I’ve gotten a couple of emails from you guys to keep doing the draft reviews, so here we are at 2005. I haven’t decided whether/when to do 2006 and 2007 because you can’t really judge those drafts yet.
That’s the three-year rule I mentioned last time. So, as we finish up the 2007 season, we’ve got a much more complete set of empirical data on this draft class. Let’s take a look at the 2005 draft:
-1st Round, pick #31: Mike Patterson, defensive tackle USC: Just recently, Mike Patterson has started to get his due. He’s had some great games this year and he and Broderick Bunkley are really turning into a nice set of defensive tackles. I firmly believe that’s where it all starts. If they can continue to anchor the middle of the line, that makes it more difficult for a team to focus on sack master Trent Cole. But I’m not here to talk about Bunkley and Cole, this is about Patterson. He lived in opponents’ backfields at USC and has turned into a fine NFL player. There are question marks on this roster for sure. Patterson is not one of them.
-2nd Round, pick #35 (from Miami): Reggie Brown, wide receiver Georgia: Thanks for this pick, Miami. Have fun with A.J. Feeley. I’m not sure I completely know what to make of Reggie Brown. I’ve been hard on him this year because he hasn’t morphed into that #1 receiver. It says here he never will. But he’s not a waste of space either. He simply doesn’t have any one characteristic that grades out at an A+. He’s not the fastest guy, but his speed is ok. His hands are just ok. His size is ok, nothing to write home about. But I do think Brown can bring something to the table. He just needs someone more dangerous than Kevin Curtis on the other side. Even Donte Stallworth (who seems to have fallen out of favor in New England. Anyone notice there is a lot of Jabbar Gaffney these days?) and his lightning speed were enough to make Brown effective. If the Eagles add another receiver who can make a defense roll to that side, you’ll see Brown become a much better player.
-2nd Round, pick #63: Matt McCoy, linebacker San Diego St.: It hurts to even type this guy’s name. This guy is currently in “hawk down” mode on the New Orleans Saints’ bench. I’m not even sure if he was given an authentic jersey by the team. The Eagles cut this major disappointment after a stupid penalty against the Vikings this year. That wasn’t what got him released. It wasn’t the last straw with him, I think it was the last brick. I don’t know what you want to call it (the Warren G. Harding Error?), but there was something about this pick from the moment it was made that I knew he was going to be a big bucket of bust. It wasn’t the highlights. It wasn’t anything about him physically or his style of play meshing with Jim Johnson’s schemes….it was something though. There was no football thought put into my rationale. I just had a feeling this guy was worthless. Another terrible linebacker taken in the second round by this regime. Barry Gardner, Quinton Caver….now McCoy. Even more upsetting is the fact that they could have selected McCoy’s college teammate, Kirk Morrison, whom Oakland selected. Just an aside: He was one of the few players that Oakland said earlier this year was untouchable as far as trades. Awesome.
-3rd Round, pick #77: Ryan Moats, running back Louisiana Tech: Ryan Moats has been an enigma to me. His rookie year, he made some very big runs in mop up duty in what was a disastrous year for the Eagles. But during his NFL career he’s made just too many mental mistakes and hasn’t shown that he grasps the offense. He has spent 2007 on injured reserve, but I doubt he’d have seen much of the field if he was healthy. Actually, I think he was on his way to getting cut. His injury probably saved his roster spot. He’s undersized and has been a disappointment, as it doesn’t look like he’ll ever be a contributing member of the Birds.
-4th Round, pick #102: Sean Considine, safety Iowa: Sean Considine is not a starting-caliber safety in the NFL and the fact that he was starting for the Eagles until he got hurt tells me something about the 2007 team. This guy couldn’t cover me. I’ve seen him get run over too many times. At what point are these negatives for a player at that position? He’s on the shelf for the year, but if he is the starter next year, know that the Eagles made an error somewhere down the line. I have more confidence in J.R. Reed back there to be honest and that is saying a lot.
-4th Round, pick #126: Todd Herremans, offensive tackle Saginaw Valley State: I loved this pick as I am a die-hard fan of Saginaw Valley State football. Never miss a game. Ok, maybe not. This turned out to be a nice pick as they got themselves a starting left guard. I don’t think he’s going to make any NFL fans forget Larry Allen, but not many do.
-5th Round, pick #146: Trent Cole, defensive end Cincinnati: Fantabulous pick, what else is there to say? I was ready to pile on Cole for doing nothing in the month of November. I thought it was time for his annual nosedive after a great first half of the season. But Cole has picked his game up and is now third in the NFL in sacks with two games left to play. Does anyone remember the last time a defensive end that the Eagles drafted had double-digit sacks? Clyde Simmons in 1992. Ouch! Cole got thoroughly hosed in the 2007 Pro Bowl voting. Such a popularity contest. Osi Umenyiora had the big six-sack game against the Eagles with a terrible backup left tackle. The rest of the season? Just six sacks. I really wish the fans didn’t have any say. 1/3 is too much.
-5th Round, pick #172: Scott Young, guard, Brigham Young: Not a bad pick. People will remember him for the false start in the playoffs in 2006 against New Orleans that negated a first down on fourth down. That was a very, very questionable call, let’s get that straight. Don’t forget that with Shawn Andrews out of the game, Young helped spring Westbrook on a 62-yard TD run.
-6th Round, pick #211: Calvin Armstrong, offensive tackle Washington St.: Armstrong played (and I use the term “played” lightly) with the Eagles in 2005. He played (again, take that for what it’s worth) with the Packers in 2006 and now he’s on the Redskins. I don’t know what that says about him, but at least he’s still in the NFL.
-7th Round, pick #247: Keyonta Marshall, defensive tackle, Grand Valley St.: Grand Valley, what? I think this was the first time I heard of the school. He is the defensive tackle version of Armstrong. Marshall played in one game in 2005 and was cut before the 2006 season. The Jets signed him to their practice squad and he has been with the Ravens in 2007. He hasn’t played a down yet this year. Have they tried him at QB? If I’m the Ravens, I’d have tried everyone at QB at some point.
-7th Round, pick #252: David Bergeron, linebacker Stanford: True or false: Micah had to do some research to find out what happened here. Yahoo! Sports (seriously, what is with the exclamation point?) says he’s with the Carolina Panthers right now. But the official Panthers website doesn’t have him on the roster. The fact that he got drafted tells me he was a pretty good football player. The fact that he went to Stanford tells me he’s a smart cat who won’t have trouble in life after football.
This wasn’t a bad draft job at all. Cole and Patterson make the draft. But it’s McCoy that really pops out on the page at me. When it comes to drafting LB’s in the second round, I think the Eagles should go to the dart-board theory.
micahw@feverpitchmedia.com
