All I can say is... WOW. I definitely didn't see this one coming. I think we can safely say that David Akers, the longest tenured player on the Eagles with 12 years of service in Philly, is on his way out of town. You simply don't draft a kicker in the 4th round to have him "compete" for the job. Folks, the Eagles' new kicker is Alex Henery.
Henery will have enormous shoes to fill. Akers was a 5x Pro Bowler. He was a 4x All Pro. He was the Second Team 2000's NFL All Decade Team. He's been an extraordinary player, person, and role model for the Eagles during his tenure here. But he's a free agent, and the Eagles tagged him as their transition player this offseason, a move that Akers and agent Jerrold Colton balked at. The uncertainty of Akers' contract is likely the motivation for picking a kicker, and in Alex Henery, they get a fantastic player.
Henery missed just 2 kicks inside the 50 yard line in his entire career at Nebraska, and just 1 from inside the 40. This was at Nebraska, mind you, which isn't exactly the same at kicking in the Superdome. And he's not just an accurate kicker - He has an enormous leg, as he drilled 7 kicks of over 50 yards. But is he clutch, you might ask? He sure is. In the Big 12 Title Game in 2009, he nailed a 52 yarder that gave Nebraska the lead over the Texas Longhorns with under 2 minutes to go. And oh by the way, he punts too. The Eagles grab by far and away the best kicker in this class, and get themselves a stellar player for the next decade.
After the jump, check out the video of Henery hitting 57 yard game winner against Colorado