According to the Eagles official website, rookie CB Jack Ikegwuonu (that never gets easy to type) has been placed on injured reserve.
"In the future I'll have plenty of time to prove myself," said Ikegwuonu, a two-time All-Big Ten pick at Wisconsin. "I'm really comfortable here, especially with the medical staff. They're taking it very slow with me because they really don't think they're going to play me this year. The most important thing is that I have the opportunity to be here."
"He would have been a number one pick had he not torn up his knee," said Andy Reid. "He did have a law enforcement incident. Obviously I did my homework on that. We feel as though that will pass."
General Manager Tom Heckert feels the same way.
"Jack is a perfect example of a guy who would have gone a lot higher if he didn't have the injury,” says Heckert. “That's why we thought it was worth the risk of taking him there in the fourth when you could get a guy who is a really good player."
"I hope it says good things," Ikegwuonu said. "Coach Reid is just a godsend. The things that he's been saying about me — the kind of player I am, the kind of person I am, the fact that he could trust me — it really says alot [sic] about what kind of person he is too. I was really surprised that they actually drafted me, but I wasn't surprised about the way Coach Reid felt about me and what he said about me. I really felt that I presented myself well. I was actually dozing off when they called me. I wasn't expecting to get drafted that high."
When I first heard about this, I thought of the potential for Ikegwuonu to re-enter the NFL Draft in 2009. But according to the former Badger, that isn’t something he’s considering.
"I don't think that's something we've really seriously considered. I think that's out of the question,” he says.
That bears monitoring. If Ikegwuonu is serious and he plans on being an Eagle, then the Birds may have gotten a major steal in the draft this year. If he opts to re-enter the Draft or if he’s, you know, in prison for stealing an Xbox, then it was a blow fourth-rounder.
Tell us in the comments, is the risk worth the reward on this pick?
