FanPost

Which Rookie has the best chance to make an immediate impact in 2010?

I have wanted to make this Fanpost for a while however I've been busy with my final month and a half of high school and I wanted to wait for our 2010 NFL Draftee's to all settle into our minds.. Now that I feel the draft is far enough behind us I would like to see which rookie you believe will make an immediate impact for us.



DE Brandon Graham; Selected 13th overall:

The Eagles traded up 11 spots in the 2010 NFL Draft to take Brandon Graham out of Michigan. Graham earned 2nd team all-american honors this past season, and was one of the lone bright spots on that terrible unit. Graham is on Michigans all-time sack list with 29.5 for his career, and was voted the team MVP in 2008 and 2009, only Wolverine to do so twice(Note: He was the first defensive player for the Wolverine's to do so). Graham is known for his speed and ability to get to the ball, he had 138 tackles throughout his career. Graham is praised by everyone for his work ethic and drive, Andy Reid went so far as to imply that he may be a harder worker than Trent Cole which is almost impossible to do with there only being 24hrs in the day. Brandon looks like he will be given a shot to compete in a wide open LDE competition, so far it looks as if he's going to have to unseat Jaqua Parker and beat out Daryl Tapp for the starting gig opposite of Trent Cole, I'd put his chances of starting Week 1 at 40%, and I think he will be the starter by season end.

FS Nate Allen; Selected 37th overall:

The Eagles selected Nate Allen with what will always be known as the McNabb pick (37th overall). Allen was a team captain and a second team All-Big East performer during his time as a USF Bull. Nate started 39 straight games for the Bulls and had 224 tackles and 8 INT's during that time. However Allen has only had one INT go for a TD during his 4 year's on the team. Nate will have to compete with Demps and Harris at FS, out of the 3 he's problably the most talented and well rounded. This kid also has alot of pressure upon him, he's not only "the McNabb pick" but he's also the one that's been selected to fill the void known as Dawkins at FS, however with his ability to be a ball hawk and cause turnovers and his solid yet unspectacular tackling ability I believe he's the man for the job. I'd put Allens chances of being the starter week 1 at 40% and I also believe he will be the starter by the end of the season.

DE Daniel Te'o-Neshiem; Selected 86th overall:

Te'o is considered an energetic pass rusher and he is Washingtons all-time sack leader, this is why the Eagles selected him 86th overall in the 2010 NFL draft. Te'o was a two-time second-team All-Pac-10 honoree. He finished his career at Washington with 194 tackles and 30.5 sacks, he also started all 49 games of his college career. Te'o is a situational pass rusher who it seems the Eagles are looking to develope, he's not as athletic as Graham and I dont think he's nearly as good but Te'o shows some potential as a pure pass rusher. I put his chances of starting this season at 0%.

CB Trevard Lindley; Selected 105th overall:

The Eagles took Lindley with their fist pick in the 4th round(105th overall). Lindley is my boy from Kentucky and he get high praise from myself so I'm just going to make this unbiased and copy his scouting report from this link---> http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/Story.asp?story_id=20958

The Good: Solid cover cornerback with good underlying skills. Displays excellent route recognition, has opposing quarterbacks throwing away from him and works hard to make plays. Willingly come up the field to defend screen passes or running plays. Physical, and battles receivers throughout the action. Displays a nice move to the ball and very effective facing the action.

The Bad: Struggled with injuries the past two years. Does not display a quick or fluid backpedal. Marginal quickness in his game. Lacks the great burst to the ball.

The Verdict: Early in his college career, Lindley looked like a big-time NFL prospect, but his game has leveled out the past two seasons. Likely best in a zone system, he's a mid-to-late round choice who could surprise at the next level if he gets his game back on track.

I think Lindley does have a chance to start at some point this season but that's purely my optimism, and it all depends on how well the RCB play is and whether he can prove himself.

LB Keenan Clayton; Selected 121st overall:

Keenan Clayton is the second of our four 4th round picks (he was selected 121st overall.) Clayton earned an All-Big 12 honorable mention his senior year at Oklahoma. He had 75 sacks, 2 INT's, 2 FF's and 1.5 sack(s?) his senior year. Clayton seems to be coming into a crowded LB situation that sports Bradley, Sims, Jordan, Gaither and Fokou, so at best Clayton will be a 2nd stringer but will most likely be "red-shirted". I put his chances of starting at 0% barring injury(knock on wood).

Linebacker Keenan Clayton #22 of the Oklahoma Sooners runs a fumble recovery against the Texas Tech Red <a class='sbn-auto-link' href=

QB Mike Kafka; Selected 122nd overall:

Kafka is yet another 4th rounder for us(122nd overall) and he looks to be a developmental type of guy, or how I'd put it Kolb's A.J. Feeley type of guy. Kafka was a second-team All-Big 10 selection in his final season at Northwestern. He lead the conference in Passing yards (3,430), total offense (3,729), completion percentage (64.8%) and INT percentage (2.44%). Kafka is considered a dual threat, he had 887 rushing yards and 11 rushing TD's throughout his college career. Kafka looks to be in position to learn from the bench and eventually be traded, however he will most likely be the 3rd QB but start if (god forbid please) Kolb got injured. Chances of starting is 0% barring injury.

kafka_AP.jpg image by dlevarse

TE Clay Harbor; Selected 125th overall:

Clay Harbor is the last of our 4th round selections, 125th overall. Harbor was a 3 time all-american selection at Missouri State. He set records with his 150 career catches, 1,906 yards and 10TD's in his 4 year career. Harbor seems to be some type of an H-back to us, I've read around the web that he will play a little TE, FB and do whatever else is asked of him. I can see him making this team as the 3rd TE, and with Ingram being a big question due to his knee Harbor can see some playing time this year should Ingram not be 100%. I'd give Harbor's chances of starting a giant 10%(2 te-sets lol) and I can see him getting quite a bit of playing time should Ingram not be ready.

DE Ricky Sapp; Selected 134th overall:

The Eagles picked Ricky Sapp at 134th overall. Sapp is praised for being a versatile and disruptive pass-rusher. Sapps stats for his career at Clemson were 17.5 sacks, and 38 tackles for a loss with 142 tackles overall, this was primarily out of Clemsons "bandit" DE position.. I'm thinking this guy is more of a tweener and I really dont see how he can be very good besided blitzing as a LB, however I dont know whether to judge him as a DE or LB so I'll do both. Ricky playing at DE would be nearly impossible because of the depth we have at that position, we have T. Cole, Graham, Te'o, Tapp, JP, Abimari and the list goes on, it'd be hard for him to find a niche there, however as a LB I can see him somehow working his way into a 3rd string/practice squad OLB for us and he seems like he has the makings of a special team ace.. Chances of starting are at 0% because of the depth at any position he plays.

WR Riley Cooper; Selected 159th overall:

Riley Cooper was taken #159th out of the University of Florida. Riley is a big WR at 6'3 and 222lbs, he's also got 4.5-4.6 speed and is a very good jump ball/fade route reciever, he know's how to use his body very well(kinda like Avant). Cooper was a second-team All-SEC selection in 2009 and proved to be a very good target for Tim Tebow(trust me I know, I'm a Kentucky fan). Cooper played in 51 career games with 28 starts, amassed 81 catches for almost 1,500 yards and 18TD's most of which came in his final season. Cooper was also picked in the 15th round by the Phillies so I think he's been destined to come to Philly. I can see Cooper getting on the field a bit in 4 WR sets, with his skills and stature I dont see how he wont beat out Baskett or anyone else not named Djax, Maclin or Avant. Chances of starting this season are 0% barring injury.

RB Charles Scott; Selected 200th overall:

Charles Scott was selected 200th overall and I think that was a steal to be honest. Scott was a first-team All-SEC selection in 2008, he amassed 1,174 rushing yards and 18 TD's that year in only 13 games. In 2009 he lead the team with 542 rushing yards and 4TD's before missing a chunk of the season. Scott will be the complement to McCoy in 2011 however I fully expect for him to be our 3rd RB(4th if you want to count Weaver as a RB). Scotts chances of starting are 0% however he could find the field a few times during the season.

LB Jamar Chaney; Selected 220th overall:

The Eagles traded their 2011 6th round pick to trade into the 2010's 7th round to take Jamar Chaney at 220th overall. Chaney was a 2-time second All-SEC recipient, He had 288 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 2 INT's during his time at Mississippi State. Chaney seems to equate to an NFL MLB and could be a fairly decent one at that, he is athletic and use to play TE meaning he can catch. I dont see him being able to unseat Bradley any time soon, however Gaither and Mays better watch their back because this guy seems hungry for some action. Chances of starting this season are 0% barring injury.

DT Jeff Owens; Selected 243rd overall:

Jeff Owens was picked by the Eagles in the 7th round (243rd overall). Owens was a defensive co-captain this past season at Georgia. He started 37 of 52 games, had 102 tackles, 5.5 sacks and 4 QB pressures. Owens doesnt seem like he's going to make much of an imact however Dixon beat the odds last season and earned some playing time.. Owens' play will dictate what happens to Trevor Laws in the near future. Owens' chance of playing is 0%.

S Kurt Coleman; Selected 244th overall:

Coleman was selected in the 7th round, 244th pick. He was a 3 year starter for the Buckeye's, he was a team captain and was the team MVP in 2009. Coleman earned first-team all-american honors after recording 68 tackles, 5 INT's and 3 FF's. Coleman looks like a prototypical SS for our type of defense, it's going to be fun watching him develop. I place his chances of starting at 0% barring injury of coarse.

Wild_Eagles Pick...

So Finally I'd like to tell you which Rookie I believe will have the biggest Impact for us this season... I think that Nate Allen will do wonders for us, He's a ball hawk and he can tackles plus he's got the speed to keep up with WR's in space and chase down RB's.. I see Nate Allen being a solid contributer in our secondary, he stands out from Demps and Macho..

Now my reason for not picking Graham is because there is such solid depth at DE that he will be rotating alot with Tapp, JP, Abimari or whoever else is there, we rotate DLman alot and I expecially see us trying to mix Graham, JP and Tapp due to their styles of play.

Please let me know what you think, and let me know which rookie you feel will be an immediate impact player for us in 2010.

Note: I got my Info from Philadelphiaeagles.com and other scouting websites, this took me about 2 1/2 hours lol.