Recliner GM’s Eagles Draft Review

Let me start by saying that the Eagles have earned my trust in the draft even if they don’t do what I think they should have done. Why? Because 18 of 22 starters in 2008 will be players they have drafted, and it could be 19 of 22 if Victor Abiamiri beats out Juqua Parker (formerly Juqua Thomas) for the starting DE spot. They have built primarily through the draft and have been more consistently competitive than 90% of the NFL since Andy Reid took the reigns. If I was a Lions fan? I think I’d be a little more critical if I disagreed with a pick. Right now - I’ll give my opinions, but wait to see how things play out before I get too upset. OK - on to the analysis

Pick #19 (1st Round) - Traded to Carolina for Pick #43 (2nd Round), Pick #109 (4th Round) and Carolina’s 2009 1st Round Pick.

If you followed the mock drafts and rumors leading up to the draft, you were absolutely certain that the Eagles were going to take OT Jeff Otah here. I was even excited we didn’t have to trade up to get him. Instead, the Eagles manage to shock us once again andtrade out of the first round for the 2nd straight year. Personally, I was disappointed we didn’t take Otah, who would clearly fit a need. That is, until I saw what we got. I’ll let Sports Illustrated’s Peter King take it from here:

The Eagles always ask for too much in trade. Always… They were able to auction off the 19th pick in the draft for a mind-boggling sum, which they got from Carolina — second- and fourth-round picks this year andthe Panthers’ first-round pick next year. On the draft-trade chart, the 19th-overall pick is worth 875 points. If you assign Carolina an average 2008 season and give them the 16thpick in the first roundnext year, this trade will be worth 1,546 points on the trade chart — almost double what the 19thpick is worth.

And that’s only IF they Panthers are decent next year. Personally, I think they could be terrible and that pick may end up top 10. Otah would have been nice, but you HAVE to make that trade, that was highway robbery.

Pick #43 (2nd Round) - Traded to Minnesota with Pick #152 (5th Round) for Pick #47 (2nd Round) and Pick #117 (4th Round)

Move down 4 spots, get the same guy you wanted, and move up 35 spots in the later rounds. I like these trades.

Pick #47 (2nd Round) - Trevor Laws, DT, Notre Dame

FINALLY! After about 5 hours of drinking, I mean, waiting, the Eagles fans have a player. I recently graduated from Notre Dame, and don’t miss a single play, so I can honestly say I’ve seen every down of football Trevor Laws played in college. Here is what you are going to get: A very, very strong player with an incredible motor who NEVER quits on a play. During ND’s disastrous season last year, Laws played every down like it was the BCS Championship and as a result led the team in tackles as a DT and led the nation in tackles by a d-lineman all while being keyed in on by opposing offensive lines. He was “unblockable” at the Senior Bowl, and has an incredible knack for blocking field goals, with 3 blocks last year. During my time at ND, the only better d-lineman we had was Anthony Weaver, now on the Texans. Laws was better (at ND) than Victor Abiamiri (Eagles), Justin Tuck (Giants) and Derek Landri (Jaguars). DT might not have been a big need, but Eagles fans will love Trevor Laws.

Pick #49 (2nd Round) - DeSean Jackson, WR, California

I love this pick. Jackson is so fast and has such playmakingability, he was projecting in the first round the entire year despite his ridiculously small frame (5′9”, 169 lbs). Jackson will immediately be a game changer in the return game, and could very well develop into a Santana Moss-type threat. Scouts Inc. had him as the 26th overall prospect, and the 3rd best receiver, so getting him at #49 was a steal - and will also put a big time chip on his shoulder to prove himself.

Pick #80 (3rd Round) - Bryan Smith, DE, McNeese State

Meh. I know I said to trust the Eagles because of how many of their starters were drafted by Reid, but, let’s look at the schools from which their starting defense was drafted. Cincinnati, Florida State, USC, Oklahoma St., Tennessee, Nebraska, Clemson, Boise St., UCF, South Carolina and Cal Poly. That’s 10 D-1A schools and Chris Gocong. The only other player from a small school who saw the field last year was undrafted LB AkeemJordan. My point is not that you shouldn’t draft small school players, but I don’t think you should reach for them in the 3rd round when there are other quality players available andyou can likely take the same player in a later round. There were a lot of good defensive backs on the board here and I was disappointed they didn’t take one. Smith is very small and could be a good situational pass rusher, but I’d be surprised if he ends up being worthy of Pick #80.

Pick #109 (4th Round), #184 (6th Round) and #230 (7th Round) -Mike McGlynn, OT, Pitt - Mike Gibson, OG, Cal - King Dunlap, OT, Auburn

I bunched these guys all together because they are all now in the care of one of the Eagles best assets, OL Coach Juan Castillo. Castillo has taken many low round picks and turned them into good offensive lineman in the past, and I’d bet he can do the same with one of these guys. The most intriguing of these is Dunlap, who is absolutely MASSIVE human being, at 6′9” 310. Apparently his technique is poor, but he has a lot of potential.

Pick #115 (Round 4) - Traded to Miami for Lorenzo Booker, RB

This was another good Day 1 move. Booker went in the 3rd Round just last season, had a good year for rookie RB and we get him for a 4th rounder. Booker is extremely talented, he was the #1 player in the country coming out of high school but his college career fell short of expectations due to a horrible O-Line and O-Coordinator at Florida State. He has good speed and can line up in the slot as a RB. His versatility makes him an immediate upgrade to our running game and I think this move has the potential to be a real steal.

Pick #117 (4th Round) - Quintin Demps, FS, UTEP

This was the only 2nd day pick I liked. Demps has the athletic ability to be a starter in this league, and safety was definitely a position where we need somebody we can develop for a year or two. And judging from his comments upon being drafted, he certainly isn’t short on confidence.

I am a playmaker. If the Eagles wanted a playmaker, they got one as a steal in the draft. I am going to take what I can from Dawkins and just come in there to play with passion. I am not a Pro Bowl player; I’m a Super Bowl player. I am ready to go. I am fired up.

QUINTIN DEMPS IS FIRED UP! If he’s this fired up on draft day, he might injure someone on the first day of training camp.

Pick #131 (4th Round) - Jack Ikegwuonu, CB, Wisconsin

I’m not really sure how you can defend taking this guy here. Ikegwuonu is currently facing a felony charge of residential burglary and criminal trespass, but it’s OK, because he’ll have the entire year to get that sorted out while he is recovering from the ACL surgery he just had. Andy Reid said that this guy has the talent to be a 1st round pick, and Tom Heckert said he would have been a 2nd rounder based on talent, so they clearly think they got a steal here. However, we need CB help THIS year, andwho knows whether or not his legal problems are fully behind him and/or he can make a full recovery from his surgery. Had they not used their 3rd rounder on a project as well, I would probably feel a lot better about taking a risk here.

Pick #200 (6th Round) and Pick #203 (6th Round) - Joe Mays, LB, North Dakota St. and Andy Studebaker, LB/DE, Wheaton

OK - HERE is where you should be taking flyers on small school prospects. Chances are neither of these players will ever see the field for the Eagles, but I don’t mind taking these kind of players this late. You never know how their game will translate, and you might end up witha diamond in the rough. Considering you probably have a better chance of finding a gem in the unsigned FA pool, might as well take a chance here.

Overall Thoughts: I really liked the Eagles first day of the draft. If you had told me going in that they would end up with DeSeanJackson in the first round andTrevor Laws in the second, I would have been OK withthat. But, we managed to get both of them while also picking up a 1st, 2nd and 4th ndpick. I also think the trade for Booker was a solid move. On the second day, the Eagles picked up too many developmental prospects. This team went 8-8 last year and isn’t quite as well off as the Front Office seems to think it is. Grabbing a player or two on day 2 that could help in 2008 would have been smart. Finally, the Eagles lose some points for not yet trading Lito Sheppard. There is no way this is going to work out if they keep him. The longer they keep him, the worse it will get. Hopefully they can get the rumored deal with the Jaguars done.

Day 1 Grade: A-
Day 2 Grade: C+

Overall Grade: B