Tackle options in the draft
The new, biggest question facing the Eagles is what they do at left tackle after losing Jason Peters, one of the best in the game, for at least months to come, if not the season. There is not a lot left on the free agent market, though Demetrius Bell, from the Bills, and Giant Kareem McKenzie are still out there.
Tackle options in the draft
Jonathan Tamari
The new, biggest question facing the Eagles is what they do at left tackle after losing Jason Peters, one of the best in the game, for at least months to come, if not the season. There is not a lot left on the free agent market, though Demetrius Bell, from the Bills, and Giant Kareem McKenzie are still out there.
The Eagles also have significant firepower in the draft, with the 15th, 46th and 51st picks, giving them the ability to move up and target a tackle if they choose and if they can find a trade partner. The problem is there are far fewer elite tackles in this year’s draft class than there were just a year ago.
The Eagles have said they don’t want to reach for need, but this situation seems serious enough that it might warrant a change in plans. As it happened, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay was doing a conference call with reporters as the Peters news broke. We asked about the options at tackle. Here’s what he said:
-- Matt Kalil (USC) is considered the only elite tackle in the draft. Many have him going number three to Minnesota. It would take a lot of draft stock to move up that high, though it doesn't seem out of the question if the Eagles love him. If he falls, he’s worth trading up for, McShay said.
-- Next best is Riley Reiff (Iowa). But McShay isn’t high on him. He think Reiff “probably belongs at 15, I gave him a mid first round grade” but that because of the importance of tackles he may be picked in the top 10.
“Riley Reiff’s a good player, but he’s not at that level in terms of athleticism. He’s just kind of consistent and solid across the board. I just don’t know that he’s going to be an elite left tackle in the NFL,” McShay said. “I don’t think Reiff is worth moving up for.”
The other top tackles, he said, are probably worth picks in the 20s, but might go sooner.
-- McShay had Cordy Glenn (Georgia) as his third best option, but said he’d fit in best at right tackle. Maybe that works if Todd Herremans can flip to the left side – though that would put a rookie on Mike Vick’s blind side.
-- Jonathan Martin (Stanford) probably needs to get stronger and wouldn’t be ready to start right away, McShay said.
-- Mike Adams (Ohio State) sounded intriguing. McShay has him as one of the most talented linemen in the draft, but says his stock has fallen because of questions about effort and consistency. “If you feel great about your coaching staff and ability to motivate and get the most out of him, then you get a steal out of him, because I think he’s probably the second most talented offensive tackle in this draft,” McShay said.
The Eagles certainly have the coaching, as Howard Mudd showed in his first year on the job, but of course it’s not yet clear if the draft is how they plan to address this need. A young tackle, though, would provide an option for this year and insurance in case Peters remains hampered by his injury long term.
It's worth remembering that the Eagles got their starting center in the sixth round a year ago, but quality tackles tend to fly off the board a lot faster.
The Peters injury is stunning news for a team that had seemingly made moves to address all of its biggest offseason concerns: DeSean Jackson, middle linebacker, Evan Mathis. It just shows how much luck factors in to even the most meticulous planning. The Eagles were fortunate with injuries a year ago. While Mike Vick was banged up at times, no significant player missed more than three starts. Already 2012 is off to a devastating start on the injury front.
use Brandon Graham as a Tackle - we all know he can't get around them anyway!— osi is hurt boohoo- We're screwed— kenny.328.usa
- There are other good OTs in the draft. McShay is a talking head relying on second hand info. Potter from Boise and Mosley from Auburn are both Mudd type of linmen that could do well in our system.— Joyner80
- We needed to address O-line depth in the draft even before this. I'm willing to live with what we have at LB and DT if it means finding a LT who can give us 70% of Peters.— dragoon6
- I think it'd be a mistake to change the draft plans and potentially reach for need just because of this injury. Bring in a proven veteran like Marcus McNeill on a one-year deal, accept the fact that you're not going to get the kind of production out of that veteran that you got out of Peters, and hope that Peters rehabs the injury well.— JLB
- Keep in mind, whoever it is has to be mobile and quick in order to fit the scheme.— wheelerkd
- Folks, keep in mind that Evan Matthis can play left tackle. He played tackle most of time in college. It's likely that King Dunlap will be the guy at LT and Matthis will back him up. I doubt they will use the 15th pick on an OT just to be a backup.— soulman386
- Coulda happened in the opener. At least now they have time to prepare for it.— brinogordon
- This is devastating news; but we can't panic so soon. I say start King Dunlap; but draft a Mike Adams as a back up plan.— chgtown
- Mudders can be gotten late - but this hurts!— Warhound
- Lazy commentary by McShay. Why would they move their blinside guy (Herremans) to the LT position? Either he's clueless, or forgot that Vick is a lefty.— Witz79
- Maybe read the article a little more thoroughly, he said that would put a rookie on Vick's blindside, as in Cordy Glenn. — jimbo jones
- So how many Philly players is it now that have achilles injuries?— BLUEBELLION
- Just one more hole...guess the left side of the line is in trouble...King Dunlap and the mouth that can't play are our starters....Good job Andy...always have backups....oops.....and we still dont have safeties who can tackle and a healty studd LB or a stud DT.....can't wait to hear the excuses ....— nuggett
- Peters came in to the league as a free agent tight end, if I remember correctly. Who knows what Howard Mudd can pull off. It's a good thing this happened before the draft.— Lockyer
