i didn't say and i'm not saying that he looked bad. what i'm saying is that he didn't stand out in the way that patrick peterson stands out.

He didn't need to. He was the #1 corner and a potential top 10 pick coming into today. Then he ran a 4.3. What more did you want him to do?

He didn't need to. He was the #1 corner and a potential top 10 pick coming into today. Then he ran a 4.3. What more did you want him to do?

look appreciably better than the other DBs in his draft class.

look appreciably better than the other DBs in his draft class.

He was already the #1 CB in the draft.

He was already the #1 CB in the draft.

yes. and?

saying that he's the #1 CB in the draft is meaningless without addressing how much better he is than the #2 ranked CB, and it's meaningless without addressing how he compares to the other players at his position that are already in the NFL, and it's meaningless without addressing how he compares with the other players in this draft class at other positions.

saying that he's the #1 CB in the draft is meaningless without addressing how much better he is than the #2 ranked CB, and it's meaningless without addressing how he compares to the other players at his position that are already in the NFL, and it's meaningless without addressing how he compares with the other players in this draft class at other positions.

Two things.

1. What does this have to do with how he did at the Combine? You said he "didn't stand out" when the opposite is true, as he aced the questions about his top end speed.

2. Can you answer any of those questions?

1. What does this have to do with how he did at the Combine? You said he "didn't stand out" when the opposite is true, as he aced the questions about his top end speed.

yes, but he was mediocre in the vertical jump, the broad jump, the shuttle, and the cone drills. he didn't measure 6'2, he doesn't have 34" arms, and he dropped about 8 balls in the field drills.

he ran a good 40, but he didn't run a great 40, and he really didn't separate himself in any other way.


the measuring stick that i'm using isn't whether he's one of the best DBs in this draft class, it's whether he's capable of being one of the best DBs in the NFL, and by that measure, i am not sold.


right now, the list of players i'd want for the eagles, if they stay at 4 are:
1, eric fisher
2, luke joeckel
3, lane johnson
4, dion jordan
5, geno smith
6, chance warmack


right now, those are the only players i would really be happy about.

beyond them, i'm on the bubble w/r/t jarvis jones, ezekial ansah, bjoern werner and dee milliner. and then, i am not a fan of star lotulelei or deontre moore. and i like sharrif floyd, but i don't really have any interest in drafting him in the first round, let alone the top 10.

In the "crow eating department, population: me"

The twitters are reporting Alex Smith to the Chiefs for a 2nd rounder ++ (possibly a 2nd rounder in 2014 as well).
Note that that's the 32nd pick in the draft.

LOL Chiefs. I mean, Alex Smith is perfectly cromulent... but a 3rd rounder would be too much.

Note that that's the 32nd pick in the draft.

34th (I was wondering if someone lost a pick, but no one did and Jax drafts ahead of KC in the second round).

I mean, Alex Smith is perfectly cromulent... but a 3rd rounder would be too much.

I don't think so. If they think the first half of last year was legit, that's a top 13 or 14 (or better) quarterback. Remember how completely bereft of talent the QB position is right now.

I think the Niners should trade some picks. They are a really deep team and if these rumors are true, they now have 5 of the first 93 picks of the draft. (31, 34, 61, 74, and 93). AJ Jenkins, their first round pick from last year, barely played last year. Their second round pick, LaMichael James, barely played before Kendall Hunter got hurt and Hunter will be back. I just don't know where they are going to play these guys as a win-now team.

I'd love for them to get Revis because I think they can afford to trade for him and wait on signing him to an extension. They could use a stud receiver (I'd love Mike Wallace) as the only guy they have under contract right now without question marks is Crabtree. Moss shouldn't be re-signed, Manningham is out after injuring his knee, and Jenkins didn't do anything last year. If it weren't for the confidence I have in Harbaugh/Baalke, I'd be pretty concerned about him being a bust.

I think they should get Revis or DRC or Nmadi or another real shut down corner. They also badly need a rotation on the DLine. And a stud WR. However, they quickly run into cap issues. I could see them cutting lose 1-2 from Carlos Rodgers, Dante Whitner or Dashon Goldson - and drafting a pack of safeties, 3-4 DEs and OILBs.

WR is tricky. A proven stud like Mike Wallace is expensive in either picks or cap $ or both. I think the depth at RB is pretty important. Gore is better at 18 carries per game. Apparently the deal with AJ Jenkins was simply that he could not absorb the offense in a year. I mean, he lost snaps to Ted Ginn Jr. and some other practice squad guy I can't even remember.

Well, the Smith deal is right in line with the Flynn/Palmer/Kolb/Cassel valuations... deals which seemed insane on the face of it. KC must really not like Gino Smith. I suppose it's not a horrible move for the Chiefs if they think they can compete with Denver/Wildcard. But they had a terrible pass defense, terrible run defense, and below average rush offense to go with their league-worse passing offense. I would have taken my chances and assumed SF cuts him.

I think they should get Revis or DRC or Nmadi or another real shut down corner. They also badly need a rotation on the DLine. And a stud WR. However, they quickly run into cap issues. I could see them cutting lose 1-2 from Carlos Rodgers, Dante Whitner or Dashon Goldson - and drafting a pack of safeties, 3-4 DEs and OILBs.

You hit this on the head exactly. The 9ers need a lot despite having gone to the Superbowl this year. They desperately need an every down pass rusher who can get to the QB on his own and the dropoff from their #2 corner (Brown or Rogers, whoever one likes less - both are pretty good) to their #3 corner (Culliver) is a chasm. With a decent 3rd corner they probably win that Superbowl - the Ravens ran Culliver ragged.

I'd lose the safeties if need be. Both are overrated because they hit hard, but neither are good in coverage and they're actually not great tacklers because they go for the hit rather than wrapping people up. I think you keep one, make him the strong safety, and try to find a coverage safety either in the draft or elsewhere. WR yeah, they need another guy. They could really use a field stretching speed guy but those are expensive. Jenkins looks like a bust. LaMichael James looked great last year other than the crushing fumble in the Superbowl - he and Hunter look like excellent #2 guys, which you need in the current game. Plus Gore isn't a baby anymore.

re: the Smith trade - I think it more just illustrates how cuckoo those other QB moves have been. If your second round pick in the draft turned into a QB who could do what Smith has done over the last two years you'd be pretty happy. The other guys were traded for in the hopes they would become that guy - they didn't. Smith is kind of a wacky DIPS-effective quarterback in the sense that he doesn't strike out a ton of guys but he still puts up good ERAs when it seems like he shouldn't because he doesn't walk guys or give up home runs, i.e. he doesn't throw interceptions. Even in his bad years he didn't throw a ton of interceptions.

I think their best moves right now would be to try and trade for a corner and a WR, then roll the dice on another pass rusher in the draft. Those guys are impossible to trade for and insanely expensive cap-wise when you do. I think you've got to draft them.

If your second round pick in the draft turned into a QB who could do what Smith has done over the last two years you'd be pretty happy.

I think this is right. I think in some respects picks can be overvalued. Take the Patriots as an example. If instead of screwing around drafting (disappointing) DBs in the first few rounds over the past few years, they had traded some 2nd rounders for legit starters, they probably have at least 1-2 more Super Bowl appearances and maybe a win or two. I understand that equation is different when your overall talent level is as low as KC's is, but still, there is real value in making a run at the playoffs for a team like that.

Culliver had a solid season and I wouldn't disregard him completely simply because he had an awful Super Bowl. One thing the Niners could do is use him as a safety if they decide not to re-sign Goldson. He played safety in college so he does have some experience there. He's not a bad player. I wouldn't give more significance to one game even if it is the Super Bowl.

I don't think you need both Hunter and James on the roster. Gore isn't going to last forever but I think he has at least two good years left in him. They will need to replace him eventually but that's not a priority at this point.

The Niners play their starters a lot and I think that was a factor in the way that their pass-rush declined in the playoffs although Justin Smith's injury was a bigger factor in that regard. They need to have more of a rotation.

Right now, the Niners have a pretty good offense and a pretty good defense. A guy like Wallace makes their offense dominant and a guy like Revis makes their defense dominant. Resources being scarce, I think they can have one or the other. I don't expect both but would be disappointed if they don't get either.

I think they should get Revis or DRC or Nmadi or another real shut down corner.

From what we saw of Nnamdi the last couple of years in Philly, you should stay far away. Especially this last year, his p#### tackling made Asante Samuel look like Jack Tatum and he looks like he can no longer stay with a receiver with any kind of plus speed.

I don't know what the Patriots are going to do Talib but he's another guy to consider. He really played well for New England but he's had off-field issues in the past.

the measuring stick that i'm using isn't whether he's one of the best DBs in this draft class, it's whether he's capable of being one of the best DBs in the NFL, and by that measure, i am not sold.

Oh, you're one of those people that actually puts a lot of stock in the combine.

Over the whole season, all 3 of the niners corners played pretty well. They had a good pass defense that wasn't all pass rush and the PFF game charts rated them all solidily (FWIW). But they were clearly exposed when the pass rush dropped down a notch after the 3rd quarter of the Pats game.

Not ruling out some Fangio scheme getting exposed either. The Niners have had great defenses under Lord Fangio, BUT a lot of that is that since they never substitute they can rarely be caught in the wrong defense (what the Pats do with Gronk/Hernandez and hurry-up). Presumably that lack of flexibility comes at a price -- one is obviously fatigue, but there could be more subtle game plan effects. Or it could just be "Injured Smiths".

Nnamadi may be toast, but this isn't baseball. You have to evaluate the player on the field/film and that's beyond my ken. So, my presumption is that Baalke/Harbaugh will know if he's done or not. I just mean a "Revis-type shut-down corner" (pretty rare and special players). Do any of them last more than 3-4 years? Deon, maybe.

Lots of internet scuttlebutt about the Niners dumping their pro-bowl safeties. Have to leave it to the coaches to decide how replaceable they are. I mean sure they are not perfect. If you get a guy that covers better, will he be as good a N/S run stopper?

So, Anquan Boldin to the 49ers for a 6th round pick. Team seem to be insisting on giving them things.

I thought the big deal was Percy Harvin to Seattle for a 1st round pick.

Boldin had an excellent postseason and I think this was a solid pickup for the Niners. That said, I would prefer someone that can stretch the field and Boldin can't do that at this stage of his career. Can Manningham do that? Can AJ Jenkins do that? The Niners still have a ton of picks so perhaps they can find someone in the draft to do that.

Right now, I'd have to say that the two best teams in the NFC are in the NFC West. I'd probably rate the Seahawks as being better than the Niners as of right now.

It's going to be tough to root for a guy that was arguably the best player for the Ravens in the Super Bowl.

the eagles have made another couple of moves. so far, they've brought in 6 guys who should be starters on defense (williams and fletcher at CB, phillips and chung at S, barwin at LB, and sopoaga at NT) plus whatever james casey is on offense.

the good thing about the defensive signings is that they brought in guys who are young (chung, phillips and barwin are 26, fletcher is 27, and williams is 28) and who still have room to grow. they don't have much star potential but the guys they brought in (specifically sopoaga, chung and williams) are very sound, very well-rounded defenders from a skill/technique standpoint, and i think they could add a structure to the defense that wasn't present this year and that that might speed the development of some of the younger players on the roster (specifically cox, kendricks, curry, boykin and graham).

and in addition, phillips and barwin have the potential to add some much needed big play ability.


it seems like sopoaga will be lined up over the center at NT, with barwin over the TE at SLB. ryans and kendricks will be at ILB and then cox and cole/graham/curry will set up on the weakside, where the scheme of the defense should mean that they matchup 1 on 1 against the opposing guard/tackle.

cox could be in position for a massive year.

As for Welker going to the Broncos, Welker was made, not born. He was made by Brady and Belichik. They can make another one like him without too much trouble.

The team will barely skip a beat without him. Once people understand that the quarterback and the offensive scheme is the thing that matters the most, they'll learn not to overreact to the Welkers of the world leaving.

I think a lot of people hold that opinion on Welker. ESPN and the like obsess over it because they only know the names of a few dozen players in the league.

As for Welker going to the Broncos, Welker was made, not born. He was made by Brady and Belichik. They can make another one like him without too much trouble

While I agree with you for the most part, I am still surprised that the Patriots decided to give the bigger contract to a guy who will be lucky to produce the numbers Welker put up for them. I think I'd rather have Welker for the contract than Amendola for the contract that he got.

The Seahawks have really loaded up. They've signed Avril and Bennett and are stacked right now.

i'm pretty sure the eagles still have at least one big move left in free agency, but taking another look at the draft:

in the first round, i want nothing to do with any of the DTs. i'm sure that one of floyd, lotulelei or richardson won't suck, but i don't want to be the one to roll the dice on guessing which one it'll be.


looking at the rest of the top ~10, there's joeckel, fisher and johnson at OT, and i'm a fan of all of them. there's warmack at guard, milliner at CB, jordan, ansah and jones at DE/OLB and geno smith at QB. i think i'd be okay with any of these guys at 4. i'm not a huge fan of milliner and i don't think warmack is great value that high, but i'm pretty sure both are gonna be in the league for a while, so while i wouldn't be ecstatic about either of them, i also wouldn't ##### too badly about them being taken.

then a half step up from those two are smith, johnson, ansah and jones. johnson, ansah and jones have flaws, but the sky is the limit for each of them in terms of potential, so i'd be happy to roll the dice. and then with geno smith, if the eagles draft him, it means that chip! signed off on him, so i'd be happy with that, too.

and then, i think the class of the draft are fisher, joeckel and dion jordan, and of the 3, fisher is the guy i really want.


getting into the 2nd round, i want a DB. the draft looks really strong there, so i'd hope to get trufant or elam or rhodes or amerson, cyprien, reid, banks, poyer, ryan, rambo, thomas, mathieu, swearinger, or you know, if they can find a couple of trading partners, they could probably slide all the way down to the 3rd/4th round, add a couple of extra 2nd/3rd day picks, and still pick up 1 or 2 of those guys, plus a TE, another OL, and some linemen/backers to help transition to the 3-4/4-3 under by the end of the 5th round.


if they stand pat, i'd hope for something like 1-fisher, 2-elam, 3-ryan 4-fauria, 5-taylor. if they pull that off, you get a bookend left tackle and a potential stud safety in fisher and elam, plus a red zone threat at TE in fauria, another usable DB in ryan, and a DE who should be able to excel in a 3-4 in devin taylor.


figure a roster of something like:

QB (4): vick, foles, dixon, edwards
RB (4): mccoy, brown, polk, lewis
TE (4): celek, casey, fauria, harbor
WR (5): jackson, maclin, avant, cooper, johnson
OL (9): fisher - mathis - kelce - herremens - peters; tennant, watkins, kelly, menkin

DL (6): cole, cox, sopoaga, taylor, dixon, thornton
rush LB (4): barwin, graham, curry, hunt
ILB (4): ryans, kendricks, rau, matthews
CB (5): williams, fletcher, boykin, ryan, (marsh/lindley/hughes)
S (4): elam, phillips, chung, allen

specialists (4): henery (K), mcbriar (P), dorenbos (LS), anderson (kick coverage)


that's still probably a 6 win team because the QB situation is such a mess and the team as a whole is an almost complete unknown, but you'd have young talent at every level of the defense (cox, graham, curry, kendricks, ryan, elam, boykin), plus a group of solid veterans (cole, sopoaga, ryans, williams, and chung) and a couple of interesting wildcards (barwin, fletcher, and phillips).

then on offense, you'd still have a ton of speed with jackson, maclin, and mccoy, plus casey and fauria would add some much needed size to the receiving corps. and if you add fisher to the O-line and get back the guys that were injured last year, that line doesn't just get better, it is massively upgraded from last year. peters and fisher at OT are lightyears ahead of bell/dunlap/kelly/herremens, while herremens is lightyears ahead of watkins/kelly/scott at RG. and kelce is again lightyears ahead of what you got from reynolds at C. if you add that massive influx of talent to the upgrade in coaching, the line (and the offense as a whole) could look really, really good.

You think Cole is going to play 3-4 end? He'd have to put on a lot of weight.

I am still surprised that the Patriots decided to give the bigger contract to a guy who will be lucky to produce the numbers Welker put up for them.

Welker, if he re-signed, would also have been "lucky to produce the numbers Welker put up for them."

The stupidest thing I read about Welker leaving the Pats was in the Globe. The columnist said something like "Despite the Patriots trying to phase him out, Welker caught 120 passes for 1,000 yards" (or whatever the real numbers are) - as if Welker was diving in front of passes intended for Gronkowski and the others and stealing receptions from them.

The media started the season with the story that the Patriots were removing Welker from the offensive game-plan. This didn't make sense at the time, considering they had just willingly agreed to pay him a big salary on a 1-year deal. But, ok, if that theory existed at that time, it still had a tiny chance of being true. But now, after the guy is thrown so many passes that his season total is near the top of the franchise list of receptions in a single season and he was the 4th-most "targeted" receiver in the entire NFL, to still claim with a straight face that the Pats phased him out of the offense is staggering in its delusional stubbornness.

So. Stephen Jackson is an upgrade over Michael Turner, right?

Welker, if he re-signed, would also have been "lucky to produce the numbers Welker put up for them."

I meant to say:

Amendola will be lucky to put up the numbers Welker would have put up for the Patriots in 2013 had he been re-signed.

Stegles and JJ, is there any reason to think that Trent Cole isn't done? A chronic over-achiever until last year when, well, he wasn't very good, he's now 30, and it wouldn't be surprising that if his physical skills diminish a small bit, he won't have any tricks left up his sleeve.

I didn't remember that the Cole came via a traded-for pick, one of the great trades in Eagles history:
Cole was selected in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles with the draft pick acquired from the Washington Redskins for wide receiver James Thrash.

You think Cole is going to play 3-4 end? He'd have to put on a lot of weight.

things:
1, i don't think it's ideal, but
2, he is so much more talented than the other options (thornton and dixon) that i think it's worth trying to fit him in there so that
3, you can get brandon graham and vinny curry on the field instead of one of those guys who's just a guy. and
4, cole is very good against the run and he has been dealing with constant double-teams over the last few years anyway so he's kind of had the same job description as a 3-4 end for a while.

Stegles and JJ, is there any reason to think that Trent Cole isn't done? A chronic over-achiever until last year when, well, he wasn't very good, he's now 30, and it wouldn't be surprising that if his physical skills diminish a small bit, he won't have any tricks left up his sleeve.

i don't disagree there, but what else are you gonna do?

if they had signed ricky jean-francois, then that would be a different situation. and if they do sign another 3-4 end, that would be a different situation, but for now, just writing it out in pencil, i think you have to plan on putting the most talent on the field that you can and leave it to the coaching staff to create a scheme that utilizes the talent.

Apparently Baltimore traded Flacco and he's headed up to New England. Link.

As for Welker going to the Broncos, Welker was made, not born.

Brady made him a star, but Welker was a good player in Miami. And it's not like he's going to catch passes from Mark Sanchez.

You think Cole is going to play 3-4 end? He'd have to put on a lot of weight.

Cox and Thornton will be the DEs when the play 3-4. Cole is an OLB in a 3-4, he's not big enough to a DE. But they're still going to play a lot of 4-3 this year as they transition to the 3-4.

So. Stephen Jackson is an upgrade over Michael Turner, right?

Stephen Jackson is who you sign if you want 2011 Michael Turner on the 2013 Falcons.

Brady made him a star, but Welker was a good player in Miami.

He really wasn't, that's 100% hindsight. He went undrafted. He was cut by the Chargers. Over three years he totalled less than 100 catches, and a single touchdown. He was stuck about 4th on the Dolphins's WR depth chart, behind guys whose name I can't even remember.

I'd agree that he'll be fine catching balls from Manning though.

I believe that would have been the Chris Chambers Era in Miami. I bet his tenure there coincided with Marty Booker's as well. Maybe David Boston.

I believe that would have been the Chris Chambers Era in Miami. I bet his tenure there coincided with Marty Booker's as well. Maybe David Boston.

Luminaries, all of them.

He really wasn't, that's 100% hindsight.

It's really not. Nobody expected 110 catches a year, but he was hardly an unknown:

Welker, 25, is a terrific, if unheralded playmaker who has earned a spot on the ESPN.com "all unsung" team each of the past two seasons. Used principally as a return specialist in his first two seasons in the league, Welker emerged as a viable receiving threat in 2006, with 67 catches for 687 yards and a touchdown.

He was 49th in DYAR, 48th in DVOA, 65th in WPA, and 53rd in EPA. He was one of the best slot receivers in the league that year. That's a good player.

about two weeks out from the draft my thoughts right now are:

at 4, my order of preference is luke joeckel, eric fisher, dion jordan, trade down, lane johnson, geno smith, jarvis jones, dee milliner.

in the 2nd round, i would #### meself with glee if the eagles could pull matt elam. he's a bit undersized, but he's fast, he's physical, and he has a nose for the ball. the way i look at this draft, i think he is the only DB that i would take in the first 3 rounds. this class is pretty loaded in the defensive backfield, so i would plan on waiting until the mid rounds (4-5-6) to draft whoever gets left on the board, rather than use a 2nd or 3rd round pick to draft someone who's only marginally better. right now, elam is the only exception to this strategy.

if elam is off the board, i would look at one of the Dlinemen -- margus hunt, jonathan jenkins, johnathan hankins, brandon williams, alex okafor, damontre moore, cornelius washington -- or maybe a TE -- eifert, ertz, escobar, fauria, kelce, mcdonald.

ideally, the eagles come out of day 2 with something like eric fisher, matt elam, brandon williams and an extra draft pick or two in the 3rd day.


then you get into rounds 4, 5 and 6, where you cleanup any DBs that are left on the board and maybe pick up a TE. you're not gonna get the pick of the litter, but with how many quality prospects there are this year, there will be players available that are capable of starting.

then you get into round 7, which is really a crapshoot, but the eagles have 5 picks (including 1 compensatory selection) in the round, and between this being roseman and gamble in the front office and kelly's system on the field, i have very little doubt that they'll find at least one real contributor.


oh, and as far as trade possibilities, i would think nick foles, trent edwards, dion lewis, jason avant, jeremy maclin, trent cole, and nate allen could be on the move.


i still don't think the eagles are going to be very good this year, but if you look at some of the players they've brought in, they're some very interesting possibilities.
you have dennis dixon at QB, arrelious benn and if... mm... at WR. then everette brown and clifton geathers at DE/OLB. and donnie jones as a punter.
dixon has a history with kelly. brown and benn were 2nd round picks. jones has a cannon on his hip, and i... m... is 6'4 and runs a sub 4.4 40. geathers is 6'7, 330 lbs, which makes him an ideal 3-4 DE for a team that didn't have one.

some of these guys might not/probably won't make the roster out of training camp, but there's some pedigree here and if you combine some of these guys with players who were already on the roster and established veterans who were signed in free agency this offseason and rookies who have yet to be drafted, and a new coaching staff with a new philosophy being supported by a new front office.
this really is gonna be a whole new team. and it's kind of exciting.

The Ravens replace Ray Lewis with a guy who only threatens to kill people.

oh, and as far as trade possibilities, i would think nick foles, trent edwards, dion lewis, jason avant, jeremy maclin, trent cole, and nate allen could be on the move.

that didn't take long. dion lewis was traded for emmanuel acho.

i guess acho will add depth at LB and on special teams and maybe compete for the starting spot on the strongside, but he could also just as easily be cut during training camp.


lewis actually looked pretty decent when he got on the field, but at best he was going to be 3rd on the team's depth chart at RB, and considering he adds very little on special teams, the eagles should be able to find someone who's a better use of a roster spot.

maybe compete for the starting spot on the strongside

He is an inside LB.

He is an inside LB.

that's not exactly apples and ########. players have been known to move between the two from time to time.

and the eagles should be set on the inside with kendricks and ryans, so i'd imagine the competition will be on the outside in training camp.

The Eagles just paid $36 million in free agency for a strong-side backer.

and the eagles should be set on the inside with kendricks and ryans, so i'd imagine the competition will be on the outside in training camp.

Yes, between Cole and Graham since the other 3 starting spots are locked up.

Yes, between Cole and Graham since the other 3 starting spots are locked up.

i don't think cole is guaranteed to be on the roster coming out of the draft. and i don't think barwin or graham are guaranteed to be in the starting lineup, either. though FWIW, it seems like mychal kendricks isn't guaranteed to start either, so it seems like the coaching staff is leaving a lot of wiggle room all around.


anyway, the draft is hours away, and with the eagles drafting 4th, i figure i might take a look at who's been drafted 3-4-5 in past drafts.

going back to 09, you have tyson jackson, aaron curry, and mark sanchez.
in 2010, you had gerald mccoy, trent williams, and eric berry.
in 2011, you had marcel dareus, aj green, and patrick peterson.
and then in 2012, you had trent richardson, matt kalil, and justin blackmon.

if you compare those names to the 4 guys who i prefer this year (joeckel, fisher, jordan, and johnson), only aj green and patrick peterson are clearly better. so for all the talk about this being a weak draft, i think the eagles are actually pretty okay. and if the raiders pluck shariff floyd, then it sets up even better for them.

ideally, the eagles come out of day 2 with something like eric fisher, matt elam, brandon williams and an extra draft pick or two in the 3rd day.

this probably won't be my last post before the draft, but right now, i'm thinking something like this:

if eric fisher is on the board, i'd take him over anyone else...but i think the eagles would get more value from trading down. i love fisher; if he's on the board at 4, i think he'd be the best overall prospect, and he plays a premium position which is also one that the eagles could use help at, but i think there's guys like him available every year. right now, jake mathews and taylor lewan are projected as top 10 picks next year, and while fisher can be great, so could they. so, if the eagles could pull 13 and 39 from the jets or 12 and 42 from the dolphins, i think that's moved up to the best case scenario for me.

figuring that the eagles get 12 and 42, in addition to 36 and 67, they could come out of friday with something like jonathan cooper, matt elam, margus hunt and john jenkins. that's 3 guys in the trenches and if that happens, their offensive line is better, their defensive line is better, their secondary is better, and with margus hunt's ability to block kicks, their special teams could go from worst to first. then you get into day 3, where you can clean up at TE (kasa), DB (hyde, mcgee) and OL (faulk).

or alternatively, you could go vaccaro at 12, manuel at 36, ertz at 42 and then trade out of the 3rd round to pick up extra ammo for day 3. that doesn't help you in the trenches, but vaccaro is an elite talent at safety, ertz is a really solid all-around TE and manuel has a ton of potential if things click for him.


on the other hand, the worst case scenario imo, would be:
4: star lotulelei
36 + 67 traded for a 1st round pick in the 20s: geno smith (or an even worse scenario: matt barkley)

with star, i just find it hard to imagine that he'll be able to chase down QBs like griffin, kaepernick, newton and wilson, and with those guys being the future of the NFC, i think he's really the worst guy they could plausibly draft.

and then with geno smith, if the eagles pass on him at 4, then that makes it really hard to sell him as a franchise QB because teams don't pass on franchise QBs like that, and the ones that do wind up with brady quinn and jimmy clausen.

so, if the eagles could pull 13 and 39 from the jets or 12 and 42 from the dolphins, i think that's moved up to the best case scenario for me.

I think there is basically no chance this happens. I don't see anybody in this draft worth moving up from 12/13 to 4 at any significant price. It doesn't seem like there's any buzz around teams looking to move into the Top 5 either.

Rumor has it the miners will trade 5-7 picks, either moving up or laterally for 2014