On Marcus Smith
Several days later, I’m still not sure what to make of the Marcus Smith pick.
I’m not excited about it. But I don’t necessarily hate it either.
My issue here is that the 26th overall pick in the draft can’t be a “project”. A guy taken that high has got to be someone that can step in almost right away and make immediate contributions. With Smith, the Eagles aren’t expecting anything significant until at the earliest, next year. And that’s not OK. Its ridiculous that the Eagles could very well go into the 2015 draft with no idea about whether or not Smith will pan out, and will have to decide on drafting another rusher or filling another need.
Smith is a very raw prospect, and he needs some time to grow and develop before being comfortable enough to step in and play regular snaps for the defense. To me, this means that there’s a good chance we’re going to see his name among the team’s inactives for much of the first half of the season. I’m not particularly fond of when a team drafts on potential of what a guy could be three years down the road from now as opposed to the impact that a much more polished player at the same or different position can give you right then and there. Here’s the thing about potential…often times, its very difficult to fulfill.
That being said, I’m not completely down on this pick for a couple of reasons.
For one, this pick was made by a different set of minds then the Joe Banner and Andy Reid scouting departments that reached to bring us the likes of Brandon Graham, Danny Watkins, Jaiquawn Jarrett, Daniel Teo-Neshiem, Matt McCoy, Victor Abiamiri, Matt Ware, Quintin Cavor, and Trevor Laws.
Howie Roseman has earned the benefit of the doubt. His 2012 draft class of Fletcher Cox, Mychal Kendricks, Vinny Curry, Nick Foles, and Brandon Boykin was pretty darn good. Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz, and Bennie Logan are all pretty good picks of his from 2013 as well. Tom Gamble, a guy who is incredibly respected around the league, is still a member of the front office, and was there to assist in the selection of Smith. Gamble helped put together one of the top defenses in the league out in San Francisco, and I’m sure there are some qualities about Smith that caught his eye.
The Good
I think the Eagles hit a couple of home runs with their second and third round picks.
Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff are two different types of receivers that are going to help open up a lot of different things for this offense.
Matthews is a big target with good speed that can do a little bit of everything well. He can make tough catches in traffic, a hard worker, a willing blocker, and he’s going to help make the Eagles an even better redzone team.
Look at all of the big, physical targets that Nick Foles has to choose from. He’s got Riley Cooper, a guy who he trusts implicitly. Zach Ertz, a guy who showed some enormous potential a year ago. Brent Celek, a reliable veteran. And now they’ve got Matthews to lineup on the other side of the field. How do you account for all of these big, tall threats on defense? You can only double team so many guys, so there’s going to be plenty of juicy one-on-one matchups for Foles to take advantage of.
Huff is small, explosive player that I can see Kelly moving around and using in a variety of different ways. With Cooper and Matthews on the field, Kelly can put together some strong bubble screen plays for Huff. Cooper and Matthews are strong blockers, and should be able to help create some big plays for Huff.
Huff is also a guy that you know is going to be able to contribute right away because of his time spent with Chip Kelly at Oregon. That familiarity is going to accelerate his development and help him become a factor from the get go.
No Instant Starters
Smith, again, is a project.
Matthews and Huff should both contribute right away, but they’re going to be the team’s third and fourth receivers.
Can Jaylen Watkins beat out Bradley Fletcher and Nollan Carroll for a starting job alongside Cary Williams? Highly unlikely.
Taylor Hart, Ed Reynolds, and Beau Allen have to earn their way onto the team.
Final Thoughts
I think this is probably the weakest draft class that the Eagles have had in three years, which is more of a compliment to the job that the front office did in 2012 and 2013 than it is a knock on this group.
In 2012 and 2013, we came away feeling great about the top picks from the first two rounds, and had expectations of immediate and significant contributions from Fletcher Cox, Lane Johnson, Mychal Kendricks, and Zach Ertz, while we were also excited about the potential of some of the mid-round selections like Brandon Boykin and Earl Wolff.
The 2014 class? Its a very mixed bag.
We aren’t going to get that instant contribution from Marcus Smith. Maybe he pans out in two or three years, but he’s not going to be expected to do much more than develop in his rookie season.
Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff are the only guys you can count on to play significant roles this year. Jaylen Watkins is the one mid-round guy that is intriguing, but there’s not a lot to be excited about from the fifth round and on.
It’s easier to get impact players drafting 4 vs 22! Personally I think parlaying the 22nd pick into 3 players at need positions was brilliant (and certainly somewhat lucky). We may not reap the full benefits this year, but should really help in 2015 when Smith, Watkins and Hart represent our pick at 22.
I keep reading and hearing about Marcus Smith being a poor Choice at #26
Then I look at the next 10 Selections made after the Eagles Pick
#27) Cardinals Safety – Deone Buchannon (Drafted a Round Early)
#28) Panthers WR – Kelvin Benjamin (Most had him as Mid-2nd Round Grade,but will probably Start for a Team with very few Quality WR’s)
#29) Patriots DT – Dominque Easly (Coming off Knee Injury, may not be ready for Camp or Early Season)
#30) 49ers Safety – Jimmie Ward (Draft a 1/2 Round Early per most Anaylist’s)
#31) Broncos CB – Bradley Roby (Off the Field, Legal Issues(
#32) Vikings QB – Tedy Bridgewater (Had the biggest Drop of any Player in Draft)
Then I look at First 5 Selections of the 2nd Round
#33) Texans – Guard Xavier Sua’-Filo (Probably a Day 1 Starter)
#34) Cowboys – DE Demarcus Lawrence (Fills a huge need for Cowboys who DL decimated lost 3 Starters from last Season)
#35) Browns – OL Joel Bitonio (taken a 1/2 Round early per most analysts)
#36) Raiders – QB Derek Carr (fills need for Raiders QB of Future to be groomed behind Schaub for a Season or two)
#37) Falcons – DT Ra’Sheede Hageman (Maturity and Work Ethic issues, probably will have a great chance to see the field due to Falcons need along the DL)
So what I would like to ask everyone is who on GCOBB feels that any of these next 11 Selections following the Eagles #26 Pick of Marcus Smith see’s a Day 1 Starter for the Eagles …. (even Guard Xavier Sua’Filo would probably be a back-up to Mathis or Herreman’s for 2014 if he were Selected)
Buchannon, Roby, Benjamin and Ward were all better picks and will probably contribute more than Smith.
1) Roby is a Legal Liability with off the field issues and the Eagles simply took him off their Board Completely, so he’s a non-factor..
2) WR Benjamin is a real work in progress with upside but will take 1-2 Seasons to polish his game, route running, reading coverages,etc,etc
3) Deone Buchannon at Strong Safety was just not a real need for the Eagles who are high on Wolff, signed both Jenkins,Maragos and Nate Allen so they were not going to Draft a Safety who most had a mid-2nd Round Grade on, though I do believe he will have a very good NFL Career
(If Free-Safety Dix was on board, perhaps they grab him, but the Eagles simply don’t value Strong Safeties that high)
4) Jimmie Ward will be groomed at San Francisco for a Season and get to play and learn from Veteran A Bethea and last years 1st Round Pick Eric Reid to form a very good Safety Tandem for the Future for the 49ers.. but do remember that Ward played at Northern Illinois and simply did not play versus NFL Caliber QB’s and Receivers during his College Career and will have an adjustment to make..
Why was Mack drafted 5 if teams worry about competition? Roby was given a citation that constitutes legal problems? Buchannon would start here he’s more than a in the box safety stop reading scouts reports.
I make my own reports Biggy and don’t rely on conventional wisdom or the media’s take on things, C’mon Man, you know me better than that..
Roby has had multiple issues not this latest incident..
Mack is a Special Talent at a premium position that had very little depth which is why he went Top#5.. Buchannon is not in the same class of Athlete or Gamechanger in what was recognized as a average Safety Class… I believe I mentioned many times on here that there were 3-4 Playmakers on Defense in this Draft
(Clowney, Mack and probably DT Donald who fits a 4-3 Scheme)
The CB’s,Safety’s and other LB’s all need a Season or 2 before making any significant impact in Year 1
You are flat wrong about Buchannon, and Benjamin will be a game changer in Carolina. Some kind of friendly wager is in order. Buchannon will be a better player and contribute more this year than Ha Ha and Pryor.
wasn’t Burfict a so called liability?
Did the Eagles draft the best player available at 26?
yes or no?
The only one I would have considered over Marcus Smith was MarQ Lee or Roby.
Many won’t admit it, but Roby is also somewhat of a project and not a guarantee. While Lee could have been an upgrade over Jordan Matthews.
But if we moved up in the first round to get: Ha Ha Dix or CJ Mosley, do we get Huff? Jordan or Watkins?
Moving up could have had a huge effect on the entire draft.
Benjamin will struggle all year. They have no speed at WR position and his greatest strength will be around the red zone which even with Steve Smith they struggled last year. Not to mention he doesn’t even get to acclimate to Cam with him being injured.
For Benjamin to be successful in the NFL he’s going to need to have a good QB that can put the ball places only he can.
He has high bust potential.
Izell I have a highly scientific response for you about Benjamin, no he won’t struggle. LOL he’ll be fine he in my opinion was a very safe pick he’ll win most one on one battles just on size alone.
Lmao Yo BigL had me rolling with that one. On Benjamin if it an Aaron Rodgers Drew Bees type QB I would say yes but Cam isn’t a throw you open Qb.
I listen to this podcast: The Football Guys.
These dudes pegged Alshon Jeffery way before anyone else. God knows how many more picks they were right on that no one else was..
In the end. They HATE Benjamin. I trust these guys more than I trust almost any other football analyst because they speak the truth.
Denny, that is a tempered and logical assessment of the Birds draft. I would agree with most of what you wrote. I tried to avoid posting soon after the draft, tried to avoid my usual knee jerk reaction. The Smith pick may work out, but I still have questions whether or not they could have traded back with Cleveland again (who NFL network reported at the time was looking to get back into the 1st round) and still gotten Smith.
The Smith pick clearly shows that the Eagles relied solely on their board and their own assessment of the players. I did not see many places before the draft where Smith was rated as high as he went.
That being said, I am glad that the team was seriously trying to address the defense.
I also agree with Denny that the two WR’s will impact the offense this season. Matthews and Huff are very different, but both will add flexibility to the offensive gameplan.
One thing that has changed with this draft are my expectations and criticism for the coach and GM. The honeymoon is over. It is time to put up Chip. There is no doubt that if Reid had made a 1st round pick like Smith that I would have been all over him. Kelly and Roseman can prove all of the “keyboard experts” wrong, or they will be constantly reminded of the mistake like Reid was reminded of the Thomas / Graham pick years later.
Mini camps and then training camp….this is clearly Kelly’s team. No excuses. Get it done and keep moving forward. GO BIRDS!!!!!
Good post Greenfan, I didn’t wait to leap this just wasn’t a good draft, hope I’m wrong. I give big time credit for 5 out of 7 defensive picks and getting serious value from Bryce Brown. That’s it. Denny this was a really good assessment on the draft and like you I have no interest in waiting 3 years to see if Smith pans out. At the end of the day I think Watkins or Matthews will be the stars of this draft.
Thank you, both!
Denny,
Which Draft Picks following the Eagles Selection at # 26 do you think would be a quicker or more important contributor to the Eagles other than Marcus Smith ??
I listed the following 11 Selections after the Eagles
It’s real easy to bash the pick, but you are right, when you look at the picks that followed there aren’t any home runs there. The point is that at that spot in the first round there are no sure things. Clearly the Eagles wanted Ha-Ha but Green Bay scooped him up at 21, not much more they could have done there …
Its a very good point Paulman, and you’re right there’s not many guys in the next 11 that would have made a more immediate/significant contribution, although I did like Kelvin Benjamin a lot, and several picks after those next 11 Marqise Lee certainly I believe would have been more impactful in 2014 than Smith.
We got Jordan Matthews, who IMO will be much better than Kelvin Benjamin and probably better than Marquise Lee also. Personally I would have hated to see the Eagles draft Benjamin or Lee at 26.
Yes Anti, I like Matthews a lot. I also like Ruff. Matthews is the size and speed that we have been asking for, and Ruff is that slot and screen receiver that will be used much in the same way as Sproles. I believe that under Kelly both of these players will have some big years ahead of them.
Huff or Ruff 🙂
Is Darrin Ruf on the Eagles … Ha
Lol…..you got me Pman. Ruff !? I am a mess behind a keyboard sometimes.
Greenfan – It has been reported in both the Washington press and the Philly press that had Smith been there at 34 the Redskins would have taken him – the Redskins had the 34th pick – the Browms the 5th – this supports the statements made during the draft that the Eagles looked to move back again – and also supports the Redskins trading back from 34 with the CBoys and then selecting the pass rushing OLB from Stanford –
On the pick itself – I really did not watch too many Lousville games last year (I think one?) but from my lowely perspective – what is wrong with bringing a guy in a year early and letting him rotate with Cole and Barwin as a pass rushing OLB… Cole tends to fade as the season moves along, and isn’t he getting up there in years….
I agree 100%..
The Cowboys traded up with the Redskins and Selected DE/OLB Demarcus Lawrence from BYU
The Redskins then Selected DE/OLB Trent Murphy from Stanford in the
2nd Round and who is athletically limited and should have taken the much more athletic OLB with upside in Jeremiah Attachou from Georgia Tech, but that’s the Skin’s problem and not ours…
Yes, I can see your point Invino….there is a risk, and after just missing out on Clinton-Dix, I guess I can see them going for their remaining guy. Don’t get me wrong, I am very glad that they have tried to address this defense. I have no doubt that Coles age and contract next year played a part. I have about as much knowledge on Smith as you do, so I guess we just have to trust the team that Smith will fit what they need on the pass rush. I do believe that we have a staff of good coaches, and with a full year under their belts we should look for some continued progress.
GO BIRDS!!!!!
I believe the Eagles were targeting 2 Players specifically at #22.
WR Brandin Cooks and Safety Clinton-Dix with the strong belief that 1 of them would still be there once they came to the #20 Selection with Arizona on the Board which many thought would go after a QB,RB or OL but instead traded down to the Saints who moved up to #20 to take probably the last Offensive Playmaker off the Board and then the Packers took Safety Clinton-Dix which was expected by most Analyst’s, but if Saints didn’t trade up, then the Packers may have taken Cooks leaving Clinton-Dix to the Eagles.. but that’s the way it goes sometimes..
When listening to GM Roseman explaining the Draft or at least his and the Eagles Strategy, He and his Team have Players Ranked in “Tiers’ and not necessarily by “Rounds”.. So example, they have approx 20 Players with true “1st Round Grades”, then the 15-20 Players with a Late 1st-High 2nd Round Grades and then next 15-20 Players with lower 2nd/early 3rd Round Grades, etc,etc ..
The Challenging thing about this Draft is that there were only 15-20 Players with true 1st Round Grades which is why Teams in final 10 Selections opted to Trade Back (Cardinals, Eagles, Seahawks)
then there was a bunch of Players Rated from #20-#50 with not a lot of variance between the players grades or upside, then the next batch of #30-#40 Players with again, very little difference .. so when going from the Mid 2nd Round to 4th Round, there was not as large of a variance between lets say the 50th Pick to the 100th PIck based again on Scheme’s,Skill set to fit those Schemes, etc,etc
Do remember that about 1/2 the Teams in the NFL now run a 3-4 Scheme.. Teams that run a 3-4 have different Skill Sets and NEeds for for DE’s, their LB’s than a 4-3 Schemes..
More Secondaries are wanting to copy the Seahawks and get longer and more physical with their DB’s then lets say a few Years ago
this means more Players who have man to man and press-coverage experience to go along with length got pushed up the boards as opposed to smaller, maybe faster CB’s who played more Zone or Tampa 2 Schemes while in College… Lots of Variarbles for lots of Teams but this is the Trend we are seeing as well as full-time WR’s who specialize working out of the Slot with the rising productions on Slot WR like Welker,Edelman, etc,etc instead of strictly outside WR’s
When did a player ever work out that the Eagles drafted on upside?
Name one.
Lesean McCoy, D-Jax, Michael Kendricks, Brandon Boykin for starters..
QB Nick Foles too.. and Zac Ertz, Lane Johnson & bennie Logan all had nice Rookie Seasons to build upon , add Center Kelce also..
Zac Ertz, Lane Johnson & bennie Logan have a ways to go before they can be considered as worked out…..
and for the 368th straight day in a row GMDingbat repeats his Johnson, Ertz, Logan stink campaign again as usual. The only high draft pick the last two years that hasn’t worked out is the one you, GMCliff, suggested for them to select ( Vinny Curry) and yet in all your nonsense posts you never mention the BUST pick ( Vinny Curry ) that you wanted
They all played and contributed during their Rookie Seasons and got better as the Season went on.. Are they All-Pro’s,
Of course not, but they upgraded the Positions that they pkay over previous Eagle Players at those Positions so I would yes,
Their Rookie Seasons were a success for a 10-6 Playoff Team
To say anything otherwise is being foolish and not realistic and biased and since none of these Players are
“Your guys” Cliff, it’s not surprising to see you Post as something as stupid as above ..
Name me a Playoff Team from last year that had 3 Rookies contribute as much as these 3 Players did for the Eagles ..
Maybe the Chargers with DJ Fluker, Keenan Allen & ?
I agree paulman…..Ertz will be a stud this season. Logan will be stronger and better this year. Johnson is absolutely a Pro Bowl regular starting this season. Anyone with any kind of ability to evaluate talent can see that.
I’m going on record right now that Ertz, Johnson, Matthews, and Reynolds will be looked back on as GREAT picks by Howie and Chip. Everyone of their picks this year will make the team.
If Reynolds stayed in school 1 more year he would have been a 2nd rnd pick next year.
I agree on Ertz and Reynolds….I need to see Johnson tighten up that pass rush coverage. Ertz is a stud and will be a pro bowler.
Josh Huff has signed a 4 year deal with the Eagles.
I just wrote this in the post prior to this one and I’ll post it here
I just read an article saying Jimmy Johnson did the same exact thing when he was drafting, he took guys that played for him and guys that played against him, he said he knew who had everything he was looking for in a player and it was easier for him, we all saw what that produced. Let the guy do his thing and what makes him comfortable, as of right now we have no reason to doubt any moves he’s making nor Howie and Gamble.
QUESTION: Who else thinks we should have kept Jackson until AFTER the draft before cutting him? Don’t you think Cleveland would be interested in giving us a 2015 pick? We also would get him out of the NFC East.
Old fan….I had the same thought during the draft. Was there some contractual reason…like a bonus was due or something, that caused them to release him at that time? Seems to me, even though there were no offers , that during the draft people are more inclined to make deals. I don’t know why it would have mattered, and certainly could not of hurt to have held onto him during the draft and deal or release him at that time. Good question.
I think they wanted him gone before the first OTA. That way he could not get “hurt”.
The Story was “Too Hot” for the Eagles to deal on a day to day and almost hour to hour basis for another 5-6 Weeks … A Complete Fiasco that was mishandled by all Sides…
Player Comparison’s
OLB Marcus Smith reminds me of a young Justin Houston of the Chiefs.. Similar size and build and quick first step.. Hopefully he can turn out like Houston in a year or two..
WR J Matthews reminds of a young Mike Quick, smooth runner, a quiet professional who is workmanlike and a little quicker than he looks, catches well in traffic and can run all the Routes
WR J Huff reminds me of Packer’s WR Randall Cobb who does a little of everything well.. Returns Kicks, Runs Reverses, Catches Bubble Screens, Quick Slants and can get deep on you if you’re not paying attention and since Huff was originally a RB, he has those Natural Running Skills in the Open Field..
Wow Eagles drafted Justin Houston, a young Mike Quick and Randall Cobb rnd 1,2, and 3. lmao the Kool Aid is has filled just about every cup on this site and has begun to overflow all on the table to the floor.
LMAO
I think the post by the Paulman guy hits the key point – who else was available that would have been able to come in and be a day 1 starter – I think the only positions the eagles had that really needed a big time day 1 starter were safety and possible CB, maybe WR (and they drafted 2 of those!) – even if you drafted a top G Hermanns would have battled him – Maybe NT – I liked Nix ? I think the key point is the Eagles wanted to get Smith and tried to move back and still get him – but another team that also had a need for pass rushing OLB was at 34
**Eagles News**8
ESPN Adam Scheffler reports that Guard Darryn College formerly of the Arizona Cardinals and GB Packers will be visiting the Eagles for a Work-out and Interview.. College is a 8 Year NFL Veteran and has not missed a game the last 6 Straight Seasons and could be offered a Deal as a Back-up or competition at RG to Herreman’s…
He’s 6-4′ – 305lbs, 31 Years of Age and was a 2nd round Pick of the Packers
back in 2005 and a good player to have in the locker room..
Just for the Fun of it and a Revisionist’s look at how Draft could have went..
Let’s say the Eagles still do exactly what they did with their 1st 2 Picks
(Marcus Smith and Jordan Matthews) including the Trade back and then up)
This is how the rest of the Draft could have went Drafting Players of the same Positions as the Eagles did with their Original Pick’s, just in a different sequence…
Rd 1 – #26 OLB Marcus Smith (Louisville)
Rd 2 – #42 WR Jordan Matthews (Vanfdebilt)
Then the Following
Rd 3 – #86 CB Phillip Gaines (Rice 6-1 195lbs)
Rd 4 – #107 DT Justin Ellis (Lousiana Tech – 6-2 335lbs)
Rd 5 – #141 DE Aaron Lynch (South Florida 6-5 250lbs)
Rd 5 – #162 WR/Returnman Robert Herron (Wyoming 5-10 195lbs)
Rd 6 – #224 Strong Safety Ahmad Dixon (Baylor 6-0 212lbs)
I believe the Eagles would have upgraded the CB,DT,DE and Safety Position’s with these Players and probably a wash on Huff versus Herron
Just my Thoughts…
The one area I do fault them in is with the whole D-Jax situation. How do you just release a guy coming off the best year of his career and who is probably the #1 deep threat in the NFL, and get nothing back for him? They got a 3rd round pick for freaking Bryce Brown for Pete’s sake. At least hold onto him until the draft and try to make a deal then. There is no way they should have let him go for nothing …
It was his Contract, not his Talent that would make a Trade very unlikely..
Another Team would have to accept and been able to afford his $34.5 remaining 3 Year Deal and been able to afford his $10.5 Million Salary for 2014 and when you think about Teams Spending $5-$7 Million on your Rookie Draft Picks and Undrafted Free-Agents, the only Teams to afford him and be under their Caps where Teams with at least $15 to $20 Million under the Current Cap which there is not a lot of them around…
(Browns,Raiders, for sure, but not many out there this late after Free-Agnecy Period)
Bryce doesn’t make 10 million…
That was in reference of why not hanging onto
D-Jax and trade him at Draft Weekend Cliff…
I wonder if the the eagles would trade Maclin for Andre Johnson
the Texans wouldn’t……
I doubt they would either but Andre Johnson seems unhappy there and Houston looks to be in rebuild mode
The Eagles wouldn’t you mean Cliff
Andre Johnson has 2 Years Top and top Receiver while Maclin just turned
25 I believe with a lot more upside..
Deal would make no sense for the Eagles to do..
They just Drafted 2 Young WR’s to go along with
Maclin & Cooper to give them enough weapons at the WR Corps for the next 4-5 Seasons as long as Naclin stays healthy and signs a long term deal with the Team that Deafted him, stood by him during his illness and injury last year, and this Eagle offense is a perfect fit for Maclin who should get 70 Receptions, 1200 Yards with the System and Talent that surrounds him..
Maclin is gone next year if Matthews is the player I think He is.
Next season-Barring Injury-
Cooper and Matthews outside
Huff as the slot
Ertz and a new TE
Oh and I like Maclin and think he is a fine player- He will want too much cheddar and Chip and Howie will say see ya. If Maclin had signed a 5 year deal Huff likely is not here.
Denny, I view the most recent drafts under Roseman as having a reasonable level of success. I also like what Kelly has done so far, which is on many levels contrary to what many pundits, armchair GM’s and draft guru’s have predicted so far, ie Chip needs a mobile QB, Eagles have to draft a WR in the 1st round, the R/O element of the offense won’t work with Foles under center. Kelly actions have been contrary to the “experts” and so far, he’s been successful. I think he realizes that the Eagles weren’t as good a team as their record showed last season and believes he still needs to rid the roster of Reid’s underachieving cast and replace them with his guys. Kelly seems to have a more long term goal of sustained winning, where the results aren’t always immediate. For that reason, I’m willing roll with M. Smith, because I trust Gamble who was involved in bringing A. Smith to SF. The whole impact at 26 is overrated as well. Here’s the 26th pick of the draft since 2005:
2005 C. Spencer – C – Sea- bust
2006 J. McCargo- DE- Buff – bust
2007 A. Spencer- DE- Dall- Eh
2008 D. Brown – OT – Tex- OK
2009 C. Matthews- OLB -GB – stud (thought to be a reach at the time)
2010 D. Williams- DT- Tenn- bust
2011 J. Baldwin -WR- KC- seriously?
2012 W. Mercilus- DE – Buff- jury still out- averages 6.5 sacks a year
Not a lot of impact there. Let it play out.
Mercilus plays for the Texans Everz…….
Turns out the Browns (who can afford him) are desparate for a WR…..could have been a good deal!
And who knew this from 6-7 Weeks ago ??
Thats the point of letting it play out, who knew what teams would have been desperate for wideout help.
Nobody, but why not hold on on to him and see if such a scenario develops. Doesn’t cost any money, but Chip just wanted him gone……
He became too much of a Distraction to Owner Lurie..
I still say those Stories were planted by D-Jax’s Ex-Agent Drew Rosenstain who wanted D-Jax to make a New Deal with some Team so he can get his almost $500 K back that D-Jax owe’s him, plus Drew Rosenhaus will stick it to the EAGLES every chance..
What comes around, goes around …
Think I would rather risk having a distraction plus a pick in 2015 than getting ZERO and seeing him sign with a team we play twice a year. To speak nothing of the PR ramifications….
Maybe the Brown GM Farmer said thanx but no thanks since they had a potential problem in WR Gordon on their hands already..
The Desean was offered for the entire NFL for a month in 2014 and no one offered a 7th round pick for him —
You can add M. Smith to that list lol
I hated the first round selection– I think he is a finesse player and don’t believe he offers much of a challenge to Tyron Smith or Trent Williams. Where as I see the Dallas and Washington left tackles being top ten players in the NFL at their spot the next 5 years, I envision Marcus Smith being a bottom 10 edge rusher competing against them from the right side of the Eagles’ D Line . Horrible selection, a nobody.
Well E0S I’m not going to kill this kid but he has a long way to be a contributor, we need to see what he looks like on the field.
Vandy Wr factory, Louisville LB University lol
Former Louisville Cardinal HC Curtis Strong is recognized as one of the better Teaching College Coach’s for a Defense and Louisville has 3-4 Players on Defense selected this Draft.. Safety Pryor, De/OLB Smith, ILB Preston Brown which is pretty impressive..
These Players are all fundamentally sound, Play fast and hard..
And will become good NFL Players..
I don’t get it Paulman 95% of the people on here wanted Pryor who played in the same defense as smith but smith had better stats but yet everybody wanted Pryor I just don’t get it.
I am pretty sure Gloomy that no one had Marcus Smith as the Eagles Pick even though you and I had him mocked a few times as a 2nd Round Pick for the Eagles and are we at least familiar with his game and Louisville’s Program
It’s the usual yearly occurrence of when people that are not knowledgeable about a Player, they are quick to bash and tear them down…
Paulman I am very familiar with Louisville and you are correct you and Gloomy had mocked him here, I don’t like Pryor and I don’t like Smith if you did watch him you’ll see a kid who cannot get off blocks they moved around to go against the weakest lineman they could find and he won’t hold the edge, he’s not that kind of player. Best case scenario is he plays on passing downs they move him around and stunt and loop with him and he becomes a really good blitzed. He’s not going to beat too many NFL LT’s one on one. That’s what I saw when I watched his film.
Hey guys, Ive been a member on gcobb for some time now, well some years now. I guess I can be considered a daily lurker, only reading posts, and comments to the posts! I have a question though, last night I was reading that Andre Johnson has is questioning the direction that the team is going in under Texans new head coach. His frustration has been documented before but not like this… He is upset that they did not pick a quarterback with the 1st over-all pick in this years draft. At the age of 33, he does not see himself winning a ring with the Texans any time soon and so he is now indicating that he would like to be traded. If he does indeed push the issue and a trade is sought, one of the teams that was brought up which has the means and the motive was the Eagles. I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS… Do any of you guys think that Chip would consider it?
It is a serious contradiction isn’t it Smitty???
Like I said Cliff I don’t like either one of them Buchannon is going to be a better player than Pryor and we’ll be debating Smith for a year because he might not get on the field until 2015, great value out of your first rounder.
Marcus Smith will get on a the field for 15-20 Plays a game as Trent Coles Back-Up and in certain Blitz Packages
Trent Cole does not play 65 Snaps a game any longer and hasn’t for a couple years..
If he moves ahead of Brandon Graham if he picks up the defense if Travis Long doesn’t pan out that’s a lot of if’s for a first rounder.
Brandon Graham will not even be on the Eagles Roster by Mid-Camp
Marcus Smith will be the Back-up for both Trent Cole and Connor Barwin and see about 15-20 Snaps a Game and maybe even take over for Trent Cole by mid-late Season with Cole coming in on Pass-Rushing-4 DL Packages which may be the Eagles Best Front
Have 4 DL Curry,Cox,Logan and Cole as 4 DL
with Barwin and Marcus Smith on the Edges and Kendricks in the middle as Ryans comes off ..
Smith is not so different than most other DE’s/OLB’s picked in the bottom of the first round… They seldom start in their first season…
Look at last year – Bjoern Werner, pick 24, started 1 game last year…. Datone Jones, pick 26, didn’t start a game last year. Hell, even Dion Jordan the 3rd pick in the draft didn’t start a game.
Datone Jones played quite a bit late last Season for the Packers
and came on strong as the Packers had a ton of injuries to their DE/OLB Position.. He finished with 10 Tackles and 3.5 Sacks and 1 Fumble Recovery.. He was a player I liked last Draft Class and has a bright future
1. Who cares about Dion Jordan, Jones and Werner
2. Can someone anyone show me the rule that says you can’t have an impact if your a late first round pick
3. We’ve been getting rid of Graham for 3 year’s he’s still here.
4. This should have been 1, you guys are the same ones saying don’t draft a receiver first they take to long to adjust, but are no expecting Matthews and Huff to outperform Smith. Hmmmm.
Biggy What Impact Player did you have in mind @ #26??
Or even at #22 .. There were 3-4 Impact Players in this Draft,
Lots of good Players and lots of Depth but who outside
Clowney,Mack, Watkins do you see as an impact Player in Year 1?
Ha Ha Dix, Kelvin Benjamin, Gilbert all will have major impact on their teams, I would have went receiver at 22 or 26 because they will impact your offense THIS year, and if that meant missing out on Smith in round 2 so be it. That’s just my take.
Benjamin is an outside WR and doesn’t have the speed, quickness or route running ability yet to play the inside (slot WR) which is what the eagles Offense needs in 2014
Ha-Ha Dix & Gilbert were selected before the Original Eagles Pick
So they were not available..
Other Receivers at #22 or #26 were M Lee or D Adams ?
You would take one of these over a Future Pass-Rusher OLB?
I already told you what I would have done, I guarantee barring injury Benjamin has a bigger impact then Smith.
I disagree about Benjamin being an impact player and don’t believe he would be all that great in Kelly’s System.. I think WR Jordan Matthews has much more upside in Kelly’s Scheme with the Eagles then the one-trick pony that Benjamin is at this stage of his career..
I do believe that Benjamin was a solid Pick for the Panthers who need big-bodied WR on the outside since Avant & Crothcery are more Slot inside WR’s
Again, all these Players Drafted are Good Players with potential Upside, but it’s about getting to the right team and the right system.. The Eagles have Maclin/Cooper on the Outside, and need a Slot/Inside WR which is not Benjamin’s strength except maybe down in the Red-Zone.. “Capice’s or Yo Comprendo”
Hey guys, Ive been a member on gcobb for some time now, well some years now. I guess I can be considered a daily lurker, only reading posts, and comments to the posts! I have a question though, last night I was reading that Andre Johnson has is questioning the direction that the team is going in under Texans new head coach. His frustration has been documented before but not like this… He is upset that they did not pick a quarterback with the 1st over-all pick in this years draft. At the age of 33, he does not see himself winning a ring with the Texans any time soon and so he is now indicating that he would like to be traded. If he does indeed push the issue and a trade is sought, one of the teams that was brought up which has the means and the motive was the Eagles. I WOULD ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS… Do any of you guys think that Chip would consider it?
I don’t see any need for the Eagles to trade for an aging and injury prone WR.
Andre Johnson injury prone…come on, you can’t be serious! The man played all 16 games the last two seasons…not to mention has caught over 100 passes in those seasons…he’s coming off of a 1300 yard season…yes he is a little up in age, if you comparing him to a Maclin, who very well could produce a 1300 yard season, if he’s healthy..But Johnson is not injury prone.
Hey Lobanga,
I read the same article but unfortunately, Andre Johnson is a little too old to help the Eagles in any significant way short-term and at Age 33 with 1-2 Seasons left, Andre Johnson’s best bet is to go to a Team that is 1-2 players away from a contending for a Deep Playoff run or Championship like the 49ers or Patriots.. but he is making big $$$ and similar to D-Jax’s Contract Situation, No Team is going to take that amount of $$$ at his stage of his Career.. I believe he wants to be released and will be released for New Coach O’Brien is going to want to rebuild the Texans for the long-haul and in his likeness and does not need to be questioned by its star player (Similar to what Chip Kelly is doing)
The Eagles just invested 2 High Draft Picks in WR’s that they are very high on in Matthews & Huff to go along with Cooper/Maclin and the others
I do not see the Eagles adding any Veteran Players on Offense during the remainder of the Season except maybe an OL if there are any injuries..
I mention this yesterday and said would they give up Maclin for him Maclin may be younger but has a bigger injury history and Andre Johnson could show the rookies the ropes until he is ready to retire. I would do the deal in a heartbeat I like Maclin but Andre Johnson in this offense would be crazy.
Since when is andre Johnson injury prone
2013
HOU
109
1,407
12.9
5
2012
HOU
112
1,598
14.3
4
2011
HOU
33
492
14.9
2
2010
HOU
86
1,216
14.1
8
2009
HOU
101
1,569
15.5
9
2008
HOU
115
1,575
13.7
8
2007
HOU
60
851
14.2
8
2006
HOU
103
1,147
11.1
5
2005
HOU
63
688
10.9
2
2004
HOU
79
1,142
14.5
6
2003
HOU
66
976
14.8
4
Those numbers are crazy!!!! Andre Johnson, Sproles, Cooper, Huff, Mathews, Ertz, Celec, McCoy!!!! SHEESH, All the pieces that an offensive mastermind like Kelly needs to play Football Chess with! If Foles has another season like he did last year, I could envision him, with a plethora of high velocity targets to choose from, and most of them over 6’2″ taking us deep into the playoffs… and very possibly further! MAKE THE DEAL HAPPEN FAST! Macklin along with next years 5 round draft pick. He is Jacksons immediate replacement and will groom Huff and Mathews.
He’s 33. Move on.
Prayers go out to those who have lost there homes due to the fires in the SD area. This is the shitty part about living in Cali. When the Santa Ana winds kick up, were vulnerable to all this shit
I have a question.
When have a questionable early round pick on the defensive side of the ball worked out for the Eagles?
Can anyone name one?
We don’t know yet under Coach Kelly yet Songs..
Andy Reid is gone and so will most of his Players that he brought in
So it’s new Team , Time will Tell…
I would say that Boykin’s in the 4th round has worked out.
When is the last time you kissed your RGIII poster?
so, you’re saying 4th round is an early round?
Kendrick’s would be a higher pick.
You never answered about you Man Love for RGIII. We all know that the reason that you are so upset about Michael SAMs is that you are tired of hiding you real love for RGIII and are jealous. When is the last time you kissed his poster FraudSongs?
LMAO
Paulman Philly Rumor….
Breyers Ice Cream Company to halt production of my favorite Ice Cream,
No more Mint Chocolate Chip… More Details at 11pm
On a side note, I am starting to work on the Eagles 2015 Draft
And should age a few dozen Mock’s up by the weekend..
Biglion The Eagles had this scenario. Trade up for Dix or Cooks or trade back and acquire Smith, Huff, Jenkins and Hart. Which one would you have taken?
For the defense they play I would take Dix or those 4 because you never know what other trades they could have pulled off. I don’t like Cooks. Dag I just don’t like Smith in that spot a 3 year project, been down that road too many times.
No brainer – You add 3-4 Quality Players over 1 “Supposed Impact” when your the Eagles who are not 1 Player away from Competing..
They are about 6th-8th in NFC as far as Pure Talent on it’s Current Roster and need as many quality Players added these next 2 Years to contend with the big Boys (Seahawks, Packers,49ers,Saints and then I would add the Cardinals & Bears as Teams ahead of the Eagles in 2014 in Terms of Talent with the Eagles bunched in with the Panthers, Giants as the next Tier Down…
I have to give my take:
When Roseman says: the draft is deep in X position. You can pretty much write it in stone that we are picking a player in that position come the second round.
Example:
2009: Deep RB group – LeSean McCoy
2010: Deep Safety Group – Nate Allen – Round 2
2011: Not a particularly deep class
2012: Deep LB group – Mychal Kendricks round 2
2012: Deep QB group – Nick Foles 3rd round
2013: Was not particularly deep at any one position
2014: Deep WR group – Jordan Matthews
In the 2010 & 2013 draft Roseman and many others said argued that the draft wasn’t very deep and teams would pick the highest ranked player on their boards in round 2.
Note: 2012 – was sick. Eagles apparently were also high on Russell Wilson and probably thought they could get him in the 3rd round.
I do believe the value the eagles got in this draft was: Jordan Matthews and Huff.
Huff – looks like he could be a Djax / Sproles Mix of a player. Personally a better fit for this team.
Matthews – Looks like he is a thinner and more elusive Anquan Boldin. A type of player this team has needed for a long time.
Even though I’m not impressed w/ the picks on Defense in this draft, I believe we will look back and say the receiving core made this draft a worth while one.
Roseman got snookered by the Saints in the draft which had them miss out on 1 of the 6 players the Eagles targeted in the first round.
Veteran GM’s knows he’s “wet behind the ears'”and will continue to abuse him on in the first round on draft day.
Unless we’re picking in the top 5 of course.
I’ll go on record and say Marcus Smith will be our least productive player picked in the first 4 rounds.
That alone will speak to Rosie’s incompetence.
Saints had to clear a lot of Cap Space and purged their Rosters of 5-6 Quality Veterans to make room for Safety Byrd
They Traded up for Cooks for they feel they still have a window to Win with Brees,Graham & Company..
Time will tell if moving up was the smart move for them, remember they did get a Draft pick for Sproles, but flat out released
Meachem,Will Smith, J Vilma, Roman Harper, Greer, other WR and let M Jenkins walk.. They lost a lot of Leadership and have issues with TE Graham
My thoughts on the draft-
Smith- Was a stupid reach, & will be Graham 2.0. Hate the pick. They will regret it.
Matthews- Love him.
Huff- Should have taken Gaines, or Moncrief, but I’m ok with the pick. He’s a versatile weapon.
Watkins- Would have taken Ellis, or McGill, but I’m ok with the pick. He’s a versatile DB, that hopefully is good enough to supplant Fletcher.
Hart- Was a safe pick, but they should have taken Yankey, or Richardson, to have a replacement for Herremans, & Mathis who is probably on his last year.
Reynolds- I wanted Tripp, but I think Reynolds can be the steal of the draft. I think once he learns the DF, Allen won’t see the field again, & shouldn’t!
Allen- Hopefully he is good enough to supplant last year’s unwarranted reach, in the undersized, rotational Logan.
Overall, I give them a solid C. The Smith pick, I’m still disgusted with!