The 2006 Eagles Draft Class - Grade It!

[ice grillin you]

eagles draft review came out today on countdown....

http://www.nfldraftcountdown.com/review/teams/philadelphiaeagles.html

[Rome]

IGY...

I'm posting it here so no one else has to endure the seizure-inducing ad on that page.

Jesus... 

June 5, 2006
Philadelphia Eagles '06 Draft Review
Scott Wright
President, NFL Draft Countdown

   Teams are always spouting off about how they got exactly the player / players they wanted in the draft but when it comes to the Eagles this year those claims might actually be true. Philadelphia not only landed the top two players that they were targeting but they also did a good job addressing needs throughout the draft while getting good value in each round.

   In round one Philly had their sights firmly set on two players, Florida St. defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley and USC offensive tackle Winston Justice, and as lucky would have it they ended up with both. For a long time it appeared as if Buffalo at #8 had zeroed in on Bunkley and there was talk that Philadelphia might even try to trade up for a shot at him but they stood pat and he fell right into their laps. Despite some injury and character concerns Bunkley saw his stock soar after a great senior campaign and will fit right in with the Eagles attacking scheme. With Corey Simon gone the Eagles defensive tackles really struggled in 2005 but after using their last two #1 picks on the position it should become an area of strength in the near future. When Justice unexpectedly fell into the second round Philadelphia got aggressive and traded up to get him. There are some definite maturity issues with Justice but based on pure talent he should have gone much, much higher. With Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan nearing the end of the line Justice will be groomed as their tackle of the future and he could turn out to be a major steal if he keeps his head on straight. It's not too often that a team is fortunate enough to land not one but two players that they had targeted in advance but that was certainly the case for Philly this year with Bunkley and Justice.

   In round three the Eagles nabbed one of the premier sleeper prospects available in Cal Poly defensive end Chris Gocong. The winner of the Buck Buchanan Award as the top defensive player in NCAA Division I-AA football, Gocong was extraordinarily productive at his level notching 36.5 sacks in his last two seasons. An undersized 'tweener, Gocong will be tried out as a SAM linebacker and could eventually push Dhani Jones, who was disappointing last season. With the first of two fourth round picks the Eagles chose Georgia offensive guard Max Jean-Gilles, who fell further in the draft than most expected. A massive road grader type, Jean-Gilles has some conditioning and stamina issues but he definitely has the natural talent to be a starter. If Todd Herremans isn't able to impress Jean-Gilles could get an apportunity as a rookie, otherwise he'll likely be relegated to backup duty until Jon Runyan leaves and Shawn Andrews shifts outside to tackle. With their next pick Philadelphia brought in Michigan wide receiver Jason Avant, who was very productive but simply lacks great timed speed. With Terrell Owens now gone the team needed a big, physical wideout who could be a threat in the red zone and move the chains, a role Avant could help fill as soon as this upcoming season.

   In round five Philadelphia selected one of the drafts most intriguing players in former Colorado wide receiver Jeremy Bloom. Also a standout Olympic skier, Bloom hasn't played football in a couple of years since he was ruled ineligible by the NCAA for taking sponsorship money to support his skiing career but in his two seasons with the Buffaloes he displayed big play ability as both a wideout and return man. Even though he has a lot of upside as a slot receiver Bloom's biggest impact early on will come in the return game, where he should be able to help immediately. With their next choice the Eagles chose Tennessee outside linebacker Omar Gaither, who doesn't profile as a front line type in the pros but should provide valuable depth on the weakside. After starting the draft with a defensive tackle Philly ended it the same way by selecting LaJuan Ramsey of USC with their final pick in round six. A penetrating one-gapper, Ramsey had to wait behind Mike Patterson and Shaun Cody before finally getting an opportunity to start as a senior in 2006. Ramsey definitely has some physical tools to work with and develop while also being a good fit for their scheme though so he could surprise and provide depth in the middle of the line.

   It is apparent that the Eagles decision makers had one eye on the future with this draft and even though they added some players who will help right away a lot of their picks won't contribute for a year or two. Still, Philadelphia was able to address glaring needs at defensive tackle, linebacker and wide receiver while getting good value for most, if not all, of their picks. About half of their choices qualify as eventual starters while the other half should at least contribute as backups and situational guys and anytime a team can bring in a class with an outlook as rosy as that it ensures a good mark on the grading front.

GRADE: B+

[ice grillin you]

rewind


found it funny that easy listed a gang of qb's that would be coming out in the 07 draft to make it a strong qb class and jemarcus russell isnt one of them (not criticizing just looking at it thru 20/20 vision)

[Wingspan]

who knows, none of the kids have played a down yet. 

they still havent

Bunkley = A- (not in love with picking DTs first in 2 straight drafts but it certainly was fortunate that he fell and was made all the better by...)
Justice = A (incredible)
Gocong = C (could be better or worse but he'll be changing positions and that is always a ?)
Jean-Gilles = A (for value and need)
Avant = B (for value)
Bloom = B+ (for need)
Gaither = C (a special teamer/non-factor)
Ramsey = C (Fodder)

I'll discount the last 2 picks since you can't expect much from 6th/7th rounders and give this a B+. The great part is that the potential is there for up to 6 players to contribute in one way or another (especially if Gocong can step in to OLB effectively). Really though, only Bunkley, Jean-Gilles and Bloom should get significant playing time immediately at DT, LG and KR/PR.

Irony at it's finest...being that they were the only ones that had any signifigant playing time.

[Sgt PSN]

You could say the same thing about the first few dozen posts in this thread.  A lot of people were giving that draft A-, A, A+ praise.  A year later and the only players worth mentioning so far from it are indeed, the last 2 players chosen.  Not the measuring stick for a successful draft imo. 

The only "good" thing about that draft is that few players really got a chance to get on the field much, either due to being buried on the depth chart or injury (Bloom and Gocong). 

The only real disappointment from that draft so far is Bunkley because he wasn't hurt and apparently couldn't make his way into a DT rotation that was mediocre at best. 

And Avant did show some promise when given an opportunity and seemed to improve as the year went on.  Everyone else is still and unknown at this point. 

[Sgt PSN]

And since we're bringing up speculation posts from a year ago, enjoy our fearless leader's prediction (it was 2 posts before rjs'):

I give it an A for all the potential, but right now I can only see the first two picks having an impact. I like the idea of depth, but I'll wait and see what these guys can do before I get excited.

No wonder he moved to Australia. 

[rjs246]

I'm a seer.

[ice grillin you]

Bloom = B+ (for need)

[General_Failure]

And since we're bringing up speculation posts from a year ago, enjoy our fearless leader's prediction (it was 2 posts before rjs'):

I give it an A for all the potential, but right now I can only see the first two picks having an impact. I like the idea of depth, but I'll wait and see what these guys can do before I get excited.

No wonder he moved to Australia. 

I read the list backwards.

[rjs246]

Bloom = B+ (for need)

See - er.

(But seriously, have you ever seen a team that needed a legitimate return threat more than the farging Eagles? The answer, obviously, is no.)

[TexasEagle]

Reno Mahe = best return average in the NFL. Natch!

[ice grillin you]

See - er.

(But seriously, have you ever seen a team that needed a legitimate return threat more than the farging Eagles? The answer, obviously, is no.)


i liked the pick too....still do in fact...its just funny how much you hate him now

[rjs246]

I'm fickle with my hate. It would be fine if he could actually play, but since it doesn't seem that he can he's easy to dispise.

[phattymatty]

i'm buying you a bloom jersey for this year.

[rjs246]

Word, I'll regift it to my little sister. I'm sure she thinks he's dreamy.