Eagles Draft
The Eagles draft has come and gone and almost everything I've read and heard from the "experts" is positive with frequent use of the words "Eagles got a steal."
- Lane Johnson, offensive tackle
Johnson is supposedly an athletic freak of nature that is raw and has lots of upside. (insert lame fireman joke here) He put on almost 100 pounds somehow in the last couple years as he transitioned from QB, to DE, to OT. His coach at Oklahoma called him "country strong." Other things that you've probably heard already is he had a faster 40 time in the combine than Anquan Boldin did and a higher vertical leap than some receiver I can't remember and has a mean streak. I think this guy will get beat a bunch at first and people will complain, but as he adjusts and matures he will be solid to excellent for a long time. Some more Lane Johnson info here and here. - Zach Ertz, tight end
Ertz is the new breed of tight end that is taking over - runs routes like a wide receiver and sometimes lines up as one, but is bigger and burlier than they usually are. He still put up lots of numbers even after Andrew Luck left. Many people are very high on this guy and what he will bring to the offense, especially in the redzone, aka the deathzone. Kelly called him a "mismatch nightmare." And remember, the Eagles also added James Casey in free agency. I predict this guy will be better than L.J. Smith. Read more here and here. - Bennie Logan, defensive tackle
The Eagles finally decided to do something about their crappy defense in the third round by picking Logan. He's weighty, but not that tall and they think he can put on some more poundage via muscle to further help plug up the middle. The notable story about him is he wore #18 at LSU, an honor given to the player that best exemplifies the LSU Tigers on and off the field. In other words, he's a leader, a hardworker, and a good guy that the coaches like. I'm figuring this guy will be solid and hard to move and make a play here and there that stands out, but overall nothing spectacular. Read more here and here. - Matt Barkley, quarterback
This pick was the first of a run of several where the Eagles picked someone that was expected to go much higher. The Barkley pick is also the pick that got the most buzz and I guess you could even call it "controversial." Barkley famously gave up chance to be drafted in the first round last year to play his senior year and then USC had a crappy season, he got hurt and his stock dropped enough that he was picked in the 4th round, which few foresaw. If you look at his stats, his numbers really didn't really drop much from his junior season and he set all of USC's passing records for yards and TDs. But Barkley is still a mystery. Some experts say the Eagles got a huge steal and Barkley is the most pro-ready of all this year's QBs while others say he has a rag arm and will be a scrub. Either way the Eagles now have 4 QBs on the roster and a mismatch of skill sets that you can't scheme one style of offense around. Nobody can figure out what Kelly is thinking. It is my hope that Foles or Barkley beats out Vick so the team can move permanently into the future and end the Vick experiment. Read more here and here. - Earl Wolff, safety
With Wolff, Kelly finally drafted someone to hopefully help out his jr. varsity/medical reject safety crew. What I liked most about Wolff when I was reading about him is that he appears to play smart and with a real feel for the game. He will not stupidly thrown his body into a runner in hopes of blowing up a guy and making a highlight. Instead he will wrap up and make a solid tackle. He is also fast. Another good thing is his family's roots are from Philadelphia and his uncles were all wearing Eagles gear when he got the call and started whooping it up. Who knows if that will make him play better, but it can't hurt. Read more here and here. - Joe Kruger, defensive end
By the 7th round you're just hoping you get lucky with guys that become better pros than they were in college. Kruger is another raw guy with impressive size and "lots of upside." He apparently can also play outside linebacker too. Football runs in this guy's family so maybe he will turn into a player we remember. Read more here and here. - Jordan Poyer, cornerback
Poyer is most notable for snagging 7 interceptions last year, tied for second most. It would be nice if the Eagles had a corner again that actually picked passes off and went up and fought for balls. Maybe Poyer can be that guy. He also returns kicks and shockingly just catches it and heads upfield instead of dancing around first. Read more here and here. - David King, defensive end
The Eagles started with a pick from Oklahoma and ended with one. King seems like just a guy though he did make the Big 12 All Academic team. Read more here.
The Eagles also signed a bunch of undrafted free agents. The 2 most interesting are another puntapus, but one that his college coaches hated, and a running back from Stony Brook that kinda looks a little like a smaller but speedier Duce Staley. Read about them here.