Right now, Taylor Mays seems to be the guy for which everyone in Philly is clamoring. Everyone wants that “Dawkins clone” and is completely forgetting that free safety is about third on the list of problem areas for the Eagles’ defense.
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.
