Draft Summary

Sorry for the lack of posts yesterday. The Eagles moved around so much that there was little time to write. By the time the draft was over I was exhausted and wanted to relax away from the computer.

Overall, the Eagles had a good weekend.

1 - WR Jeremy Maclin
2 - RB LeSean McCoy
5 - TE Cornelius Ingram
5 - DB Macho Harris
5 - OT Fenuki Tupou
6 - WR Brandon Gibson
7 - OG Paul Fanaika
7 - LB Moise Fokou

PFA - SS Reshard Langford
PFA - FB Marcus Mailei
PFA - C Dallas Reynolds

UFA - RB Marcus Thigpen
UFA - RB Walter Mendenhall
UFA - DE Josh Gaines
UFA - CB Courtney Robinson
UFA - WR Brandon Robinson
UFA - PK Sam Swank

They also traded for CB Ellis Hobbs.
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I'm going to write out a lengthy summary in the next day or so, but I wanted to give a quick overview of everything.

The Eagles added a pair of dynamic playmakers with the first two picks. Maclin and McCoy both delivered a ton of big plays and TDs in college. They will bring that same ability to the Eagles offense. I'm sure Andy will mix both players into things as aggressively as he feels he can. Maclin has to adjust to a conventional offense, but is reportedly a very bright kid. That should help his transition. McCoy has to fine tune his game to the NFL. He can't bust every run out wide. He can't swing the ball when he runs. Those are coachable things.

Cornelius Ingram can be a dynamic addition to the offense. The question with him is the status of his knee. Mike Mayock reported that he heard some teams had serious concerns that Ingram might need another ACL surgery. The Eagles have taken medical risks over the years. Some have panned out (Mike Lewis, Shawn Barber), but not all. Ingram does have big time talent. On the field, the main problem with him will be blocking. He'll be a step behind Brent Celek. That's not good. Ingram spent a lot of his college career in the slot or flexed out wide. He'll have to adjust to a conventional TE spot.

I was a big fan of Macho Harris...this year. I hated him in 2006. He grew on me a bit in 2007, but he still seemed like an overrated player. He declared for the draft, then pulled his name out a day or two later. Harris then had a big time Senior season. I loved watching him this fall. Harris made a ton of plays. He made them at crucial points in the game. He accepted the pressure of being the leader of a young secondary and thrived. He played on offense and was used as the PR some of the time. He then went to the Senior Bowl and played very well. He fell to the 5th for a couple of reasons. He doesn't have ideal speed and there are some character concerns. I have no problem with taking a chance on him. Harris might not be a track star, but he was a playmaker. I put a lot of value in that. As for the character stuff, he was a 4-year player at Va Tech and he showed a lot of leadership and maturity as a Senior. Hopefully that's the guy we're getting.

I'm not a huge fan of the two OL picks. Tupou played LT at Oregon, but is meant to play G or RT in the NFL. He just doesn't have the feet for the left side. We don't have a good backup RT at this point. Chris Patrick is in that spot for now. Tupou provides competition for him. Forget about Winston Justice. I think he's on the way out. Fanaika is a run blocker. He'd be a solid fit on a team that...hmmm...what is the phrase I'm looking for ... runs the ball?!?! Andy loves to draft run blockers so that he can team them how to pass block 42 times a game. This is one part of Andy Reid that drives me insane.

WR Brandon Gibson is made for the WCO. He's about 210 pounds, runs good routes, works the middle of the field, and has terrific hands. He's faster than Jason Avant, but not as quick. Solid pick. He has the experience that you want in a receiver so that he can make a quicker adjustment to the pros.

LB Moise Fokou is a player that stood out to me last summer when I started doing draft prep. I loved his versatility and athletic ability. He could line up like an ILB or go out and play over a WR in the slot. Productive kid. He's coming here to play WLB I'm sure. He looks a bit raw, but there is a lot of potential.

I listed Reshard Langford, Marcus Mailei, and Dallas Reynolds as Priority Free Agents. The other guys are "just" Undrafted Free Agents. Langford has the abiity and experience to challenge for a roster spot at SS. Mailei is a FB who can block and catch. Reynolds has played LT and C. He has good size and experience.

You can find draft profiles on all the picks and PFAs here:

http://www.scoutsnotebook.com/modules.php?name=ranknote0809

Just click on the position, then find the player in the rankings and click on his name.

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Arguably the most important move all weekend was trading for CB Ellis Hobbs. I know some people have the mentality that "why would the Patriots let him go if he's any good?". That's over-simplifying things. NE has a young CB named Terrance Wheatley. They signed a FA named Leigh Bodden. They drafted a guy in the early 2nd this year named Darius Butler. They signed FA Shawn Springs. That is a good top 4 CBs. Hobbs is scheduled to be a Free Agent at the end of the 2009 season. Belichick felt he could trade him right now and help his team immediately. It wasn't a slight at Hobbs.

Ellis has started for a couple of seasons. He has been productive. He's got more INTs in the last 3 years than Sheldon Brown (6 to 5). He has good playmaking ability. He is a very talented KOR. The Eagles bring him in either as insurance in case Sheldon really goes off the deep end or they pencil him in as the starting RCB and deal Sheldon.

I've been of the belief that Brown wasn't getting dealt, but I'm hearing that the team may in fact see what is being offered.

All in all, a very good weekend.

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