Jack Ikegwuonu, Philadelphia Eagle

[SunMo]

CB, Wisconsin

good call Dillen

[BigEd76]

will miss the entire season

[Feva]

He's hurt already?

[Dillen]

Not to be even more awesome but I was going to say the Eagles would take him or Orlando Scandrick.

I like it. He would have been a sure fire 1st rounder if he didn't blow out his knee training in February. Apparently him and Rosenhaus (his agent) think he'll play this year. If not, stash him on IR.

[Butchers Bill]

BIOGRAPHY: Full-time starter and All-Conference selection the past two years. Numbers last season included 24/1/15 after 41/2/13 as a sophomore.

POSITIVES: Well-sized cornerback with terrific ball skills. Quickly flips his hips transitioning to run with opponents, easily stays with wideouts downfield, and nicely positions himself to make a play on the throw. Stays with receivers out of their breaks and displays an explosive burst to the ball. Comes up the field to defend the run and plays with an aggressive style. Displays good overall awareness on the field.

NEGATIVES: Struggled with injuries as a junior and showed lots of inconsistency. Does not always play within himself and plays too aggressively. Has character issues, which must be looked into. Hurt his knee in late January training for the combine. Suffered a torn ligament and dislocated knee cap. Underwent surgery in March to repair the injury. Not expected to return from the injury until late September at the earliest.

ANALYSIS: Prior to his injury, Ikegwuonu possessed the basic skill and ability to be a starter at the next level. He must now return to full strength and show his surgically repaired knee isn.t permanently damaged. Even if he does that, Ikegwuonu needs to fine-tune his game and learn to play with more discipline to ever reach his potential.

PROJECTION: Late Sixth Round

[hunt]

The long road to the National Football League continues to get longer for Ikegwuonu. More than a year after Jack and his twin brother, William, were arrested on residential burglary and criminal trespass charges, the two are still battling through the legal system to attain a resolution to their cases. The Badger cornerback had a subpar 2007 campaign on the football field that was the result of inconsistent play, legal distractions and injuries.



He later surprised the Wisconsin football staff by making the decision to leave school and apply for the NFL Draft. Once touted as the best cornerback in the college ranks, he saw his potential first-round projection continue to slide throughout his final year in Madison.



Now, further clouding his professional future is a serious right knee injury he suffered working out while preparing for the NFL Combine. Ikegwuonu tore the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee during workouts in late January. Doctors indicate he will be forced to miss the entire 2008 season.



great pick!

[Dillen]

We can always count on you to find the negatives, hunt.

[hunt]

We can always count on you to find the negatives, hunt.

hah.  they were the first few sentences of his profile on nfl.com.
here's some more:

Compares To: AL HARRIS-Green Bay...Like Harris, Ikegwuonu is a physical tackler, especially in run support. He might be a better fit at safety, as he plays the ball better than he does in man coverage. However, his off-field life is causing havoc with his draft stock. He still has arrest charges hanging over his head and is recovering from a serious knee injury that doctors say will sideline him the entire 2008 season. Based on his subpar 2007 season, he might be waiting around a long time to hear his name called on draft day, but at that stage, he's worth gambling with a late pick and let him prepare for the 2009 season, sort of like giving him red-shirt status.

[SunMo]

projected 6th...a corner with an ACL and knee cap injury?  ehhhhh

[PhillyPhreak54]

If he didn't hurt his knee he was a #2 pick, Sun.

I like this one for the potential. A risk for sure, but if it pays off it could pay off big. He's good and he shut down James Hardy.

[MDS]

why are they taking risks in the 4th? this team sucks, they need players for now.

[Dillen]

Very compact in his backpedal with quick feet and has a quick transition into his turn to stay with receivers. Does a great job in man coverage and just shows great hips. Ikegwuono also looks to have excellent speed and is very tough to get away from. Defended 15 passes as a senior and also had an interception. Had 29 career passes defended and six interceptions for his career. My biggest concern here is his lack of turnover production. I have seen him stick to people like glue, however he should be picking off more passes then he is. The technique, ability and speed are there, but the numbers aren't. Add that to him being only a junior and I wonder where he'll land in the draft.

Ikegwuono absolutely shut down Mario Manningham in the 2007 Michigan game. He did slip and fall to give up one touchdown to Mario, but otherwise he was a huge thorn in his side. Had an interception and four pass breakups in the game.

Only a Junior. Outstanding cover guy. Presses well. Very quick feet. Fluid, athletic player. Really sticks on his receivers. Very good break on the ball. Will hit WRs. Excellent PBU vs ILL. Played off, then flew up to hit WR on slant and knock the ball out. So-so tackler. Will wrap-up, but doesn't look comfortable doing it. Broke up a pass along sideline in the UM game. Very fluid hips. Moves and turns with ease. Played some STs. Downed a punt inside the 10 vs UM. Gets a very good, physical jam at times. Can be too physical. Was called for penalty vs UM. Picked off pass late in UM game. Had tight coverage on Manningham and the QB forced a ball into tight coverage. Shadows the best WR all over the field. Seems to really enjoy the challenge of trying to shut down a good receiver. Can be physical or play off. Tough and athletic in coverage ability. Does get some Safety help over the top, which allows him to tightly stick on guys.

I saw a good point on the Scouts Notebook board. At this point he's great value + won't take up a roster spot if he is put on IR. This way the Eagles can keep one more of the players they take.

[Drunkmasterflex]

He will go straight to IR I am sure.  This is really a low risk, high reward pick.

[Feva]

Like: He has late 1st - 2nd round talent and potential.

Dislike: He won't pay dividends until 2009... maybe 2010.  They need help now.

[Dillen]

There aren't many players who are borderline 4th/5th who will contribute now. Lito is hopefully staying.