Safety Earl Thomas of Texas is one of the guys, I want the Eagles to target and be ready to move up and grab with their first pick. I don’t think they ‘re going to be able to get a definite starter and defensive anchor by staying put at the 24th spot.
They must do their homework now and see what it’s going to take to move up and get a quality player like Thomas.¬† I would have no problem seeing them grab Tennessee’s Eric Berry, but I think it’s going to be too expensive from a pick standpoint for them to move all the way up to get Berry.
I would have no problem settling for Thomas., who picked off 11 passes a year ago for Texas.
On the other hand, USC safety Taylor Mays is more of a guess because he didnt’ make a lot of big plays in college.¬† I think Mays could be a great player because I believe his coach Pete Carroll limited his opportunities to make big plays because he lined him up 15 yards off the ball in centerfield and never moved him around or up into the action.
That makes no sense if the kid stands 6’3″, weighs 230 pounds, hits like a train and runs a 4.3 forty-yard dash.¬† I feel confident he’s going to be a quality pro but I have seen Thomas do what we need done, but I’m guessing about Mays.
The youngster from Texas doesn’t have great size for an NFL safety but he’s got great speed, super ball skills and outstanding instincts, plus if the ball hits his hands, he catches it.
I think instincts are a must when you’re talking about safeties. You can teach a youngster his assignments but you can’t coach instincts.
You can’t tell him what angle to take to pick a pass off.¬† You can’t tell him when to jump to catch the ball at its highest point.
Either a guy has the intuition and timing needed in order to make plays or he doesn’t. Those instincts are God-given and they happen to be the difference in good players and great players.
Instincts allow a defensive back to pick the ball off and you know how important turnovers are in the NFL.  This kid is always in position to make plays on the ball.
Drafting him would make fellow safety Quintin Mikell a better player because they wouldn’t have to play him out of position any longer.
Mikell needs to be moved up near the line of scrimmage and be allowed to mix it up as a blitzer from time to time.
Thomas’ strength is playing against the pass because he has cornerback skills and always seems to be around the football. At times, defensive coordinator Sean McDermott would be able to match Thomas up against wide receivers, speedy running backs or fast tight ends.
Thomas ran a 4.5 forty yard dash at the combine but pulled up lame when his hamstring gave out on him.  He made quite a statement at the Texas Pro Day by running a 4.35 forty.
He proved he can run with the wide receivers in this league.
Thomas is a good tackler but he isn’t very big at 5’11” and 205 pounds, but I’m willing to forego the lack of ideal size in order to have a safety who can run with wide receivers and make plays on the ball.
Thomas is well built, pack a punch and is willing give up his body to deliver a message to receivers.
I heard Eagles GM Howie Roseman on 610-WIP yesterday and he expressed confidence in second-year safety Macho Harris improving this year and making a run at the starting job, but I don’t have that same confidence.
Last year Harris looked like a kid a out there playihng against grown men.¬† He didn’t read the passing routes well, which put him a step or two behind each pass play.
His tackling was inonsistent and he didn’t play with confidence.¬† I know it was his first year, but I don’t think he can a big enough jump to win the job.
Finally Thomas is a stellar individual who has never had any trouble as a player or college student.
He’s spoken about in glowing terms by his college coaches and has the leadership skills to eventually be one of the guys leading the way in our secondary.
Go up and get him Andy and Howie.
Taylor mayes reminds me to much of Michael Lewis.. Get’s burnt on pass plays too much but plays well against the run
Agree completely again with u G. I rather have him than Berry anyway so move up enough to get Thomas and dont even think about Berry unless Berry falls further than Thomas, which wont happen. I dont like agreeing with WIP people so ill consider G a former football player and not a WIP guy
Great points, I agree with basically the entire article. I have a bad feeling that they will ignore Safety and give Macho Harris a try at the permanent starter role, which is absurd. The FO seems to drool at the idea of a middle or later round pick succeeding b/c they get him at a discount. Harris really does look like he’s 15 years old out there…I don’t really blame him, I blame the coaches for drafting him and throwing him into the Free Safety role. Earl Thomas seems like one of the few defensive players in the draft that could be considered a sure thing. If he drops to 14-18, GET HIM.
Something I think the Birds should be considering is throwing a modest offer out there for Ted Ginn. He’s nothing spectacular, but he’s got great speed and we could make him the primary return man and he could be a good insurance policy in case Jackson or Maclin goes down. Now that Miami has Marshall locked up, I think it would be totally worth it to dangle a 4th or 5th round pick out there and see what happens….with that being said, I have no idea what his contract looks like so that could be a deal breaker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDKmlvPIWEk ………….listen to jerry jones wasted at a bar talkin crap about bill parcells and tim tebow…if you cant understand it you can look up the transcript on the internet…..what a classy guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve watch Thomas play and I am not super sold on him, He’s only 5’10” and about 190’lbs and I am sure he will get a little bigger as he fully matures (coming out after Junior year) but I prefer a couple of bigger guys like N Allen,M Burnett,and R Jones who should be availalbe in the 2nd Round and I think hold up better to play the very physical postion that Safety is in the NFL… ..
Gary I see what you are saying but in my opinion I thought it was a cornerback that covers wide recievers. Gary at 5’10 the Tight ends in the NFL especially in the NFC is where you have all the monster sized tight ends in Jeromy Shocky and Coolie and Whiten and at 5’10 they will run over Earl. I think Earl can be a good Saftey given the situation he is put in like a New York Giants because their Corners are all at least 6 feet tall so his height will not be too much of an issue where he can be that Asante Samuel type player. We do not need another Asante on this team we need attitude, A guy that can hit and someone with SIZE.
hey g im a real philadelphian u know loyal im not loyal to front office and owners and coaches im loyal 2 the players who break there necks 2 try and win here with that said who are we (redskins) drafting with the 4th pick thnx to the eagles skins are now contenders and in my opinion better than the birds
I think Phillywill was hanging out with Jerry Jones at the bar…
@Eaglez..he types like Ozzy Osborne talks! SHARRON!!!!!!!!!
Phillywill- nxtimeuzenglsh2xpressUrslf!!!
After watching that Highlight reel I agree that Thomas has potential but I don’t know about a 1st rounder. He does not form tackle most times he leads with his head. He reminds me of A Samuel only at safety.
Reshad jones hands down is one of the best safeties comming out of the draft in years. Very under rated, Hard hitting, ball hawk that played for a week D at georgia. He should be a must pick for the eagles in the second round.
realeagle ur probably the 1st to rip andy and howie and lurie every yr u’ll rip them over and over yet still root for them lol
At 24th overall the Eagles should take Taylor Mays. Safety is our biggest need. Mays has freakish size and speed for the safety position. He’s a hard hitter, plays the run well and is intimidating for recievers who go over the middle, which is something we have missed since losing B-Dawk. His cover skills are a little shaky but his athletic ability alone can make up for that a little and makes him a better solution at safety than Macho Harris right away. With our early second round pick we should take a CB like Patrick Robinson (who has great speed), Kareem Jackson, or Perrish Cox (who has godd size and can tackle). We could also package our 1st and early 2nd to move up and grab Eric Berry. Ealr Thomas is also another solution althogh I dont see him getting past the Texans at 20 (so we need to trade up). In the later rounds we should take a developmental QB like Jarrett Brown from West Virginia and a big WR like Danario Alexander from Missouri. If we go CB in 1st then we should take S Morgan Burnett in the 2nd.
I trust the FO. They know a hell of lot more than anyone here – including G.Cobb.Let’s see what they do…
Phillywilly I just callem like I see em. I rip the coach when he doesn’t run the ball but also acknowledge that we have been fairly successful minus a super bowl win. Now that there is a new QB and many other players I am intrigued by the what this new TEAM might do.
I love the birds so I root for them even If I think Reid has gotten stale I just hope that this new version of the eagles helps him be all he can be.
its not simple they must do much to give up to go get him. even i know that
To get BERRY we would have to move up to 7 (Cleveland). To get THOMAS, we would have to move up to 10-17 range. JAX is on record wanting to trade down. Logic dictates Denver will trade down. Miami could be interested. I hope we do it for the reasons CGOBB states.
Gary..i agree completely that the Eagles should and probably will get Earl Thomas. It wouldn’t cost that much to move up with Jacksonville. Probably our #55 2nd rounder. I don’t know why everyone is saying all the crap about his size. he is 5’10”, the same as Troy Polamalu and Ed Reed and they have had pretty good careers I believe. Also this way, we can still get a really good corner with pick #37 like Devin McCourty or Kareem Jackson. I also really like the kid from IUP, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah. Great hands and instincts. Also really good special teamer. Just Dallas is also really interested at him too. We have the picks to really turn this defense around and hopefully they choose wisely.