The University of Auburn held their Pro Day workouts on Tuesday, as all eyes turned to Cam Newton.
While by all reports Newton was impressive, it was another player that worked out that Eagles fans may have an interest in. I’m talking about Auburn defensive tackle Nick Fairley.
Once projected to be the first overall pick in the draft, Fairley has started to slip down some scouts boards. He is currently ranked 6th on ESPN’s big board.
Despite slipping, Fairley turned in an impressive performance on Tuesday by all accounts. Fairley weighed in at 297 pounds, which is 6 more then he weighed at the combine. While the added weight is good, it is even better if it does not effect his speed, which according to ESPN’s Todd McShay, it did not. During Fairley’s workout, McShay commented that “297 pound men should not move like Fairley.”
Fairley is a good runner stopper, but what really makes him shine is some pass rushing ability. Some scouts have called him one of the best pure pass rushers to come out of the NFL in years. He was impossible to stop in college when being single-blocked, and was forced to be double teamed. In addition to being a physical force, Fairley also has the football smarts to make big plays. He is great at recognizing screens, and even had an interception last season.
In addition to having a head for the game, Fairley has great mechanics. His foot work and ability to push down the hands of opposing 
offensive line man help him to get into the backfield at a consistent basis. Fairley can also be a hott head at times, and has shown making a bone headed play or personal foulis not beyond him.
Calling it one of the best defensive line workouts he has ever seen, McShay said that Fairley has almost certainly secured himself as a top 10 pick.
How does any of this relate to the Eagles?
It is no secret that quarterback Kevin Kolb is going to be perhaps the most sought after quarterback this off season. Teams such as the San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans all need quarterbacks, and all have a pick in the top 10. Multiple reports have already linked Kolb to the Cardinals.
Kolb’s asking price will only rise as it gets closer to the draft, assuming trades are allowed to be made. Once a bidding war starts, who knows what the Eagles will wind up with for the former 2nd round pick. Plenty of people in the media feel that the Cardinals could be willing to part with the 5th overall pick for Kolb. Plus, with a possible rookie salary scale implemented in the new CBA, the Eagles might not have to pay the big money to the 5th overall pick they would have in recent years.
Fairley would be a huge addition to the Eagles defensive line. Having a player bust up the middle and get into a quarterbacks face is the answer to any problem a defense is having. If Fairley is everything the scouts say he is, he will make the Eagles secondary look a lot better then Brodrick Bunkley was able to make them look.
If Fairley starts to fall, and cornerback Patrick Peterson is already off the board, don’t be surprised to see the Eagles and Cardinals get serious about making a deal.
I still think DT MArcel Dareus from Alabama is the better all around player than DT N Fairley who was great last season but didn’t do that much earlier in his College Career at Auburn.. Dareus is bigger,stronger and has been more consistent in my opinion and come from a more pro-style program under Coach Saban.. though Fairley does have more explosiveness out of his stance
Kolb for a top 10 pick works for me.
We need some experienced LB etc though.
I will take Dareus or even Fairley though.
We need the CBA to work out first.
Damn right and he’s freaking worth it too. All you haters can KMA
nice run, do you hear that drummer and songs, this crazy Russian is calling you out.
This article should have been about marcel dareus instead of fairly…. fairley had a good last yr in college but id prefer the birds look at a player like dareus who’s been consistently good every yr in college or that cb Peterson we could play that guy all over the secondary..
He could play corner, safety,linebacker like charles woodson does bc this guy has size
Dareus, Peterson then fairley
ill take it. Run the ball- just to be clear… i dont hate Kevin Kolb… i was ready to buy his jersey at the start of the season. Im not actually a mike vick fan either. I will say that I was a DMAC fan and still believe he doesnt get much credit BUT…..
1> I think its clear that Vick is the best qb on the roster today.
2> I think it would be very stupid to keep KK on the roster this year to watch him leave next year with nothing in return.
3> I dont think it does him or us any favors to keep a guy here that wants nothing to do with being the backup.
4> I dont think KK has shown enough for us to think hes the best possible option for us as the backup next year (see #5 for more info)
5> If we were moving forward with Kolb as the starter…. knowing he will struggle at times….. then we should keep him but Im not sure that he would do better as the #2 then say a T. Jackson. AND……. in the long run it would be better for our team because we know kolb will be gone in 1 year.
I say Dareus over fairley bc you can put him all over the defensive line, fairley only played DT, but Dareus played in a pro style defense that used him in a variety of ways
all in all here is my opinion of KK from draft day till now.
1) Drafted a bit early but was put in a place that makes qb’s better.
2) Has a hard time picking up blitzes.
3) Shows moments of a very good qb and plays well when he has the time in the pocket.
4) Is a bit hit shy as of now. This may get better over time. Im not sure it will though.
5) His arm is not strong enough to play with the deep threats like Djack and Jmac (but not many qbs in the nfl have that kind of arm strength like Vick and Dmac).
6) Would do well on a team that runs first and looks to use a more traditional WC offense.
7) Is a dallas cowboy fan. Ok… maybe this 1 hurts me a tad.
EaglesBG-
I dont watch enough college ball to really say 1 guy over the other BUT…. i think we need a guy who can be a stud at his spot (DT) not a guy who can also move around). Id argue that the tweener mentality is what has caused us some problem on this D in the past.
if we can trade Kolb to get a player in the 5-8 area, I would hope it would be Fairley….he is the one player in the top 10 that can take over a game and make a mediocre defense good… he reminds me of Warren Sapp. He played against the best teams in college and dominated…I dont think Peterson is going to be an elite CB. I see him as a FS
runtheball09
March 9, 2011 – 10:38 am
Damn right and he’s freaking worth it too. All you haters can KMA
Why would we Hate when this makes the EAGLES a better team?
I think you should go state your case on the
San Francisco 49ers, Arizona Cardinals, and Tennessee Titans team blogs
there you may get a argument ..LOL
Run
????
Run
Just to set the record straight, the only Eagle I strongly dislike is Andy Reid.
I don’t hate Kolb. I don’t think he should have been our 1st draft pick. Besides the fact that we had other holes to fill, I’m fairly certain that Kolb’s no franchise QB, perhaps not even a starter.