There are still 42 days until the NFL Draft, but the Mock Draft landscape is teeming with life. Usually Mock Draft’s are 100% wrong when it comes to the Eagles because…
- We almost always trade up or trade down
- If we don’t, we draft someone no one expected us to, because we rarely draft for need
But that doesn’t mean we don’t read all the mock drafts, just in cast this is the year things are different.
I went around and gathered the Eagles projected picks from a bunch of sites around the internet and here is what they are predicting:
A couple observations…
- The 3 people that picked Sean Witherspoon for us have no sense of how the Eagles operate. I can’t imagine a scenario where they pick a LB in the first round. There isn’t a position they value less. They just released a perfectly good player at that position, where they need depth. Maybe if they land another 1st rounder in a trade – but if they stick with one, they will trade out before they take a backer.
- I don’t really want Taylor Mays or Carlos Dunlap. They are big names, but Mays can’t really play football. He’s like the freak in the NBA draft who gets picked because they are super-tall or super-long, but they never amount to anything because, well, they can’t play basketball. Mays is a freak, and if freak’s aren’t going top-10, it means they aren’t any good. Dunlap on the other hand, is a complete punk, as this story well describes. He’s one of those guys you don’t want to draft, but rather sign him when he’s 28 and on his 4th team and finally realizes he has to work hard to get paid.
- Interesting that 3 of the 5 drafts that go into the 2nd round have us taking Nate Allen of USF. I don’t know much about him, but would gladly take a S in the 2nd round.
- I would like a DE in the 1st round. Griffen and Hughes seem like good options, I haven’t researched them a whole bunch yet.
- Looking at this list, I would say Maurkice Pouncey would be the most likely draft pick, given Reid’s history. It would be the least exciting pick by a mile, and wouldn’t surprise anyone.
Here are a couple guys on my personal radar right now…
- Earl Thomas, S, Texas – We would either have to trade up to get him, or hope he drops, but he’s be a great addition.
- Major Wright, S, Florida – Potential 2nd/3rd round sleeper. Hits like a truck.
- Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford – 230 lbs, ran a 4.55 40, tough as nails. Would love to see him drop to the 3rd round and join McCoy and Weaver in the backfield.
Pete,
As a student at the University of Florida who watched this team in person 8 times last year I feel somewhat qualified to comment on their prospects. As an Eagles fan and Gators fan I am usually happy when we draft Gators (i.e. Lito Sheppard, Cornelius Ingram), but I do not want any part of Dunlap. The guys I just mentioned were productive college players who made the most of their abilities. Dunlap is a more talented player than either of them and a physical freak of nature. If he put the work in he could’ve been a 3-time All American. There were stories heading into last season about he felt he was going to have a career year since he was not putting in an effort in practice. It took him two years to figure out this might be a good idea. Yet there were still several games in which he disappeared, even against lesser competition which should not happen with a player of his caliber. All of this combined with the DUI saga you linked to should make him a total stayaway.
On Wright I agree with you. He is a great hitter ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOZnLEGJaiU ) and can support the run. He is inconsistent in coverage though and I would not take him any higher than the third round.
Also, I agree with you in that I think DE is our biggest need and would like to see us address it in the first round. But I would be very happy with Pouncey, much more so than Dunlap even though I think DE is our biggest need. Assuming Jamal Jackson misses a chunk of the season since his ACL tear came so late in the last one, we will need O-Line help. Pouncey is capable of stepping right in adequately at center and can move over to either guard position when Jackson gets back. He started every game for three years at Florida at either center or guard and rarely made a mistake. I see his game translating well to the next level. Our protection in those last two Dallas games was awful; we’re gonna need O-Line help a some point, its just a matter of when the team chooses to address it and if they choose to do so in the first round Pouncey makes more sense than anybody to me.
jurnee -
thanks for your input – you certainly are qualified – I feel the same way about ND players (though I’ve been totally wrong on Trevor Laws)
What are your thoughts on Brandon Spikes? I get the sense he’s of the Dunlap mold.
I don’t think so. I won’t try to defend the eye-gouging incident against Georgia, it was wrong and a despicable act. But it was an isolated incident. He has never had any other character issues aside from that. And unlike Dunlap, he has is always productive when he is on the field and there were never any questions surrounding his effort. He received All-SEC Honors in each of the three years he started. As a player, he has good size for a linebacker and is a superb player against the run. The biggest question mark for him which has caused him to slip out of the first round in mock mock drafts is his speed. However, throughout his career at Florida, he made several big plays in coverage against tight ends. He had 4 interceptions returned for touchdowns in his 3 years as a starter. This suggests to me that he probably plays a little faster than his 40 time indicates. His 40 time could cause him to drop far enough to be available when the Eagles pick in the second round and I think he would be a great value and fill a need for them. But as you stated in your initial post Pete, this team does not place much value on the linebacker position. They got their best one (Bradley) in the third round. They might consider the 2nd round too early to take one but I think Spikes would be a good pick at 56.
Unfortunatley, I don’t follow college ball that closely anymore, so I don’t know the individual names that well. But it’s obvious the Eagles need help at DE, S, LB and depth at OL, so that’s where I hope they concentrate in the draft. No doubt they’ll wheel and deal and try to accumulate additional picks for next year’s draft, and I’d be shocked if they stand pat at pick #24. Whatever they decide to do with McNabb and Vick will come into play too. (Personally, after having McNabb’s back for the last several years while others have called for his head, I’m now ready to move on. He’s still very good when healthy…a top 10-12 QB in a league where there’s a sharp decline in talent after about the top 20 QBs or so, but it’s time. And Vick could possibly fetch a 3rd round pick so they’ve got to cash in on that.)
Here’s what I hope they DON’T do:
Don’t draft another 225 pound DE and think you can add 40 pounds to his frame;
Don’t draft another undersized DTs because he has a “nice motor”;
Don’t draft another I-AA Defensive Player of the Year DE and move him to LB;
Don’t draft any more undersized LBs;
Don’t draft a CB and move him to safety;
Don’t waste any more picks on players coming off ACL injuries.
I’m so tired of them drafting undersized front-seven players…Dallas’ line is monstrous and pushed us around all year last year. You know, there ARE players with size AND speed.
Finally, one thing they SHOULD do: use their 5th round pick on a player from the University of Cincinnati. It’s guaranteed gold!
Nice work, Pete. Looking forward to more Eagles and Phils posts. Can’t say I’ve the stomach to care much about the Sixers…what a disaster.
Just reread my first post…i think you got what I was saying Pete but I don’t why I said “not putting in an effort in practice”… the idea was that he didn’t put in effort his first two year but then decided to this season but it didn’t really help this season as the effort just wasn’t there….
Personally I want to see them do something creative this year. We have some extra picks and really should be trading one of these QBs for more picks, so why not trade our first and one of our thirds and move up to get earl thomas. Grab Spikes in the second and use the pick we get for Mcnabb an/or Vick to grab a DE. Why does it seem so simple to us, but Andy makes it a science project?
I’m hopeful Richie, because they did that last year – trading up to get Maclin and then stealing McCoy in the 2nd round.
Just need to do it with defensive players this year.
Nothing surprises me with the Eagles and draft anymore. Although last year it seemed like the defied their normal logic and actually took the two players that made the fans happy at the right places (Maclin and McCoy). Both of these guys look like they may pan out. But just when you think that they have it figured out, they will take some bum like Matt McCoy in the third round.
I honestly have no clue what to expect, even something totally off the wall like taking a QB like Colt McCoy at 24 wouldn’t surprise me.
I also like that CB from Boise St. (Kyle Wilson?). Pretty much any defensive selection in the first round would make me happy, either on the line or in the secondary.
Pete-
I spend most of my time watching Pac10 football and I believe Gerhart is going to be a stud in the NFL. He is one of those players who goes all out every play and seems to deliver the hit when tackled rather than being on the receiving end. He would be an ideal 3rd down back early in his career…My only hesitation on him is his pass catching ability. If we could manage to get Gerhart in the late 2nd/early 3d round I’d consider that a steal!
Pete, What are your thoughts on the Marlin Jackson signing? He can’t be any worse than Macho Harris, but I have a hard time believing that a cornerback with two surgically-repaired ACLs is the answer to start at free safety (which the Birds have all but promised to him)…
Woo Hoo we got Hank Baskett back. They had Justin Fargas in for a visit. I really like him as a compliment to Shady. Word is they are shopping Sheldon. I’d take a 3rd for him. Use that and our second to trade up in the 2nd round and grab Spikes. My thinking is that the signing of Jackson takes the possibilty of them drafting a safety anywhere before the 4th round. That is pretty safe to say. Which likely means they will draft DE 1st and I really want LB in the 2nd round. We are thin there.
I’m fine with the Marlin Jackson signing. He was a 1st rounder at some point, so he must have talent? But the Colts didn’t even tender him a contract, so what does that tell you? Because of his ACL’s, he’d better just be a back-up plan. Not THE plan.
Low risk, high reward – but only about 25% chance of actually getting that reward.
Richie -
I’m indifferent on both Baskett and Fargas. Both are positions that pretty much anyone could fill. Fargas is 30 and has only legitimately averaged over 4 ypc one time, in 2007. I’d rather draft Gerhart.
I was joking about the Baskett thing and I would love to see Gerhart, but I feel like in the right system Fargas can succeed. He has (Kiper cliche) “a good motor!”