Two more picks at two spots of need. Although this is the 5th round we are talking about here, so it's probably a stretch to say these guys will be starting next year... but Omar Gaither was a 5th round pick who got himself in to the starting lineup last year and played quite well.
With the 159th overall pick the Eagles grabbed FS CJ Gaddis from Clemson. He's a 6ft, 205 lb CB/S "tweener" that fits the mold of what the Eagles want in a safety.
Gaddis was actually drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2003 as an outfielder and DH. He played both football and baseball in college and was a star HS basketball player in North Carolina. He started his football career as an all american high school QB. The guy is a fantastic all around athlete who holds a few Clemson strength records and runs a 4.45 40 with an impressive vertical leap. I don't want to bore you with more measurables, but they're impressive.
Has an athletic build with minimal body fat ... Shows very good upper-body muscle definition, a V-shaped torso, powerful-looking arms, tight waist and hips, tapered thighs and calves ... Has room on his frame to carry more bulk for a possible shift to safety ... Quick forward mover with good hand/eye coordination ... Shows good aggression in run support and does a good job to square up and tackle ... Physical hitter with the leaping ability and natural hands to compete for the ball in the air ... More of an athlete than a football player, lacking experience and technique, but is a good head-hunter who will take on blocks with force and shows a good second gear to get back into the play when beaten ... When he locates the ball, he is quick to react, but still needs to develop a feel for the flow of the ball ... Shows suppleness in his backpedal and turning on the ball, demonstrating quick hip snap in his turns ... Has the acceleration to cover ground and has the speed to close vs. plays in front of him ... Has a good feel for switch-offs and takes good angles in pursuit, making him a better safety prospect than a cornerback ... Takes good pass drops on curls, flats and underneath routes, showing range to play deep in the zone ... Shows good urgency chasing down the ball in flight and improved his reach-around technique to get his hands in front of the receiver to deflect the pass ... Tracks the ball well over his outside shoulder and gets a good jump on the ball ... Physical with his hands in attempts to jam and re-route the receiver ... Has the long catch-up speed and burst to recover and takes long strides when he needs to cover ground quickly ... Can easily elevate and haul down the pass at its high point and will get physical with the receiver on jump-ball situations ... Has enough valid hands, he could possibly be used as a receiver in an emergency ... Likes to get physical in run support, but needs to sift through trash better ... When he does locate the ball, he shows the plant-and-drive agility and ability to take good angles to close ... Comes up fast to the line of scrimmage with good leverage and uses his hands adequately to shed ... Will either take on a blocker or play off his man to make the play ... Big hitter who needs to improve his wrap-up technique, but will collide with force and shows good power in his hands to grab and drag down ... Outstanding gunner on the coverage unit, where his excellent leaping ability also comes into play blocking kicks ... Has the straight-line speed and patience to be an emergency kickoff returner.
He's been compared to Jermaine Phillips from Tampa Bay.
It seems to me he's an all around good athlete that the Eagles need to mold into a good football player.
Just a few picks later with the 162nd selection the Eagles took TE Brent Celek out of Cincinnati. Celek is a big guy(6-4, 261) who was both a football and track star in high school. He was an All-Big East Conference Academic Team choice and is considered a high character kind of guy.
Positives: Added close to 15 pounds of needed bulk before the 2006 season, and the additional weight has helped him generate a stronger base to sustain when blocking ... Has good straight-line speed, showing the initial quickness to surprise a lethargic defender and get a decent release off the line of scrimmage ... Demonstrates good hand placement and arm extension to compete for the ball ... Has good short-area speed and knows when to convert routes vs. man coverage ... Has an effective swim move and hand strength to defeat the jam ... Used mainly on shallow crossing routes and in the flats, but does a nice job of settling underneath and has the natural hands to field the ball outside his frame ... Maintains good ball concentration working through trash and is a tough, durable receiver who demonstrates good courage competing for the ball ... Used often in motion and can line wide due to his straight-ahead speed ... Smart and alert to blitzes and has a good eye for finding the clear lanes ... Hard worker in the training room and puts in extra hours studying film ... More effective as a cut blocker than when working in-line, as he takes good angles to get out and stalk second-level defenders ... His straight-line burst prevents safeties from cheating along the sidelines.
He's been compared to Bears TE Desmond Clark.
It sounds to me that Celek is alot more Chad Lewis than he is LJ Smith. LJ is more of that speedy "extra WR" type TE. Celek is a guy not lacking in speed, but won't blow by safeties or anything. He seems like he could be that solid, underneath pass catcher that Lewis was. With his 6'4 frame he could also be very useful in the red zone.
