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Saturday, April 25, 2009
Eagles biggest 1st-round surprise?

Well, it was a whirlwind of a first down.

Thanks for those of you who joined me for the live chat. It was a lot of fun to break down the action as it was happening.

Someone asked what the biggest surprise of the first round was.

Let's start at the top. At No. 3, the Kansas City Chiefs taking LSU DE Tyson Jackson caught some by surprise. However, Jackson's stock had been soaring in the days leading up to the draft. I believe Sports Illustrated had him going in the top five, and I saw ESPN's Michael Smith predict that Jackson would go third on Saturday morning.

The next pick that comes to mind is the Raiders selecting Maryland WR Darrius Heyward-Bey at No. 8. But if Al Davis is involved, can we really call anything surprising? NFL insiders had been predicting for weeks that Davis was obsessed with speed, and therefore he'd go with Heyward-Bey or Jeremy Maclin.

And that bring us to the Eagles. Trading up was not a surprise. The Eagles have been one of the most active teams in the league in terms of draft day deals over the past five years or so. But that they traded up for Maclin was pretty surprising. If it were a running back, defensive end, defensive back or even offensive lineman, I would have been less shocked.

So what do you think? What was the biggest surprise of the first round?

***

During the season, we did a feature called "Optimist/pessimist" here at MTC after every game. Basically it illustrated that there are two ways to look at every situation. I thought now would be a good time to bring it back with the Maclin pick.

The optimist says...

Phenomenal pick. Everybody wanted another weapon. The fans. The media. Donovan McNabb. And they went out and got one of the biggest playmakers in the draft. A guy who can be a threat on offense and special teams. How about the speed McNabb now has to work with? DeSean Jackson. Kevin Curtis. And now Maclin. McNabb will be throwing bombs all season. Plus they just got more versatile. Can you predict where Maclin, Jackson or Brian Westbrook are going to line up on any given play?  Good luck with that, defensive coordinators. Between the Maclin pick and the revamping of the offensive line, the 2009 season is looking promising. Don't forget. This team was one drive away from the Super Bowl last season. Is it August yet?

The pessimist says...

Are you serious? A DeSean Jackson clone? Why do we need two of the same player? My question is this. If they were going to draft a receiver in the first round, why not just deal the first-round pick for Anquan Boldin?! A guy who is proven, physical and a better complement to what they already have? I don't get this front office and I never will. By the way, what happened to the thought that they would commit to the running game next season with the new fullback and offensive line? I guess that has fallen by the wayside. Good luck running the clock out in the final minutes of close games with Westbrook and... Lorenzo Booker? Yeah, that sounds promising. And I'm sure they won't have any short yardage problems either. These guys never cease to amaze me.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia @ 8:33 PM  Permalink | 23 comments
23
Comments   
Posted 08:47 PM, 04/25/2009
philly10
MACLIN IS GREAT AND THE NFL NETWORK ANALYIST SAY MACLIN WAS THE BEST PICK OF THE DRAFT....MACLIN WAS RATED AS HIGH AS MICHALE CRABTREE, HE CAUGHT 102 PASSES LAST YEAR AND IS A STEAL FOR THE EAGLES.
Posted 08:48 PM, 04/25/2009
JimG
It's bad enough that there are a bunch of fans spouting this DeSean Jackson clone nonsense...now we've got writers saying it too? They are both fast and return kicks...that's it...that's where the similarity ends. Maclin is 2 to 2.5 inches taller and 25 pounds heavier than Jackson. Maclin is 6'0 and 200 lbs. That's a decent-sized WR for the NFL...that's not a little guy.
Posted 08:55 PM, 04/25/2009
R3
espn puts on a "show". If you want real analysis, look elsewhere. NFL network is more objective and gives real, fair opinions.
Posted 09:13 PM, 04/25/2009
trizot
Jeremy Maclin and Lesean Mccoy, not a bad haul for day 1. I like that they are looking for skill players and not lineman. Now add a blocking TE and a DB and I'd say it has been a good draft. But timw will tell how productive it really has been.
Posted 09:46 PM, 04/25/2009
StopThePanic
This is Reid's best first day since 2002. Two great playmakers added to the offense. Combine this with the potential best O-line in NFL, the Iggs are lookin good in 2009.
Posted 10:19 PM, 04/25/2009
Prosecutor07
Wow. We will only know in hindsight if these moves work out, but definitely an unprecedented day for the Eagles...2 highly-rated skill position players in the first 2 rounds? Giving the fans what they want if nothing else.
Posted 10:43 PM, 04/25/2009
DerbyBound
It will be interesting to see to see if Maclin and Pettigrew turn out down the road.
Posted 10:48 PM, 04/25/2009
mbradley101
you guys are comical...best first day because they drafted offense! Last time we drafted a guy who dropped for no reason...how did that work out. Winston Justice!
Posted 10:51 PM, 04/25/2009
Maddy44
i seriously thought pettigrew was the pick because thats andy's MO, but you have to love al davis and his bone head pick that allowed maclin to fall; and i really think mccoy is going to be every bit as productive as moreno since he's going into an entirely different system.....come on westbrook teach this kid how you pick up your blitzes and this kid has the whole package....good job andy, thanx for not bringing that contract problem here from arizona we don't need the headache when we're actually moving forward with a plan A++++++++++
Posted 10:52 PM, 04/25/2009
yescadog
Great picks!! Would have like Moreno, but Denver took him early. Not sure what that franchise is doing. They overpay for Dawk, lose a franchise quarterback, and draft a running back when they signed three in the offseason. Thank god were are in philly. Go Birds
Posted 10:58 PM, 04/25/2009
Palmyra Scott
Really happy with the Maclin pick...I mean - with Greg Lewis off to the Pats - we definitely needed to fill those big shoes on O and we hope the Maclin can live up to the high standards that Greg Lewis established....
Posted 10:59 PM, 04/25/2009
BobDeschak
OMG this is the first article I have ever seen on philly.com in the past 10 years, did Sheil use the word "optimist" I am stunned. He did use the word "pessimist" but that is every article on this site. I don't know what to say, I am SHOCKED!!!!
Posted 11:24 PM, 04/25/2009
JACK V
good picks first day. let's go for another running back early on day two. running with speed and passing with speed on a 50/50 basis. could be if they draft or trade for another runner(ron brown, miami).
Posted 11:24 PM, 04/25/2009
jonnyb0916
Real good first day. Maclin will be a stud and McCoy fills the RB need. Now go get a TE and something on the D-Line. Can't believe Denver took Moreno that high.
Posted 11:28 PM, 04/25/2009
edsmash1217
The NFL Network says the eagles are absolutely brilliant. Maclin was supposed to go 7, thank Al Davis for his drop(took speed over talent). Maclin caught 200 passes in 20 games. TO and Boldin got rosenhaus and we got Maclin. Plus got the third rated back off the board in LeSean McCoy and he can catch. Nuff said detracting boneheads.
About Moving the Chains
Sheil Kapadia is a sports producer for philly.com. His earliest memories as a sports fan include several trips to Veterans Stadium with his dad, most of which turned out disappointing results. He's here to discuss the NFL 365 days a year. E-mail him at skapadia@philly.com or by clicking here

And you can now follow Moving the Chains on Twitter.

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