Continuing the positive theme on the blog here today, we begin our series of the 10 best Eagles draft picks of the Andy Reid era. I actually found this list to be a lot tougher than the busts list. Fact is, it's easy to know when a guy stinks. If he rarely played, rarely produced, didn't last very long... it's a slam dunk case. He's a bust. But picking the ten best? Much tougher.
If a guy sticks around and contributes, then he wasn't a bad pick.... but how do you quantify a really good pick? Take a guy like Mike Patterson. Perfectly good football player, first round pick, has pretty much met expectations. Should he be on list? (Hint, he isnt). So without further ado... Here is #10.
Correll Buckhalter - 2001 - 4th round
Like I said, there are guys that were drafted higher and had better careers... but I think Buck deserves from recognition. This is a guy that overcame three separate major knee injuries and is still approaching his 10th year in the NFL. For almost any player, that's unheard of. For a RB, it's unthinkable. If we discount the three seasons he missed, Buckhalter provided the Eagles with five years of good service. He averaged just over 4.5 yards per carry in his time here, rushed for 18 TDs (including 8 in 2003), and caught 85 passes for four TDs.
For a fourth round pick to overcome everything he did and continually make an impact every time he played... I think he's deserving of a place on this list.
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