The Eagles put too much stock into the Senior Bowl
Just the other day, Les Bowen had an article on Philly.com that I found to be truly eye-opening. It sheds some light on why the Eagles drafts have been so crappy in recent years. The Senior Bowl being held this week has been a proving ground for many of the Eagles draft picks.
Last year, they saw a 26-year old tackle from Baylor playing as a guard for the first time. Three months later, the Eagles picked him.
Two years ago, Brandon Graham won Senior Bowl Defensive MVP after recording 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and a forced fumble. As a result, Reid and the brain trust (I use that term facetiously), reached for him after trading up to the 13th pick. This all coming despite the fact Earl Thomas and of course Jason Pierre-Paul were still on the board. Both are now Pro Bowlers.
And 4 years ago, Notre Dame defensive tackle Trevor Laws was named the game's most outstanding lineman with five solo tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. The Eagles used their top pick that year to take Laws in the second round.
Regardless of all logic and how these picks have panned out, they've put a tremendous amount of faith in what they've seen. Faith as we know now that has been severely misplaced.
The fact that they seem to rely so heavily on the Senior Bowl tells me one thing. The Eagles aren't doing their homework on the draft. It's like in English class having to read Grapes of Wrath and later write an essay on it while only skimming through the Cliff Notes.
It almost reminds me of when they got suckered into picking Mike Mamula b/c of his awesome showing at the NFL combine despite the fact that Warren Sapp was sitting right there.
Like any human resource department does when hiring new employees or a student researching a term paper, you've got to do your due diligence and put in the research. If you over rely on either the Senior Bowl, Combine, or any other scouting event then you're gonna flunk the draft 9 times out of ten.
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Drafting Graham could have been a good idea. For another team.
He drew comparisons pre-Draft to Lamar Woodley, Joey Porter, and Elvis Dumervil. All of whom play in a 3-4 system.
Laws? I don't get the idea of a drafting a DT who isn't 320lbs any sooner than the fourth round. I certainly don't get drafting one at all who's shorter than 6'3".
There is no excuse for drafting a 26 year old. Someone should be fired for taking him in the 1st.
To be fair more than one team passed on Sapp. Teams look for red flags before dropping that first round pick and things like a failed drug test (cocaine and mary jane, though Sapp only admitted to the weed) certainly qualify as a red flag.
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I actually think weed shouldn't be illegal. I mean come on. Who hasn't experimented and toked it up in college?
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Me.
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Who cares if someone smoke grass? I mean WTF shouldnt we be a little more pissed off at the politicians lining their pockets with taxpayer money. Is Lurie a politician?
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It's funny cause all the best DT's I keep hearing about in this draft are about 305 pounds... We as Eagle fans tend to think our team is SMALL.. but the reality is, 4-3 systems are typically smaller guys then in 3-4 systems..
I wouldn't mind a change into a 3-4.. but w/ a 4-3 and especially in a Wide 9 You kinda need a smaller DT.
That 26 year old will be in the probowl this time next season.. u can count on that. -
The eagles draft a 26 yo so they wont have to keep him past his rookie contract. Its a new twist to getting rid of anyone over 30
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We get to keep Mornhinweg! It'd have been neat to see what he'd do with the Raiders firepower on Offense, but I'm far from sad that we get to keep him.
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I think Graham will have a big season next year. Im calling it here and now.
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he reminds me of young Hugh Douglass
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Ive watched films of Burfick, Hightower and the kid from alabama forgot his name. The kid from Alabama reminds me of Trotter and Burfick is flat out nuts. I think we need an identity. They should draft a LB early.
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You cant put a value on Ray Lewis here in Balto. Flat out best LB ever bar none. And I dont like his baggage but what a leader and player. He has games that you just cant believe. getting a little slow but he can still show up big. We need something better than Chaney in the middle. I like him and he will a solid SLB but just not stout enough for NFC East football in the winter.
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The Eagles do not always draft seniors though. Desean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin. Shady McCoy, and Dion Lewis are a few of their underclassmen drafted. Some of them left after their second season in college. Maybe they put too much stock in the senior bowl, but their core players are all very young.
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Yea. That's true. It just kills me to see them constantly reaching when a proven stud is on the board. Just watch. Luke Kuechly, Vontaze Burfict, and Dont'a Hightower are all gonna be on the board and they're gonna take another stiff that happened to wow them at the Senior Bowl. I swear this FO thinks they're so smart, but these muppets have no idea that everyone sees right through them.
True men of genius have the humility and self-awareness to know they're not THAT smart. -
Ok, I can't disagree that they put to much into the senior bowl, but you should prove it w/ out mentioning their first and second round picks.. Simply because:
A: that 26 year old played pretty darn good the second half of the season, and we might see him get into the probowl next year.
B: Brandon Graham still hasn't had a fair shake due to his ACL tear. Let's make our decision on him after 6 games next season. If he doesn't do anything, then yes HE IS A BUST. But at least give him that.
C: Trever laws was picked in the second round.. I'm not going to sit here and pretend Every second round should pan out! I know here in Philly we like to think Every second round pick will pan out, but not every first round pick pans out in real life.. Trever Laws has been a solid rotational player that will most likely stay in this league for a very long time.. Not Great, but certainly not a crappy player.
..
Now if you metion some other players, I would have been totally with you, but I had to point those things out. -
whatever u say mr spadaro
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I agree with Zuk dawk on some level. Watkins wsnt a bust but at 26 he doesnt have a huge upside. Laws is a good player and what I would expect from a 2nd rd pick. Graham will be good. He looks like he has beefed up and i think he will produce this year. But Dawk has a valid complaint in that none of these picks ever had the potential to dominate. They are plug in ready to go players with a lack of "raw talent".
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Also dawk you cant forget Maclin or Jackson. Those are the kind of picks I think Eagle fans want to see at safety, linebacker...etc They want the "no miss" impact player with attitude.
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We pick great offensive players: DJax, Maclin, McCoy, Brent Celek, We even got a good CB & a second round pick for Kevin Kolb.. Then ofcourse the center we picked up in like the 6th round seems to be decent & ofcourse.. U guys don't like him, but I still think he could become great is: Danny Watkins.
those are some pretty decent offensive picks & a lot of hits to..
It's the defensive drafts that have BLOWN AS$ -
at the same time, Joe Mays, Bunkley, and Chris Gocong seem to be all starting for different teams and doing pretty well.
SOme part of me thinks that it's the Defensive coaches that can't put something together and not the players.. I mean, Bunkley was pretty beastly this year for the Broncos and all we got was a 5th or somethign for him. -
yea they like the senior bowl studs and they like mature players usually. like EZ said we have had success with the younger guys but its not always the case. graham sucks he IS a bust said that when we got him. he was a good player on a bad team if i remember right. watkins was bad almost all year for zunky to think he can be in the pro bowl next year he is one of two people mr spadaro or baldy thats the only two people i have ever heard say he is good and was at the top of anybodies draft board. laws is like a high drafted poor mans darwin walker. shows up every once in a while to make u think he has talent but not really that good
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not a bad counter argument Dawk. The truth lies somewhere in the middle.
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20Dawk. I said the same thing to my friend right after they picked Graham. I told him right then and there, it should've been Earl Thomas and they're gonna regret it.
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Look I hate Reid but I think Graham will pan out. He looked good in his few appearances at the end of the year and he got bigger.
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i'm hoping ur right
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If by bigger you mean fatter, then you're right. The guy is Mike Mamula 2.0. He couldn't sack a bag of groceries if he was the only one in the damn store.
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Let's look at the defensive draft:
2010: 1st round: Brandon Graham (been injured) 2nd rnd: Nate Allen (decent player when not hurt) 3rd rd: TeO Nesh (off the team) 4th round: I forget..
Players were missed in this draft and not just in the first round. The Eagles had a chance to keep 2 second round picks and threw one away for a bunch of crappy picks in the 5th through 7th rounds.. In the end We were able to pick up 7th rounder: Kurt Coleman though... If that helps it. -
Thats called unloading an expense. trading a 2nd rounder for anything other than a later second or third or a 1st next year is a fools trade and is only done for financial reasons.
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2011: 1st round: Offense 2nd Round: Jaquann Jarrett (Ok... I hope he isn't as bad as he played) 3rd Round: Casey matthews, 4th round: forgot, 5th Round: forgot and so on... 6th round: Brian Rolle
The Eagles might not have anyone from this draft on their team in 3 years from now.. Or they might acutally start playing well.. U never know -
This team isnt even close to Superbowl ready. They have contract problems with Jackson, soon to be McCoy and holes in a number of areas. This is the end of the line for this regime.
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I think the major problem is the Eagles have done a very poor job of drafting on defense in the Andy Reid era. Some turned out to be good players here, but faded quickly. Others went on to become better players someplace else, but most of them amounted to very little. I don't care if they draft seniors or guys coming out early as long as they can play. Right now they are not doing a good enough job of choosing those guys especially on defense.
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