Post by scorpion42 on Mar 24, 2009 15:04:40 GMT -7
Tue, Mar. 24, 2009
Eagles have options with 12 draft picks
By PAUL DOMOWITCH
Philadelphia Daily News
pdomo@aol.com
DANA POINT, Calif. - Who's No. 1?
Tom Heckert said it could be the Eagles if they really, really, really wanted to move up that high in next month's draft to grab, say, Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith.
The Eagles currently have 12 picks in the April 25-26 draft, including Nos. 21 and 28 in the first round. With many of the teams in the top seven or eight looking to trade down rather than risk tens of millions of guaranteed dollars on untested college players, the Eagles certainly have the capability to move up into the top 10 or top five. But would it be worth it?
"With those 12 picks, we feel we can do whatever we want," said Heckert, the Eagles' general manager. "We can get up as high as we want or sit there and wait for who's there [at 21 and 28]. But we have enough ammunition to do just about anything we want."
Heckert said many of the teams at the top of the draft are looking to trade down rather than risk huge amounts of money on guys who may or may not be able to play in the NFL.
"Teams are willing to get out of there," he said. "The teams way up top, the compensation moneywise, teams are wanting to get out of there."
A trade-up into the top five almost certainly would cost the Eagles' both of their first-round picks. It might - might - enable them to get one of the draft's top two offensive tackles - Smith or Virginia's Eugene Monroe. But then they wouldn't have a first-round pick left to address what is a more pressing need at the moment - running back.
Brian Westbrook soon will turn 30 and has a cranky knee with an expired warranty. The Eagles are hoping he still has a couple of Pro Bowl-caliber seasons left. But they know they have to bring in a ready-to-play running back who can share the load with Westbrook now, and eventually replace him.
Westbrook is coming off a season in which he had career lows in rushing and receiving average. He had cleanout surgery on the knee in January and insists he'll be as good as new. But for how long?
"It's not an indictment of Brian that they're looking at a running back," Ron Jaworski, ESPN's Monday Night Football analyst said. "He's been one of the greatest running backs in the history of the Eagles. But it's the wear-and-tear on the body [that you worry about]. This is a physically demanding game.
"I remember talking to [thingy] Vermeil when he first came back [to coaching]. He had tracked running backs. What he found was that after their 48th-49th game, their performance started to decline. When you consider the number of touches he's had . . . and people forget that he's a helluva blocker, too. He's a terrific blocker, especially for his size."
Jaworski said he thought Westbrook's knee injury last season had an even bigger effect on his blocking than his running.
"I thought his blocking slipped," he said. "I could almost see him favoring [the knee]. When you're taking on a 300-pound guy, that's where . . . he just wasn't able to drive-block. I know they cleaned [the knee] up. But you have to start getting a complementary back. A guy who will someday be the guy."
There has been a lot of talk-show chatter about the Eagles' need for offensive tackle help. Their longtime left tackle, Tra Thomas, signed with Jacksonville. Their longtime right tackle, Jon Runyan, is an unsigned free agent who is recovering from microfracture surgery and probably won't be back.
But with the signing of guard-tackle Stacy Andrews, both Heckert and Jaworski think the Eagles are OK up front. "If we didn't get Stacy, then I think it would be a bigger problem for us," Heckert said. "But both [guards] Todd [Herremans] and Shawn [Andrews] can play out there. It's something we're always looking at. But we think we can line up and play right now with one of those guys playing left tackle."
Said Jaworski: "I don't think they're in as bad a shape at the tackle position as everybody thinks. I really think Shawn can move outside, if he's right. Stacy Andrews was a really good pickup for them. When the Eagles got him, I talked to some of my coaching friends in Cincinnati, and they raved about him. He got high grades from the coaching staff."
Scouts say there are four first-round-worthy running backs in the draft - Georgia's Knowshon Moreno, Connecticut's Donald Brown, Ohio State's Chris Wells and Pittsburgh's LeSean McCoy. Moreno is considered the best of the bunch, but probably would require a trade-up into the top 15 to get him.
"As a package for the Eagles, the top guy would be Moreno," Jaworski said. "He's a really good receiver. He's a natural route-runner coming out of the backfield, which, if you're talking about good fits, he would be a great fit for the Eagles' offense. He could come out of the backfield and catch the football."
Heckert said Moreno, Brown and McCoy all would be good fits for the Eagles. He didn't mention Wells, who is the biggest of the four, but wasn't used much as a receiver or blocker at Ohio State.
"All three can catch the ball, and all three are pretty good blockers," Heckert said.
The Eagles haven't taken a running back in the first round since Andy Reid became head coach in 1999. Would they consider waiting until the second round to get one this year?
"You'd have to hold your breath if you wanted to wait for one," Heckert said. "You might have to move up." *
Eagles have options with 12 draft picks
By PAUL DOMOWITCH
Philadelphia Daily News
pdomo@aol.com
DANA POINT, Calif. - Who's No. 1?
Tom Heckert said it could be the Eagles if they really, really, really wanted to move up that high in next month's draft to grab, say, Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith.
The Eagles currently have 12 picks in the April 25-26 draft, including Nos. 21 and 28 in the first round. With many of the teams in the top seven or eight looking to trade down rather than risk tens of millions of guaranteed dollars on untested college players, the Eagles certainly have the capability to move up into the top 10 or top five. But would it be worth it?
"With those 12 picks, we feel we can do whatever we want," said Heckert, the Eagles' general manager. "We can get up as high as we want or sit there and wait for who's there [at 21 and 28]. But we have enough ammunition to do just about anything we want."
Heckert said many of the teams at the top of the draft are looking to trade down rather than risk huge amounts of money on guys who may or may not be able to play in the NFL.
"Teams are willing to get out of there," he said. "The teams way up top, the compensation moneywise, teams are wanting to get out of there."
A trade-up into the top five almost certainly would cost the Eagles' both of their first-round picks. It might - might - enable them to get one of the draft's top two offensive tackles - Smith or Virginia's Eugene Monroe. But then they wouldn't have a first-round pick left to address what is a more pressing need at the moment - running back.
Brian Westbrook soon will turn 30 and has a cranky knee with an expired warranty. The Eagles are hoping he still has a couple of Pro Bowl-caliber seasons left. But they know they have to bring in a ready-to-play running back who can share the load with Westbrook now, and eventually replace him.
Westbrook is coming off a season in which he had career lows in rushing and receiving average. He had cleanout surgery on the knee in January and insists he'll be as good as new. But for how long?
"It's not an indictment of Brian that they're looking at a running back," Ron Jaworski, ESPN's Monday Night Football analyst said. "He's been one of the greatest running backs in the history of the Eagles. But it's the wear-and-tear on the body [that you worry about]. This is a physically demanding game.
"I remember talking to [thingy] Vermeil when he first came back [to coaching]. He had tracked running backs. What he found was that after their 48th-49th game, their performance started to decline. When you consider the number of touches he's had . . . and people forget that he's a helluva blocker, too. He's a terrific blocker, especially for his size."
Jaworski said he thought Westbrook's knee injury last season had an even bigger effect on his blocking than his running.
"I thought his blocking slipped," he said. "I could almost see him favoring [the knee]. When you're taking on a 300-pound guy, that's where . . . he just wasn't able to drive-block. I know they cleaned [the knee] up. But you have to start getting a complementary back. A guy who will someday be the guy."
There has been a lot of talk-show chatter about the Eagles' need for offensive tackle help. Their longtime left tackle, Tra Thomas, signed with Jacksonville. Their longtime right tackle, Jon Runyan, is an unsigned free agent who is recovering from microfracture surgery and probably won't be back.
But with the signing of guard-tackle Stacy Andrews, both Heckert and Jaworski think the Eagles are OK up front. "If we didn't get Stacy, then I think it would be a bigger problem for us," Heckert said. "But both [guards] Todd [Herremans] and Shawn [Andrews] can play out there. It's something we're always looking at. But we think we can line up and play right now with one of those guys playing left tackle."
Said Jaworski: "I don't think they're in as bad a shape at the tackle position as everybody thinks. I really think Shawn can move outside, if he's right. Stacy Andrews was a really good pickup for them. When the Eagles got him, I talked to some of my coaching friends in Cincinnati, and they raved about him. He got high grades from the coaching staff."
Scouts say there are four first-round-worthy running backs in the draft - Georgia's Knowshon Moreno, Connecticut's Donald Brown, Ohio State's Chris Wells and Pittsburgh's LeSean McCoy. Moreno is considered the best of the bunch, but probably would require a trade-up into the top 15 to get him.
"As a package for the Eagles, the top guy would be Moreno," Jaworski said. "He's a really good receiver. He's a natural route-runner coming out of the backfield, which, if you're talking about good fits, he would be a great fit for the Eagles' offense. He could come out of the backfield and catch the football."
Heckert said Moreno, Brown and McCoy all would be good fits for the Eagles. He didn't mention Wells, who is the biggest of the four, but wasn't used much as a receiver or blocker at Ohio State.
"All three can catch the ball, and all three are pretty good blockers," Heckert said.
The Eagles haven't taken a running back in the first round since Andy Reid became head coach in 1999. Would they consider waiting until the second round to get one this year?
"You'd have to hold your breath if you wanted to wait for one," Heckert said. "You might have to move up." *