Well the draft is done, time for a recap.
I briefly went over the first three picks. I have to say I’m very confident in Watkins, and I’m drunk on the koolaid for Jaiquawn Jarrett. I’m convinced now he’s the next Brian Dawkins. Curtis Marsh is hit or miss. Maybe he develops into a starter, maybe he can’t. I think he’s a perfect fit, so if he does, he’ll be great in Philly. Onto the other picks…
Casey Matthews (Interestingly enough, Todd McShay had the exact spot that Matthews would be taken in his latest mock, just to the wrong team)
-So I have to admit, I’m really excited about this pick. Bandwagon fans and casual fans are going crazy over Matthews, but I know he isn’t going to be his brother. Then again, he doesn’t have to be. He can be exactly what he is - incredibly instinctive and smart on the field - and still make a big impact. I’ve always wanted a guy like Matthews to root for. Maybe not athletically gifted, and he isn’t; maybe not a perennial Pro Bowler, and he probably won’t be… but there’s no doubt he knows how to play. You can’t lose having a lot of guys like Matthews on your team who just play the game really well. I think of him a lot like Zach Thomas, and I’m not alone. Both undersized with terrific instincts, both undervalued, both drafted in the mid rounds. I’d be thrilled if Matthews did half what Thomas did in his career.
I think he’s a perfect value in the 4th, and I do think he will eventually be a starter and a leader. I absolutely believe he’ll exceed expectations. For once I’m just glad the Eagles took a LB who I had heard of before.
Alex Henery K
-It’s always funny when a team reaches to draft a kicker in fantasy and in the real NFL. I’m at the same time thrilled, because apparently Alex Henery is the greatest kicker of all time, or soon will be, but also it likely means the end of the line for David Akers (the longest tenured Eagle by far). Akers being one of the best kickers of all time, and probably the only kicker in the league who is worthy of having his jersey worn because he’s a black belt in jujitsu and will kick your ass. Then again, he was one of the goats when the Eagles narrowly lost to the Packers, and Henery has every single thing in a kicker you could ever want.
It’s strange to gush about a kicker, I mean, he is a kicker… but Alex Henery is incredible. He holds the NCAA record for FG% and PAT%. He holds the NCAA record for FG% inside and outside of 40 yards. Accurate, powerful (five kicks over 50 yards in his college career), and he was also one of the best punters in college too. I think I officially have a fancrush on a kicker and my entire world is collapsing around me. Black is white, day is night, I don’t know who I am anymore.
-In the fifth the Eagles got Pitt RB Dion Lewis. This means the Eagles now have two Pitt RBs on the roster in McCoy and Lewis. I love what I’m reading about Lewis, he’s the perfect Eagles back. Undersized, but so was Brian Westbrook, and Lewis won’t be asked to carry a full load in Philly. He’s a solid receiver, and he has elite agility. From what I read of him, he isn’t the fastest back, but he’s very, very good at the line of scrimmage. He was also extremely productive at Pitt and I’m giddy with excitement to see what McCoy and Lewis could do together. If only this team ran more than 12 times a game… I really like this pick as a solid depth/rotation guy, and I think he’s a Sproles kind of guy.
The Eagles also took Iowa OG Julian Vandervelde in the fifth. He’s a solid depth pick who has the smarts (apparently too smart, for some scouts) and the work ethic to develop into a starter. And he’s had the coaching, and will have the coaching, to get every opportunity to become a starter. He needs to bulk up, but I’m actually pretty confident that he’s going to end up a starting guard for the Eagles. He’s also an opera singer, and he sang the national anthem in front of Barack Obama.
-In the sixth the Eagles went with C Jason Kelce, a converted linebacker who apparently has exceptional footwork and quickness. He’s a project, and he still has to get bigger, but this is definitely a Howard Mudd pick. Among C prospects, Kelce had the best 40 time, best 3 cone, best shuttle, and best broad jump times. He’s an exceptional athlete at the position. I think the Eagles are going to have a hell of an O-Line and enough depth to storm the seasonal 2-3 injuries along the line too. Excited for this pick too.
An Eagles blogger is calling this the “bloodlines” draft because the Eagles took three players who are related to current or former NFL All Pros. Casey Matthews, obviously, but also sixth round pick Brian Rolle, who is Antrelle Rolle’s cousin. He’s very, very small, but he is unanimously considered to play with “reckless abandon” and energy. He also thinks he’s every bit as good as Von Miller. Glad to hear it. The Eagles are picking a lot of smart, intangibles guys and guys who have a serious chip on their shoulder. Fine by me.
-Eagles’ seventh rounder Greg Lloyd (LB, UConn) is another bloodlines guy (son of Steelers’ former LB Greg Lloyd). He’s got talent and upside, but he’s a major injury risk since he’s coming off torn ACL and MCL in 2009 and was limited in 2010. High risk, high reward, good idea for a seventh rounder.
Finally the Eagles took USC FB Stanley Havili. He’s apparently a lazy, unmotivated, poor blocker who is a terrific running and receiving FB, possibly the best receiving RB in the country in college. The Eagles don’t ask their FB to block too often, and when they have someone who can actually make a play with the ball (Leonard Weaver in 2009), they really take advantage. And Havili is a good enough receiver that he was sometimes used in deep routes in college. But he’s a punk who wants nothing to do with half of his job and he punches his teammates. High risk, high reward, again, great for a seventh round guy.
That’s the recap, so what’s the big picture? I really love this draft, I really, really do. I can honestly see every single guy making the roster and contributing, and every single one does what the Eagles need for that position to do. And I’m excited for almost every single one because they all do something I really want to see my NFL team do, and I think each guy can potentially do it really, really well. Not all of them will make it, of course, but I’m filled with hope. I can’t ever remember an Eagles draft (always a lot of players taken each year) where every single guy makes sense and every single one is interesting.
Of course it happens the year there won’t be an offseason. It couldn’t happen to the Eagles any other way.