McCoy pick made the draft
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McCoy pick made the draft
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
During the past couple days, I've provided links here at MTC to what the national "experts" are saying about the Eagles draft.
Some of you have asked me for my opinion (while others could care less), so here's my take.
The LeSean McCoy pick at No. 53 in the second round made the draft for the Birds.
Going into last weekend, the Eagles needed to address running back. Regardless of what you think about Brian Westbrook or how many years he has left, the Birds had zero depth behind him.
And please don't bring up Lorenzo Booker.
If you looked at the running backs on the board, the top tier had four guys: Knowshon Moreno, Beanie Wells, McCoy and Donald Brown.
Moreno was the guy the Eagles reportedly targeted, but he got snatched up by the Broncos at No. 12.
And according to the print guys who cover the team, the Birds didn't really think Wells was a good fit.
That left the Eagles with several options. Take either Brown or McCoy at No. 21. Trade down and pick one of them later in the first round or early in the second. Go in another direction with their first pick and hope one of them dropped to No. 53 in the second round. Or target a sleeper running back in the later rounds and forget about Brown and McCoy altogether.
They went with the third option, gambling that McCoy would be there at 53, and it worked out perfectly.
You know during your fantasy drafts when a player you love somehow drops, and you pray that the guys ahead of you don't take him? That's what happened with the Birds.
When they traded up to get Jeremy Maclin, my excitement was tame. Not because I didn't like him, but because I thought they might miss out on one of the top four backs.
And I still wonder what their plan would have been had McCoy been gone at No. 53. Take a second-tier guy? Hope to sign a veteran? Rely on Booker to play a bigger role?
Talk about choosing among some brutal options.
But the Eagles don't have to worry about that. They got Shady.
My first job out of college was at PennLive.com in Harrisburg. McCoy was a senior at Bishop McDevitt. People couldn't get enough of him. Traffic spiked for any story that had his name in it, not only locally, but nationally as college football fans and alumni wondered if their schools would land him.
I remember putting together photos online at PennLive.com when McCoy fractured his ankle in the fourth game of his senior season. You probably know that part of the story, but I remember his distraught teammates with tears in their eyes when Shady went down.
I'm no scout, but the Eagles got their running back, and got him at a value that you have to be happy with at No. 53.
Without McCoy, the Birds would have still needed to address running back depth and would have been in a disastrous position if Westbrook went down.
When we look back in a few years and evaluate the '09 class, McCoy will be guy we zero in on. And that's a good thing.
Sheil, I am originally from the Harrisburg area, and Shady was DEFINATELY a can't miss guy. Pennlive covered him pretty extensively. Did you grow up in the Harrisburg area?— kgochenour- I would not include Peters in this year's draft analysis. They gave up their #1 LAST YEAR for the pick that was included for Peters. If you include Peters this year, you have to downgrade them for not having a 1 last year.— mikemaddog
- if the t.e. from fl. heals and he's had a year to do so, he was a monster player for u of fl. in 2007. the free agent running back they signed is a nobody from nowhere. could be a star. what's his name?— JACK V
- With Bishop McDevitt, Shady came to play the main h.s. in State College. He scored 4 TDs in the first quarter! They took him out because he did it on a bad ankle. He wanted Penn State but Joe Pa didn't like his grades. He brought his grades up in a prep school and went on to Pittsburgh.— jonnyB
- If McCoy made the draft for the Eagles that much better....than Ingram should be that icing on the cake. He was definately a " steal ". Maclin will be very good, so will McCoy..but don't forget about Ingram. He's basically a big receiver who will do well in the red zone.— tony b
- I dont see why there is so much hype over this draft. Maclin is talented, but how well can you rate a wr that played in a 5 wr spread offense every year. If you watch any game of his in college, he was moved around to create mismatches. Granted he had big numbers and higlights, but it would be like comparing arena football league or the CFL to what happens on Sundays in the NFL. McCoy is another story. He isnt physical and the games I saw him play he never speeds through the hole in the line. His big highlight plays were mostly ones where blown tackles or he bumped along the line long enough to get to the edge and them put on a few sick moves to beat defenders. He is shifty in the open field. But will he ever break the first level in the NFL? I doubt it. I think he rates more closely to Ladell Betts of the Redskins. He definitely is not Ricky Watters size or ability. I think his ceiling and what Im hoping for is a similar talent to Charlie Garner. Honestly, with an aging Westbrook and McNabb, Boldin, Pettitgrew - do more for this offense than Maclin and McCoy. Best Case Scenario - Eagles trade for Gonzalez with 2nd round pick. Trade for Boldin packaging brown and next years one, and use this years one and whatever else to move up to get Moreno. In any draft, how many great rbs actually deliver, maybe one good one per year. Moreno is it. McCoy will have to change his running style when he gets to the pros. It will cause frustration and take time away from his inability to pick up the blitz. Get used to Booker... I cant wait for Reid to say Booker needed a year to learn our system.— TimeforChange
- Ingram is a 245, wr. In the red zone, he cant block so you play action is not going to create doubts for any defensive coordinator. He is LJ Smith II. He has the exact same skill set. I am perplexed they drafted this guy. There are two kinds of TE's the Inside out runners like Kellen Winslow, Brent Celek and Ingram, and the block on the line, release and provide big target down the middle guys like Witten, Gates, Gonzalez. We need the latter.— TimeforChange
- Maclin, McCoy, Peters and Hobbs were all excellent "picks". We should all be adding Cornelius Ingram to that list. Everyone is worried about not having a big receiver, but that's exactly what he is. In between being a quartback and a tight end, he was an awesome, fast WIDE RECEIVER for the Gators. He is an an incredible receiving tight end, which is as good as a BIG wideout. He is a tremendous and, as evidence by his switching positions 3 times, willing athlete and will learn to block for us as well. Eveyone is going to be excited about this guy - assuming he is healthy, which from everything you read, he should be.— TMF
- Dierte...Ingram was rated as #2 by Mayock and many other analysts. He dropped because of the injury and not playing in 08. I have personally seen him play as I live in SEC county, he is a beast and he is the steal of the draft along with Macho Harris and the safety from Vanderbilt who didn't even get drafted, he is one of the unsigned rookies— crohnkiller
- The eagles addressed their needs with quality players. No one knows how good they will end up being but they picked guys that no one thought would be available to them. For that this was their best draft in years.— Tejayanie
- In another column a scout who likes Maclin says all he needs is to be taught how to run a route as he didn't have to do that in college. Gee, haven't we had other potential rceivers who did not know how to run a route, just what Mcnabb needs a receiver with a Learner's sticker on his back. McCoy may be described as a clone of Westie but it might have been nice to have an alternative to that running style in games where the opponents have figured out how to shut Westie out. Unfortunately, the alternative style, represented by Shonn Greene, got taken by the Jeys after we drafted. If you compare the two records, Greene played against better opponents and had a better record, especially in the Bowl games.— atp2007
- Ah, the Bunkley and Justice draft... 2006 was an tremendous draft year for the Eagles. Most were ecstatic that Justice fell to the Eagles in the 2nd. Ok we were wrong about that. But Avant, Gocong, Gaither & Ramsey have all been contributors, and Jean-Gilles could still make his mark. Really, with only Justice and Bloom as the only failed picks, it'll be nice if this year's picks are as good at the NFL level.— Bazalite
- If the Eagles hit on either two picks the draft will be a success. Let's Macklin is average. We are no worse off and Desean Jackson will be better this year. If McCoy doesn't pan out we still have Westbrook and can draft another back next year. If one of them becomes exceptional then this team is dramatically improved. If their both good then next year's draft can be all about getting a stud defensive playmaker. The best part is the offense will be improving and coming into it's own while they become an even stronger defense. Assuming McNabb moves on Kolb will only have to manage game. This team has a truly great chance to win a Superbowl in the next 3-4 years.— Drew777
- Why isn't anyone talking about special teams? Look at all of the return specialists we've got on the roster now. DeSean Jackson, Demps, Maclin, and Hobbs and ALL explosive in the return game. Any one of them can bust one loose for a quick 6. At the VERY least, we should have short fields on offense most of the time. The problem now will be choosing who to put out there.— dviljoen
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