Sunday, April 18, 2010

Draft Talk

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I'm busy writing and updating Player Profiles over at ScoutsNotebook.  Decided to take a quick break and share a couple of things. 

People have asked about DE Jason Pierre-Paul.  I doubt he'll be an Eagles target.  I confirmed from someone that multiple teams have red flags on him due to behavior.  He won't be on all 32 draft boards.  I don't know what the Eagles actually think, but we tend to be pretty conservative when it comes to character so I'm guessing he'll go elsewhere.  I'm now interested to see how far he falls. 

One thing to remember about all the trade-up talk is that we're not the only team that could be looking to do that.  The Pats have several 2nd round picks and could also be looking to draft early.  I don't know if we'd have the same targets.  They could be after an OLB, ILB, or RB.  With Patrick Chung and Brandon Meriweather already in place I'm not sure they'd go for Berry or Thomas.  It is possible they like Earl as a CB.  I've mentioned that he reminds me of Asante Samuel.  Well, who drafted Sammie?  The Pats. 

Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout had a report about us moving up for Rolando McClain.  Rob is generally a smart guy, but I don't know who he's listening to or what he's thinking.  I'd be shocked for the Eagles to deal up for McClain.  Just doesn't make sense.  Never say never, but....there is absolutely no way this is true.  I'm 81 percent sure of that. 

Let's talk about Derrick Morgan.  He is 6'3, 266.  That is probably our ideal size in a DE.  He's big enough to play the run, but is small enough to still be a top pass rusher.  Derrick is a good athlete.  He has a great motor.  He is pretty strong.  Derrick is versatile.  He played both sides and saw some snaps at DT.  We love guys that can move around.  Morgan is productive.  He had 12.5 sacks and 2 FFs in 2009.  Someone compared him to Jerome McDougle.  Not exactly.  Jerome was smaller at 6'1 1/2.  He had 12 sacks in 2 years at Miami.  Morgan had 19.5 over the last couple of years.  He's a better finisher than McDougle.  Morgan is more athletic.  He is more relentless as a rusher.  The question with Derrick is how high he goes.  With McDougle we moved up to get him because we were desperate at DE.  We had ND Kalu on one side and Derrick Burgess coming off an injury on the other.  We reached and it blew up in our face, but it was still the right move based on circumstance. 


ANSWERS

RE:  Morgan Burnett vs other Safeties

Morgan is an excellent ballhawk.  He has good size and athletic ability.  I don't like his tackling and run defense.  Morgan wouldn't be my ideal S, but the Eagles could love him.  Aside from the Big 2, I'd prefer Nate Allen and Reshad Jones for sure.  Taylor Mays, Chad Jones, and Burnett are similar in grade in my mind.  Each guy has good and bad qualities. 


RE:  Sam Bradford - spread QB

Sam does catch some flak for being a spread guy.  That's one reason teams were hesitant about loving him.  OU does run a slightly different spread.  They mix in more intermediate routes than say Missouri, Texas Tech, or Florida.  Sam has the size, ability, and skill set to make you feel he could thrive in any system (except the Wishbone). 


RE:  rookies on the right side of the defense

Interesting catch.  I hadn't thought of that.  Of course, there is no guarantee the rookies will win those jobs.  We could have Trent, Akeem, Ellis, and whoever at FS.  Good point to consider, though.  Smart observation.


RE:  Value Board

It should be good for rounds 1-3.  Check it out.  I've also got some notes up on guys the Eagles might be interested in. 

http://www.scoutsnotebook.com


RE:  Bunk on the field as a pass rusher?

In the middle of 2007 we started playing almost exclusively DEs on the inside in Nickel and Dime situations.  Bunk hadn't established anything, good or bad, at that point.  I really think getting him off the field is more about wanting DEs than anything Bunk has or hasn't done. 

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14 comments:

Eddie said...

i heard from a website that we could get the 10th pcik for th 24th, 70th, and a later pick, while the dolphins who pick at 12 will want the 24th, and the 55th. in my opinion the 10th pick is cheaper and could potientally be high enough to get berry, if he slips abit. Im 95% sure thomas will be there if berry is gone.

http://www.2minutestomidnightgreen.com/2010/04/king-eagles-want-to-trade-up-for-safety.html

Ben Hessel said...

@Eddie..

Also keep in mind that while it is more difficult than trading down, we could do multiple trade ups.

We could get to 10 for, say, the price you mentioned above. And then we could trade up from 10 to maybe the 8th spot for a smaller price. While the Raiders, in this example, may not be willing to drop to 24, they may like the idea of dropping to 10. That would get us up to 8, where we think Berry is a slight possibility, and Thomas is a definite. Of course, the trade to 10 would have to be done before the draft in this scenario, which is unlikely. However, it is not out of the question, and of course a 3 way trade would be unusual but possible as well.

Unknown said...

Tommy-

I've read your evaluations of Reshad Jones throughout the postseason on SNB.com, and you make a good ase for him as an Eagles target.

However, what do you make of his listed shuttle and cone times (per Draft Scout/CBS Sports) of 4.54 and 7.43 respectively?

Was there an injury involved hopefully? Because if not those are really frightening times. No way I'd want him playing FS in Cover 3 for us with those kinds of COD problems

Have you seen some different/better times for him on those? And if they are legit, how much of a concern are they to you?

Cliff said...

The problem with all these trade scenarios now is that Berry is so highly coveted, the price has skyrocketed.

Unknown said...

You should've said you were 55% sure we won't take Rolando McClain.

Tommy Lawlor said...

Excellent point, sir.

Anonymous said...

Tommy,

Any thoughts on who the Eagles might be targeting as a developmental qb in the mid to late rounds?

Unknown said...

Tommy, what do you make of the report that we're seriously interested in Brandon Spikes? His 40 time was slower than some of the DTs in this draft.

Unknown said...

ERNIE SIMS FTW!

orangecrush007 said...

Ernie sims! For a fifth rounder?! Eagles are great.

stvn said...

Now if only Detroit could back in time and draft Michael Oher instead of Brandon Pettigreq

Unknown said...

Tommy,
What do you make of Ernie Simms, esp for a 5th rounder?

Adam S. said...

WOW! LOVE the Sims trade!! I would've been fine giving up a 5th for Ginn, although not at all upset we didn't. But a 5th for Ernie Sims, Hell Yeah!

I'm curious as well as to what you think of this Tommy, is there a reason Detroit is willing to part so easily with Sims? They got Tony Scheffler and a 7th in return, is Pettigrew not what they thought he would be as far as a recieving threat? Do they have somebody that was playing behind Sims that they felt needed to get on the field?

Cliff said...

Love the trade, too, but I'm curious as to what injuries Sims had that kept him off the field last year and whether ose are the lingering variety. Other than that, I'm happy.