The Eagles were going to move up. The Eagles were going to make a trade for a high-end WR.
They were going to (hopefully) take an explosive player at #19 that could help right away. Well, none of it happened on Day 1 (and so far on Day 2, but I’ll address that later). Instead, the Eagles traded down. Twice. So let’s look at what happened;
What I liked:
-DeSean Jackson is great value at #49 in the second round. He was projected by many to go in the first round, and no one would have batted an eye if the Eagles sat and selected him at #19. Jackson should instantly become the Eagles starting punt/kick returner. That is, if he can beat out Reno Mahe. As long as Jackson still registers a pulse, that will happen.
-I have no problems adding a defensive tackle, as long as they actually, you know, let him get on the field. Trevor Laws seems like a smart kid and the hope is that he can help keep Mike Patterson and Broderick Bunkley fresh. Disruption in the middle of the offensive line completely derails the offense and makes everyone else on your defense better. The Giants secondary was miserable last year, but it was difficult to expose because of the play of their front four.
-I liked that the Eagles got a first-round pick to move out of the first round. Last year, the going rate to move up into the first round was another first rounder. That was true of everyone except the Eagles, who got an additional second. So it was good to see that they got that top pick. I’ll be able to completely finish this thought when I see what the Eagles ultimately do with that pick.
-The Eagles didn’t give up Lito Sheppard for peanuts. They actually didn’t give him up at all. I like that there is a possibility that they keep him. I still don’t know what on Earth he said or did to warrant the Eagles having to move him. If the Eagles can’t get immediate help in a trade for Sheppard, they need to hold onto him. How much do you love this defense now? Find a better trio of corners in the NFL. I’ll wait.
-The Eagles picked up former Florida St. RB Lorenzo Booker for a fourth-round pick. I like it. The last few years there has been all this talk of finding a complement to Westbrook. Forget the change of pace, how about someone with some wiggle should something happened to #36?
-I liked the new format of the Draft and the shorter pick times. It kept things moving. Good stuff. I can only take so much bloviating from the ESPN crew in between the picks.
…and not so much:
-While it’s all well and good to acquire the extra first rounder, I thought the Eagles should have taken Arkansas RB Felix Jones at #19. Westbrook is a powder keg, we know that. But, he’s getting a little older, he’s still a little small, he gets overused and he’s always on the injury report each week. We know what happens when he doesn’t play, the offense just isn’t the same. Can the Eagles afford to have their whole season go into the toilet because Westbrook gets hurt? Jones is explosive and could have been an instant weapon for 2008.
-I didn’t like the situation regarding trades for WR’s, and I’m not blaming the Eagles. These other teams just do not seem to want to dance with the Birds or anyone else. Chad Johnson won’t be coming here. If they turned down two first-round picks as has been reported (and I think that’s way too much), then they really are that stupid and really are prepared to sit tight. Memo to Bengals president Mike Brown: There is no Lombardi Trophy awarded to the team that was most right, or the team that stuck to its guns and maintained their integrity. Don’t be stupid; take the picks and improve your situation.
As for the other teams such as Detroit, well we know they aren’t that bright either. They reached for Boston College T Gosder Cherilus when they could have added Rashard Mendenhall. They desperately need someone in the backfield that is good at football. So, I’m not surprised that they decided to keep Roy Williams, who they’ll have for at most two more years.
-I didn’t like the Draft starting at 3pm. The amount of speculation and reporting on who was taking who was just too much. Go back to the noon start, please.
-I didn’t like the blah feeling at the end of Day 1. I wasn’t disappointed, but I certainly wasn’t thrilled. There was a lot of buildup to this Draft and I felt like Day 1 was ho-hum.
micahw@feverpitchmedia.com
