Posted: Tuesday, December 30, 2008, 9:50 AM | 61 comments |
 

Eagles draft 22nd, 28th (maybe)
options
 

The NFL has published the preliminary order for the 2009 draft. The Eagles have two picks, their own (No. 22) and that of the Carolina Panthers (No. 28). What they had hoped might be a great bonanza when they made the deal with the Panthers has instead turned into a yawn -- and it could get worse.

The order can change based upon playoff performance. If the Eagles reach the Super Bowl, their pick would be either 31st or 32nd. My guess is that most people would make that trade. The same holds true for the Panthers, though. And for an Eagles team that is almost certainly going to be looking for an offensive tackle who can play right away, and maybe more, this will just complicate the process.

Looking back on it, you wonder if the Eagles would have traded out of the first round with the Panthers last year. Knowing what they know now, you wonder if they might just have gone ahead and made the selection as it stood, and what impact that might have had on 2009.

Draft order does matter. A ridiculously high percentage of Pro Bowl players come from the first half of the first round of the draft -- and the Eagles almost never pick there. It makes their life harder. In their hearts, they figured the Carolina pick might get them into the first half of the first round. Now, this.

Just another draft day miscalculation for a team that isn't as bad as people say when it comes to picking players, but isn't good enough.
Posted by Rich Hofmann @ 9:50 AM  Permalink | 61 comments
61
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:21 AM, 12/30/2008
    A good selection of wr-kr, te and rb will be available...more weapons for #5 please. Barring losing the "big kid", the OL looks good if Cole is as good as I think he is and gets signed. Sign Ryan and Thomas for another year is a good option as well. You can never go wrong with a monster DT if there is a chance to get one.
    — wambli
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:52 AM, 12/30/2008
    DT's are fine. Last thing they need is to spend another high pick on a DT. I agree with resigning Tra and Big Jon. I'd look for an impact RB, TE, or Safety. I really like Knowshon Moreno, but not sure if he'll last.
    — jimbo712
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:57 AM, 12/30/2008
    No matter what the status of Runyan and Thomas, the Eagles need to focus on O-line early in the draft. Jeff Otah, the offensive tackle drafted by the Panthers with the Eagles' first rounder this year, started 12 of 16 games for a Carolina team that went 12-4. That's pretty sickening from a Eagles fan perspective. I'd sure like to have him over Winston Justice.
    — tjc
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:10 AM, 12/30/2008
    Why not try to trade up - one first and another pick or even both firsts for a much higher first when one of the stud OTs is still on the board. But we get ahead of ourselves -- let's enjoy a successful playoff run first.
    — wheels
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:17 AM, 12/30/2008
    Take both these picks, trade up to the early teens and draft Michael Oher, OT from Ole Miss...
    — LBert12
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:23 AM, 12/30/2008
    Rich your way off base on this.....you got Desean Jackson AND another first round draft pick with that trade last year. Are you honestly telling me you would change that? If you took Desean Jackson with your first overall selection after the year he had i think that alone would have been good, add another 1st round pick and I think its a no brainer.
    — jkidd49
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:28 AM, 12/30/2008
    They need a stud tight end in the worst way.
    — doorspj24
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:35 AM, 12/30/2008
    andy will trade the higher first round pick & their four round pick for a second and third round pick - value play
    — main liner
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:38 AM, 12/30/2008
    a TE sure... a first round TE, no thanks. Don't need to use a first round pick to get a TE.
    — jkidd49
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:45 AM, 12/30/2008
    Wasn't Winston Justice supposed to be a stud OT, and a steal when they got him? In the off-season its time for AR to figure out if he can play any better than he did in that disaster of a game against the Giants last year. Then get a big 3rd down back to compliment Westbrook.
    — JoePAVA
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:52 AM, 12/30/2008
    Getting Jackson makes this one easier to accept. Otah was there and would have been nice to get. He's playing very well. Trading up is a great move depending on the available players. If Gresham, the TE from Oklahoma is reachable with a trade I would seriously consider it. Oher may be there, unlikely.
    — Bob1
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  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:07 PM, 12/30/2008
    I'm with jkidd on this one. At the time that they made the trade, everyone was talking about what a steal it was for the Eagles to get a 1st and 2nd for a bottom half 1st (19th overall). They pick up DeSean, and with the extra pick they put themselves in a position to stand pat and have two first-rounders or to move up in the draft by combining the picks. According to the NFL Draft Trade Chart (http://www.profootballtalk.com/draft/draft-trade-chart/), a 22nd pick is worth 780 points and a 28th pick is worth 660 points (1,440 combined). Now this isn't an exact science, but the Eagles could move up to a top 10 pick. An 8th pick is worth around 1,400. So it seems to me that the Eagles actually did very well with this trade. Rich, you totally whiffed on this one. Main liner, as for trading the 1st and a 4th for a 2nd and 3rd, the trade chart shows that you are actually giving up value unless you get the top of the 2nd and 3rd rounds. Even then, you're just breaking even.
    — fetchez la vache


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About Rich Hofmann
Rich Hofmann arrived at the Daily News in 1980 for a job whose status was officially designated as "full-time, temporary." A senior at Penn at the time, he was hired to fill in on the copy desk during a staff illness. The notion of him covering the Eagles or being a columnist did not exist in anyone's imagination. It was supposed to be six weeks and out, but he never left. It is only one of the reasons why so many people have concerns about him as a potential house guest. Rich has blogged the postseasons of the Flyers and Eagles. E-mail Rich at hofmanr@phillynews.com

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