The All New Eagles: What Could Have Been

So I am really bored at home and I decide to redo the Eagles NFL draft. Since the 2009 Draft is only a year away, I just assumed those players were picked and redid the 2006-2008 Drafts. I tried to make it as realistic as possible and then created the 2010 Eagles Roster from there. Ideas, comments? Is this team better then the current Eagles team?

So let us begin... the re-done NFL draft

2006 NFL Draft

1st Round

14 Pick - Brodrick Bunkley, DT Florida State -- Score for the FO. Bunk is a wall in the middle of our defensive line. He is so valuable to stopping the run game and combined with Patterson, is one of the best run stoppers in the NFL. He is also solid in holding his gap, allowing our LBs to blitz up the middle to get to the QB. No other pick here, Bunk is our man. 

2nd Round

39 Pick - Winston Justice, OT U. Southern California -- In his first start, Justice was harrassed by the Giants defense. This lead to the calling of his head by the Eagles loyals. Yet, the coaches had faith in Justice, who ended up proving everyone wrong. Justice is now the Eagles starting right tackle and was awarded a contract extension, further showing the Eagles faith in him. 

3rd Round

71 Pick - Jahri Evans, OT Bloomsburg -- Evans would be the second OT of the draft, showing the Eagles commitment to the offensive line. Evans is the Saints Pro Bowl tackle. With the pick of Evans, Justice would be relegated to backup. Gocong would be passed over instead to pick up a solid lineman. 

4th Round 

99 Pick - Max Jean-Gillies, G Georgia -- To be honest, I feel like JG is a solid guard whose weight problems are affecting him. JG provides solid depth and a man wall on the offensive line. While he needs some work, JG has the potential to become a starter in the NFL. 

109 Pick - Jason Avant, WR Michigan -- Man the Eagles FO know what they are doing. With the fourth pick, the Eagles pull in the solid slot receiver Jason Avant. Avant has came through on so many occasion on third down for the Eagles. His sure hands and strong body has pulled the Eagles out of countless situations. Part of the Young Guns, this pick will not be passed up. 

5th Round

147 Pick - Miles Austin, WR Monmouth University -- The undrafted Cowboys WR is finally picked up here in the 5th round by the Eagles. Austin is a big, physical receiver who racked up 1320 yards receiving in his breakout year. He provides a solid red zone threat who has the ability to stretch the field. Since the red zone woes of the Eagles, Austin would be the smartest pick here. After TO, the Eagles fans have been clamoring for a surefire WR and here he is. Just give him a couple seasons to develop and break out. In with Austin, and out with Jeremy Bloom. Go back to skiing Bloom.

168 Pick - Omar Gaithers, LB Tennessee -- Gaither provides valuable depth to the Eagles. While he has lost his starting job multiple times, Gaither has the ability to step in and start. Plus there is just no value left here now. 

6th Round

204 Pick - Cortland Finnegan, CB Samford -- Finnegan would add solid depth in the Eagles secondary. What the Eagles don't realize is that they are drafting their future starter. Finnegan in 13 games racked up 5 INTs and 11 PDs. What is his best assest is that he plays with a fire that pushes him harder then most players. Some may call it overaggressiveness but for a position that calls for one man to stand alone, Finnegan is the man for you. 

2007 NFL Draft

2nd Round

36 Pick - Kevin Kolb, QB U. of Houston -- Our QB of the Future. First QB to throw 300+ yards in his first two starts. Learned under Donovan McNabb for 4 seasons. Yup. Surefire pick here. 

57 Pick - Ryan Kalil, C USC -- The Eagles go best avaiable talent here and pick up Center Ryan Kalil. Kalil is currently the Carolina Panthers Pro Bowl center. Despite solid play from Jamaal Jackson, Kalil is picked here just because there is no other value left at this spot. Kalil will spend one season backing up Jackson and by the 2008 training camp, Kalil will have pushed Jackson for the starting center spot. 

3rd Round

87 Pick - Stewart Bradley, LB U. of Nebraska -- Once again, good job by the FO in drafting our starting MLB. Bradley is a star on the rise who was unfortunately derailed in an ACL injury. SI had label Bradley as one of the top young LB stars. A coach on the field, Bradley ran Jim Johnson's defense to perfection. His ability to play the run, rush the passer, and fall back into coverage make him an invaluable piece to the Eagles. 

90 Pick - Adam Podlesh, P U. of Maryland -- Shocker of the draft! The Eagles burn a third round pick to draft a punter! Podlesh has been stellar for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He averages 41.6 yards a punt and will provide the consistancy at the punter position in which the Eagles lack. 

5th Round

159 Pick - Brent Celek, TE Cincinatti -- +1 for the FO! Celek is our starting tight end who was miffed out of a Pro Bowl this year. A star on the rise, Celek has already been recognized as one of the top tier TEs in the league. Thus he move up to the first pick in the fourth round. 

162 Pick - Akeem Jordan, LB James Madison -- Jordan went undraft and at this point, there is simply a lack of talent now in the draft. Jordan is a clear starter playing the OLB position for the Eagles. Jordan will be picked up here just because there is no other players left.

6th Round

201 Pick - Ben Patrick, TE Deleware -- Second TE pick of the draft. Patrick is a current backup for the Cardinals who seeing the field in receiving and blocking time. Since Philly is screaming for LJ Smith's head, the Eagles take a double dip in the TE pool, hoping to pull out one quality starter. 

7th Round

236 Pick - Ahmad Bradshaw, RB Marshall -- The Giants change of pace back is a steal in the 7th round. In spot duty, Bradshaw rushed for 778 yards in 2009 with seven touchdowns. He also provides to be a threat in the receiving game, just how the Eagles like it. He would likely have to fight with LeSean McCoy for the second spot on the RB depth and probably end up with the third spot in PR duties.

2008 NFL Draft

2nd Round

47 Pick - DeSean Jackson, WR U. of California -- Out with Trevor Laws and in with DeSean Jackson. DeSean should have been the first pick of the Eagles, not the bust Trevor Laws. DeSean burst into the scene with an amazing rookie season racking up 912 receiving yards and two touchdowns. With his blazing fast speeds, DeSean was able to create separation with DBs and made his mark as the Eagles number one receiver. A sophomore slump was not on DeSean's agenda as he took his game to another level, catching for 1156 and 9 touchdowns. He was awarded with his first Pro Bowl. No other WR from DeSean's class is comparable.

49 Pick - Terrell Thomas, CB U. of Southern California -- My first reaction was to pick Ray Rice. But I have my eyes on another back so I resist the impulse. Instead I go with USC cornerback Terrell Thomas. When Thomas stepped in for Aaron Ross, he did a solid job and took the starting spot from Ross. Looking at our current CB situation, having Thomas on our team would be very nice and I would feel confident going into the season with Thomas and Asante Samuel as our starting corners. In the 2009 season, he recorded 13 PDs and 5 INTs. 

3rd Round

80 Pick - Thomas DeCoud, FS U. of California -- Another Cali man for the Eagles. Bryan Smith is now a Jaguar and the following picks made are not that significant to the Eagles. Instead, the Eagles pick Cal FS Thomas DeCoud. DeCoud is solidified as the starting safety for the Atlanta Falcons. In his first season as the starter, he notched 3 INTs, 7 PDs, and 2 FFs. He is a good tackler that can clean up messes by our Linebackers or Cornerbacks. DeCoud can also rush the passer, notching 2 sacks. With a year under Brian Dawkins, DeCoud would be our clear cut starter at FS along side of Mikell. 

4th Round

109 Pick - Tashard Choice, RB Georgia Tech -- The Eagles' patience pays off. At this time, a successor to Westbrook is being sought for. Choice is the right choice for the Eagles here to become our next feature back. A current Cowboy, Choice and Felix Jones are dual threats in the running game for the 'Boys. Choice also is giving the 'Boys the chance to get rid of Marion Barber if they choose. In three starts, Choice ran for 472 yards and 2 touchdowns. Along with that, Choice added 185 receiving yards, showing this dual threat ability, the same ability cherished by the Eagles. In 2009, stuck in depth behind Barber and Jones, Choice still rushed for 349 yards and a solid 5.5 YPC. Picking Choice here would remove the need to draft LeSean McCoy in the 2009 draft and would have left the Eagles in a stable situation when Westbrook went down. 

117 Pick - Jonathan Wilhite, CB Auburn -- The Eagles go corner again, adding some serious depth in their secondary. Wilhite has worked his way in and out of the starting spot for the Patriots. In eight starts, Wilhite notched 2 INTs and 5 PDs. While Wilhite is a ballhawk, he also has good tackling skills and plays well one on one. With two cornerbacks on the roster, the loss of Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard would have been significantly reduced.

131 Pick - Quintin Demps, FS UTEP -- I am going to go with Demps here. I know I picked DeCoud earlier, but Jim Johnson was really high on this guy so I am going to continue to have faith in him. Also, he provides a solid return game and good play on special teams. 

6th Round

184 Pick - John Sullivan, C Notre Dame -- At this time, we have Jamaal Jackson backing up both Center. Since We already drafted Kalil, who pushed Jackson for his job, Sullivan would be placed in as backup for the Guard spot. Sullivan is now the current starting for the Minnesota Vikings, playing in all 16 games last season. By the time the 2010 season rolls around, Sullivan should be a lock for the RG spot. 

200 Pick - Joe Mays, LB N. Dakota State -- Mays is an up and rising LB for the Eagles with a lot of potential and thus I am staying home with this pick. If he can get the mental errors out and the ridiculous penalties out of the way, Mays has the potential to be a starter at Philadelphia. 

203 Pick - Pierre Garcon, WR Mount Union -- I am going to go with best available talent now. Garcon was a lifesaver for Peyton Manning after Anthony Gonzalez went down. Garcon came up with some solid catches that helped lead the Colts to the Super Bowl. This is just to add to the Eagles WR depth since at this time we are screaming WR!

7th Round

230 Pick - Alex Hall, LB St. Augustine -- A little humor here. Just to see if you read over. We don't pick Queen Dunlap in order to pick Hall, the LB we will trade for two years later.

So this is what our revised Eagles roster would look like:

Starters are bolded. I assumed that the 2009 and the 2010 Draft remained the same,

QB - Kevin Kolb, Michael Vick, Mike Kafka

RB - Tashard Choice, LeSean McCoy, Ahmad Bradshaw

FB - Leonard Weaver, Charles Scott

C - Ryan Kalil, Jamaal Jackson

RG -  John Sullivan, Stacy Andrews

LG - Todd Herremans, Max Jean-Gillies

ROT - Jahri Evans, Winston Justice

LOT - Jason Peters, Fenuki Tupou

TE - Brent Celek, Ben Patrick

WR - DeSean Jackson, Miles Austin, Jeremy Maclin, Jason Avant, Pierre Gascon 

Defense

DT - Mike Patterson, Brodrick Bunkley, Antonio Dixon, Jeff Owens

DE - Trent Cole, Brandon Graham, Darryl Tapp, Ricky Sapp,

MLB - Stewart Bradley, Omar Gaithers

OLB - Akeem Dent, Ernie Simms, Keenan Clayton, Joe Mays

CB - Asante Samuel, Cortland Finnegan, Terrell Thomas, Jonathan Wilhite, Trevard Lindley

FS - Thomas DeCoud, Nate Allen

SS - Quintin Mikell, Marlin Jackson

Special Teams

K - David Akers

P - Adam Podlesh

LS - Jon Dorenbos

KR - Quintin Demps

PR - Ahmad Bradshaw