Home CONTRIBUTORS BOB CUNNINGHAM ARTICLES What Should Eagles Do With Their First Round Pick?
What Should Eagles Do With Their First Round Pick?
Written by Bob Cunningham    Saturday, 06 February 2010 15:24    PDF Print E-mail

First and foremost, the position of left end must be addressed. I'm not necessarily saying that's where the Eagles should go with the 24th overall pick, but it's definitely a spot that has to be dealt with because Juqua Parker is simply not getting the job done.

Perhaps a rotation of Parker, Victor Abiamiri, and Jason Babin (assuming he's brought back) could do the trick until the Birds draft a guy they're comfortable plugging in, but it's not a spot that can just be ignored any longer. It was the Birds' Achilles heel last season and will continue to kill them if it remains unaddressed.

The next obvious sore spot is linebacker. MIKE and WILL seem to be set with the return of Stewart Bradley and Will Witherspoon under contract for a couple more seasons, but there's a huge void at SAM linebacker that must also be addressed.

Chris Gocong will most likely not be an Eagle next year, so that leaves Moise Fokou as the guy to step in if the roster remains unchanged. He was a seventh round pick last year, and even in his rookie season was able to take snaps and starts away from Gocong.

It's possible that the Eagles feel comfortable starting Fokou, but I just didn't see enough out of him to think that he can cover tight ends and play the run well enough to warrant a starting position just yet.

It's not even a knock on the kid, but he is only going into his second season. I'm certainly not saying that he can't ever start, but I'm just not sure that he's ready -- mentally or physically.

Akeem Jordan is still here, but he's strictly a WILL, so if Witherspoon starts on the weakside it relegates Jordan to a backup spot, although he's a damn fine backup to have.

Personally, I would like to see the Birds draft Penn State's Navorro Bowman with their first pick. I think he is the type of guy who can change the course of a game with his athleticism and can stay on the field for three downs -- a trait that a lot of linebackers have lost throughout the years.

The kid grew up in Maryland and went to Penn State, so the Eagles front office has had a lot of time to take notice of him and be able to scout him better than most teams because of how close he is. He's certainly worthy of the 24th pick, and the Eagles would be making a very big mistake if they pass up the opportunity to draft him.


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Comments (13)
  • |2010-02-06 15:54:41 Trash and Stinkston
    Earl Thomas
  • |2010-02-06 16:12:25 Paulman
    Excellent player but will be gone by the 15th/16th pick I am afraid
  • |2010-02-06 16:11:44 Paulman
    Bowman is a good player and athlete, but I think the Eagles need to grab the best Defensive Lineman on the Board here it's a DT or preferbly a DE, Even a top rated OT/G or a CB would be better than a LB in the 1st Round
    I like the following few players with the 24th selection if no trades happen

    Along the Def/Line
    DE-C Dunlap -U of Florida 6-5 295 lbs
    DT-D Williams-U of Tennessee 6'2" 315 lbs
    DT-B Price - UCLA - 6'2" 300 lbs
    DT-J Odrick- Penn State - 6-4 306 lbs
    Along the O/Line
    Guard- M Iupati - Idaho 6'5" 330 lbs
    Tackle- B Campbell- Maryland 6'6" 315 lbs
    Guard-V Duccanse- U/Mass 6'5" 335 lbs
    Cornerback
    P Robinson from Florda State 5'11" 195lbs
    K Jackson from Alabama 6' 200lbs
    K Wilson from Boise State 5'10" 185 lbs
  • |2010-02-06 16:35:39 gibsonplyer
    This is really pointless right now because everything could be changed thanks to free agency. There are potential guys available at all three positions of need. There could be guys available either unrestricted, restricted (thanks for screwing up the CBA you idiots), or available for trade at FS, LB, and LDE. Hopefully they fill one if not two of those holes before the draft (all 3 is asking too much IMO) then we can revisit this with a singular position (hopefully) in mind and then debate on who to get.

    BTW I list the needs as DE, FS, then SAM LB. They don't consider LB that big of a need ever and 2 out of 3 isn't bad when it comes to the Eagles at that spot now they desperately need someone to bolster that secondary and put more pressure on the QB.

    Oh yeah you can't forget about the O-line. That's a mess right now. You have Peters, Todd, and Justice I guess but that's about it for sure that leaves two gaping holes that NEED to be figured out.
  • |2010-02-06 17:35:00 BigE
    Rotation bull, get a guy who has stamina and skill. :0 :0 The eagles are so far off base, I could puke. they can't draft a linebacker or defensive lineman or even free agent one. Pathetic and don't start mentioning names. They are a sorry bunch of evaluators. :0 :0 :0
  • |2010-02-07 14:34:34 Schiller
    Stew Bradley, Akeem Jordan, Trent Cole, Corey Simon, Derek Burgess, Bunkley and Patterson. Get your stomach checked out if you get queezy thinking about some just decent drafting. Jeramiah Trotter too
  • |2010-02-06 17:39:46 Paulman
    With the uncapped year and a possibility of a work-stoppage for 2011 season, I am not so sure that there will be a lot of player movement in the Free-Agency Market this year..
    I think teams will concentrate on re-signing their players (if they were any good that is)
    but with a lot up in the air if no Agreement is reached between the Players and Owners,
    I can see the Owners working together behind the scenes and not really spending big dollars
    on Free-Agents..(t hough they would never admit to that, but I have a sense that many free-agents will have a hard time finding a team
    at least for the $$$ they were thinking about getting)
  • |2010-02-06 18:10:30 Paulman
    Areas of need by Priority

    1) DE
    2) O/Line (Guard/Center)
    3) CB
    4) Safety
    5) DT
    6) 4th or 5th WR who can return kicks/punts
    7) LB depth
    8) A QB to start learning and grooming for future

    In the Free Agency market, I think there are some LB's and Safety's who they can pursue
    for it's very difficult to have a rookie starting on defense.. It just doesn't happen much on the Eagles or the NFL that often
  • |2010-02-06 22:19:57 gibsonplyer
    DE yes
    O-line guard center: yes but more center than anything
    CB: at 3 No we need someone for the future but its not above safety where we have no one to play next to QM
    DT meh a dominating DT would be nice but few and far between, what we have there can get the job done (see last year against the Giants) the D line problem is they need a LDE
    LB goes after safety and before CB, 4th/5th WR can go after CB, then DT, then QB depth, maybe even put that ahead.

    There are a few safties, DEs, and LBs worth pursuing that could not be resigned and be unrestricted free agents or restricted FAs but that would involve compensation. Depending upon who and what they get will decide the draft. Say if they get Kampan at DE which I wouldn't mind but I'd still want them to have DE as a priority going into the draft becuase he'd be a bit of ? but could pay off huge.
  • |2010-02-07 14:38:32 Schiller
    I like your assessment there - really do. But I would add a RB prospect to compete with Mallet/Buckley/ Westbrook to backup McCoy. Regardless of opinion about and what they actually do in terms of run/pass ratio/offense style - we need better depth at RB - and they do always keep at least 3 there, so it's something to consider in rounds - 3 and up.
  • |2010-02-07 06:36:50 Paulman
    The reason I have a DT/CB ranked a little higher, is that I think the Eagles could have some flexibility with some of their exisiting players. This is probably one of the deepest drafts at DT in a long time with many very
    very good players at the position with size,quiickness and strengrth.. Could Bunkley be moved out to DE for pass-rushing on occassion ...( I think he could easily and be effective too)
    If no Safety Players are signed free-agency, then Eagles will look to re-sig S Jones, or and have Q Demps/M Harris fight it out for the FS, but if they drafted a Stud CB, could S Brown be moved over to safety for the short-term..( I think he could and again be effective and an upgrade than hwo they have currently)
  • |2010-02-07 14:41:11 Schiller
    Sheldon brown will not be a Saftey. He's a top corner, and you don't downgrade at corner for any reason - EVER. I cannot believe you are still saying that. We're not going to be a power running team, we're not going to be a 3-4 defense, and Sheldon won't move from corner. They won't draft a stud CB when we have 2. Just doesn't make sense with no FS or SAM or LE.
  • |2010-02-08 00:41:28 Paulman
    S Brown is not a Top Corner..
    He's good but not a top corner by any means and either is the "don't want to get hit" A Sammuel. He will jump routes and make some Int's over a course of a season, but against good,experience d QB's and WR's he gets burnt too often and gives zero in defending the run with his soft play.(I never did like Sammuel signing and never thought he was anywhere close to deserving the kind of $$$ his contact calls for..highway robbery if you ask me)
    Behind them, J Hanson/D Paterson are nothing but nickle/extra CB's, Ellis Hobbs coming off neck surgery and his contract is up so I don't expect him back.. They need some depth ad eventual replacement at CB position, Wonder if M Harris or Q Demps can play CB (Harris did in College) I am not sure either has the out and out speed that it takes to be succesful at the position but the entire Defense and Secondary are in a flux right now ..
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Last Updated ( Saturday, 06 February 2010 15:30 )