Draft Grades

[Phanatic]

I was thinking about the Kolb pick. We've seen it happen twice where McNabb goes down and the backups play well to keep the team going except this time they might expect this player to supplant McNabb when that happens. With a young player that could be in a few years but that tells me that they are preparing for a future without McNabb one way or another.

Outside of the Kolb pick I give it a C.... If I factor Kolb in I just don't know what to think. Maybe they know something about McNabb and his injury that we don't and this pick makes sense... Maybe not.

[mussa]

so this is what we got:

1     26 (Traded to Dallas)
2    36 (from DAL via CLE) - QB Kevin Kolb 
2    57 - DE Victor Abiamiri ?
3    87 (from Dallas) - LB Stewart Bradley 
3    90 - RB Tony Hunt 
4    125 (Traded to New Orleans)
5    159 (from Dallas) - C.J. Gaddis 
5    162 - TE Brent Celek 
6    201 - CB Rashad Barksdale ?
7    236 - RB Nate Ilaoa   

[The BIGSTUD]

C-

If we would've taken say Houston, Harris, Jarrett or Woodley at 36, then this would get a majority B+ draft and some would even give it an A.

But because of Kolb and the utter shock and disappointment from months of anticipation it is getting lower than it deserves. Was Kolb stupid? Yes, now it seems so, but if McNabb tears up his knee during the season, AJ Feeley stinks it up and Kolb comes in and goes wild, then it looks like a very smart move.

Still, it was done for the future and/or insurance, which isn't "going for it."

So with one bad pick and needs addressed with the rest of the picks I have to give it a C-. To me the only way you warrant a D or less is if you reach for a lot of picks and don't pick for need.

[General_Failure]

If the first pick plays well, then it's a good draft. Got it.


Stop posting.

[The BIGSTUD]

If McNabb goes down and Kolb comes and plays great(after Feeley of course) then I don't think anyone will regret the move.

Big if though, which is why I don't like the pick.

[Geowhizzer]

I'll make Zanshin happy...

No, I don't like the draft strategy, either.  Taking a QB as the first pick tells me one of two things:

1.  McNabb isn't progressing like expected from the injury.

2.  The Eagles are planning on getting rid of McNabb sometime in the next 2-3 years.

As for the rest, the Eagles did address need areas, but the question remains as to whether they have addresses those areas with quality players.  By and large, the Eagles seemed to be drafting "from behind," taking players a tier or so below the top-graded prospects at each position.

I won't pretend to know more about drafting or these players than the Eagles' front office, but at first glance I can't help but be disappointed in this draft.  Hopefully, when the season rolls around, the front office will be proven to be on target with their selections.  Until then, I have to grade this a...

D

[Eagaholic]

I wouldn't see Kolb really being ready to play this year in any case, possibly not next year as well.

[rjs246]

A+!

[Feva]

[SD_Eagle5]

What are they smoking?

A

Philadelphia Eagles. After S Brandon Meriweather got snatched away by New England, the Eagles traded out of Round 1 and took QB Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb's heir apparent. They nailed their next two picks, DE Victor Abiamiri and OLB Stewart Bradley, who should start as rookies.

[Seabiscuit36]

What are they smoking?

A

Philadelphia Eagles. After S Brandon Meriweather got snatched away by New England, the Eagles traded out of Round 1 and took QB Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb's heir apparent. They nailed their next two picks, DE Victor Abiamiri and OLB Stewart Bradley, who should start as rookies.

wow, i cant believe they had the Pats with a low grade. 

[T_Section224]

borderline D+ to C-

[hunt]

b

the only "questionable" pick was kolb.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

I gave them an F+ yesterday.

Now, taking a step back and re-thinking...

2a - Kolb:
I really like what I'm hearing about him.  Plus, as we saw, even A.J. Feeley can run this offense effectively if brought along slowly, which Kolb obviously will be.  That said, taking a QB at #36 is a luxury I don't believe the Eagles could afford with depth problems and holes elsewhere.  Still, if Kolb does take over in a couple of years and lights it up...
I have to give this pick a D.  If they'd taken him at 26, it'd have to be an F.

2b - Abiamiri:
Well, it's not as if the depth at DE has proven to be stellar after injury the last few seasons.  Darren Howard was a disappointment for about 12-13 games and played well in 3-4.  I'm not overly excited about this "vanilla" pick, but taking a DE at this point in the draft is ok.  C.

3a - Bradley:
Let's face it - if the guy was black and ran a sub-4.6 40, we'd all love the pick.  IMO, any pick which makes Dhani slightly more expendable and will allow Takeo Spikes to play at his natural position (WIL) is a win.  If either Bradley or Gocong have a future, the LB's are in ok shape.  Still, the guy is a white-bread and possibly quite unathletic.  C+ for need.

3b - Hunt:
I'm a PSU alum and a big fan (obviously, as you all know), and I really like the way Hunt runs.  It's basically a polar opposite of Westbrook.  While the PSU offense has a reputation for not using RB's to catch, the offense put in under Galen Hall is much, much different than it had been... so most of those pundits are out of touch.  Basically, Hunt is a lot like Duce Staley.  He will flatten people in pass protection, he will truck people, but he occasionally will show a sick move and prove his agility.  Bye bye Moats.  B.

5a - Gaddis:
Finally, the defensive backfield was addressed in the draft.  Gaddis is a former QB, so you have to figure he's a natural fit to play safety.  The Eagles are putting him right in as the understudy for Dawkins at FS, while Considine and Mikell will fight for playing time at SS.  Considering need and value, this is my favorite pick of the draft.  B+.

5b - Celek:
This pick actually angered me quite a bit, but it's obvious there's a high likelihood the Eagles will need another TE for 2008.  That said, the backwards goodness in it is that Celek could suck so awfully that the Eagles feel compelled to sign L.J.  I still don't like the pick at all, but it's a late 5th rounder, so... whatever.  D+.

6 - Barksdale:
Like the Gaddis pick, this is good value for late in the draft.  The Eagles already have their top 4 CB's in place for this year, but Barksdale could very easily be the 9th DB and make the team.  He's obviously a raw athlete with enough size to be dangerous, but he needs to be brought along slowly to be effective, which the Eagles can do.  This makes a lot more sense than going CB too early... but I still probably would have rather had Chris Houston at #36.  B.

7 - Ilaoa:
Why not?  Worst case, you waste a 7th rounder on a guy that can't stay at an effective weight or simply can't cut it in the NFL.  Best case, you draft a tank... a guy who can punish opposing defenses.  A dream trio of RB's would be a guy like this, a guy like Hunt that does a little of everything, and a guy like Westbrook.  That's unlikely to happen, of course, but I like that the Eagles took 2 RB's and no WR's in this draft.  It's about time to realize that building on the running game is how most Super Bowls are won.  B.

So, I give this draft a C-.  When the first pick has precisely zero chance of helping the team win this year and only slightly more next year, it's below average at best... but the rest of it was fine.  I don't know enough about the other players drafted (except Hunt) to judge the Eagles on talent evaluation yet... but they filled every position they needed to fill, and they didn't take a single OL or WR.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

What are they smoking?

A

Philadelphia Eagles. After S Brandon Meriweather got snatched away by New England, the Eagles traded out of Round 1 and took QB Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb's heir apparent. They nailed their next two picks, DE Victor Abiamiri and OLB Stewart Bradley, who should start as rookies.

The media is loving the chance to count Donovan out as a lost cause.  Frankly, I'm hoping he sees this pick as a direct challenge to his "throne" and he plays accordingly... with fire.  When he throws up in the huddle, I want him projectiling it in the face of the last guy that missed a block.  PLAY ANGRY, Donovan.