share
email
font size
options
 
Monday, April 27, 2009
Eagles receive high grades

More draft grades are rolling in, and the consensus seems to be that the Eagles had one of the best weekends in the NFL.

Here's a roundup of some links this morning. I'll add more throughout the day.

And before we hear your seething comments, yes, we realize draft grades right now are meaningless since the players have not even stepped on the field yet.

But we're draft degenerates, so we're doing this anyway.

Oh, and don't forget to check out Paul Domowitch's grades from the Daily News.

ESPN.com's Todd McShay, who called LeSean McCoy the biggest steal of the draft, offers his evaluation:

On paper, the Eagles appear to have one of best classes of 2009. Granted, Jeremy Maclin has a lot of developing to do as a route-runner, but his RAC skills project perfectly in Philadelphia's West Coast offense and should be able to at least help as a No. 3 wideout and return man this year. McCoy is the best pass-catching back in this draft and should pay dividends by initially taking the load off Brian Westbrook. Long term, he should develop into the full-time starter two or three years down the road. TE Cornelius Ingram was a steal in the fifth round as was WR Brandon Gibson in the sixth.

John Czarnecki of FoxSports.com gives the Eagles an A:

When rating this draft, start by remembering the Eagles used a first-round pick for Buffalo offensive tackle Jason Peters, who has Pro Bowl talent. Peters will team with ex-Bengal Stacy Andrews to give Donovan McNabb two new protectors on the outside. Then, the Eagles lucked into Missouri receiver Jeremy Maclin, who was rated No. 1 at his position on 18 teams' draft boards. Then in the second round, Pitt running back LeSean McCoy was another steal with 53rd overall pick. McCoy will give Brian Westbrook a breather this season. Virginia Tech cornerback Victor Harris has only 4.6 speed, but he should be a core special-teams player. Harris did have 15 interceptions. You have to like the trade with New England in order to land cornerback Ellis Hobbs, who gives the Eagles some added depth in case they ever deal unhappy starter Sheldon Brown. Florida TE Cornelius Ingram could be a steal if his knee is OK.

CBSSports.com's Pete Prisco gives the Eagles an A-plus:

If you count adding left tackle Jason Peters and corner Ellis Hobbs, they had an amazing week.

ESPN.com's Matt Mosley likes the Eagles' draft:

The Eagles could have easily panicked and taken UConn's Donald Brown, who is a nice player. But they would have been fixated on a need instead of taking the best value. The Eagles bided their time in the second round and then pounced on former Pittsburgh running back LeSean McCoy, who reminds a lot of folks of Westbrook. He has tremendous lateral speed, and most importantly, he is an instinctive runner. In the Eagles' offense, you can't have a player lumbering around looking for the right angle. You need someone who can find seams in a zone-blocking scheme.

If you come across more links/grades, e-mail me.

Posted by Sheil Kapadia @ 12:28 PM  Permalink | 19 comments
19
Comments   
Comment removed.
Posted 10:07 AM, 04/27/2009
gulls3012
if we had landed jennings, RB from Liberty with a 7th rounder, We would have had the best draft of any team
Posted 10:35 AM, 04/27/2009
shark1938
Run the tape on Eagles running plays and see how few holes were opened by the line before saying Westbrook had a bad year. He and other backs had no where to go on many many plays. Tra Thomas admitted he had to improve his run blocking when he arrived at Jacksonville.Eagles did run the tape and that's why they made the moves they did with the line and added a real fullback for the first time in years.
Comment removed.
Posted 11:00 AM, 04/27/2009
Dish
McCoy is perfect for our offense. He's very elusive with some great moves to avoid tackles. He was a workhorse for Dave Wandstat at Pitt and was very productive even though teams knew they'd be running and had a poor offensive line and QB last year. As for Jennings, he often fell down before he got touched - so I think a lot of scouts realize that although he was big, he wasn't tough. He still seemed like a good option late in the draft. But who cares, we got Shady McCoy - a guy who gives his all and has amazing talent!
Posted 11:11 AM, 04/27/2009
82tank
pretty good draft, but ingram--TE--florida; small coming off knee injury; wanted a blocking red zone TE. also concerned about McCoy's size, but he has talent and the birds have a TRUE FB for tough yards.
Posted 11:34 AM, 04/27/2009
dutchman
It was a wild week for the Eagles and we will see. I think you will see one or two duds, but that is the normal odds. Overall, it is tough to argue with the picks. I think it is fair to say the Eagles have address 75 to 80% of their needs, maybe more when we see the undrafted people they sign.
Posted 11:38 AM, 04/27/2009
Habs68
Shark - I agree 100%. Rashard Jennings would have been a great pick-up in the sixth. He would have provided a little thinder to go with all that lightning. He's a steal in the seventh.
Comment removed.
Posted 01:03 PM, 04/27/2009
kalina
In my 15+ years of watching the Eagles, I have never seen so many pundits laud our draft. I think we're in for a some special times ahead. I hope Donovan still has gas left in his tank!
Posted 01:10 PM, 04/27/2009
philly10
WOW..ALL THE MAJOR SPORTS DRAFT EXPERTS GIVE THE EAGLES A+
Posted 01:14 PM, 04/27/2009
StopThePanic
Jennings played in a very unsophisticated offense at Liberty. He's not very fast or shifty, and yes, he does run too high and takes a lot of hits. It seems most teams were not confident he could pick up a complex professional offense.
Posted 01:25 PM, 04/27/2009
kletisklump
Ingram is a monster with great hands,and not a bad blocker. He had the big ego as a local 2-sport star who didn't play much for Donovan's loaded bball teams, almost transferred after listening to his posse,and then he got hurt, switched from QB/WR to TE, but he developed into a dependable & dangerous weapon, with a great attitude.
Posted 01:35 PM, 04/27/2009
robm0202
Sheil, Charles Robinson over at Yahoo gave us a B- but he did not take into effect the Jason Peters trade or the Ellis Hobbs one. Jason Cole after the first day was gushing about our first two picks and the Peters trade though.
Posted 02:50 PM, 04/27/2009
KGKoons
Bleeding Green Nation has a list of other FA's that the Eagles put together whether as canon fodder or people who might actually make it. I would like some of the analysts go there and see if anyone of those guys have a chance to make the team. Interesting guys.
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.

Advertise Here