***
Finally. I've waited a long time for these 3 days.
I'm in the process of finalizing a post on the Eagles and the draft. It will be done shortly. There are a ton of rumors floating in the media. Behind the scenes is basically the same talk. Teams are on lockdown. All the rumors floating around are basically speculation or generalized reports.
I don't have any inside info at this time. We're hearing the Eagles could deal up to pick
#5 KC
#7 CLE
#9 BUF
#10 JAX
#11 DEN
#12 MIA
The Chiefs make the most sense. They have a lot of holes still to fill and there isn't great value at the #5 spot. They do have extra picks already, but the more the merrier.
Buffalo could also use an extra pick or two. They are rebuilding.
The Jags don't have a 2nd rounder and would love to acquire one.
Miami traded their own 2nd round pick to Denver in the Brandon Marshall deal.
I think we'll move up if the price is right. The question is whether Eric Berry is available and just how much teams are looking for in the deal. We'll pay a good price, but won't sell our souls.
Stay tuned.
___
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Eagles Draft Thoughts - Positions
***
Someone recently asked what the Eagles look for in draft prospects at each position. Let's take a look.
QB --- The Eagles seem to prefer guys that are about 6'3, have a solid arm, some mobility, and a good track record. Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb were both 4-year starters. Andy Hall had experience at Ga Tech and Delaware. He led the Blue Hens to a national title. A.J. Feeley was primarily a backup, but fit our likes in the other areas. We don't draft based on great size or a huge arm.
FB --- Let's keep this simple. We look for players who can block and catch. Any running ability is a bonus. This is a low priority position for us in the draft. We're more of a UDFA / develop guys team when it comes to FB.
RB ---We like versatile, productive RBs. Shady and Westy were above average receivers. Buck was primarily a backup at Nebraska, but finished as one of the leading rushers in Nebraska history. Ryan Moats was incredibly productive in the 2004 season. Tony Hunt was very productive at PSU. Hunt and Buck were easily the biggest of the group. We seem to prefer smaller guys that are slashers rather than downhill power runners. Once we have a player set we will look into a complementary back. With McCoy in place as the starter I think we'd prefer a bigger back. Look for someone who is a downhill runner. We need a N-S guy with McCoy already set as the starter. McCoy is the one who can dance and be elusive. If a player with terrific athletic ability, receiving skills, and return ability is available, we might not pass on him. That could be too much for AR to pass on. We have taken a couple of RB/FB tweeners in Tony Hunt and Thomas Tapeh. Both players played both spots for us.
WR --- This is somewhat of a mystery. We've taken a variety of guys. Try to find a common thread between Todd Pinkston, Freddie Mitchell, Gari Scott, Reggie Brown, Jason Avant, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Brandon Gibson. In recent years we've gone for guys with good hands. I don't know if that's by design or just what happened. DJax and Mac each had RS ability. Gibson and Avant were slower, but a bit bigger and more physical. I really focus on trying to find guys that are natural receivers early and polished receivers late. David Culley needs someone who is very gifted to work with or he needs someone who knows what they are doing and has less of a learning curve.
TE --- We like pass catchers. Reid has looked closely at some big TEs, but has yet to pull the trigger on actually taking one. LJ Smith and Cornelius Ingram were athletic pass catchers. Brent Celek was just a good receiver. Tony Stewart was more blocker than receiver, but didn't really stand out in any way.
OL --- We like OTs, especially LTs. Most of the offensive linemen we've drafted or signed as priority UDFAs played LT in college. John Welbourn, Todd Herremans, Trey Darilek, Artis Hicks, Jeremy Bridges, Jamaal Jackson, Fenuki Tupou, King Dunlap, and Calvin Armstrong all were on the left side. Shawn Andrews, Bobbie Williams, Mike McGlynn, and Winston Justice all played RT. We don't spend too much time on pure OCs and OGs. We like guys with a big, thick build. Arm length is important to Juan Castillo and Big Red. They'll take a 6'4 guy with 34 inch arms.
DE --- We like pass rushers. I generally think of Derrick Burgess as our ideal guy. He was 6'2, 260 coming out of college. He was tough and physical although not a huge guy. He was quick, but not explosive. He knew how to get to the QB, play the run, and be disruptive. We've obviously experimented with bigger guys. Victor Abiamiri is 6'3 1/2 and around 280. We had Brandon Whiting play LDE at 6'4, 285. We've also gone small with Bryan Smith at 6'3, 230. I don't know if tall guys are off the list or just hard to find. We talk about speed rushers and fastballs, but really like guys that are more quick than fast. We don't just let our DEs fly off the ball and play 100mph. Jevon Kearse remarked about how the scheme here caught him off guard at first. The Titans let him focus on getting the QB. Here, he was taught to play the run first and then get the QB.
DT --- Mystery time. We gone from smaller, quicker guys to power players. Now the question is whether we're looking to change back. I still don't have a clue.
SAM --- Another spot where we've been all over the place. The rule of thumb used to be that we liked former DEs to come in and play SAM. Carlos Emmons was a DE in college. Jason Short was a DE in college. The immortal Greg Richmond was a DE in college. No word yet on what position he'll be listed at in Canton. Then Jim Johnson threw us us a Dwight Gooden Lord Charles style curveball and went with Dhani Jones. That experiment was slightly less than awesome so we went with Chris Gocong. Now he's been replaced by the smaller Moise Fokou. I don't think we drafted Moise to play SAM. I think they liked what they saw in practice and just decided to try putting him there to see what he'd do. Now we have Alex Hall as the backup, a guy who did play DE in college.
MLB --- Odd mix. Trot was here already so it is hard to say how he's impacted things. Tyreo Harrison was 6'2, 235. Omar was 6'1, 235. Both were late round guys. Joe Mays was short, but had a thick build. Barry Gardner was 6'1, 245. Our best MLBs have been guys that played with good leverage and had lots of power, lower body strength. Think less of speed and more of power.
WLB --- We've taken all kinds of players, but there is a good link at this spot. Our best WLBs played MLB in college. Mike Caldwell, Shawn Barber, Nate Wayne, Takeo Spikes, and Akeem Jordan all played ILB in school. Omar Gaither had some experience inside. Matt McCoy spent a lot of time between the tackles. I don't remember with Quinton Caver. Look for players that are 6'1 or 6'2 and 240 or so. We like physical tacklers with some athletic ability. We'll see if Ernie Sims changes any of this.
S --- We like future All-Pro players from Clemson. Having Dawk really spoiled us. It allowed Reid to sit back and take Safeties in the mid rounds with hopes of developing someone. JR Reed showed a ton of promise, but one darn fence ruined everything. Sean Considine was a good college player, but just couldn't put it all together in the NFL. Both guys were productive players with some size and some athleticism. Quintin Demps was very productive and ran a blazing time at the Combine. He and Reed were both good KORs. We reportedly were on the phone with Brandon Meriweather when the Pats took him. That is the earliest I know of us showing interest in a Safety. Mike Lewis was a 1st round talent that slid due to a heart condition. He was a value pick as much as anything. There is no exact trend, but look for productive Seniors, possibly with RS ability. Thomas and Berry are anomalies. Owusu-Ansah could definitely be a target of ours at FS.
CB --- We've gone with a lot of veteran players at this spot. The draft picks went for Sheldon and Lito. Ikegwuounu was a value pick because of the ACL. Last year we had a pair of press corners targeted. Both got snatched before our picks in rounds 3 and 4. I'm guessing we look for a CB that can press, has a medium build, and solid ball skills. That is flexible depending on who's available. We aren't afraid to take underclassmen at this spot.
MISC NOTES
* The Eagles are very specific drafters. They find players they like and go get them. If they don't like the choices they will move back or trade for future picks. We don't take the best FS available just because we need a FS. We only take players we like. You can argue whether this is a questionable philosophy (being too choosy), but that is the way we do things.
* We have no problem with taking I-AA players. The rule of thumb is that lower level guys must have been dominant at their level.
___
Someone recently asked what the Eagles look for in draft prospects at each position. Let's take a look.
QB --- The Eagles seem to prefer guys that are about 6'3, have a solid arm, some mobility, and a good track record. Donovan McNabb and Kevin Kolb were both 4-year starters. Andy Hall had experience at Ga Tech and Delaware. He led the Blue Hens to a national title. A.J. Feeley was primarily a backup, but fit our likes in the other areas. We don't draft based on great size or a huge arm.
FB --- Let's keep this simple. We look for players who can block and catch. Any running ability is a bonus. This is a low priority position for us in the draft. We're more of a UDFA / develop guys team when it comes to FB.
RB ---We like versatile, productive RBs. Shady and Westy were above average receivers. Buck was primarily a backup at Nebraska, but finished as one of the leading rushers in Nebraska history. Ryan Moats was incredibly productive in the 2004 season. Tony Hunt was very productive at PSU. Hunt and Buck were easily the biggest of the group. We seem to prefer smaller guys that are slashers rather than downhill power runners. Once we have a player set we will look into a complementary back. With McCoy in place as the starter I think we'd prefer a bigger back. Look for someone who is a downhill runner. We need a N-S guy with McCoy already set as the starter. McCoy is the one who can dance and be elusive. If a player with terrific athletic ability, receiving skills, and return ability is available, we might not pass on him. That could be too much for AR to pass on. We have taken a couple of RB/FB tweeners in Tony Hunt and Thomas Tapeh. Both players played both spots for us.
WR --- This is somewhat of a mystery. We've taken a variety of guys. Try to find a common thread between Todd Pinkston, Freddie Mitchell, Gari Scott, Reggie Brown, Jason Avant, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, and Brandon Gibson. In recent years we've gone for guys with good hands. I don't know if that's by design or just what happened. DJax and Mac each had RS ability. Gibson and Avant were slower, but a bit bigger and more physical. I really focus on trying to find guys that are natural receivers early and polished receivers late. David Culley needs someone who is very gifted to work with or he needs someone who knows what they are doing and has less of a learning curve.
TE --- We like pass catchers. Reid has looked closely at some big TEs, but has yet to pull the trigger on actually taking one. LJ Smith and Cornelius Ingram were athletic pass catchers. Brent Celek was just a good receiver. Tony Stewart was more blocker than receiver, but didn't really stand out in any way.
OL --- We like OTs, especially LTs. Most of the offensive linemen we've drafted or signed as priority UDFAs played LT in college. John Welbourn, Todd Herremans, Trey Darilek, Artis Hicks, Jeremy Bridges, Jamaal Jackson, Fenuki Tupou, King Dunlap, and Calvin Armstrong all were on the left side. Shawn Andrews, Bobbie Williams, Mike McGlynn, and Winston Justice all played RT. We don't spend too much time on pure OCs and OGs. We like guys with a big, thick build. Arm length is important to Juan Castillo and Big Red. They'll take a 6'4 guy with 34 inch arms.
DE --- We like pass rushers. I generally think of Derrick Burgess as our ideal guy. He was 6'2, 260 coming out of college. He was tough and physical although not a huge guy. He was quick, but not explosive. He knew how to get to the QB, play the run, and be disruptive. We've obviously experimented with bigger guys. Victor Abiamiri is 6'3 1/2 and around 280. We had Brandon Whiting play LDE at 6'4, 285. We've also gone small with Bryan Smith at 6'3, 230. I don't know if tall guys are off the list or just hard to find. We talk about speed rushers and fastballs, but really like guys that are more quick than fast. We don't just let our DEs fly off the ball and play 100mph. Jevon Kearse remarked about how the scheme here caught him off guard at first. The Titans let him focus on getting the QB. Here, he was taught to play the run first and then get the QB.
DT --- Mystery time. We gone from smaller, quicker guys to power players. Now the question is whether we're looking to change back. I still don't have a clue.
SAM --- Another spot where we've been all over the place. The rule of thumb used to be that we liked former DEs to come in and play SAM. Carlos Emmons was a DE in college. Jason Short was a DE in college. The immortal Greg Richmond was a DE in college. No word yet on what position he'll be listed at in Canton. Then Jim Johnson threw us us a Dwight Gooden Lord Charles style curveball and went with Dhani Jones. That experiment was slightly less than awesome so we went with Chris Gocong. Now he's been replaced by the smaller Moise Fokou. I don't think we drafted Moise to play SAM. I think they liked what they saw in practice and just decided to try putting him there to see what he'd do. Now we have Alex Hall as the backup, a guy who did play DE in college.
MLB --- Odd mix. Trot was here already so it is hard to say how he's impacted things. Tyreo Harrison was 6'2, 235. Omar was 6'1, 235. Both were late round guys. Joe Mays was short, but had a thick build. Barry Gardner was 6'1, 245. Our best MLBs have been guys that played with good leverage and had lots of power, lower body strength. Think less of speed and more of power.
WLB --- We've taken all kinds of players, but there is a good link at this spot. Our best WLBs played MLB in college. Mike Caldwell, Shawn Barber, Nate Wayne, Takeo Spikes, and Akeem Jordan all played ILB in school. Omar Gaither had some experience inside. Matt McCoy spent a lot of time between the tackles. I don't remember with Quinton Caver. Look for players that are 6'1 or 6'2 and 240 or so. We like physical tacklers with some athletic ability. We'll see if Ernie Sims changes any of this.
S --- We like future All-Pro players from Clemson. Having Dawk really spoiled us. It allowed Reid to sit back and take Safeties in the mid rounds with hopes of developing someone. JR Reed showed a ton of promise, but one darn fence ruined everything. Sean Considine was a good college player, but just couldn't put it all together in the NFL. Both guys were productive players with some size and some athleticism. Quintin Demps was very productive and ran a blazing time at the Combine. He and Reed were both good KORs. We reportedly were on the phone with Brandon Meriweather when the Pats took him. That is the earliest I know of us showing interest in a Safety. Mike Lewis was a 1st round talent that slid due to a heart condition. He was a value pick as much as anything. There is no exact trend, but look for productive Seniors, possibly with RS ability. Thomas and Berry are anomalies. Owusu-Ansah could definitely be a target of ours at FS.
CB --- We've gone with a lot of veteran players at this spot. The draft picks went for Sheldon and Lito. Ikegwuounu was a value pick because of the ACL. Last year we had a pair of press corners targeted. Both got snatched before our picks in rounds 3 and 4. I'm guessing we look for a CB that can press, has a medium build, and solid ball skills. That is flexible depending on who's available. We aren't afraid to take underclassmen at this spot.
MISC NOTES
* The Eagles are very specific drafters. They find players they like and go get them. If they don't like the choices they will move back or trade for future picks. We don't take the best FS available just because we need a FS. We only take players we like. You can argue whether this is a questionable philosophy (being too choosy), but that is the way we do things.
* We have no problem with taking I-AA players. The rule of thumb is that lower level guys must have been dominant at their level.
___
Old Draft Stuff
***
Just a quick morning post for now. Someone asked if I had any type of review on past drafts and what I said about players. I found something I wrote up a few years back that covers 1998-2005. I'm writing out something on the Eagles and the 2010 draft for this afternoon, but wanted to share this stuff for those who were curious. Mistakes are included. This isn't just a greatest hits compilation.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
(narrowly defeated The Bold and The Beautiful for the title)
1998
* I loved Purdue WR Brian Alford. I just knew he was going to surprise everyone with how good he'd be. I had him ranked 12th among WRs. The Giants agreed with me and took him in the 3rd. Complete bust. #38 in my rankings was Alvis Whitted, #41 Brian Finneran, and #50 Corey Bradford.
* Randy Moss was my #1 WR. However, I thought he'd slide due to his character issues. I had him pegged to SEA with pick 15. Instead, he went to MIN at 21.
* I had Matt Hasselbeck listed as a UDFA...and after Dave Loya of Duquesne. Who the hell is that?
* The Class of '98 may be the best collection of Centers to come out of one Draft.
1 Bob Hallen
2 Olin Kreutz
3 Jeremy Newberry
4 Todd Washington
7 Trey Teague
8 Kendyl Jacox
9 John Wade
11 Jeff Saturday
27 Cory Withrow
At least 3 of those guys have started a Pro Bowl. Kreutz and Saturday started this year's SB.
* I had Steve Foley as a 2nd Rd DE. He went to CIN as a 3rd Rd LB.
* What an awful group of DTs:
1 Vonnie Holliday
2 Jason Peter
3 Jeremy Staat
4 Leon Bender
5 Chuck Wiley
6 Mitch Marrow
7 Michael Myers
8 Julian Pittman
I'd love to tell you I missed on some guys, but the class just stunk. Aside from Holliday, there was Joe Salave'a, Brandon Whiting, and Lional Dalton.
* I had Shawn Barber rated as a 2nd Rd LB. I had Ike Reese as late 4th/early 5th.
* My #1 ILB was Takeo Spikes..."the next Ray Lewis". #5 was Jeremiah Trotter, who ran a 4.6 and did 30 reps at 6'1, 260.
1999
* The DE class featured two LB/DE tweeners...Montae Reagor at 6'2, 264 and Rod Coleman 6'3, 255. Both bulked up and became DTs.
* My #3 ILB was Barry Gardner. #4 was some guy named Al Wilson. Oops.
* I was very high on Clemson LB Rahim Abdullah. He was 6'5, 230. Could rush the passer, play the run, and showed some cover ability. Just to spite me, he forgot all that when he got to the NFL.
* The QBs:
1 Tim Couch
2 Donovan McNabb
3 Akili Smith
4 Daunte Culpepper
5 Cade McNown
- I had Peter Maas as a Day 1 pick. He was the backup at Oregon who had started in '97.
- I had Aaron Brooks rated as a late rounder.
2000
* I had Adalius Thomas ranked as the #6 DE and a Day 1 player. He fell late to the 6th Rd.
* Darwin Walker was my #5 DT. At the time, he was 6'3, 281.
* Check out these LBs:
1 LaVar Arrington
2 Brian Urlacher
3 Julian Peterson
4 John Abraham
5 Keith Bulluck
6 Na'il Diggs
7 Raynoch Thompson
8 Marcus Washington
11 Ian Gold
12 Barrett Green
13 Mark Simoneau
14 Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
15 Dhani Jones
Very impressive group. Not all are stars, but that is a lot of talent. Quite a few NFL starts in that group. Barrett Green was a player I really enjoyed watching at WV.
* I had Tom Brady as my #3 QB...after Chad Pennington and Chris Redman. Marc Bulger was 9th.
* Ron Dayne was my #4 RB, after Thomas Jones, Shaun Alexander, and Jamal Lewis.
* I had Ron Dugans, Dez White, and Danny Farmer graded ahead of Todd Pinkston. When the Eagles spot came up, I was screaming for us to take Jerry Porter.
* WR Plaxico Burress had a huge day vs Michigan. He caught 10 passes for 255 yds in the Spartans 34-31 win over the Wolverines. Just as impressive was his blocking. He physically overwhelmed Michigan's DBs. All I could think as I watched the game was..."I want that". Between the Fall and the Spring I changed my mind and decided Corey Simon was the best player for the Eagles. Had he not been available, Burress is absolutely the guy I wanted.
2001
* Derrick Burgess was my favorite player in the whole Draft. I was ecstatic when the Eagles took him with the 1st pick of the 3rd Rd.
* I have a sheet of paper listed Interesting Players. Only 4 guys were listed. 2 of them were Correll Buckhalter and Will Peterson (now William James). Weird. I had Peterson rated as a late 2nd. He fell a bit due to character questions.
* I had LaDainian Tomlinson as the #1 RB. Pretty bold, huh? I had Mike Vick as the #1 QB. And check out this bit of special insight..."he's at his best on the run".
* I have DT Kris Jenkins listed as one of my favorite players. I have notes on him. Yet, I cannot remember a thing about him at Maryland. Most players I can picture in college and remember something.
2002
* Colorado RB cortlen Johnson is a player I really liked. Very good on screen passes. Went undrafted.
* Tennessee had a pair of great DTs. The public consensus seemed to be that Junior Albert Haynesworth was better than Senior John Henderson. I had John rated higher. He went 9th to JAX and Albert went 15 to TEN.
* I found some Wonderlic scores:
Mike Lewis - 18
Ed Reed - 14
Lito Sheppard - 20
Dwight Freeney - 35
Jeremy Shockey - 16
Donte Stallworth - 23
Javon Walker - 9
* A very early mock draft of mine had the Eagles taking C/G Andre Gurode, LB Andra Davis, and SS Jermaine Phillips. Gurode went early 2nd to DAL. The other guys went in the 5th. Ouch. At least I nailed the drafting of a SS.
* Ga Tech DB Chris Young was a player I loved. He had experience at CB and S. He was a 4.6 guy who should have never played CB. Good tackler, big hitter. I thought for sure he was a Day 1 guy. He went in the 7th and never amounted to much. Fun kid to watch.
2003
* I had Anquan Boldin rated as a 1st Rd player despite his awful 40 time at the Combine. His performance in the Sugar Bowl really blew me away. QB Chris Rix was suspended for the game and the starting QB was ineffective. Boldin moved from WR to QB and kept FSU in the game as long as he could. Georgia won, but Boldin really blew me away with his toughness and competitive spirit. He was my favorite offensive player that year.
* I had Greg Lewis projected as the #1 UDFA WR.
* S Troy Polamalu was my favorite defensive player in the Draft.
* I have some good notes on Robert Mathis, but have his measurments at 6'0, 228. He turned out to be 6'2, 235. Based on the numbers I had, he was UDFA. I noted that he was quick, athletic, and had excellent COD skills and was a disruptive defender. I left out the part about him being a starting DE on a SB winner.
* I was a big fan of ILB Gerald Hayes. He's become a solid pro for the Cardinals. I had Tully Banta-Cain as a 2nd Rd player. He slid just a tad...to the 7th.
* I had some scrub named Osi Umenyiora as a 4th Rder and another scrub named Lance Briggs as a 5th rder.
* Jason Witten was clearly the #1 TE to me. I was shocked to see Dallas Clark, Bennie Joppru, and LJ Smith go ahead of him. To this day, I don't get that.
2004
* RB Mewelde Moore of Tulane was one of my favorite players in the Draft. I loved his versatility and toughness.
* Some other non-stars I loved were DE Shaun Phillips, CB Nathan Vasher, and WR DJ Hackett.
2005
* Cincinnati LB Jamar Enzor was my favorite player in the Draft. He was a longshot type and went unpicked. He's now in NFL Europa trying to save his career. I also liked his teammate, DE Trent Cole, quite a lot.
* UVA RB Alvin Pearman was one of my favorite guys. Absolutely loved him.
___
Just a quick morning post for now. Someone asked if I had any type of review on past drafts and what I said about players. I found something I wrote up a few years back that covers 1998-2005. I'm writing out something on the Eagles and the 2010 draft for this afternoon, but wanted to share this stuff for those who were curious. Mistakes are included. This isn't just a greatest hits compilation.
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY
(narrowly defeated The Bold and The Beautiful for the title)
1998
* I loved Purdue WR Brian Alford. I just knew he was going to surprise everyone with how good he'd be. I had him ranked 12th among WRs. The Giants agreed with me and took him in the 3rd. Complete bust. #38 in my rankings was Alvis Whitted, #41 Brian Finneran, and #50 Corey Bradford.
* Randy Moss was my #1 WR. However, I thought he'd slide due to his character issues. I had him pegged to SEA with pick 15. Instead, he went to MIN at 21.
* I had Matt Hasselbeck listed as a UDFA...and after Dave Loya of Duquesne. Who the hell is that?
* The Class of '98 may be the best collection of Centers to come out of one Draft.
1 Bob Hallen
2 Olin Kreutz
3 Jeremy Newberry
4 Todd Washington
7 Trey Teague
8 Kendyl Jacox
9 John Wade
11 Jeff Saturday
27 Cory Withrow
At least 3 of those guys have started a Pro Bowl. Kreutz and Saturday started this year's SB.
* I had Steve Foley as a 2nd Rd DE. He went to CIN as a 3rd Rd LB.
* What an awful group of DTs:
1 Vonnie Holliday
2 Jason Peter
3 Jeremy Staat
4 Leon Bender
5 Chuck Wiley
6 Mitch Marrow
7 Michael Myers
8 Julian Pittman
I'd love to tell you I missed on some guys, but the class just stunk. Aside from Holliday, there was Joe Salave'a, Brandon Whiting, and Lional Dalton.
* I had Shawn Barber rated as a 2nd Rd LB. I had Ike Reese as late 4th/early 5th.
* My #1 ILB was Takeo Spikes..."the next Ray Lewis". #5 was Jeremiah Trotter, who ran a 4.6 and did 30 reps at 6'1, 260.
1999
* The DE class featured two LB/DE tweeners...Montae Reagor at 6'2, 264 and Rod Coleman 6'3, 255. Both bulked up and became DTs.
* My #3 ILB was Barry Gardner. #4 was some guy named Al Wilson. Oops.
* I was very high on Clemson LB Rahim Abdullah. He was 6'5, 230. Could rush the passer, play the run, and showed some cover ability. Just to spite me, he forgot all that when he got to the NFL.
* The QBs:
1 Tim Couch
2 Donovan McNabb
3 Akili Smith
4 Daunte Culpepper
5 Cade McNown
- I had Peter Maas as a Day 1 pick. He was the backup at Oregon who had started in '97.
- I had Aaron Brooks rated as a late rounder.
2000
* I had Adalius Thomas ranked as the #6 DE and a Day 1 player. He fell late to the 6th Rd.
* Darwin Walker was my #5 DT. At the time, he was 6'3, 281.
* Check out these LBs:
1 LaVar Arrington
2 Brian Urlacher
3 Julian Peterson
4 John Abraham
5 Keith Bulluck
6 Na'il Diggs
7 Raynoch Thompson
8 Marcus Washington
11 Ian Gold
12 Barrett Green
13 Mark Simoneau
14 Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila
15 Dhani Jones
Very impressive group. Not all are stars, but that is a lot of talent. Quite a few NFL starts in that group. Barrett Green was a player I really enjoyed watching at WV.
* I had Tom Brady as my #3 QB...after Chad Pennington and Chris Redman. Marc Bulger was 9th.
* Ron Dayne was my #4 RB, after Thomas Jones, Shaun Alexander, and Jamal Lewis.
* I had Ron Dugans, Dez White, and Danny Farmer graded ahead of Todd Pinkston. When the Eagles spot came up, I was screaming for us to take Jerry Porter.
* WR Plaxico Burress had a huge day vs Michigan. He caught 10 passes for 255 yds in the Spartans 34-31 win over the Wolverines. Just as impressive was his blocking. He physically overwhelmed Michigan's DBs. All I could think as I watched the game was..."I want that". Between the Fall and the Spring I changed my mind and decided Corey Simon was the best player for the Eagles. Had he not been available, Burress is absolutely the guy I wanted.
2001
* Derrick Burgess was my favorite player in the whole Draft. I was ecstatic when the Eagles took him with the 1st pick of the 3rd Rd.
* I have a sheet of paper listed Interesting Players. Only 4 guys were listed. 2 of them were Correll Buckhalter and Will Peterson (now William James). Weird. I had Peterson rated as a late 2nd. He fell a bit due to character questions.
* I had LaDainian Tomlinson as the #1 RB. Pretty bold, huh? I had Mike Vick as the #1 QB. And check out this bit of special insight..."he's at his best on the run".
* I have DT Kris Jenkins listed as one of my favorite players. I have notes on him. Yet, I cannot remember a thing about him at Maryland. Most players I can picture in college and remember something.
2002
* Colorado RB cortlen Johnson is a player I really liked. Very good on screen passes. Went undrafted.
* Tennessee had a pair of great DTs. The public consensus seemed to be that Junior Albert Haynesworth was better than Senior John Henderson. I had John rated higher. He went 9th to JAX and Albert went 15 to TEN.
* I found some Wonderlic scores:
Mike Lewis - 18
Ed Reed - 14
Lito Sheppard - 20
Dwight Freeney - 35
Jeremy Shockey - 16
Donte Stallworth - 23
Javon Walker - 9
* A very early mock draft of mine had the Eagles taking C/G Andre Gurode, LB Andra Davis, and SS Jermaine Phillips. Gurode went early 2nd to DAL. The other guys went in the 5th. Ouch. At least I nailed the drafting of a SS.
* Ga Tech DB Chris Young was a player I loved. He had experience at CB and S. He was a 4.6 guy who should have never played CB. Good tackler, big hitter. I thought for sure he was a Day 1 guy. He went in the 7th and never amounted to much. Fun kid to watch.
2003
* I had Anquan Boldin rated as a 1st Rd player despite his awful 40 time at the Combine. His performance in the Sugar Bowl really blew me away. QB Chris Rix was suspended for the game and the starting QB was ineffective. Boldin moved from WR to QB and kept FSU in the game as long as he could. Georgia won, but Boldin really blew me away with his toughness and competitive spirit. He was my favorite offensive player that year.
* I had Greg Lewis projected as the #1 UDFA WR.
* S Troy Polamalu was my favorite defensive player in the Draft.
* I have some good notes on Robert Mathis, but have his measurments at 6'0, 228. He turned out to be 6'2, 235. Based on the numbers I had, he was UDFA. I noted that he was quick, athletic, and had excellent COD skills and was a disruptive defender. I left out the part about him being a starting DE on a SB winner.
* I was a big fan of ILB Gerald Hayes. He's become a solid pro for the Cardinals. I had Tully Banta-Cain as a 2nd Rd player. He slid just a tad...to the 7th.
* I had some scrub named Osi Umenyiora as a 4th Rder and another scrub named Lance Briggs as a 5th rder.
* Jason Witten was clearly the #1 TE to me. I was shocked to see Dallas Clark, Bennie Joppru, and LJ Smith go ahead of him. To this day, I don't get that.
2004
* RB Mewelde Moore of Tulane was one of my favorite players in the Draft. I loved his versatility and toughness.
* Some other non-stars I loved were DE Shaun Phillips, CB Nathan Vasher, and WR DJ Hackett.
2005
* Cincinnati LB Jamar Enzor was my favorite player in the Draft. He was a longshot type and went unpicked. He's now in NFL Europa trying to save his career. I also liked his teammate, DE Trent Cole, quite a lot.
* UVA RB Alvin Pearman was one of my favorite guys. Absolutely loved him.
___
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Evaluating Ernie
***
Ernie Sims
6'0, 230
born 12/23/84
Career Stats
56 starts
2.5 sacks
5 PDs
1 INT
4 FFs
17 TFLs
Best season was 2007: 97 solo tackles, 1 sack, 7 TFLs, 3 FFs, 2 PDs, 1 INT
General --- Muscular legs. Big butt. Ripped arms. Extremely athletic. Very good COD. Fast, quick, and agile. Closes to the ball really well. Light on his feet, which is good and bad. Helps him to change direction instantly and cover lots of ground, but also means a lineman can send him flying with a good block. Willing to attack lead blockers. Loves to fly upfield and attack. Shows promise as a blitzer. Has a good burst. Has outstanding cover skills. His backpedal looks better than some DBs. Has excellent speed and range. His speed also causes some problems. Overruns plays sometimes. Tackling is sloppy at times because he is out of control and will miss runners.
VS DALLAS 2007 --- Pursued well and tackled RB from behind. Got off block of Witten and slowed down Barber on run to his side. Covered Witten on a short crossing route and forced him out of bounds after a gain of 6 yards. Covered TO in the flat and forced Romo to throw elsewhere. Got in on a tackle of Witten by throwing himself on top of a small cluster of players and pulling him down. Tackled Witten after a catch over the middle late in the half. Hustled over in pursuit to force TO out of bounds. Overran Witten in space and missed the tackle. Tackled Witten after short catch over the middle. Hit a pulling linemen and helped to throw off a run play to his side. Came up on a short pass to get in on a tackle of Barber and keep him out of the endzone. Tackled RB after short catch over the middle. Got to the ball in a hurry and limited the gain.
VS GB 2007 --- Moved to his right quickly to get in on tackle of RB. Engaged an OL on an inside run, but couldn't get off the block and the RB went right by him. Ryan Grant caught a short pass over the middle and half a second after the ball arrived so did Sims. Floored the RB. Had tight coverage of Grant in the flat and forced the QB to look elsewhere. Made a good tackle of Grant after catch over the middle. Read a middle screen early and played it well. Didn't make the tackle, but impacted the play by staying in the middle and fighting a blocker, which didn't give the RB a clear lane. Got a quick hit on a WR on a catch over the middle. Tackled WR after short catch over the middle. Made a sloppy tackle attempt on a WR over the middle and gave up an extra yard on the play. Jumped a WR on a crossing route and forced Favre to go elsewhere. Took on the block of a TE and forced a run play back to the inside. Did his job, but never shed the block. Good tackle of Grant after RB screen. Got to the ball quickly. Took a good pursuit angle and helped get Grant down on a run to the outside. Was off balance when a throw to WR on crossing route came near him and couldn't make the play.
VS TEN 2008 --- Missed a tackle on WR reverse early in the game. Flew out wide to get in on a tackle on WR screen. Helped limit the play to just 5 yards. Attacked a pulling OL and clogged up a running play. Someone else made the tackle, but Sims blew up the play. Had Chris Johnson 1-on-1 on a short route. Stayed close to him and then tackled Chris when the ball did come to him. Limited the play to 5 yards and forced a punt. Took away an outside running lane for Johnson and forced him back to the middle, and other LBs. Flowed to the ball on a run to the right side and got in on a tackle of Johnson. Had tight coverage of Johnson on a pass play and forced Collins to throw the ball elsewhere.
SUMMARY --- The Eagles got a really interesting player. Ernie is probably the most athletic LB we've ever had. I don't really have good comparisons for him. We've had undersized LBs over the years (Darrin Smith, Keith Adams, Mark Simoneau, Matt McCoy), but none of them was quite like Ernie. I'm really curious to see how he plays in our system. He was a run and hit guy in Detroit. We use our guys to attack more. He instantly is one of our Nickel LBs. He could be a terrific STer. I'm not sure they'll use him there or not. Ernie plays with reckless abandon. You may want to protect him from himself by keeping him off kick coverage units. As a run defender Ernie will have to adjust to our style of play and our opponents. I'm not sure how he'll do when Madison Hedgecock is the lead blocker on an iso run to that side.
I think the Eagles made a smart gamble by going after Sims. If they can get him to improve on shedding blocks he could be a terrific WLB. Sims has the speed and range to make plays all over the field. He has the burst to be a good blitzer. He is a physical hitter and tackler. He is naturally tough and aggressive.
This move can't be fully evaluated until we see what Sims does in our system. We also need to see if he can stay healthy. He battled injuries the last 2 seasons and that affected his play. I don't think you can discount the impact that playing in a winning environment will have.
During Sims career:
record at Detroit 12- 52
defense in Pts / Yds
2006 30 / 28
2007 32 / 32
2008 32 / 32
2009 32 / 32
We had a disappointing season. We won 11 games, but failed to take the division title or win in the postseason. Our defense really struggled. We were 19th in Pts and 12 in Yds allowed. Think about that in comparison to Ernie's NFL experience. He's never played with the talent that we have (Asante Samuel, Trent Cole, Bunk & Patt, Stewart Bradley). Detroit was also dysfunctional and lacked the stability that we have. Ernie couldn't have stepped into a better situation. Let's hope it brings out the best in him. He'll also be in a contract year and that never hurts. We'll talk extension with him after we see what kind of a fit he is.
MOCK TIME
I put together an mock draft for the Eagles. It is my newest column over at PE.com.
--Link--
The comments are pretty awesome. Eagles fans don't hold back if they don't like what you have to say.
ANSWERS
RE: LB group
I'll write something on the LBs after the draft. I do now like the group we have. I doubt we'll add one unless it is late in the draft. Here's a quick depth chart:
SAM ---- Fokou .... Hall
MIKE --- Bradley ... Mays
WLB ---- Sims ....... Jordan
We also have Omar Gaither in the mix, although he's coming off injury. We do need a couple of guys to add to the group. There are some late rounders and UDFA types that I like in this class.
___
Ernie Sims
6'0, 230
born 12/23/84
Career Stats
56 starts
2.5 sacks
5 PDs
1 INT
4 FFs
17 TFLs
Best season was 2007: 97 solo tackles, 1 sack, 7 TFLs, 3 FFs, 2 PDs, 1 INT
General --- Muscular legs. Big butt. Ripped arms. Extremely athletic. Very good COD. Fast, quick, and agile. Closes to the ball really well. Light on his feet, which is good and bad. Helps him to change direction instantly and cover lots of ground, but also means a lineman can send him flying with a good block. Willing to attack lead blockers. Loves to fly upfield and attack. Shows promise as a blitzer. Has a good burst. Has outstanding cover skills. His backpedal looks better than some DBs. Has excellent speed and range. His speed also causes some problems. Overruns plays sometimes. Tackling is sloppy at times because he is out of control and will miss runners.
VS DALLAS 2007 --- Pursued well and tackled RB from behind. Got off block of Witten and slowed down Barber on run to his side. Covered Witten on a short crossing route and forced him out of bounds after a gain of 6 yards. Covered TO in the flat and forced Romo to throw elsewhere. Got in on a tackle of Witten by throwing himself on top of a small cluster of players and pulling him down. Tackled Witten after a catch over the middle late in the half. Hustled over in pursuit to force TO out of bounds. Overran Witten in space and missed the tackle. Tackled Witten after short catch over the middle. Hit a pulling linemen and helped to throw off a run play to his side. Came up on a short pass to get in on a tackle of Barber and keep him out of the endzone. Tackled RB after short catch over the middle. Got to the ball in a hurry and limited the gain.
VS GB 2007 --- Moved to his right quickly to get in on tackle of RB. Engaged an OL on an inside run, but couldn't get off the block and the RB went right by him. Ryan Grant caught a short pass over the middle and half a second after the ball arrived so did Sims. Floored the RB. Had tight coverage of Grant in the flat and forced the QB to look elsewhere. Made a good tackle of Grant after catch over the middle. Read a middle screen early and played it well. Didn't make the tackle, but impacted the play by staying in the middle and fighting a blocker, which didn't give the RB a clear lane. Got a quick hit on a WR on a catch over the middle. Tackled WR after short catch over the middle. Made a sloppy tackle attempt on a WR over the middle and gave up an extra yard on the play. Jumped a WR on a crossing route and forced Favre to go elsewhere. Took on the block of a TE and forced a run play back to the inside. Did his job, but never shed the block. Good tackle of Grant after RB screen. Got to the ball quickly. Took a good pursuit angle and helped get Grant down on a run to the outside. Was off balance when a throw to WR on crossing route came near him and couldn't make the play.
VS TEN 2008 --- Missed a tackle on WR reverse early in the game. Flew out wide to get in on a tackle on WR screen. Helped limit the play to just 5 yards. Attacked a pulling OL and clogged up a running play. Someone else made the tackle, but Sims blew up the play. Had Chris Johnson 1-on-1 on a short route. Stayed close to him and then tackled Chris when the ball did come to him. Limited the play to 5 yards and forced a punt. Took away an outside running lane for Johnson and forced him back to the middle, and other LBs. Flowed to the ball on a run to the right side and got in on a tackle of Johnson. Had tight coverage of Johnson on a pass play and forced Collins to throw the ball elsewhere.
SUMMARY --- The Eagles got a really interesting player. Ernie is probably the most athletic LB we've ever had. I don't really have good comparisons for him. We've had undersized LBs over the years (Darrin Smith, Keith Adams, Mark Simoneau, Matt McCoy), but none of them was quite like Ernie. I'm really curious to see how he plays in our system. He was a run and hit guy in Detroit. We use our guys to attack more. He instantly is one of our Nickel LBs. He could be a terrific STer. I'm not sure they'll use him there or not. Ernie plays with reckless abandon. You may want to protect him from himself by keeping him off kick coverage units. As a run defender Ernie will have to adjust to our style of play and our opponents. I'm not sure how he'll do when Madison Hedgecock is the lead blocker on an iso run to that side.
I think the Eagles made a smart gamble by going after Sims. If they can get him to improve on shedding blocks he could be a terrific WLB. Sims has the speed and range to make plays all over the field. He has the burst to be a good blitzer. He is a physical hitter and tackler. He is naturally tough and aggressive.
This move can't be fully evaluated until we see what Sims does in our system. We also need to see if he can stay healthy. He battled injuries the last 2 seasons and that affected his play. I don't think you can discount the impact that playing in a winning environment will have.
During Sims career:
record at Detroit 12- 52
defense in Pts / Yds
2006 30 / 28
2007 32 / 32
2008 32 / 32
2009 32 / 32
We had a disappointing season. We won 11 games, but failed to take the division title or win in the postseason. Our defense really struggled. We were 19th in Pts and 12 in Yds allowed. Think about that in comparison to Ernie's NFL experience. He's never played with the talent that we have (Asante Samuel, Trent Cole, Bunk & Patt, Stewart Bradley). Detroit was also dysfunctional and lacked the stability that we have. Ernie couldn't have stepped into a better situation. Let's hope it brings out the best in him. He'll also be in a contract year and that never hurts. We'll talk extension with him after we see what kind of a fit he is.
MOCK TIME
I put together an mock draft for the Eagles. It is my newest column over at PE.com.
--Link--
The comments are pretty awesome. Eagles fans don't hold back if they don't like what you have to say.
ANSWERS
RE: LB group
I'll write something on the LBs after the draft. I do now like the group we have. I doubt we'll add one unless it is late in the draft. Here's a quick depth chart:
SAM ---- Fokou .... Hall
MIKE --- Bradley ... Mays
WLB ---- Sims ....... Jordan
We also have Omar Gaither in the mix, although he's coming off injury. We do need a couple of guys to add to the group. There are some late rounders and UDFA types that I like in this class.
___
Monday, April 19, 2010
Ernie in the House
***
The Eagles were part of a 3-way trade that brought WLB Ernie Sims to us. I'd heard that the Eagles were talking to some teams about linebackers, but never got any specifics. We all tended to focus on Derrick Johnson and more recently Rocky McIntosh. Sims was overlooked because of the fact he plays for a minor league team, the Detroit Lions. I kid, of course. The Lions have been awful for a while, but I do think they are starting to get things right. Sims was not an ideal fit in Jim Schwartz's defense and that made him expendable (right Rambo?). The Lions got TE Tony Scheffler and a 7th from the Broncos. We sent our 5th round pick to Denver. Good deal for us and Detroit. I'm not so sure about the Broncos.
Here is the PE.com article.
Here is his Lions bio.
Sims is 6'0, 230. He's only 25 years old, but has been in the league for 4 years. He has over 50 career starts. He has played WLB for them and will do the same for us. Ernie was a Captain in 2007 and '08. He hasn't made a ton of plays. He has 1 career INT and 4 FFs. He does have 2.5 sacks. Ernie has yet to play on a good defense. That will change when he gets here. I know our D was off last year, but still finished 12th in yards allowed. To Ernie that will be like playing on the '85 Bears. The Lions best finish in his career was 28th in yards allowed back in 2006. They've been dead last in points and yards the last 3 years.
I'll watch tape of Ernie and write up a scouting report. I know he runs really well. Ernie is a good tackler and big hitter. Physical player. My question is how he deals with NFL blockers (FBs, TEs, and OL). I'll let you know what I see. For now we'll have to stick with basic facts and info.
I do like the deal. I wasn't enamored with the LB class in the draft. There were a couple of targets I liked, but not many. Having Ernie in place allows us to concentrate on CB, FS, DE, DT, etc. This gives us some freedom. We can trade up and losing the picks won't kill us. We can sit tight and add a lot of good players. I really like our options.
Ernie will compete with Akeem Jordan for the WLB job. Good. We need competition there. Sims has excellent potential. Jordan has started for us and played well at times. We got a good player at a very good price. He's still young and could be a long term solution if things work well.
ANSWERS
RE: Reshad Jones
I just happened to see his COD drill info this weekend myself. Those are bad times. That will hurt him and it may limit him to SS.
RE: QB targets
We brought Zac Robinson to Philly for a visit. That shows serious interest. I'd like him on the team. I think a handful of guys will be drafted earlier than they should (Kafka for instance). I don't love any of the QB prospects. Take one late and see what you can do. Armanti Edwards remains a guy that fascinates the heck out of me.
___
The Eagles were part of a 3-way trade that brought WLB Ernie Sims to us. I'd heard that the Eagles were talking to some teams about linebackers, but never got any specifics. We all tended to focus on Derrick Johnson and more recently Rocky McIntosh. Sims was overlooked because of the fact he plays for a minor league team, the Detroit Lions. I kid, of course. The Lions have been awful for a while, but I do think they are starting to get things right. Sims was not an ideal fit in Jim Schwartz's defense and that made him expendable (right Rambo?). The Lions got TE Tony Scheffler and a 7th from the Broncos. We sent our 5th round pick to Denver. Good deal for us and Detroit. I'm not so sure about the Broncos.
Here is the PE.com article.
Here is his Lions bio.
Sims is 6'0, 230. He's only 25 years old, but has been in the league for 4 years. He has over 50 career starts. He has played WLB for them and will do the same for us. Ernie was a Captain in 2007 and '08. He hasn't made a ton of plays. He has 1 career INT and 4 FFs. He does have 2.5 sacks. Ernie has yet to play on a good defense. That will change when he gets here. I know our D was off last year, but still finished 12th in yards allowed. To Ernie that will be like playing on the '85 Bears. The Lions best finish in his career was 28th in yards allowed back in 2006. They've been dead last in points and yards the last 3 years.
I'll watch tape of Ernie and write up a scouting report. I know he runs really well. Ernie is a good tackler and big hitter. Physical player. My question is how he deals with NFL blockers (FBs, TEs, and OL). I'll let you know what I see. For now we'll have to stick with basic facts and info.
I do like the deal. I wasn't enamored with the LB class in the draft. There were a couple of targets I liked, but not many. Having Ernie in place allows us to concentrate on CB, FS, DE, DT, etc. This gives us some freedom. We can trade up and losing the picks won't kill us. We can sit tight and add a lot of good players. I really like our options.
Ernie will compete with Akeem Jordan for the WLB job. Good. We need competition there. Sims has excellent potential. Jordan has started for us and played well at times. We got a good player at a very good price. He's still young and could be a long term solution if things work well.
ANSWERS
RE: Reshad Jones
I just happened to see his COD drill info this weekend myself. Those are bad times. That will hurt him and it may limit him to SS.
RE: QB targets
We brought Zac Robinson to Philly for a visit. That shows serious interest. I'd like him on the team. I think a handful of guys will be drafted earlier than they should (Kafka for instance). I don't love any of the QB prospects. Take one late and see what you can do. Armanti Edwards remains a guy that fascinates the heck out of me.
___
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Draft Talk
***
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.
___
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.
___
Saturday, April 17, 2010
DT Mystery
***
The Eagles have a pair of good DTs in Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson. Those guys do their job - they clog the middle and make it tough to run. Bunk and Patt come off the field in passing situations. They aren't asked to rush the passer a whole lot. Their numbers reflect that. Neither guy gets many sacks, hurries, or QB hits.
This has led to a lot of discussion this offseason about just how good Bunk and Patt are. I can't stress enough that they do what is asked. We want them to stuff the run first and foremost. Getting pressure on the QB is job #2.
Adam Caplan started a confusing situation recently with comments about whether we run a 1-gap or 2-gap system in our base defense. All I can tell you is that I don't see our DTs firing off the ball and trying to penetrate with any regularity. We did that in the past. Corey Simon and Darwin Walker were 1-gap players that flew off the ball. We asked them to be disruptive. I don't see Patt and Bunk doing anything like that. And it isn't for lack of ability. Bunk and Patt were extremely disruptive players in college. I think they'd welcome the chance to attack more often.
Patt has been the starting LDT for 5 years. Bunk has been the RDT for 3 years. Patt is what he is. Not much changes when you've started for 5 years. Bunk still has room to grow, believe it or not. I don't mean that he'll get bigger, but that he can still get better.
Antonio Dixon impressed as a rookie in 2009. He looks like a real good backup. Trevor Laws has not impressed so far. He shows flashes, but seems lost with the way we use our DTs. He might get on the field more this year with the release of Darren Howard. He was our Nickel DT and that job could go to Laws. Or Trevor could get traded.
The DT class is deep and talented. I think the Eagles could look to add someone. The question is what kind of a player they want. The Eagles brought Brian Price (6'1, 303) to Philly for a visit. The Eagles checked out Earl Mitchell (6'2, 295) closely. They sent the D-line coach to ECU to look at Linval Joseph (6'4, 328). The Eagles met with Dan Williams (6'2, 327) at the Senior Bowl. These players range from 1st round talent to late round guys. They range in size and style. We still don't know exactly what the Eagles are looking for in a DT. You think finding out who killed JFK was hard? Child's play compared to figuring out what we'll do at DT.
Dan Williams is the most interesting guy to me. He played both nose tackle and the 3-technique at Tennessee. That means he can eat up blocks as well as get penetration and blow up plays. Dan really stood out at the Senior Bowl. He got tremendous push on pass plays. Blockers had a hard time containing him without help. The biggest area of need for us is someone who can push the pocket. You need a guy with bulk, strength, and power to do this. Dan gets a check mark in every category. The problem with Dan is that he could go as early as pick 9 to the Bills. He won't last much past pick 15. If the Eagles are really interested, he would have to be a trade-up target.
Again, I'm not sure that the Eagles do like him enough to go after him that aggressively. We can find a good DT in the 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th rounds. Heck, someone could slide to the 5th or 6th round. I hope we don't spend pick 24 on Brian Price. I don't think he's ideal value there. I'd rather go in a different direction. If the Eagles got him at 37 I'd be okay with that. I'm still uncertain if we truly like Price or if he's just a smokescreen. He's not that much different from Patt when he got here. He's also similar to Trevor Laws. Brian is better, but not substantially. If we do take Brian I hope we mix in more 1-gap and let him attack. He is pretty darn good when flying up the field.
One lesser name to remember...Torrell Troup. He went to UCF. Troup is about 315 pounds. He is athletic and big. He can eat up blocks or get by them. He could be real good value in the mid-rounds.
TRADE TALK
There is none, involving players. Behind-the-scenes chatter is quiet right now. I think the Eagles are open to dealing for a LB because the draft class isn't great, but I am not hearing any good rumors. The Skins might be dealing WLB Rocky McIntosh, but I'm not sure if we're interested. The fact he wasn't part of the McNabb deal really surprised me.
The Eagles are talking to the other 31 teams about the draft and trade scenarios. I'd love to hear one of the calls. You know these things have to be sorta weird with each guy wanting to get info without giving too much away.
DRAFT TALK
My latest HuffingtonPost draft article is up. This is just some generic stuff. I try to write for the average sports fan when I do those pieces. Here's the link for anyone interested.
NFL Draft Notes
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The Eagles have a pair of good DTs in Brodrick Bunkley and Mike Patterson. Those guys do their job - they clog the middle and make it tough to run. Bunk and Patt come off the field in passing situations. They aren't asked to rush the passer a whole lot. Their numbers reflect that. Neither guy gets many sacks, hurries, or QB hits.
This has led to a lot of discussion this offseason about just how good Bunk and Patt are. I can't stress enough that they do what is asked. We want them to stuff the run first and foremost. Getting pressure on the QB is job #2.
Adam Caplan started a confusing situation recently with comments about whether we run a 1-gap or 2-gap system in our base defense. All I can tell you is that I don't see our DTs firing off the ball and trying to penetrate with any regularity. We did that in the past. Corey Simon and Darwin Walker were 1-gap players that flew off the ball. We asked them to be disruptive. I don't see Patt and Bunk doing anything like that. And it isn't for lack of ability. Bunk and Patt were extremely disruptive players in college. I think they'd welcome the chance to attack more often.
Patt has been the starting LDT for 5 years. Bunk has been the RDT for 3 years. Patt is what he is. Not much changes when you've started for 5 years. Bunk still has room to grow, believe it or not. I don't mean that he'll get bigger, but that he can still get better.
Antonio Dixon impressed as a rookie in 2009. He looks like a real good backup. Trevor Laws has not impressed so far. He shows flashes, but seems lost with the way we use our DTs. He might get on the field more this year with the release of Darren Howard. He was our Nickel DT and that job could go to Laws. Or Trevor could get traded.
The DT class is deep and talented. I think the Eagles could look to add someone. The question is what kind of a player they want. The Eagles brought Brian Price (6'1, 303) to Philly for a visit. The Eagles checked out Earl Mitchell (6'2, 295) closely. They sent the D-line coach to ECU to look at Linval Joseph (6'4, 328). The Eagles met with Dan Williams (6'2, 327) at the Senior Bowl. These players range from 1st round talent to late round guys. They range in size and style. We still don't know exactly what the Eagles are looking for in a DT. You think finding out who killed JFK was hard? Child's play compared to figuring out what we'll do at DT.
Dan Williams is the most interesting guy to me. He played both nose tackle and the 3-technique at Tennessee. That means he can eat up blocks as well as get penetration and blow up plays. Dan really stood out at the Senior Bowl. He got tremendous push on pass plays. Blockers had a hard time containing him without help. The biggest area of need for us is someone who can push the pocket. You need a guy with bulk, strength, and power to do this. Dan gets a check mark in every category. The problem with Dan is that he could go as early as pick 9 to the Bills. He won't last much past pick 15. If the Eagles are really interested, he would have to be a trade-up target.
Again, I'm not sure that the Eagles do like him enough to go after him that aggressively. We can find a good DT in the 2nd, 3rd, and even 4th rounds. Heck, someone could slide to the 5th or 6th round. I hope we don't spend pick 24 on Brian Price. I don't think he's ideal value there. I'd rather go in a different direction. If the Eagles got him at 37 I'd be okay with that. I'm still uncertain if we truly like Price or if he's just a smokescreen. He's not that much different from Patt when he got here. He's also similar to Trevor Laws. Brian is better, but not substantially. If we do take Brian I hope we mix in more 1-gap and let him attack. He is pretty darn good when flying up the field.
One lesser name to remember...Torrell Troup. He went to UCF. Troup is about 315 pounds. He is athletic and big. He can eat up blocks or get by them. He could be real good value in the mid-rounds.
TRADE TALK
There is none, involving players. Behind-the-scenes chatter is quiet right now. I think the Eagles are open to dealing for a LB because the draft class isn't great, but I am not hearing any good rumors. The Skins might be dealing WLB Rocky McIntosh, but I'm not sure if we're interested. The fact he wasn't part of the McNabb deal really surprised me.
The Eagles are talking to the other 31 teams about the draft and trade scenarios. I'd love to hear one of the calls. You know these things have to be sorta weird with each guy wanting to get info without giving too much away.
DRAFT TALK
My latest HuffingtonPost draft article is up. This is just some generic stuff. I try to write for the average sports fan when I do those pieces. Here's the link for anyone interested.
NFL Draft Notes
___
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