Omar Gaither, Philadelphia Eagle

[PhillyPhreak54]

OLB

Tennessee

[Westy]

small.. 6-1, 235

[PhillyPhreak54]

Omar Gaither NFL profile

[Mad-Lad]

Turned loose, he's a backfield disrupter. He has the feel and physical tools to excel in coverage.

[Feva]

#44

[Drunkmasterflex]

Looks like a special teamer, can't say that I am overly excited about this pick.

[mpmcgraw]

I'll take it.                                                   

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Strengths: An athletically gifted OLB that played out of position at SLB in college. Is at his best in space. Possesses decent speed but is quicker than fast and moves well laterally. Is quicker than fast. Shows fluid hips and very good COD skills. Is a playmaker with a nose for the ball. Has a powerful upper body. Uses his hands well to keep blockers from reaching his body. Takes solid angles in pursuit and shows excellent closing burst. Is instinctive and always seems to be in on big plays. He has good hip explosion and upper body power as a tackler, especially for his size. He will wrap up in space and does a good job of bringing down bigger runners. Shows good initial burst and can be disruptive in the backfield when turned loose upfield. Is instinctive and athletic in coverage, and his recognition skills continue to improve.

Weaknesses: He's undersized and does not fit playing head-up over the TE. Lacks bulk and plays with a narrow base. Gets rag-dolled at the POA too often and needs to be on the move in order to be effective. He's aggressive but not necessarily physical. He lacks lower body strength to stand his ground in the phone booth. He's a fluid athlete but lacks ideal top-end speed for a WLB prospect.

Overall: Gaither played mostly on special teams as a true freshman in 2002 and as a sophomore in 2003. He stepped into the starting lineup at the SLB position for the final 11 games of the 2004 season, when he finished with 92 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Gaither started all 11 games as a senior in 2005 and finished with 78 tackles, 7.5 TFL, four sacks and four forced fumbles. Gaither has been an ascending prospect the last two years. He played mostly at the SLB position in college but projects as a WLB in the NFL. He is undersized and must continue to improve his bulk and lower body strength. Gaither may need a couple of years as a reserve in the NFL in order to develop physically and polish his skills, but he possesses enough natural talent to eventually push for a starting job. In the meantime, he can contribute as a nickel linebacker and on special teams. Gaither currently grades out as a mid-round prospect in the 2006 class.

Even if all he ever becomes is a special teamer and nickel LB, that ain't bad for a 5th rounder.

[Drunkmasterflex]

Strengths: An athletically gifted OLB that played out of position at SLB in college. Is at his best in space. Possesses decent speed but is quicker than fast and moves well laterally. Is quicker than fast. Shows fluid hips and very good COD skills. Is a playmaker with a nose for the ball. Has a powerful upper body. Uses his hands well to keep blockers from reaching his body. Takes solid angles in pursuit and shows excellent closing burst. Is instinctive and always seems to be in on big plays. He has good hip explosion and upper body power as a tackler, especially for his size. He will wrap up in space and does a good job of bringing down bigger runners. Shows good initial burst and can be disruptive in the backfield when turned loose upfield. Is instinctive and athletic in coverage, and his recognition skills continue to improve.

Weaknesses: He's undersized and does not fit playing head-up over the TE. Lacks bulk and plays with a narrow base. Gets rag-dolled at the POA too often and needs to be on the move in order to be effective. He's aggressive but not necessarily physical. He lacks lower body strength to stand his ground in the phone booth. He's a fluid athlete but lacks ideal top-end speed for a WLB prospect.

Overall: Gaither played mostly on special teams as a true freshman in 2002 and as a sophomore in 2003. He stepped into the starting lineup at the SLB position for the final 11 games of the 2004 season, when he finished with 92 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. Gaither started all 11 games as a senior in 2005 and finished with 78 tackles, 7.5 TFL, four sacks and four forced fumbles. Gaither has been an ascending prospect the last two years. He played mostly at the SLB position in college but projects as a WLB in the NFL. He is undersized and must continue to improve his bulk and lower body strength. Gaither may need a couple of years as a reserve in the NFL in order to develop physically and polish his skills, but he possesses enough natural talent to eventually push for a starting job. In the meantime, he can contribute as a nickel linebacker and on special teams. Gaither currently grades out as a mid-round prospect in the 2006 class.

Even if all he ever becomes is a special teamer and nickel LB, that ain't bad for a 5th rounder.

Agreed, but they really need to do something at the QB position since they only have 2 on the roster.  They also could address there need for a bruising back, but who knows maybe they don't see that as a need.

[PhillyPhreak54]

I'll take another Ike Reese

This also seems to spell the end of Jason Short.

Especially since Richmond should be ready to come back and Roper will be playing a lot of STs too

[Rome]

First pick I'm not thrilled with.  A developmental QB there would have been better.

Big whoop, though.  Fifth rounder = who knows?

[PhillyPhreak54]

Heckert on Eagles Live:

Gaither is a guy who can play all 3 spots. He has played at 245 and is very versatile. He can blitz and he can cover.

Looks like he might be the backup MIKE

[PhillyFan]

Agreed, but they really need to do something at the QB position since they only have 2 on the roster. 

McNabb + Garcia + Detmer + Chang = 4

[PhillyGirl]

Agreed, but they really need to do something at the QB position since they only have 2 on the roster.

McNabb + Garcia + Detmer + Chang = 4

[troyhstewart]

If these two LB picks spell the end of the Sims-Jones era, I'm all for it.