hopefully Seumalo and Big V eventually Develope into starting Lineman for Wentz.. And Jalen Mills can make it a Homerun draft if he stays out of trouble and develops into a quality NFL player eventually
..
Hopefully it won’t be a repeat of 2011 when we didnt end up with 3 future starters
That’s especially true with this QB, since we gave up three picks this year to get him.
The real question is, if he hits, does that count when evaluating the next two drafts, since we gave up one pick from each?
I think it relates to how we view Wentz as sucessful. Andy Dalton is by definition a Franchise QB, as is Joe Flacco. If wentz becomes one of them we did not get good value on the trade. We need wentz to be in the big Ben or Andrew Luck category. Those guys can carry a less talented team where the Daltons and Flaccos need top talent around them to be successfull.
Flacco played pretty damn well on that super bowl run. If Wentz gets to be top 8-10, I consider it a success, especially because draft picks are so variable.
What Flacco did was catch lightning in a bottle. With what invested I would not be happy if Wentz ended uo as Joe Flacco. It is not a recipe for sustained sucess. That superbowl run for this arguements sake is a baseless outlier. Flacco has had a losing record since the day they won that super bowl. Carson needs to be elite.
They’ve had 1 losing season out of 3 since and if Wentz wins a super bowl, its ABSOLUTELY worth the picks.
I wouldn’t discount the run. It happened. It also happened for Eli. Judging the QB by wins is the crudest and least illuminating measure. There are only a handful of superior QBs in the league, and Wentz probably will not be joining them. A quick perusal of the last decade’s top draft picks will give an idea of the odds.
No, but it cannot be counted on.
Matt Ryan
Phillip Rivers
Andy Dalton
Tony Romo
Etc.
There are plenty of Flacco level guys that have not made that run. My point is not that you cannot win with that level of QB. The point is that you need to put a lot around them to do so. With what we gave up for Wentz he really needs to be that elite oevel QB for the trade to be worth it. If we were looking for Flacco we should have just drafted Paxton Lynch
Well, you expect to get six starters out of the two drafts. Getting a franchise QB would count for a lot — probably 2-3 of those. If he counts as 3, by the 3-starters coarse math, then you’d still need to get 3 good starters out of either next year’s draft (without the first rounder) or the non-Wentz guys this year.
Wonder how Condon and Sammy feel this morning? Ready to come crawling back yet?
They’ll be here once it costs them money to not be here.
That be pretty stupid of them. Hope SAM is smart enough to join us before that, now that reality should be sinking in about him needing to play to get his value up
I tend to agree. He won’t be doing himself any favors, but why start now?
$$$$$$$
He lost his leverage play, so now he has to come out and play well to be able to lock in a good deal elsewhere in the future.
what really bothered me was the thought of him “winning” and being traded to the Broncos. Now that the Broncos moved on, i dont care as much about what is got in return. Now he will either lose money, be forced to play as an Eagle or go to a team that did not win the superbowl last year.
l the introductory press Confrence should be fun, half of it will be kids explaining their past mistakes
With most teams around the NFL all having their young QBs in place, Sam’s best bet may be to have a quality season, get his value up enough to eventually take the Reigns from one of The older starting QBs who’s career is winding down..
For example, get his value up and hope that he can eventually replace someone older like Carson Palmer or Drew Bree’s… Probablem with that is that wouldn’t happen after This season. Brees and Palmer have more than 1 season left in the Tank… Basically he needs to up his value and eventually put himself in a position to be the next Carson Palmer..
..
Sam is 29 years old, so he has to rehabilitate his value and hope to become a starting QB for someone from Age 31-35…like the cardinals, Chargers, Saints, possibly the Bears.
..
Or he has to try and replace a failed young QB. For example if a team like mIami DOESNT extend Tannehill and allows him to walk in FA in a year or two. Niners could have provided him an opportunity but he allegedly doesn’t want to play for chip again
..
Seems like the NFL has put its foot down and SAM will no longer get to skate by on Potential… Time to produce and earn his future, which he can’t do from his home in Oklahoma
The 49ers, Bills, and saints look like the best potential landing spots next year for Sam, but a lot could change in a year. The Redskins thought RG3 was their future after hus rookie year only to bench him the next year.
The Jets, Browns, or even Redskins could be looking at Sam next year. Sam’s best bet is to play well and create a market for himself
That’s probably Sam’s only bet at this point
Redskins after their newest “star” QB implodes when they have to play teams with winning records
Bills for sure.
Didn’t he say he won’t play for Chip?
He did say “next year”; a lot can change in a year — including the firing of a coach 😉
Pats will need a qb soon
Isnt it weird how you can make more money than 90% of your counter parts and still feel like a failure?
UDFA Bruce Johnson, Center Maine
https://youtu.be/y41_X2NMTE4
Hopefully he has a better outlook on football than Molk, but that’s what we get for employing scUM.
Mauling people
Laquon Treadwell
Height: 6′ 2″
Weight: 221
Arm Length: 33⅜”
Hand Size: 9½”
40 Yard Dash: 4.63*
Bench Press: 12
Vertical Jump: 33″
Broad Jump: 117″
3 Cone Drill: 7.05*
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.29*
Agility Score: 11.34
Cayleb Jones
Height: 6′ 3″
Weight: 209
Arm Length: 32¾”
Hand Size: 9¼”
10 Yard Dash: 1.65
40 Yard Dash: 4.65
Bench Press: 9
Vertical Jump: 33½”
3 Cone Drill: 6.99
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.14
60 Yard Shuttle: 11.46
Agility Score: 11.13
Can someone help me out with the All-World UDFA Team? This is the place for longshot guys with almost no chance but that fandom obsesses over. I’ll start out with Nate Iloa, the bowling ball running back from UH who we all knew was going to pinball through opposing backfields for a HOF career.
At WR, there was Mr. Jeremy Bloom, aka White Lightning, who we optimistically believed would slalom all over the NFCE’s a$$ for years and years.
James Harrison
Momah was undrafted but was signed before the draft.
Didnt we draft Bloom?
Momah is exactly the type I was looking for. He’s on the team!
Yes we drafted Bloom. 5th Rd….pick 147.
McGoo! (SP)
Eric McCoo
Hank Baskett fumbled in the Super Bowl. I don’t want to admit he was on the Eagles.
Cedric Thornton
Jamaal Jackson
Hollis Thomas
Those guys are way too good!
Yeah they were all good players here , do you even follow this team lol? They are better than some of our 1st and 2nd round picks.
I dont think you get what he was asking. By your lists standards you really shoupdnt of left off mmmbop.
I assumed RC was being over-ironic, but it’s hard to tell. I have now changed the name of the team in order to be more inclusive.
Rod Smith (WR) – undrafted
Or are you asking about guys we loved here who never stuck?
Gizmo Williams.
I only started following the Eagles in ’89, so I had never even heard of Gizmo. He does look to fit the profile.
Total pre-season fan favorite. He used to do flips after TDs and such.
I was living in edmonton at the time when he tried out for the eagles…saw him in the mall one time after school, he looked like the pied piper with everybody following him around..he was a LEGEND in the CFL. Was always a threat to take it to the house when he caught a punt or kick return..i think he still has records for return TDs and yards
Quinton Demps. Man, had high hopes for him.
Another guy was JR Reed. Damn fence…
Reed was different because he actually did something on the field, not just in the imagination of Eagles fans.
that was many moons ago.
I mean Demps player and is a starting safety to this day in the league.
Tucker, Josey, Mostert.
I think Bloom was drafted though, 5th round if I’m not mistaken.
I think I am going to have to change the name of the Team to let him in…
Illoa was also drafted iirc.
Ingram for sure…even though he was a 4th rounder.
Ilaoa was a draft pick too (7th round).
Mostert?
Those are good ones, but kind of flash in the pans. Ideally the player should possess some outstanding or fascinating physical attribute, like Nate Iloa’s odd physique for a RB, and a nickname–“The Momahtron”. The Spurs had a guy named James White! —–exclamation mark mandatory–who won some dunk contests that internet fandom totally fell in love with, but did almost nothing for the team before being let go.
I loved Jeremy Bloom. I made him so good in Madden.
How about Henry Josey?
Cornelius Ingram
Myles Jack syndrome for Cornelius Ingram. That guy got completely ripped off by the NC double A. This story breaks my heart. His story breaks my heart.
Man i remember being over the moon when we drafted cornelius ingram, i kept getting angrier with every pick that went by and every tight end that was coming off the board and couldnt beleive we finally got him. Similar to how i felt about boykin in 2012..i was convinced ingram was gonna be a more explosive antonio gates and take our offense to the next level with djax, maclin, weaver and shady.
So sad about how the injury and surgery ruined that kids career
Russell Shepard
Rasheed Bailey, Jake Knott.
I thought of Bloom when we drafted Wentz because he was also #11.
The Eagles are at a crossroads right now. We’ve got two years of poor to mediocre drafting and offseason moves to make up for, 3 years of—if not bad coaching—coaching unique to Chips scheme to unlearn, we just have up several valuable picks to take a measured gamble on a QB, and we’ve got a new coaching regime.
If M Smith, Nelson, and Carson fail to materialize into good/great players, the current regime proves to be as poor as the last, and we don’t manage to get Hicks-like production from other late rounders, all of which is unfortunately quite possible, the next decade of Eagles football may be rough.
So here’s hoping our last three 1st rounders can contribute, Pederson and Swartz get this team turned around, and we’ve found 1 or 2 Hicks in this draft!
Think the thing you can say about Chip/Howie is that they have actually drafted well over the last few years. Since 2012 we have added via the draft:
Cox, Kendricks, Curry, Logan, Ertz, Johnson, Matthews, Hicks and Rowe as quality starters as well as depth in Shepherd, Agholor, Smith, Huff, Reynolds, Allen and Kelly. (1-2 of those guys may develop into decent starters).
That is actually a very good amount of hits (although you would prefer 1-2 more stars than just Cox).
We need a top 10 solution at QB and this team is a consistent play off roster.
This is the half-glass full view, not IMO very realistic.
Matthews needs to go to your 2nd category for sure as well as Rowe. Hicks could be a flash in the pan. Kendricks is possibly a below-average starter. Ertz is probably overrated.
A guy with 1869 yards and 16 TDs is a contributor and not a starter?
Matthews is complete trash DOOD!!!!!
lots of tds, but as a primary receiver?
He’s not a number 1 top 10 WR but he’s a solid WR2 big bodied possesion WR.
will be nice to see him on the outside. If he and ags can catch sammy B is going to have a big year.
I don’t know, I mean he has a place on a team, but not as the #1 receiver.
Possibly/probably/could be? I’m pretty sure you’re going half empty on the glass here.
Yeah, but Fufina was counting them as sure things. They’re not.
^^^
Draft Breakdown finally posted a cutup of Countess from Auburn, I get the appeal.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=3&v=K8ZLBv0oTd8
i think countess is a sick name. Countess Bathory
kinda funny he’s playing against prescott given how the draft played out
I can tell you from watching that, he looks better than Mills. Hes tougher, more instinctive, quicker to diagnose, a better tackler and quicker to boot. Not mad at this guy in the 6th at all.
I hope this is his worst game of the year. I can see why he’s a 6th rounder.
Lacks the recovery speed to recover if he gets beat
Covering isn’t his strength
He is physical so he has that going on for him.
Might just be a nickel or might be converted to SS.
Oh he’s a nickel or undersized safety.
Do you know if he can play ST?
I believe Malzahn said he played corner, safety, and special teams for Auburn this year — so you’d hope so. I’m sure this is a “versatility” type pick as well.
Ah ok. There was literally nothing on this guy when he was drafted.
I would assume so. If he makes the roster it’s as nickel 2, S4/5 and gunner.
The Pro Day numbers pretty much screamed “nickel” I thought. Maybe safety, better backup than Reynolds — if he’s physical he sure would tackle better. That would be more than fine for a 6th rounder.
I would say that Reynolds has higher upside.
I disagree. I think Reynolds is ok at what he is, a cover 2 backup safety. But he can’t really do much else. Doesn’t have the range to play Centerfield, isn’t a good box safety, can’t play man.
I agree that Reynolds is what he is. I just don’t see Countess doing anything but being Maragos 2.0
In his defense, he was playing zone on the td play over the top, it was the S responsibility. Do you think Mills is any better?
Yea he had curl to flat. Looks like it was supposed to be a cover 3 behind him.
Both guys were caught looking at the QB. Aside from the miscommunication, he still didn’t look all that good.
TY .. who’s the Miss T QB .. seems decent enough
Thank you for posting this. I’m just not sure what makes this guy better than worth a shot as an UDFA rather than spending a 6th on him.
You like the Mills pick no? Please watch Mills agaisnt Alabama then watch the above video and then tell me who looks better.
I had read way more about Mills as a safety rather than a corner, so I’m not as “down” on that. Mills also didn’t come from pretty much nowhere in terms of value. Mills also didn’t cost us a shot at a guy I wanted there.
Please forgive Media Mike. his ideal GM is a computer that picks the BPA per CBS predraft rankings – ALL THE TIME. NO MATTER WHAT.
And yours would be a person who picks anybody at anytime with no mind on valuation and cannot be judged on it.
Funny you say that. The general consensus is that while Howie does not have a stellar record on “who” to pick, he is known for being an at least above average “valuation” guy – if not a top tier talent in that. History backs up my point. See I’d rather a GM/team exec with a real proven talent for true valuation, and who bases his valuation on talking to NFL scouts and GMs versus a fan who types stuff on website comments who puts stock in media predictions that have general consensus agreed to be historically trash.
I wouldn’t challenge Howie on valuation 9 times out of 10, but that doesn’t absolve him of scrutiny. I generally love his work as GM, but I’ll call every pick as I the best evidence sees it. And this pick of Countess is poor valuation and zero evidence exists to contradict that point.
“This pick sucked and Countess should have been here as UDFA” is far removed from a general judgement of Howie.
So you agree with my statement that Howie is a very good valuation guy, but you consistently cite your confidence in CBS rankins to backup how atrocious you think Howie’s valuation was. So you are saying Howie is pretty good but CBS is better? If not, you have no basis of logic for arguing like that.
I’m saying nobody perfect in their picks.
And what if the prevailing view of Howie as being very good at valuation comes from the consensus of how draft writers and talent evaluators (CBS included) are rating his picks?
I certainly ain’t doing it, and I wouldn’t charge you with the task either – but if we could agree on a stats nerd – we all know they’re abound these days on the interwebs and in the era of sabremetrics etc…. – if we had them statistically rate Howie v. CBS predraft rankings on some version of objective accuracy – you seem to agree that Howie would DESTROY cbs draft rankings – because they are proven to be garbage. But you choose to cling to garbage. Kiss it, caress it, snuggle with it, buy a big rock and put it on it’s finger. I’m not saying that Howie is amazing almighty authority, or that people don’t make mistakes – especially in the NFL draft – but I am pleading with you to consider the source (overall proven to be at best about equal to a coin flip – when you over and over again cite CBS as ultimate wisdom.
That would indeed be the ultimate data table. And I’m not just using CBS. I can look at NFL.com, Walter, pro football focus, draft tek, and/or several others.
The entire origin of our disagreement on the subject comes from the Marcus Smith pick. I’m still not convinced that was Howie’s doing, but he chose to own it.
Not only did that pick not adhere to the best available known valuation of that player; he’s sucked in the aftermath of it.
Take any of Howie’s best players. There are several. How many were reaches at the time of their selection? I can’t find a single one.
As per our conversation, the below is from birds24/7 today’s wakeup call article :
Often times, grades are based on value for picks, but we forget that a lot of the “value” is created by the media. If a team selected someone in the second round whom most “draft experts” had pegged as a third-round pick, that doesn’t necessarily mean he was a “reach.” And if a team takes a prospect in the sixth round whom many in the media had as a fifth-round pick, that doesn’t necessarily mean they got “good value.”
Some media members consult teams about their round projections on certain players, but there’s no universal big board across the league. The only real way to determine if someone was a reach or not is to wait five years.
Read more at http://www.phillymag.com/birds247/2016/05/02/philadelphia-eagles-nfl-draft-grade-carson-wentz/#GWVkD1o6QxJZ184v.99
I rest my case.
Unless Running QB Guy is BPA.
Those seem like irreconcilable differences.
Come on. Who’d you rather be your starter, Cam Newton or Mark Sanchez?
False choice.
And I’d take Wilson over Cam.
You passed the test!
I want you to watch with your own eyes. You know these values are so subjective. I dont know why you are so stubborn on this stuff.
I think it boils down to a level of trust with the general reporting on a player, etc.
Also, does Mills coming off of a significant leg injury that he played through for the whole season impact your view of his skills and talents at all? A guy playing that many snaps for LSU carries a lot of weight in my book.
I totally get what you’re saying with the Bama game, but can that game really trump the prevailing view of him?
Youre right and I need to go back and watch the other 2 games they have on him as a junior. In the end it was a freaking 6th rounder, you know? I can understand the Hicks stuff from last year as a 3rd but damn man.
I just hate seeing an overly high opportunity cost paid when it could have been avoided. Especially in a draft when I player I really want winds up being snatched away by a team I hate and that also has a strong track record of player development.
It irks me with not trading down and still getting Marcus Smith, not getting TJ Clemmings, and not getting Travis Feeney.
I really hate seeing value wasted.
They did trade down for Smith. I hope he plays well this year. Was Clemmings just last year? May have missed Hicks for him which remains to be seen who will be better in yhe long run. Clemmings was taken in the 4th no?
I would have liked to seen Smith taken after an additional trade down. Attatucho (spelling, sorry) would have been there if that report of the Skins sniffing around Smith was true.
Yes, Clemmings was stolen from us before we could pick in the 4th round. There was also a report that the Bengals liked Hicks in the 3rd, but they bypassed LB with their pick right after us and took Paul Dawson with a 3rd round comp pick. I doubt the veracity of that Bengals/Hicks report seeing as Dawson is 100% a Bengals type player who they were eyeing the whole time anyway. The whole knock on Hicks was that he missed time; then he came here and missed time. When I see that vs. how putrid our o-line was vs. Clemmings starting 16 games for a playoff o-line; it leaves me feeling ripped off.
Shit happens I guess. The wrong risks may have been taken by chosing Smiths upside over Attachou’s readiness and Hicks current health over Clemmings stress fracture. However, last I heard, Clemmings wasnt playing all tjay great.
Clemmings 100% played like a rookie thrust into a starting role on zero notice; but he battled.
I’d take that over Gardner laying down on the job, Barbre Doll, and/or turnstile Tobin.
And what this really boils down to is that this team has been constantly shitting the bed and underachieving since the choke to Arizona in the 2008 season NFC title game.
The team has been straight garbage from 2011 on, so every last mistake has to be aggressively rooted out in order to find some type of way to improve.
I’m very optimistic this group can do it, but the organization as a whole hasn’t earned much slack.
Check out these charts. 6th round picks wash out over 70% of the time. It was worth drafting him just because his name: Black Countess. Almost as cool as Dak Prescott.
http://datascopeanalytics.com/blog/the-chance-of-a-bust-in-the-nfl-draft/
Good to know, but I’m really only going to juxtapose the career of Countess vs,. that of Travis Feeney due to Feeney being the player I was championing.
Looks like another “shark in the water”–but who knows, sometimes those guys put it together.
Had Feeney been taken by the Giants or Browns, I wouldn’t have been as worried. When the Steelers take a dude I want, it worries me.
Hahaa dude Steelers miss on alot of LBs too.
And I’m not sure he even makes their roster.
He’s gotta beat out Jordan Zumwalt, LJ Fort, Matakevitch, and Tyriq McCord, plus a couple of vet journeymen.
There’s a good chance he’s on waivers in 3 months.
Seems like a great draft… not ever going to judge this harshly. Taking the big swing for a QB.
Like the andy reidism going with a tackle at guard to do the inside out flow.
Im totally down with your elation over paul walker.. hOpe hie makes it I’m rooting for him.
Wtf yooo talking about wtf ???
..
Oh that was a joke. Not funny and do you really think its a good time for jokes !
Forget the rest of the picks…
This 2016 Draft is ALL about Wentz
NONE of the other selections excite me one bit. Based on Howie’s record I will be shocked if any of them turn out to be role players much less long term starters. Eagles just haven’t done a good job finding talent in later rounds, very low batting average.
Eagles will regret not being aggressive about selecting Paul Perkins/Jordan Howard esp when they were there to be had. Did Howie REALLY think Giants were NOT going to take a RB?? Come on bro.
Offense still lacks legit playmakers outside of Ertz. No other player has to be game planned for by opposing defenses. Sproles would be the candidate but he is getting up there in age, and showed signs of slowing down last year.
There were explosive WRs to be had, yet Howie did not select any.
I know the D-line is stacked, BUT COME ON HOWIE. That was hands down the strength of this draft and you came away with a scrub from Florida?
I don’t mean to be negative, and I understand we LACKED picks in the most important rounds of this draft (2nd and 4th).
Lets hope Carson is ready to go sooner rather than later !
Wow, after your first statement, I think I disagree with everything you said.
*I think there is a lot to be excited about – finally addressing OL depth and high upside late picks.
*I think we do fairly well with later rounds. Everyone has a low batting average, that is why those players are still around.
*You wanted us to “be aggressive” and use multiple resources to get a different RB in a draft where we only had two picks in the first 150?
*AND you wanted an explosive playmaker WR?
*AND you wanted to use more resources to pile up more backups on the DL?
*You say that you understand we lacked picks, but I am not getting that from your post.
This is the price of going after Wentz. The rest of the draft is depth and rolls of the dice. I think they made good use of what was left.
We will see in 3 years.
Eagles had to move up maybe 3 spots? For RBs like Paul Perkins and Jordan Howard who are talented to be long term starters.
Kolby Listenbee (6th rd) was worth a selection.
Your last point puts everything in good perspective for me. I see where you are coming from. Only so much you can do. Sigh.
Next years draft is loaded and we do have Matthews and Sproles. Listenbee is a draft project with elite speed and mediocre WR talent… sounds like 3 guys on our roster who are seasoned NFL vets… and they aren’t even our top 2 WRs (at this point on paper). So what you are seeing as a missed opportunity seems to be short-sighted. it’s not about completing the roster this season. It’s about tooling up for a multi-year buildup with a new coach, no franchise QB project to development, OL to rework, new D system, etc….
Essentially, we took the swing on Wentz, beefed up the OL and drafted depth for the RB/D spots. Solid in my book.
I see where you’re coming from. And agree none of the draft matters THAT much after Wentz.
I’m just not as HIGH on this draft as most other fans are.
Could go either way. No one knew who Hicks was at this time last year. Agholor was Maclin 2.0.
Well it certainly isn’t super exciting or sexy, but those usually don’t correlate to good drafting. My initial feelings were “they wiffed on a lot of Tommy’s crush’s” – especially following him on twitter during the draft. And “but I wanted Dixon, Perkins…etc…” and “I wanted Daniels, Kwiatkoski, Scooby”…etc… – we definitely sacrificed aiming high for LB depth and RB depth, but if we can supplement that with what we did so far/some UDFA/LB late vet signings, I’m ok.
If we come away from this draft with “hits” on Wentz, and the 2 Somoan OL beasts, and average RB#2, LB #5, DB#5 depth, I think it will be a great draft in a few years. A lot of “ifs” – sure, but that’s evaluating post draft reality…
Like its been stated many times..
If Eagles HIT on Wentz, the rest of the guys can be out of the league in 2-3 years for all that it matters…
One thing is for sure, We WILL KNOW if HOWIE is a “FOOTBALL GUY” after this draft…
Yeah, ok, but I want the two OL to work out as well.
Thank you. Even if the Eagles didn’t trade up for Wentz they wouldn’t have been able to address everything this year.
I’m getting tired of reading how the Eagles didn’t take playmakers on offense. If they did, all we would have read was how they didn’t address the OLine. If they pciked DLine, we would have read how they didn’t address the secondary.
Draft is over. Now we can continue the Bradford trade talks.
Rooting in injury to starting QBs on playoff-ish teams with cap space and poor backups who aren’t on any of my fantasy teams.
Seems easy.
Trade him to the Jets. Two crybaby QBs who think they’re the man in one locker room would create some good reads.
All I’m trying to read is a 2nd round pick and another pick that slides between a 4th and 2nd based on snaps played.
Thank God!
Let me start by asking: Is Bradford being a Whiny B or did he just make a rational business decision based on an unexpected move by the Eagles brass? If Bradford has, indeed, finally revealed himself to be a spineless loser and that his past career must now be seen in a new light, what specific things did he say or do that clearly show it? (Besides the one statement by his agent)
Neither. Bradford’s agent made an irrational business decision. That’s what’s going on.
Bradford thought he could maneuver himself to be the starter in Denver, which he would have preferred, while the Eagles would still be on the hook for his signing bonus.
still glad Howie did not cave in and move him to Denver. Imagine if Denver wins again and as they would still be celebrating on the field all i would be thinking how the eagles paid 11 million to Bradford to help Denver repeat.
The fact that he won’t talk to anyone is enough for me. He clearly doesn’t want to be here and I don’t want him here if he wants to be a whiny cunt.
Whiny B!tch.
Can I understand that he’s disappointed? Sure. Does that excuse the way he’s behaved since he found out? Hell no. Drew Brees, McNabb, Favre, all had better numbers and a better career going when their team drafted their presumptive replacement. None of them were happy, but they all buckled their chin strap and kept playing.
Bradford, on a deal he had to at least suspect was short term, pitched a fit and is holding out. This is right after he forwent free agency in favor of resigning with Philly. Brady Quinn posted a really nice article on profootballtalk.com that summed it up quite nicely.
Forwent. Nice. Never knew that was an actual word.
Too bad the players have to play their career management issues this way.. in public in front of the fanbase and ruin their reps … league loves it this way.. gives the owners an unfair advantage
i’ve almost given up on a trade. i am figuring out how to cheer when he starts and does something good. i am thinking my cheers when he throws a touchdown will be mentally for the receiver catching the ball. if he runs for a touchdown (unlikely) maybe i will cheer for the blocking.
Even if the Eagles lose a top 5 pick next year, would you want to draft 37th or 47th in the next round?
Are both the OL Somoan? If so, that’s something both sides of the line have lacked for YEARS. Everyone knows, Somoans in the trenches = WINS.
Seumalo is Hawaiian. I believe Big V is Samoan.
Excellent. I think the mixture is even better.
He’s from Hawaii, but it’s a Samoan name and he has traveled there. What’s the difference between Samoans and Hawaiians? Hard to say, they’re both big and athletically gifted peoples.
So are Sumo wrestlers.
There was a badass 5’8″ Sumo wrestler back in the day. It was awesome to see him try to match up with 6’8″ Akebono (also from Hawaii).
With his name I would have guessed Tongan.
Vaitai, that is.
Similar to Vai Sikahema
All in all, I can only find one thing disappointing with the Wentz pick; we have to wait until the first pre-season game to watch him QB in a way that can be fairly judged.
I’m 100% in the “sit him until he wins the job” group, but I am really looking forward to seeing him play outside of the BS-a-thon that comes out from mini-camp, training camp, and practice.
Great point Med Mike .. that final preseason game gonna set an attendance record !!
I did a little sleuthing, Big V is indeed of Tongan descent.
Indeeds nuts.
7th Rounder to the D”s Nuts y’all… hows deez nuts for some wunderlic reality