Eagles add undrafted CB; more draft grades
The Eagles have added another undrafted free agent at cornerback. More draft grades have been released. And Tony Hunt is getting a tryout with the Giants.
Eagles add undrafted CB; more draft grades
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Some things to get to today:
* One name that wasn't on the list of undrafted free agents the Eagles sent out yesterday is Arizona cornerback Devin Ross. But according to the Arizona Daily Star, he signed with the Eagles on Monday and hopes to make the roster on special teams.
"The Eagles got a hell of a player," said his agent, Harold Lewis. "There's a reason why he was the best player in the state of California when he came out of high school. There's a reason he was a starting corner with the Arizona Wildcats, and why he led the team in tackles (in 2009). And there's a reason why the Eagles and other teams wanted him bad."
Lewis also represents current Eagles Leonard Weaver and Ellis Hobbs.
Thanks to Lance over at EaglesMix.com for the link.
* Speaking of the cornerbacks, I just realized yesterday that I've been leaving Dimitri Patterson out of the discussion when writing about them. How come you people didn't call me out for that? Don't get me wrong. I'm not suggesting he's the answer. But Patterson did play last season in a variety of different roles. He was called on to serve as a sixth DB and cover the opposing tight end in a couple games (against the 49ers and Falcons). I'd guess he figures into the competition somehow, considering how thin the Eagles are.
* One last word on the cornerbacks (I know, you're tired of my griping). I was thinking: If the Eagles were to add a cornerback to their roster, what kind of player would they be looking for? Someone who's durable, a leader, a good tackler opposite Asante Samuel. Someone like Sheldon Brown perhaps? I almost wonder if they made a deal with Brown before last season - play well in 2009, don't complain about your contract and we'll take care of you before next season. Just thinking out loud here, but I have a hard time believing that this team - the way it's currently constructed - is better off without Brown.
* Our friend Wes Bunting of the National Football Post is up with his draft grades. Wes gives the Eagles a B:
A deep class that offers some intriguing bodies on all levels. I wasn’t overly impressed with some of their mid-round picks, but getting guys like DE Brandon Graham and FS Nathaniel Allen early and values like DT Jeff Owens and DE Ricky Sapp late makes this group tough to pick on.
* Nolan Narwocki of Pro Football Weekly gives the Eagles an A-minus:
Good value was found in Rounds 5-7, as WR Riley Cooper (notes) could compete for a roster spot and ILB Jamar Chaney (notes) and FS Kurt Coleman (notes) could potentially help on special teams. While completely retooling the roster, the Eagles easily landed four starters and found a lot of quality depth, although the jury remains out on the decision to deal McNabb.
* And finally, in case you didn't see it, Tony Hunt has resurfaced with the Giants - kind of. He's scheduled to attend their mini-camp for a tryout. Hunt was a third-round pick by the Eagles in 2007 but never caught on.
Great story on Hunt. My friend and loyal MTC reader Lemur received an authentic Hunt jersey from his fiancee when the Penn State product joined the Birds. Lemur, a PSU grad and Eagles fan, was a big Hunt supporter, and was devastated when the Eagles released him.
He now has an authentic No. 29 Hunt jersey and can't get any use out of it. What should he do? Replace the name on the back with "Allen" for new Eagles DB Nate Allen who will wear that number? Try to sell the thing on E-Bay?
Help out, MTC followers. Lemur needs you.
UPDATE:
Lemur's two cents on the issue:
Option No. 1 would be to leave it as is because as the years go by, it becomes funnier and funnier. Although years down the road, if people see me wearing it, they will just think my last name is Hunt, which is not good because I am anti-personalized jersey.
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Great value? There are NO STARTERS in this draft. Not even on the skill postion special teams. Also did you ever see a team depend on so many ACL recoveries at key postions (MLB, OL, FS) Football ACL = baseball rotator cuff = basketball achilles No one ever gets back to previsou level.— LA Mike- LA Mike - Not a single thing you wrote is correct. Way to be consistent.— DSqd
- On the upside of this draft: The Eagles gave themselves the best possible chance to groom two potential high-impact starters in Graham and Allen and a variety of high-motor athletes to fill out the defensive roster at DE, LB, and DB. On the downside of this draft: There is a glaring hole at offensive line, and the Eagles did not address it at all. Aside from the superstars, most rookie OLs require time to learn the system, so they may be in a big hole in the next two years. The other weakness of the draft is that they still have not obtained an obvious current or future starter at SLB, their position of greatest need for upgrade. I am hopeful that Sapp can make that transition, but of course, Chris Gocong was never able to come close (frankly, he was unable to come that close to ballcarriers either, but that's kind of a cheap shot).
- I know what you are saying about the ACL's; however, Westbrook tore his ACL twice before the NFL and he had some great years after— Lemur
- I think he should cut it into a BBALL jersey.
- Lemur what do you know about ACL's have you ever torn one?
- Haha. 3 times and I have never been the same. But I am not a professional athlete whose sole job is to spend 24/7 rehabbing.— Lemur
- With the O-Line situation, why is everyone forgetting about last years draft and the years before? We drafted a a couple o lineman. Stacy Andrews was a pro bowl LT. We suffered a ACL late in 2008. I didn't expect him to be all the way back. He will be good this year. Jason Peters is going to dominate this year and Winston Justice is going to take another step forward. Plus Nick Cole or Mike McGlynn will be the starting center. Don't forget about Feneki Toupou (I don;t know how to spell his name).Also, all of AR's centers have came from UN-drafted FA. Have faith Eagle Fans!!— dseidman
Lamur, I've never given up on an item of possible "collectible status" - ya never know what will happen to a player while still pursuing his dream. My first-ever team jersey was one of the illustrious Bobby Hoying (it was a gift; I didn't buy it, OK?) whose #7 jersey became invaluable to me when M. Vick signed on whereas I removed Hoying's name plate and with hand-sewn-on dog biscuits, spelled out Vick's name in it's place. It's a constant hit at the Madison Ave. Eagles Bar and Grill here in Vegas....I'm still waiting for Terrell Davis to reach the HOF for a piece I found in a garage sale (worth money when he does get his name called). Hang on to the Hunt jersey until you see his name out of football. Maybe *he'd* like it back for personal reasons... Sheil, over looking one of the CB's (Patterson) on the roster is understandable since the NovaCare Gustopo keeps their charges securely locked behind the "curtain". (Strange how Defensively strong the draft was, yet Sean McD has yet to be heard from). An occasional oversight is certainly forgivable. Your efforts easily go well "beyond the call".- hahaha DSqd awesome. How can anyone say whether these guys will turn into players or not. Nobody knows but everyone is great at pretending to know.— peteike
Comment removed.- "Interesting on NFL network...they were wowed at how the Eagles turned number 55 pick into 5 picks...They were impressed...Of course, had the Eagles drafted Jesus the 'fans' would have given them a C -." So what? The intent is to sign football players that will improve your roster not collect as many picks at the bottom of the draft as you can. There's no bonus for having the most picks who simply fade away in 6 months.— JBinPA
- A thickly built defensive lineman, Graham showcases a powerful-looking lower half and good flexibility out of his stance. Displays the strength to consistently hold the point of attack and set the edge against the run game. Possesses the length to stack and shed on contact and makes plays on the ball. Graham demonstrates a good first step off the edge, but he doesn't exhibit the burst to simply rely on his speed to reach the edge. Possesses good power on contact. Does a great job keeping his base down and extending his arms to deliver a jolting punch as a bull-rusher. Has power to simply drive his way though blocks once he gains an initial step. Plays with natural balance and flexibility when asked to drop his shoulder around the edge. Has the body control to keep his pad level down and accelerate under opposing tackles when flattening on the corner. Displays good lateral quickness as a pass rusher. Does a nice job firing off the ball wide, planting his outside foot and exploding through the inside lane. Keeps his hands and legs in sync on his arm-over move. Is very sudden on contact. Using his length/quickness to disengage from blocks, Graham gets into the frame of linemen on contact. Looks like a starting-caliber three-down lineman at the next level. He has the skill set to win against both the run and pass game.— ChangeISNeeded
- Is it just me or WHAT? Can't you just put every single D-Back the Iggles have (on the roster and recently drafted) into a large bag, blindfold yourself, pull them out one at a time, and put the first two at Corner and the next two at Safety??? Ye cats and little fishies folks...this is NOT a good bunch of D-Backs!— TBear
- I'm so tired of hearing "high motor" and "loves to play the game", doesn't that define just about everyone in the draft/league!!— brandelphia
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