Mock Draft Roundup - A look at some early Eagles picks

by JasonB on Feb 5, 2008 10:24 AM EST in Philadelphia Eagles News

In the coming weeks I'm going to start doing my own mock draft, which may or may not be something worth getting excited over... Last year in my final mock, I had the Eagles taking TE Greg Olsen with the #26 pick. I did hit on them picking a DE on the first day, I just got the wrong one.

In the meantime I'm going to do a weekly roundup of mocks from a few draft sites I like and find credible.

Since there's a bunch, I put them after the jump...

NFL Draft Countdown

#19 Mario Manningham | WR | Michigan
If it's playmakers Donovan McNabb wants then it's a playmaker he shall get. If he's still around that is. He may have a slight frame but Mario Manningham would bring a new dimension to the Eagles offense because he can stretch the field vertically and really has a knack for getting in the endzone. All indications are that cornerback will be a very strong possibility here as well and either Leodis McKelvin or Mike Jenkins would make sense if they were available. At the end of the day though Philly simply has to give Donovan McNabb (or Kevin Kolb?) another weapon in the passing game.

#49 Charles Godfrey CB | Iowa
Their depth behind starters Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown is extremely suspect right now.

Not a fan of Manningham with the #19 pick.

Scouts Notebook - Aqib Talib | CB | Kansas

Rivals.com

Dan Connor | LB| Penn State
The Eagles want to solidify their front seven, and this local product will be a fan favorite.

There's what a lack of research will get you... If there's one position where the Eagles do appear to be stocked with young talent it's LB. No chance the Eagles spend the #19 pick on a LB.

FF Toolbox

Desean Jackson | WR | Cal
Jackson is especially known for his outstanding speed, but in reality he's the total package and that will show during workouts. Regardless of who is at quarterback, the Eagles need a top-notch threat at wide receiver that they have been lacking in recent seasons.

I'd still be surprised to see the Eagles take a WR in round one, but Jackson wouldn't be a bad fit. Not only is he blazingly fast and can do great things with the ball... he's arguably the best return man in the country. Problem is at 6' 166 lbs he's not a big guy.

DraftTek

Round 1 - Antoine Cason | CB | Arizona
Round 2 - Jeremy Thompson | DE | Wake Forest

DraftTek actually does a full 7 round mock.

NFL Draft Blitz - Vernon Gholston | DE | Ohio State

Scout.com

Derrick Harvey | DE | Florida
The Eagles have to add depth in the secondary, but with all the top DBs off the board, Philly will look in another direction. Adding DeSean Jackson is a possibility, but in the end the Eagles will select Florida DE Derrick Harvey to replace another former Gator, Jevon Kearse.

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Comments

LB

I concur, the Eagles are not taking a linebacker, that should be obvious. Tsk, tsk, Rivals.

I really hope they don't use a first round pick on a WR, either. This group has a terrible history at that position -- if they want to get a WR look for a current NFL-er or later in the draft.

Not one of the sites mentions Kenny Phillips, probably the most talented safety in the draft.

http://www.sporsdork.com

by BFH on Feb 5, 2008 10:31 AM EST reply actions

I'm guessing

That most have him gone before #19

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by JasonB on Feb 5, 2008 11:53 AM EST up reply actions

Safety

The Eagles aren't going to draft a Safety in Round 1 unless he's also a Cornerback.

When have the Eagles ever drafted a Safety in the 1st round???

by Andrew @ Bleeding Green Nation on Feb 5, 2008 4:36 PM EST up reply actions

Well

I'll give you that Sheldon Brown, with his hard tackling a football acumen, is a good candidate to move to safety as he ages -- I don't think there's merit to the argument that says the organization won't draft a safety in the first round because they never have before.

For one, they've had Dawkins. When you have an all-world safety on one side with his flexibility, the strong safety is less important.

Consider too that the safety position has seen a recent upswing in regard for it's importance. Guys like Ed Reed and the late Sean Taylor have gone early and made big impacts on the team's they've gone to. Safeties were traditionally rarely taken in the top 10, but that has changed.

http://www.sporsdork.com

by BFH on Feb 5, 2008 4:41 PM EST up reply actions

I wouldn't say that

I think if the right safety fell to them they could very well take him. I think there's a half decent chance they'd have taken Merriweather if he fell to them last year.

I think it's not all that different than most positions. I don't really think the Eagles have an aversion to drafting any specific position high. They just need to have the right guy.

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by JasonB on Feb 5, 2008 6:50 PM EST up reply actions

Drafting

The thing with the draft is its a crapshoot. At least half the guys you pick won't be with the team in 4 years and many will be out the league.

Because of the amount of money involved with 1st round picks, a team can ill afford costly mistakes the 1st round, and this is especially true with players at lower paid positions who are normally not drafted in the 1st round - Center, Tight End, Safety, Linebacker, Kicker, Punter, Kick Returner. Quite frankly, a lot of the guys playing the NFL at those positions are 6th and 7th rounders and undraftred free agents. It gets even worse when you make a mistake considering the number of 2nd chances bad 1st round picks get. Look how long Jerome McDougle is hanging around. So if you can pick up an UFA like Antonio Pierce or a 6th round pick like Omar Gaither to play linebacker, why would you waste a 1st round pick on one when you generally cannot find, say, high quality defensive and offensive tackles in later rounds?

Yes, some teams foolishly draft low value positions in the first round. Those teams usually don't win.

A team is best served by going after players at high value positions where good players are not usually found after the 2nd round - Quaterback, Offensive Tackle, Defensive Tackle, Defensive End, Cornerback. That's 9 starting positions on a team, and given the shelf life of NFL players, a team could spend almost every 1st round pick it gets just rotating through those positions.

by Andrew @ Bleeding Green Nation on Feb 5, 2008 11:47 PM EST up reply actions

WR

I'm nervous about the Eagles picking WRs, but Desean Jackson is awesome.

I've seen Manningham torch PSU over and over, but is his small size a factor? Is a "burner" what we need?

And I am huge Dan Connor fan, but like Jason, I feel like the Eagles have too many young LBs to use their first pick on him. Dan Connor might be better than those guys, but there's still bigger areas of need.

When I made the choice that I did I thought I was doing the right thing, not going to Vegas and drinking for two or three days. ---Tony Romo

by BrianS on Feb 5, 2008 12:03 PM EST reply actions

I prefer Jackson if he's still around

Not that I expect him to do much at WR, but he can make an immediate impact in the return game, which we really need. These top kick returners usually produce right away.

by Blackacre on Feb 5, 2008 12:12 PM EST reply actions

Manningham?

Man, he struggled to really even stand out...

He looks like a 3rd WR in the NFL at best to me

"I would rather stand completely naked in the freezing temperatures at lambeau field than cheer for either one of these teams"

by 700 Level on Feb 5, 2008 12:15 PM EST reply actions

DB or WR

I think it'll be a DB with the first pick, with WR being considered as well depending on who is available.

I think they like Abiramiri enough to work him into the DL rotation next year (rather than giving him the year off at full pay like they did this year). So, I think DL is out.

As for WR, If I'm not mistaken, Manningham missed time with injuries at Michigan, so you may worry about durability with him. It would be better to James Hardy from Indiana at wideout -- he's 6'7". He caught 79 passes this past year and presents a matchup issue with respect to size against almost any CB in the league. Exactly what we need, which means we won't get him.

by johndewar on Feb 5, 2008 1:56 PM EST reply actions

Good depth at positions Birds need

The good news is that the draft seems stocked at WR, CB, and DE. I think the Giants' run showed depth at those positions is really important in the pass happy NFL.

I'd love Gholston, he had a nice game against Jake Long who projects as a top five pick. I'd love a rotation with Gholston and Cole starting, JT and Abiamiri. That would also mean goodbye Freak and Howard.

I'm not as sold on DeSean Jackson as everybody else here. I see two red flags: repeated discipline problems and mediocre production this season. His measurables at the combine will look great, so he'll be hyped big time. Also, he's more of the same small, quick receiver who will struggle to get off the bump. His speed and return skills are really tempting, though.

by Behan @ Bleeding Green Nation on Feb 5, 2008 6:57 PM EST reply actions

Every god damn year

They predict the eagles to draft a WR in the first round... AND WE NEVER DO!!!!

by JoeD on Feb 6, 2008 12:04 AM EST reply actions

I know

You;d think these so called draft experts would have realized that...

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by JasonB on Feb 6, 2008 8:36 AM EST up reply actions

1st Round

Freddie Mitchell? Ring a bell?

6-0 180 for Manningham. I don't feel that that is small. Reggie Brown, Kevin Curtis, Reggie Wayne, Marvin Harrison,Jerry Rice, Keenan Mcardell, Tim Brown, etc.....

The only reason I like Manningham is that he really seems to be clutch to me.He reminds me of Chris Carter. It will be intresting to see him 40 and aglity drill times but I think he could be a really good player in the league.

I never heard of the Indiana guy but WR's are hit or miss. I look at route running and hands 1st then speed and then size. Look at Welker, Curtis, they could never be confused with Moss or TO but they are really effective as well.So lets hope we don't get another Fredex in here.

I think Avant should stay and have Basket and Lewis fight for the 5th spot

by topcat6 on Feb 6, 2008 1:53 AM EST reply actions