IS LEARNING THE PRINCETON OFFENSE
The draft is over and the grades are in ... Here is how we grade out the Eagles and the three other teams in the NFC East:
EAGLES
1, 19, Jeremy Maclin, Missouri, WR
2, 53, Le Sean McCoy, Pittsburgh, RB
5, 153, Cornelius Ingram, Florida, TE
5, 157, Victor “Macho” Harris, Virginia Tech, CB
5, 159, Fenuki Tupou, Oregon, OT
6, 194, Brandon Gibson, Washington State, WR
7, 213, Paul Fanaika, Arizona State, G
7, 230, Moise Fokou, Maryland, OLB
Analysis: Swung two separate trades that got them a Pro Bowl left tackle (Jason Peters) and a 4-year starting cornerback (Ellis Hobbs). Got one of the draft’s top two wide receivers (Jeremy Maclin) in the first round and some much-needed help for Brian Westbrook in the second (LeSean McCoy). All in all, a helluva draft. Grade: A+
DALLAS
3, 69, Jason Williams, Western Illinois, OLB
3, 75, Robert Brewster, Ball St., OT
4, 101, Stephen McGee, Texas A&M, QB
4, 110, Victor Butler, Oregon St., DE
4, 120, Brandon Williams, Texas Tech, DE
5, 143, DeAngelo Smith, Cincinnati, CB
5, 166, Michael Hamlin, Clemson, FS
5, 172, David Buehler, Southern Cal, K
6, 197, Stephen Hodge, TCU, SS
6, 208, John Phillips, Virginia, TE
7, 227, Mike Mickens, Cincinnati, CB
7, 229, Manuel Johnson, Oklahoma, WR
Analysis: Cowboys traded away their first-round pick in the Roy Williams deal, then traded out of the second round. Added yet another pass-rushing linebacker in the third-round (Jason Williams) to go with DeMarcus Ware, aging Greg Ellis and Anthony Spencer. Grade: C+
GIANTS
1, 29, Hakeem Nicks, North Carolina, WR
2, 45, Clint Sintim, Virginia, LB
2, 60, Will Beatty, Connecticut, OT.
3, 85, Ramses Barden, Cal Poly, WR
3, 100, 100, Travis Beckum, Wisconsin, TE
4, 129, Andre Brown, North Carolina State, RB
5, 151, Rhett Bomar, Sam Houston State, QB
6, 200, DeAndre White, New Mexico, DE
7, 238, Stoney Woodson, South Carolina, DB
Analysis: Hakeem Nicks is a Boldin-like wideout with huge hands and good-but-not-great speed, who potentially will help offset the departure of Plaxico Burress. Linebacker Clint Sintim and offensive tackle Will Beatty are nice second-round pickups, even if they don’t address great needs. Grade: B+
WASHINGTON
1, 13, Brian Orakpo, Texas, DE
3, 80, Kevin Barnes, Maryland, DB
5, 158, Cody Glenn, Nebraska, LB
6, 186, Robert Henson, TCU, LB
7, 221, Eddie Williams, Idaho, TE
7, 243, Marko Mitchell, Nevada, WR
Analysis: First-round defensive end Brian Orakpo is more suited to be a 3-4 linebacker than a 4-3 end. Their third-round pick would have been better spent on an offensive lineman rather than a zone corner (Maryland's Kevin Barnes). Grade: C-.
Look for Domo's full team-by-team report card in Monday's Daily News.
Earlier posts:
Les Bowen has covered the Eagles for the Daily News since 2002. Before that, he spent nearly 13 years covering the Flyers. It took Les only a few seasons after the switch to figure out that there was no penalty box at the Linc, and that the time really wasn't his, despite what Andy Reid kept saying. Les came to Philadelphia and the Daily News from Charlotte in 1983. In the intervening years, he has pretty much lost track of NASCAR, and his accent. He, his wife Barbara, and their two sons live in Haddon Township, New Jersey.
Paul Domowitch has been with the Daily News since 1982. He has spent most of his 27 years at the paper covering the Eagles and pro football. For the last 10 years, he’s been a selector for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. A native of Wilkes-Barre and a graduate of Wilkes University, Domo came to the Daily News from the Fort Worth (Tx.) Star-Telegram, where he covered some god-awful Texas Ranger baseball teams. His first beat at the Daily News actually wa s boxing, which he covered just long enough to lose two sports coats to blood spatter before moving on to football. Domo and his wife Shelley, a University of Oklahoma grad and very dangerous to be around following a Sooner loss, have been married 29 years and have raised 2 terrific daughters – Allison, 26, a lawyer and graduate of Boston University School of Law; and Amy, 23, who graduated from Clemson and works in marketing and sales for a professional baseball team.
