NFL Draft
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Last week, a reader asked me to compile a list of draft prospects the Eagles have reportedly shown interest in.
Since we're a blog for the people here at MTC, I've decided to do just that.
In parentheses, I've included the date of the report. Each item attributes the report to a specific source.
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
A new feature we're excited to start today here at MTC.
With the draft just 19 days away, we're going to run draft profiles of several first-round prospects.
I've contacted beat writers, who covered the players in college for a set of questions and answers. Then we'll run through some mock draft projections, and hopefully a YouTube highlight video.
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Time for our weekly five questions with Scott Wright from draftcountdown.com.
As always, if you have specific questions for Scott, e-mail me and I'll try to get to them.
Q: There were reports last week that North Carolina WR Hakeem Nicks had put on a considerable amount of weight. How concerning is that, and what do you make of Nicks as a prospect?
A: Nicks was supposedly hurt and hadn’t been able to work out, but that is still no excuse for putting on so much weight (14-16 pounds) in less than a month's time. It’s not a deal-breaker, but it definitely raises some red flags and could put his first-round status in jeopardy. For a guy who is kind of on that late first / early second-round fringe, it certainly didn’t help his cause.
Q: A little curveball here. The Eagles may expect cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu to contribute this season. What did you think of the Wisconsin cornerback as a prospect going into last year’s draft?
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Last week over at Eagletarian, Paul Domowitch wrote that he, NFL Network's Mike Mayock and Ron Jaworski all felt that Georgia's Knowshon Moreno and Connecticut's Donald Brown were the best fits for the Birds among the top running back prospects.
Brown participated in UConn's Pro Day last week, looking to show scouts his abilities as a receiver. He also benched 225 pounds 17 times, a workout he didn't participate in during the combine because of a reported banged-up shoulder.
"He looked great, very quick feet, and he caught the ball -- which is very important for Donald Brown -- extremely well," said NFL Network's Mike Mayock who was in attendance to see the workout.
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
As is the case every year, results for the Wonderlic test have been leaked.
The exam contains 50 questions, and prospects at the Scouting Combine have 12 minutes to fill out those multiple-choice bubbles.
Results are supposed to be kept confidential, but that pretty much never happens.
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Time for our weekly Q&A session with Scott Wright of draftcountdown.com:
Q: A Baltimore Sun report last week had the Eagles as one of the teams arranging for a private workout with Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey. Give us your take on Heyward-Bey, what his strengths/weaknesses are, and how quickly he could make an impact.
A: Here is my scouting report on Heyward-Bey:
6-1 5/8 210 lbs. 4.30
Strengths: A smooth, fluid athlete...Long strider with rare speed...Explosive with great acceleration and a burst...Quick and agile...Terrific height and bulk with long arms...Excellent leaper...Nice body control and ball skills...Tough and not afraid to work the middle...Vertical threat who can separate...Also a dangerous weapon on reverses...Great work ethic...Could also contribute as a return man...Still has a ton of upside.
Weaknesses: Is inconsistent catching the ball and does not have great natural hands...Questionable instincts and awareness...Still very raw as a route runner...Not much wiggle and won't make people miss...Doesn't break a lot of tackles...Average strength...Marginal blocker...Has little or no special teams experience...Wasn't real productive.. Workout Warrior?
Notes: A three-year starter in the ACC...Was a track All-American in high school...Redshirted in 2005...A two-time All-ACC selection...Featured prominently in the Maryland record books, ranking second in career receiving yards, third in receptions and is tied for third in touchdown catches...Was grossly underutilized in the Terrapins offense and the quarterback play left much to be desired as well...Dynamic playmaker who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball...Intriguing prospect with top-flight measurables but might be a better athlete than football player...Boom or Bust type who will require some patience and development but he has all the tools to be a No. 1 wideout in the NFL.
The bottom line is “DHB” has a world of potential, but he also has a high bust factor as well. Some have even compared him to Troy Williamson. He isn’t the type of guy you expect to come in and be a stud right away, but if everything breaks right he could be a true No. 1 target with a few years of development.
Q: I was asked on a radio show last week about the possibility of the Eagles taking a running back with one of their first-round picks. While it makes sense to an extent, I’m not sure they’d use one of those picks on a guy who might only touch the ball seven or eight times a game. Who are some of the running backs in the later rounds that you think could be players?
A: It obviously depends on what type of guy they are looking for, but here are some mid-to –late round running backs who I feel can be good backups in the NFL:
Mike Goodson, RB, Texas A&M – Underrated prospect who came out is a junior. Great athlete with excellent speed and also a very good receiver.
James Davis, RB, Clemson – Was the No. 1 senior running back heading into the 2008 season. I feel he has starting potential in the right situation.
Javon Ringer, RB, Michigan St. – Productive runner with average physical tools and top-notch intangibles who carried the ball 390 times as a senior.
Jeremiah Johnson, Oregon – Has durability concerns and lacks elite timed speed but he plays fast, is a big play threat and can do a little bit of everything.
Kory Sheets, RB, Purdue – Average size but is a threat as a runner, receiver and return man.
Q: What happened at Andre Smith’s Pro Day? There seem to have been conflicting reports.
A: It wasn’t as bad as some made it out to be. Smith’s biggest mistake was taking his shirt off, and that footage of him running the forty is forever embedded in the minds of anyone who saw it. However, there aren’t many 330 pounders who do look good with their shirts off. I have been going to the Senior Bowl weigh-in for a number of years, and offensive linemen just aren’t going to win best body contests at the beach.
Smith’s numbers in the timed events were solid, albeit not spectacular, but he did do a nice job in the positional drills, and for many that’s what really counts. Ultimately Smith is simply too talented to fall out of the Top 10 overall picks.
Q: Compare Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe, the two tackles that are expected to go early.
A: Jason Smith and Eugene Monroe actually carry very similar grades and I have them at No. 3 and No. 5 in my overall rankings. Smith just has a little more upside which is why I gave him the slight edge. As far as their games go, Smith is a better a pass blocker, but Monroe is a little more well-rounded in terms of pass pro and run blocking. Both should come off the board in the top 4-6 picks.
Q: We’ll continue our “sleeper” question. Last week you told us your definition of a sleeper. So please give us a small-school player and an underrated prospect at quarterback.
A: My top small-school quarterback is Rhett Bomar from Sam Houston St., who I actually feel is the No. 4 signal caller in this draft. Bomar may have played at a low-level program, but he is a big-time talent, and he was actually one of the nation's top recruits coming out of high school. Unfortunately, after a nice start to his career at Oklahoma, he ran into some trouble with the NCAA, which led to his dismissal. You have to wonder if Bomar would have won a Heisman Trophy and been a first round pick had he remained with the Sooners… Bomar was easily the most impressive quarterback at the Senior Bowl in my opinion, displaying a strong arm and quick release, and personally I’d start considering him as early as Round 2, although he’ll probably be chosen somewhere in the 3-5 range. Honorable mention goes to Mike Reilly from Central Washington and Jason Boltus from Hartwick College.
As far as an underrated prospect, I’d single out Stephen McGee from Texas A&M. He has the physical tools you look for and is a good athlete, but wasn’t really able to maximize his potential in college because he was not a good fit for the Aggies' offensive scheme. However, he had strong showings at the East / West Shrine Game and the Scouting Combine and could be a nice mid-to-late round pick for someone.
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
About to head down to the Wachovia Center to check out the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. My buddy MC from "MC's pick of the week" came up huge with an extra ticket for his friend and blogger.
But before I hop on the subway, I thought I'd include a quick YouTube clip of Georgia running back Knowshon Moreno.
SI.com's Don Banks has the Eagles taking Moreno with the 21st pick:
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Time for another round of questioning with Scott Wright from draftcountdown.com. Here are this week's questions and answers:
Q: You just posted a new mock draft this week. And if it plays out the way you projected, Eagles fans will be very happy. Give us a scouting report on tight end Brandon Pettigrew, who you have the Eagles taking at No. 21. How much did his combine performance hurt him?
A: Pettigrew is without question the top tight end in this draft and a sure-fire first-round pick. However, his game is actually quite a bit different from the tight ends that we traditionally have seen go in round one in recent years. Pettigrew isn’t a dynamic receiving threat who will stretch the field vertically like Kellen Winslow or Vernon Davis, but he is a great all-around player. Pettigrew can definitely be a pass-catching weapon in the short-to-intermediate range, but what sets him apart is his blocking prowess. At 6-5 3/8 and 263 pounds, he can be an extension of the offensive line.
As far as the combine goes, Pettigrew’s performance in Indy really didn’t help or hurt him. He only ran a 4.85, but that was what most expected. He could still go as high as No. 11 overall to Buffalo, but worst-case he should be a solid value for someone in the early twenties.
Q: I was pretty surprised to see you project that Beanie Wells would be available at No. 28. Do you really see him slipping that far, and how unusual would it be for the first running back to be taken so late?
A: Well, running backs do tend to slip a bit on draft day, and this appears to be setting up as a perfect storm for that to happen. Not only does this class lack an elite Adrian Peterson / Darren McFadden-type of talent, but there just aren’t many teams with a pressing need at the position. The 2008 draft featured one of the best crops of running backs we have ever seen, and the fact of the matter is a lot of teams addressed the position last year.
It certainly wouldn’t be unheard of for the top running backs to slip toward the end of round one. In fact, it has already happened a few times this decade: 2002 with William Green (No. 16 overall) and T.J. Duckett (No. 18 overall), 2003 with Willis McGahee (No. 23 overall ) and Larry Johnson (No. 27 overall), and 2004 with Steven Jackson (No. 24 overall), Chris Perry (No. 26 overall) and Kevin Jones (No. 30 overall).
At this point it looks like unless some team takes a running back even though it’s not a glaring need (i.e. the Steelers with Rashard Mendenhall last year), the top running backs could very easily slip into the final 10-12 picks of round one.
Q: And finally, in the second round, you have the Eagles taking South Carolina offensive tackle Jamon Meredith. Tell us a little about him.
A: Well, I’m not 100 percent sure that Jamon Meredith is a perfect fit for the Eagles, but they are desperate for help at the position, and he is easily the top left tackle prospect on the board.
Meredith is a great athlete, and physically he has everything you look for in a left tackle, but it’s the intangibles that could hold him back. He is basically a finesse blocker whose toughness and work ethic have been questioned. In fact, he was even benched at one point as a senior. However, the possible rewards begin to outweigh the risks in the middle of round two, and he has the potential to be an excellent blindside protector in the NFL. As an added bonus Meredith also has extensive experience at guard and could easily project inside at the next level as well.
Q: Who do you project as the best pass-rusher in this draft?
A: Brian Orakpo from Texas. In many ways he is very similar to Vernon Gholston, who was the No. 6 overall pick a year ago. And I don’t mean that in a negative way, even though Gholston had a disappointing rookie year. They are basically the same size and put up similar workout numbers at the combine. Orakpo played defensive end in college, but his best fit at the next level will likely be as a 3-4 outside linebacker, where he can use his speed, quickness and athleticism to rush the passer off the edge. Orakpo is a likely top-10 overall pick, and don’t be surprised if he works his way into the top five with a team such as Kansas City or Cleveland.
Q: Every week from here on out, I'll ask you for a sleeper -- someone who is flying under the radar who you like. This week, give us a sleeper at running back.
A: Well, this could fall into one of two categories. There are sleepers, i.e. players from non-Division I schools, and there are underrated prospects. I will give you one of each:
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Time for our weekly Q&A with Scott Wright of draftcountdown.com.
As always, if you have specific draft questions you want answered, let me know.
We'll have more on T.O. and free agency later today.
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
It's time for our weekly chat with draftcountdown.com's Scott Wright.
This week, Scott breaks down the combine, identifying winners and losers from Indy.
Q: Which players most helped their causes at the combine?
A: I could literally name dozens of players who helped themselves but I’ll try to control myself…
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