Going to the videotape aids Eagles' draft decisions

Danny Watkins was nearly beat, but what came next would wow Eagles scouts and help make him the team's No. 1 draft pick.

Watkins, playing left tackle for Baylor, was facing Texas Tech in an October game in Dallas. The defensive end on his side lined up wide and took an initial step as if to blow by him with speed. Watkins moved to stop him, but the end cut inside and appeared to have a path toward Baylor's quarterback.

Watkins recovered, made up ground and slowed the pass rusher with one hand.

"Look at how he uses his right hand to post!" general manager Howie Roseman raves as he reviews the tape. Roseman runs the play back and forth on a screen in his office.

Moments like that helped make Watkins the Eagles top choice in April's draft.

On a recent afternoon Roseman showed a reporter some of the game tape the Eagles used to evaluate Watkins and second-round pick Jaiquawn Jarrett of Temple. Roseman, as would be expected, mostly highlighted the positives in the two picks (he wouldn't have chosen them if he didn't think highly of their abilities). Despite any inherent favoritism, his analysis still provided a look at the strengths the team saw when choosing Watkins 23d overall and Jarrett 54th.

Watkins' play against Texas Tech showed strength - he needed just one hand to slow the pass rusher - and quickness, Roseman says.

Watkins, a tackle in college, will play guard with the Eagles. He probably doesn't have the quickness to play tackle in the NFL, where he would face speedy edge rushers in space. But in recovering against the defensive end, he showed impressive speed over the shorter distance he'll cover when he pass blocks as a guard, Roseman says.

These are the kinds of things the GM looks for in reviewing video on hundreds of draft prospects. From his computer he punches up individual players and uses a remote to flip between games, plays, and camera angles.

Roseman queues up Watkins' game against Texas. He initially reviews three games of everyone the team is considering. He wants to see the player face his toughest individual matchups.

If the Eagles are enamored with a player, Roseman will watch his entire season.

In the Texas game, Watkins faced a defensive end who tried to throw him off with a rip move. Watkins stayed with his block.

"He's got enough strength and foot quickness," to withstand a move that might put another lineman on the ground, Roseman says. "That's pretty good balance."

On another play, he blocked his man out of the action and then took him to the ground. Toughness.

Later Roseman switches to Senior Bowl practices, where Watkins blocked Baylor teammate Phil Taylor, drafted 21st overall by the Browns. Taylor bull-rushed, but Watkins stoned him.

"Wide base . . . leverage . . . holds his ground vs. a power rush," Roseman says.

Run blocking against Colorado one play, Watkins made his first block, but got just a piece of another man beyond the line of scrimmage. This is where he may need work, Roseman says. Tackles don't often get to the second level and run block in space. As a guard, this will be a big part of Watkins' job description.

Watching film is the first step for Roseman. Next comes production - did the prospect turn ability into plays? Then the team checks into character and a player's performance at the NFL combine.

Ideally, a top pick excels in each area. But if there's one that might get discounted, it's the combine, especially if the player made an impact in real games.

That was the case with Jarrett, who ran a relatively slow 4.65 40-yard dash at the combine. Video from the scouting event shows Jarrett struggling in one-on-one coverage. He slips coming out of his break once, and doesn't explode toward the ball like top cover men.

But in Roseman's eyes, those issues are outweighed by Jarrett's game play, when angles, smarts, and instincts come into play, along with real hitting.

"He's always around the ball, because he studies," Roseman says. "He's a tempo-setter."

He flips to a clip of Temple facing Buffalo. There's a play in which a receiver ran deep along the sideline. Jarrett read the play and took a good angle toward the receiver. The quarterback floated the pass out of bounds - Jarrett would have broken up or intercepted an on-target throw.

Pass coverage, though, is not why the Eagles drafted Jarrett: He's here to hit.

Roseman shows Jarrett against Penn State. On one play the safety blitzed, but the Nittany Lions ran a draw. Jarrett quickly broke off his rush - the Eagles love his recognition - hit the running back, and stripped the ball.

"Every game," Roseman says, "he is a factor."

On one play Jarrett fought through a guard's block to make a stop. On another he snuffed out a reverse. A sure tackler, he used his long arms to wrap up and combined hard hitting with smart reads.

Says Roseman, "He put himself in a position to succeed."