Eagles receive high grades
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Eagles receive high grades
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
More draft grades are rolling in, and the consensus seems to be that the Eagles had one of the best weekends in the NFL.
Here's a roundup of some links this morning. I'll add more throughout the day.
And before we hear your seething comments, yes, we realize draft grades right now are meaningless since the players have not even stepped on the field yet.
But we're draft degenerates, so we're doing this anyway.
Oh, and don't forget to check out Paul Domowitch's grades from the Daily News.
ESPN.com's Todd McShay, who called LeSean McCoy the biggest steal of the draft, offers his evaluation:
On paper, the Eagles appear to have one of best classes of 2009. Granted, Jeremy Maclin has a lot of developing to do as a route-runner, but his RAC skills project perfectly in Philadelphia's West Coast offense and should be able to at least help as a No. 3 wideout and return man this year. McCoy is the best pass-catching back in this draft and should pay dividends by initially taking the load off Brian Westbrook. Long term, he should develop into the full-time starter two or three years down the road. TE Cornelius Ingram was a steal in the fifth round as was WR Brandon Gibson in the sixth.
John Czarnecki of FoxSports.com gives the Eagles an A:
When rating this draft, start by remembering the Eagles used a first-round pick for Buffalo offensive tackle Jason Peters, who has Pro Bowl talent. Peters will team with ex-Bengal Stacy Andrews to give Donovan McNabb two new protectors on the outside. Then, the Eagles lucked into Missouri receiver Jeremy Maclin, who was rated No. 1 at his position on 18 teams' draft boards. Then in the second round, Pitt running back LeSean McCoy was another steal with 53rd overall pick. McCoy will give Brian Westbrook a breather this season. Virginia Tech cornerback Victor Harris has only 4.6 speed, but he should be a core special-teams player. Harris did have 15 interceptions. You have to like the trade with New England in order to land cornerback Ellis Hobbs, who gives the Eagles some added depth in case they ever deal unhappy starter Sheldon Brown. Florida TE Cornelius Ingram could be a steal if his knee is OK.
CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco gives the Eagles an A-plus:
If you count adding left tackle Jason Peters and corner Ellis Hobbs, they had an amazing week.
ESPN.com's Matt Mosley likes the Eagles' draft:
The Eagles could have easily panicked and taken UConn's Donald Brown, who is a nice player. But they would have been fixated on a need instead of taking the best value. The Eagles bided their time in the second round and then pounced on former Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy, who reminds a lot of folks of Westbrook. He has tremendous lateral speed, and most importantly, he is an instinctive runner. In the Eagles' offense, you can't have a player lumbering around looking for the right angle. You need someone who can find seams in a zone-blocking scheme.
If you come across more links/grades, e-mail me.
Two solid drafts in a row. Soon the hater will have to stop moaning abotu how the FO can't draft well.— gaitherfan- If the Eagles are smart, throw the ball to Cornelius Ingram early and often..as a Florida alum, this guy is a monster, has great hands, and is tough to tackle. I assume the only reason he lasted til the 5th round was his knee injury from last spring? Go Gators!— flgatoralum97
- what's with this fixation on Rashad Jennings? he's an overage small school star whose physical tools got him drafted where his output suggests he should have been drafted: 7th round 250 overall— yantastic
- I think as drafts go around here it will turn out to be one of Reids best.They drafted the best player instead of need. We will see on the feild.— wstollenmaier
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