Eagles Draft Day 1
April 27th 2008 01:13
Well, the 1st day of the Eagles draft has just ended. I have to say I'm very satisfied with their draft thus far. Trading out of the 1st round instead of taking Jeff Otah (whom I am not a very big fan of) seems like a good move. They got a 1st rounder next year, a 2nd rounder this year, and a 4th rounder this year from the Carolina Panthers. When you aren't very high on the players on the board, stockpiling picks is always a great option. The New England Patriots, gold standard of winning in the NFL, do this often. In the 2nd round, the Eagles selected Trevor Laws, a defensive tackle out of Notre Dame. He will provide depth behind DT's Mike Patterson and Broderick Bunkley, in an Eagles defensive system that likes to rotate its lineman often during games. A few picks later the Eagles chose Cal reciever DeShaun Jackson, a very quick playmaker. Jackson was an excellent value pick, projected to go in the first round. He fills an immediate hole in the return game for the Eagles. Unfortunately, he's not the game-breaking reciever the Eagles need at the moment. It is very difficult for a rookie to come in at reciever and contribute, especially in the Eagles' complex system. Jackson, however, being so quick, may come in occassionally in 3 and 4 reciever sets as a deep threat. Don't look for him to contribute on offense much more than that. The Eagles also traded a 4th rounder for 23 year old halfback Lorenzo Booker from the Miami Dolphins, improving their depth in the backfield. All in all, I do like what the Eagles did. One surprise may have been that the Eagles still haven't traded cornerback Lito Sheppard. A rumor is that he may be part of a package deal for Lions reciever Roy Williams. If Sheppard is not dealt, he could stay in Philly as the starting CB next to Asante Samuel. Look then for CB Sheldon Brown moving to strong safety. WIth perennial pro bowler Brian Dawkins at free safety, this would give the Eagles, arguably, the best defensive backfield in the NFL.
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Comment by david hatcher
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