The Eagles really need to make an immediate impact on day 1 of the NFL Draft. With
Steve McNair's retirement a done deal, it's obvious that Baltimore is looking to draft a quarterback this weekend. However,
Matt Ryan will probobly not be on the board past Atlanta's or Kansas City's picks. This is where the Eagles could make an interesting move for the 8th pick. Package
Lito Sheppard, A.J. Feeley, and second day draft pick(s) for the 8th pick. Why? First, since the Ravens will not get
Matt Ryan, they can look to later in the first round (Eagles 19th pick) to draft another positional need. They could then draft the next quarterback in the second round (Brohm or Flacco). A.J. Feeley would be a great asset/veteran to a team in need of a quarterback. He can be a solid starter, or a backup/mentor to a rookie coming into the league. Second, Lito can be a lift to an injury plagued secondary consisting of
Chris McAlister and
Samari Rolle. Granted, Lito has been injury plagued himself recently, but he is still 4 and 5 years (respectively) younger than that tandem. Plus, I believe Jon Harbaugh would not object to seeing players he is familiar with (and coached) on his new roster. A.J. and Lito together with one or two second day picks could possibly merit the 8th pick, and in a "perfect world", a swap of the Eagle's and Raven's second round picks as well. The Eagles could then go for a top CB (Leodis or D.R.C.), or a top OT (Clady or Williams) with that 8th pick. Eagles fans (including myself) believe the Eagles need a dual purpose CB to help in the return game, and a big time WR. It just seems that the Eagles can obtain that WR in the second round. James Hardy would be a great pick at WR since D-Mac needs a big target in the red zone. However, if Hardy isn't there in the second round, Malcolm Kelley's stock has dropped enough that he will be. This all cannot happen if the Eagles stay at 19. The Eagles can get one or the other, but not of the same caliber as those available at the 8th pick. Who's to say that even CB Mike Jenkins will even be there at 19. Andy Reid's track record shows that he will more than likely pick an OT with the 19th pick, so that still has them looking for a WR possibly in the second. They just need to do more than that on the first day of the draft, and the Eagles/Ravens "swap" might be one of the hundred senarios they are considering!!??