Wow, what a weekend for the Philadelphia Eagles. I came into the NFL Draft unsure of what the Eagles were going to do, but I knew that they had a few areas of need. I had concerns at running back, corner back and tight end mostly, but I also wanted to see if they would add a big name receiver like Anquan Boldin or Braylon Edwards. Coming out of this weekend, I think I'm happier than I've ever been about an Eagles draft, because they picked up someone for every need that they had. I'll get to my overall grade in a bit, but let's look at each pick first.
First Round: Traded up to Pick 19 to select Jeremy Maclin, WR-Missouri
This pick shocked me, but in a good way. After the Raiders decided to draft Darrius Heyward-Bey (which I called in my mock draft), it started a chain reaction with Maclin falling all the way to the 19th spot. The Eagles traded up to pick him, which means that they must have had him ranked so far above the other players on their board that they felt they needed to grab him before someone else did. It's a good thing they did. Maclin is an excellent talent, and probably the 2nd best receiver in the draft. He can stretch the field, and with him, DeSean Jackson, Kevin Curtis and Brian Westbrook on the field, it's going to be tough for a defense to decide who to cover.
Oh, and for all of you doubting Maclin's size (6-0, 198 pounds), here's a list of some other wide outs around that size:
Torry Holt: 6-0, 190
Marvin Harrison: 6-0, 185
Santonio Holmes: 5-11, 192
Reggie Wayne: 6-0, 198
Derrick Mason: 5-10, 192
Hines Ward: 6-0, 205
Steve Smith: 5-9, 185
Wes Welker: 5-9, 185
Roddy White: 6-0, 208
Santana Moss: 5-10, 200
Donald Driver: 6-0, 194
That good enough for you? Grade: A
Second Round:LeSean McCoy, RB-Pitt
I knew the Eagles would be looking for a running back, and they certainly found one here. While he's not the super big back that some fans have been begging for, he's certainly a good back to have to learn under, and eventually replace, Brian Westbrook. In a lot of ways, he's a Westbrook like back with his elusiveness and burst, and that's a good thing. He scored 21 touchdowns at Pitt last year, and I had projected as a late first, early second round pick, so to have him fall to the 53rd overall pick is a very good thing. Another great pick here.
Grade: A-
TRADE: Two 5th Round picks to the New England Patriots for CB Ellis Hobbs
The Eagles would then take their sweet time making their first pick on the second day of the draft. They traded out of their third round pick...twice. The first time, they traded with the Giants, and the second time, they traded with Seattle for a third round pick next year. They ended up with six fifth round picks, which they then were able to package into a deal for Ellis Hobbs out of New England. This sends a clear message to Sheldon Brown that while he may not be traded yet, the Eagles may certainly be willing to go the Lito Sheppard route with him and cut his playing time. While Hobbs is a good corner, he's not great, as his play in Super Bowl XLII shows. Where his best strength lies is in the return game. He has the NFL record for longest kick return for a touchdown, and his arrival completely revamps what once was a glaring weakness for the Eagles in their returners. I'm not sure how much I like him as a corner, but for what the Eagles gave up, it's a solid deal.
Grade: B
Fifth Round, Pick 1: Cornelius Ingram, TE-Florida
If not for a knee injury before his rookie year, Ingram would have gone a lot higher than this. I love this pick. Ingram's a big, athletic tight end, and while his blocking isn't great, it was something he was working on before his knee injury. He had recovered enough to work at the NFL Scouting Combine and looked good there. There have been some concerns that his knee isn't completely healed, but if that's the case, the Eagles can just put him on IR and wait until next year for him to fully recover, much like they did with Jack Ikegwuonu last year. If he's healthy, it's another athletic play maker to stretch the field.
Grade: A
Fifth Round, Pick 2: Victor "Macho" Harris, CB-Virginia Tech
I put his position as corner back, only because that's what he played in college. His 40 time (4.68) and hitting ability make me think that his future with the Eagles will be at safety. This was another solid pick for Philadelphia, as they added yet another play maker, only this time on defense. They're stacked in the defensive secondary now, as most people had Harris going in the third round, so to pick him up here is a very good thing. He's known as a solid hitter, and while he can have a bit of a short fuse, a year or so down the road he should start to look like a solid pick. He's not a shut down corner, but very few people are.
Grade: B+
Fifth Round, Pick 3: Fenuki Tupou, OL-Oregon
Andy Reid loves his big guys on the offensive line, and they don't get much bigger than Tupou. He's 6-5 and weighs in at 314 pounds, so he's got the NFL offensive line size. He played tackle at Oregon, but has experience at guard as well, which is good because that's probably where the Eagles are going to want him to play. From what I read, he was another guy that was projected by some to be a third or fourth round pick, so it was another nice job by the Eagles to take this guy where they did. I don't know what to expect from him, but it's certainly a nice value pick.
Grade: B+
Sixth Round: Brandon Gibson, WR-Washington St.
Gibson had a rough senior year at Washington State, as he struggled to learn the new offensive system. At 6-1, 206 pounds, he's a decent sized wide out, but has had a troubled past when it comes to injuries. I'm not sure what the Eagles are going to expect out of him, but I figure he'll more than likely be a practice squad guy or one of the last cuts made in training camp. If he pans out to be anything more than that, I'll be happy.
Grade: B
Seventh Round, Pick 1: Paul Fanaika, OG-Arizona State
Another big offensive lineman from the Pac 10, Fanaika is a guy who could become a solid backup offensive lineman. He started for three years at Arizona State after walking on to the team, but there are some questions about where he can play at the pro level. If the Eagles can find a place for him, I think he could be a decent late round pick.
Grade: B
Seventh Round, Pick 2: Moise Fokou, LB-Maryland
Aside from giving announcers all kinds of trouble with that last name, I doubt Fokou is going to be anything terrific. The last pick the Eagles made, and it's more for an extra body in training camp to spur on some competition. Nothing wrong with that, though.
Grade: B-
Overall:
As I said at the start, this is the best draft I feel like the Eagles have had under Andy Reid. They got the depth at running back, corner back and tight end that they needed, and picked up an excellent play maker at wide out that isn't about to turn 30 years old and is asking for $10 million per season. While most of these players will more than likely be coming into their primes with Kevin Kolb under center, the fact that the Eagles drafted the way that they did means that they are planning on one last run with Donovan McNabb. The trade for Jason Peters of Buffalo also made that clear, as the Eagles now have one of the biggest, best and youngest offensive lines in the NFL. This offense is going to be quick and scary next season, and opposing teams are going to have to pick their poison when all these play makers come onto the field. I'm not giving the draft an A grade, just because I want to see these players in action first, but it's getting the best grade I feel comfortable giving right now: A-
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