Mock draft roundup; Jenkins' future
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Mock draft roundup; Jenkins' future
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Too early to take a look at some mock drafts?
Never.
ESPN's Mel Kiper released his first mock today. He has the Eagles taking Boston College linebacker Luke Kuechly at No. 15:
The Eagles were really weak up the middle in 2011, and Kuechly is the top interior linebacker available in the draft. Since Brian Dawkins departed, safety has also been a perpetual question mark, so I could see that being considered here. But in Kuechly you get a player who can fill a massive void in the defense. He's a guy who can come in and start immediately; he's got exceptional instincts, is a very good athlete, demonstrates great form and can fly around making tackles in the middle of the field. He's just a machine. Last year, few teams were forced to utilize lesser talent at linebacker than Philly, and Kuechly can help fix that problem.
Meanwhile, several NFL.com writers put out mock drafts this week. Elliot Harrison has the Eagles taking Arizona State linebacker Vontaze Burfict:
The Eagles were eyeing Kuechly because they need a linebacker like a math major needs "Star Trek." But with Jerry Jones not exactly being a wingman, Andy Reid has to take Burfict instead.
Note: Harrison has the Cowboys taking Kuechly at No. 14.
Chad Reuter of NFL Network has the Birds taking Kuechly:
Head coach Andy Reid typically does not address the linebacker position this early in the draft, but the team's problems in the middle of the defense -- and Kuechly's production and instincts -- may be too much to ignore.
And finally, Bucky Brooks of NFL.com has the Eagles going with Baylor wide receiver Kendall Wright:
The uncertainty surrounding DeSean Jackson's contract status could prompt the Eagles to snatch the most explosive WR in the draft.
NFL.com has a few other mocks up if you go to their landing page.
BRINGING JENKINS BACK
The Eagles made several free-agent additions last offseason. Among the most successful was the signing of defensive tackle Cullen Jenkins. Jenkins finished the season with 5.5 sacks (third on the team) and 24 hurries (tied for third).
He also played the run well and provided a much-needed veteran presence.
I remember Jenkins being surprised at Lehigh that there wasn't a bigger market for his services. During last weekend's broadcast, Troy Aikman mentioned how much the Packers missed Jenkins this year. And several Packers players and coaches echo those sentiments in a story by Jason Wilde on ESPN Milwaukee.
Jenkins is reportedly due a $5M roster bonus in March. Wilde asked him about the possibility of being released and returning to Green Bay.
"I’m going to stay away from even commenting on that one," Jenkins said. "You kind of move on. Right now, I'm an Eagle, and that’s my mindset. I'm going to continue to be an Eagle until they don't want me to be an Eagle anymore. That's my main focus right now. I'm not worried about any of the other ifs, ands or buts."
My take? I'd be surprised if the Eagles even considered letting Jenkins go. He was one of their best defensive players last season and has shown he can thrive in different schemes. The Eagles' defensive line, with Jason Babin, Trent Cole, Jenkins and Mike Patterson, was one of the biggest strengths of this defense in 2011.
I'm guessing whoever the coordinator is will find a way to use Jenkins.
THE VIKINGS FILL AN OPENING
The Vikings are expected to make Colts defensive backs coach Alan Williams their new defensive coordinator, according to a report by NFL Network's Jason La Canfora.
There had been some talk last week that the Vikings could take a look at Juan Castillo or Steve Spagnuolo for their opening, but it appears they've found their man.
And if you missed it from earlier, the Eagles reportedly worked out quarterback Trent Edwards earlier this week.
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Some of you out there think just like the eagle scouts and management. SOFT Since the loss of B Dawk there has been no one on this team thats going to put the fear or thump to the opposition. Much less what team really fear our defense. I say we taken care of the def line, tinker with the def back. But fix the middle of this d. Not with someone thats light in the A#@. Vontaze is the best of the beast. This guy has a tape of hurdling over people to make takles. Yes there's a risk. But so was Ray Lewis!!!— jazzy50- I seem to recall that Warren Sapp and Randy Moss both had "character" issues in college as well. They're college kids playing football, not hedge fund managers. Do your due diligence, interview the heck out of Burfict. Have one of the current players interview the guy and get their take on him. But don't do it over "what you've heard". We need stud defenders not Eagles scouts who belong to the 4H Club.— beegal99
- Even a broken clock is correct twice a day. I think the odds of regression to the norm will bring the iggles a fertile draft. I made a graph of eagle wins the last 30 years. there is a biphasic curve that shows improvement in the first 2-3 years after EVERY NEW coach has come. Of course they have fallen short, and generally, the peaks have inevitably been followed by relentless decline.
I think Reid is stale or maybe age is affecting him. He could very well win 4-6 games next year. (and fit on my graph). Maybe THAT would convince Lurie to move on.— doc35 - EAgles will draft Robert Griffen III, who drops to the end of the first round, making all of North Philly happy. Team goes 13 more years without a superbowl winner.— mario1239
- There isn't any discussion it's just speculation by a writer that has nothin to write about— dwilly
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"How can there possibly be any discussion whatsoever of letting Jenkins go? That is shear lunacy."
Actually, running with scissors is shear lunacy. Letting Jenkins go would be sheer lunacy.— maurysline - Just like Shula, Gibbs, Reeves, there comes a time for very good coaches to be replaced. These have all won so much more than Andy... why are the eagles so scared to JUST DO IT? sooner or later they have to change philosophy and go back to what the Steelers, Ravens, 49ers do.... blocking and tackling.— edogs
- The Eagles performance in recent drafts makes any Mock Draft discussions entirely useless. We all know they desperately need linebacking but they are smarter then us so the position probably won't be addressed. When you think about the teams in the finals right now you usually think about their linebackers first when you talk defense and a safety or two. Defense still wins and when you have a novice as coordinator with 2or 3 good corners and 5 Joe Blows you don't have a defense so you won't win but again they are smarter then we are. I have no interest in Eagles mock drafts.— golfer15
Comment removed.- Two things I know I know: The mocks don't call the Eagles ultimate draft picks correctly, and the Eagles fans will decry whatever occurs, regardless, in the majority. It should be a mantra: I, , have no idea what is needed. For instance, it seems to be reasonable to conclude the Eagles would value a S pick in the first round, if a highly rated player became available to them. But we have no idea what their thinking is on how well Nate Allen progressed throughout the season as he continued to recover from injury. Did he play better? What's the Eagles' thinking on Chaney's future? Anyone have any idea how Dixon's recovery plays into the strategy going into the draft? If a highly rated DT becomes available, does Dixon's status even matter? You have no idea, just enjoy the ride. If I was a betting man, Id say they either select a linemen, or trade down. Enough with the insinuation Graham is undersized. Look at the stud DEs in the league, see what their measurables were (as compared to Graham's), then STFU once and for all. (HTML deleted)— Murrayman
- can anyone name the great studs philly missed in the draft at LB they hv tried but they usually miss its not for a lack of effort but its not like philly is drafting high at the end of the year anyway we are usually in the mid to late twenties when the blue chips are usually gone they do a better job of drafting offensive talent than def studs see maclin jackson and shady— positive eagle
- The more I look at this draft, the more it screams "trade down" to me. No linebacker is worth a top 15 pick IMO, when you can probably get him in the mid 20's. Everybody is looking for OL, DL and QB in the top half.
The BC guy is tiny and I'm don't think he's suited for the middle in the NFL. Burflict is a thumper with a mean streak who sure passes the eyeball test, but is he really a guy you'd take at 15? Aaron Curry was a can't miss, too.
This may seem like blasphemy to some, but if I were drafting I'd focus on getting a safety who could actually play. By the end of the season the linebackers seemed to be playing on an average NFL level, but safety play ranged from below average to inept. You can't give up the middle third of the field in the passing game in the NFL and expect to have a good defense.— dlivesay - I echo Penfold18's thoughts. They finally get a DT that can rush the passer AND play the run, and you release him after a great year? Why is this even being brought up??? Eagles will not take a LB in the first round, they will sign a veteran FA. Joe Banner refuses to pay first round money to a LB. I do believe they will draft a WR with the first pick, b/c it seems there is no way they keep Desean (which I think is AWFUL).— sore richard
- Letting Jenkins go makes no sense and that is why they will do it. Then we can spend the money on a backup QB. As for the draft I will waite till April because there is just no telling what the brain trust is going to do.— urbnasty
- burflict will be just what we need!!heart,beast mode!thats a wild boy!— eagle4eva20
- They better keep Jenkins if they want to have any chance of a competitive D next season— frustrated1
- Any discussion about letting Jenkins leave is absurd.— Dexter
- Burflict has the speed of a cheetah and the instincts of a jaguar but he has some problems, he's a lone wolf and likes to get away from the defensive scheme to free lance. The Eagles don't seem to have the veteran presence necessary to bring Burflict in line emotionally on the field.— Dexter
- Kuechly is a liability in pass coverage. Slow feet.— Dexter
- Burfict is a beast along the line of Bill Romanowski in regards to intensity, play and character... Zach Brown may be the answer... he's a playmaking, tackling machine but he's better in space. Eagles would need to get a good FA LB like Tulloch to play the middle. Eagles should consider Nigel Bradham in the 3rd or 4th round.. he's a faster version of Burfict at the SAM... I would be happy with either Bradham, Burfict, Rolle or Bradham, Tulloch, Brown— soldierboy
- 1979 and counting. FatRed, Howie and Nickels taking a LB in Round 1. That's a good one. Here comes either an offensive tackle or an undersized DE.— lgm4885
- What the hell is Mel Kiper smoking? The fat man doesn't draft LBs in the first round. If he loses his mind and does so, he should take one of the studs from Alabama.— Justaschmuck
- A vet LBer to start, a vet Safety to compete. In a deep LBer class a 2nd and a 3rd on LBers? (Reid won't spend his first there) The first on a QB? Best lineman, O or D?— Warhound
- Just wanna add my 2 cents here. I remember the last Boston College draft pick the eagles selected all too well. Goes by the name of Mr. Mike "always offsides" Mamula. They should have learned their lesson by now. Stay away from Boston College picks rated so high. At least pick a guy who plays against some sort of competition. If they pass over Burfict for this kid I think I'll just go INSANE!!!— gkc462
- Kuechly will be starting in the NFL long after Burfict's 3rd or 4th felony conviction. — bc3030
- How can there possibly be any discussion whatsoever of letting Jenkins go? That is shear lunacy.— Penfold18
- There has to be a smallish, high motor DE that Howie can move up 2 or 3 spots and nab with the 15th pick and say a 2nd rounder. Look how good Graham (led the IR squad in Stationary Bike Reps) was, and for only 2 third rounders. As Andy would say, there are plenty of talented LBers in the 4th and 5th rounds that we have our eyes on but the guys up front really drive home what we do. Kelce, Henery and maybe Allen, aside, what has the last 2 drafts (24 picks) done for the Eagles, except supply them with Special Team players? Why would anyone think this year's draft will be different?— younged
- Kuechly def. looks small. Regardless of past action, it seems impossible that the Eagles od not pick a Lb or Safety with the 15th pick. I don;t think it has to be a middle LB. They could choose an OLB and try and fill the MLB via free agency.— UncleStosh
- There's no way they use a 1st round pick on a 4-3 OLB. — bc3030
- I have been on this site ranting and raving about how the Eagles need to take a linebacker with the 15th pick (Vontaze Burfict or Courtney Upshaw), but not Luke Kuechly. I'm at peace now because so many draftniks have the Eagles taking Kuechly, now Mel Kiper does. Ahh yes, Mel Kiper has given me peace of mind because he never gets the Eagles selections right. Thanks Mel! :-)— Eaglehaslanded
- The Eagles will live to regret picking over Vontaze Burflict if he is available. He is a stud!— reveugene
- I think Lofton from the Falcons at 6 foot 240 is a beast, only 25 years old. He's available if the Falcons are stupid enough to not resign him. Eagles should go after Zach Brown from NC in the second round as an outside linebacker with the first second round pick and either T.J. McDonald from USC or Barron from Alabama (though probably gone by then) with the second second round pick— EricSpin301
- Sheil, it's not a good idea to COUNT ON the draft to fill an immediate need. Sometimes it works but usually it doesn't. Organizations should look to free agency to fill immediate needs. The Eagles need to make cap room to go full barrel after Stephen Tulloch. He's an exceptional, proven MLB behind a wide-9 scheme. The Lions are having cap problems because of the high draft picks they've had so it's the perfect opportunity to outbid them for Tulloch. With regard to the draft teams would be wise to stick with their board and try to get good value.— soulman386
- Tulloch is overrated. — bc3030
- Burflict is the biggest character question mark in the draft. He couldn't even get on the field during their last game. By all accounts, a bad person. During bowl week the draft gurus were going on and on about how much his draft stock has slipped because of his attitude. Buyer beware on that guy.— CornerPretzelGuy
- The Eagles will regret picking over Vontaze Burflict if he is available. THe guy s a stud! The Eagles should do some background checking on him. Percy Harvin dropped also. A lot of teams are kicking themselves for not taking him! — reveugene
- Kuechly is undersized at 237 for the wide 9. (Lewis and Urlacher go about 15 pounds heavier, Fletcher goes about 8 pounds heavier despite being 5 inches shorter))
So it's almost a certainty that the Eagles trade up to get him!— banned - LOL, sad but true, I'm inclined to agree with you about the Eagles trading up to get the undersized Kuechly. My only hope that they will not is Mel Kiper thinks the Eagles will choose him which pretty much cements they won't. — Eaglehaslanded
- If they take a receiver in the 1st round, I may just go insane! Maybe start shopping for those Romo jers...nope, can't even finish that thought!— gdibig
- In 13 seasons Reid has not valued the LB position in free agency nor the draft. His most talented LB was a holdover from Rhodes (Trotter). Reid has shown a complete unwillingness to change his plan (you know, the one that's worked so well), why would he do it now?— THE-KID (WI)
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