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*Official 2015 Philadelphia Eagles* - Winning when it doesnt count (8 Viewers)

Weird he hasn't taken Ifo. What about BJ Finney? Can he move from C to another position on the line?

Or Rob Crisp? 3rd/4th round grade lineman.

 
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I kinda am loving this draft. All character guys and spraying the secondary with 3 picks is great.
I hear you, but I wouldn't quite say I love it. If they could have gotten one of those lineman in the 4th, then maybe.

And I don't know about getting too excited for a 6th-round DB. Jordan Poyer, where are you?

 
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Looking back at some of the older drafts. 2007 and 2008 were pretty bad. One player in each, and I wouldn't really write home about Celek. And let's never draft a defenseive lineman from Notre Dame again.

2008

1 2 16 47 Trevor Laws DT Notre Dame

2 2 18 49 DeSean Jackson WR California

3 3 17 80 Bryan Smith DE McNeese State

4 4 10 109 Michael McGlynn G Pittsburgh

5 4 18 117 Quintin Demps DB Texas-El Paso

6 4 32 131 Jack Ikegwuonu DB Wisconsin

7 6 18 184 Michael Gibson G California

8 6 34 200 Joe Mays LB North Dakota State

9 6 37 203 Andrew Studebaker DE Wheaton

10 7 23 230 King Dunlap T Auburn

2007

1 2 4 36 Kevin Kolb QB Houston

2 2 25 57 Victor Abiamiri DE Notre Dame

3 3 24 87 Stewart Bradley LB Nebraska

4 3 27 90 Tony Hunt RB Penn State

5 5 22 159 C.J. Gaddis DB Clemson

6 5 25 162 Brent Celek TE Cincinnati

7 6 27 201 Rashad Barksdale DB Albany State

8 7 26 236 Nate Ilaoa RB Hawaii

 
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What the hell? 3rd rounder NEXT year? No picks in round 4 or 5 for us. Ugh. Hope next year we go OL in first 2 rounds.
Unless there's a player you just have to have, trading this year's "X" for next year's "X-1" is something you should always do IMO. Be patient for a year and take the better pick.

 
Looking back at some of the older drafts. 2007 and 2008 were pretty bad. One player in each, and I wouldn't really write home about Celek. And let's never draft a defenseive lineman from Notre Dame again.

2008

1 2 16 47 Trevor Laws DT Notre Dame

2 2 18 49 DeSean Jackson WR California

3 3 17 80 Bryan Smith DE McNeese State

4 4 10 109 Michael McGlynn G Pittsburgh

5 4 18 117 Quintin Demps DB Texas-El Paso

6 4 32 131 Jack Ikegwuonu DB Wisconsin

7 6 18 184 Michael Gibson G California

8 6 34 200 Joe Mays LB North Dakota State

9 6 37 203 Andrew Studebaker DE Wheaton

10 7 23 230 King Dunlap T Auburn

2007

1 2 4 36 Kevin Kolb QB Houston

2 2 25 57 Victor Abiamiri DE Notre Dame

3 3 24 87 Stewart Bradley LB Nebraska

4 3 27 90 Tony Hunt RB Penn State

5 5 22 159 C.J. Gaddis DB Clemson

6 5 25 162 Brent Celek TE Cincinnati

7 6 27 201 Rashad Barksdale DB Albany State

8 7 26 236 Nate Ilaoa RB Hawaii
Agree, Reid's drafting after he got full control is ultimately what sunk him. From there through to 2011 the good picks are few and far between. The drafts that should have provided the core of the team only had a handful of players contribute over about 4-5 years.

 
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For sure they were bad through 2011, but of course 2010 and 2011 are what everyone remembers now. I had forgotten about these 2 years.

Back to the present, 7th-round pick is Brian Mihalik (DE-Boston College). 6'9", 295.

: :eek:

 
WHERE THE HELL IS THE OLINE? Ash must be losing his mind right now. This seems silly though.
Too late :P

But by the 4th there wasn't much left anyway. Mark Glowinski was a guy I liked a bit but outside him the remainder was questionable due to scheme fit (lack of mobility mostly) or football character type questions. Would have taken a shot on Clemmings there as well for sure, but I was resigned to them not addressing it by that point. Taking what was left would have been reaching.

From here I'm hoping if we do move some guys like Curry & Boykin that it's for young interior OL players. Still hoping Kendricks sticks around.

 
I kinda am loving this draft. All character guys and spraying the secondary with 3 picks is great.
I hear you, but I wouldn't quite say I love it. If they could have gotten one of those lineman in the 4th, then maybe.

And I don't know about getting too excited for a 6th-round DB. Jordan Poyer, where are you?
It is hard to get excited about the 6th round guys but I do really like the first 3 guys we got. We needed a WR and got one and threw everything else at the defense.

 
All in on La'el!
You know in the 7th round even with the threat of him not signing and/or going to jail, I'd say it's worth a shot.
The fact that the Cowboys didn't draft him is damning, IMO. :yes:

Seriously, I would have thrown a 7th at him for sure. If he is innocent I think that's probably still a better situation for him than sitting out a full year. This time next year he could have accrued a season, get the league's performance based pay bump if he's starting and be only 2 yrs away from a chance at a 2nd contract. I'm still thinking he'll sign with somebody as a FA if his situation is resolved favourably. Not sure he'd make it back into the 1st next year against a new crop of fresh faces.

 
All in on La'el!
You know in the 7th round even with the threat of him not signing and/or going to jail, I'd say it's worth a shot.
The fact that the Cowboys didn't draft him is damning, IMO. :yes:

Seriously, I would have thrown a 7th at him for sure. If he is innocent I think that's probably still a better situation for him than sitting out a full year. This time next year he could have accrued a season, get the league's performance based pay bump if he's starting and be only 2 yrs away from a chance at a 2nd contract. I'm still thinking he'll sign with somebody as a FA if his situation is resolved favourably. Not sure he'd make it back into the 1st next year against a new crop of fresh faces.
Looking at it, I think he wanted to get drafted so he could go back in the draft. As a UDFA, he's screwed. Can't go back now.

 
@ZBerm: Chip on La'el Collins:"It wasn't a hard decision ...I don't think we should be talking about draft picks. Two people have lost their lives."

 
Hopefully Collins can straighten things out and get his career back on track.

And when he's looking for a team to sign with, why not consider one with an open job on the O-line?

 
The rookie free-agent signing frenzy has started for the Eagles. Several reports have streamed in about undrafted players the Eagles have signed. Keep looking here as updates come in.

Here are players who have reportedly signed deals with the Eagles:

Raheem Mostert, a 5-foot-11, 190-pound running back/kick returner from Purdue, according to his agent Brett Tessler.

UNLV offensive tackle Brett Boyko (6-7, 301), according to FOX Sports Ross Jones.

Duke defensive end/outside linebacker Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo (6-4, 240), according to the schools athletic program.

Delaware Valley wideout Rasheed Bailey (6-2, 205), according to a tweet from Eagles receiver Jordan Matthews.

Coastal Carolina cornerback Denzel Rice (6-0, 190), according to Coastal Carolina assistant coach Cory Bailey.

UCLA offensive tackle and Newark, Delaware, native Malcolm Bunche (6-6, 310), according to ESPNs Adam Caplan.

Texas wide receiver John Harris (6-2, 218), according to Caplan.

New Hampshire offensive lineman Mike Coccia (6-2, 300), per NJ.com's Matt Lombardo.

UNLV wideout Devante Davis (6-2, 220), per Mark Anderson of the Las Vegas Journal-Review.

UTEP tight end Eric Tomlinson (6-6, 263), per his Twitter account.

Nebraska-Kearney offensive guard Cole Manhart (6-6,310), per his Twitter timeline.

Michigan State tight end Andrew Gleichart (6-6, 254), per his Twitter timeline.

San Jose defensive tackle Travis Raciti (6-5, 285), per the Sacramento Bee.

UConn defensive lineman B.J. McBryde (6-5, 304), source tells CSNPhilly.com.
 
Chip Kelly on Saturday said the Eagles were never close to trading for Miami Dolphins and former Oregon linebacker Dion Jordan.

Kelly did admit the two sides had discussed a deal, but the talks occurred in February not last week, shortly before Jordan was suspended for next season for violating the league's substance abuse policy.

The suspension was announced Tuesday. That same day, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the two sides had been "nearing a trade," but it was undone by Jordan's violation.

"We weren't close at all," Kelly said. "I know what was reported, but we weren't close at all to any deal or trade or player talk or anything in terms of dealing with Dion."

Granted, this could be just a matter of semantics. How close two sides get to a deal is subjective.

"We had a brief discussion in February and that was it," Kelly said. "So the discussions didn't end the other day because we weren't having a discussion. The last time there was ever a conversation was I think some time at the combine. It wasn't moving anywhere then, so it was over."

It would have been surprising if the Eagles hadn't talked to the Dolphins about a potential deal for Jordan. Remember, Kelly admitted during the draft two years ago that he strongly considered drafting Jordan but didn't get the chance to take him because Miami traded up to get him. The Eagles drafted Lane Johnson fourth.

The third overall pick in the 2013 draft, Jordan has been a major disappointment for Miami. He has only three sacks in 26 games.

"If you guys know how much organizations talk about trading players, I mean it's every day," Kelly said. " 'Hey, are you interested in such and such? Yeah. Well, we're not interested in trading him. Are you interested in this guy? Yeah, we are. We're looking for this. OK, we're out of that.'

"It goes on a lot. Were there discussions (about Jordan)? Yeah. But there's probably discussions with everybody on Miami's roster, everybody on our roster. That's why I'm being honest when I say, 'Is everybody available? Yeah, everybody's available at a price.' But most of the time the price will never ever match what we want, so it's never going to happen."
 
Eagles Add Undrafted Free Agents

BY SHEIL KAPADIA | MAY 2, 2015 AT 9:28 PM

Here is list of reported undrafted free agents who have signed with the Eagles.

Devante Davis, WR, UNLV (Phil Savage) He caught 34 balls for 599 yards and four touchdowns last season. Davis (6-3, 220) brings excellent size to the table and ran a 4.57 at the combine. From NFL.com:

Davis does his best work after the throw is in the air, with terrific awareness and body control. His problem is that he doesnt do anything special before the throw to get open. He doesnt have the feet or acceleration to free himself, so he will have to learn to body up defenders more effectively and become special with his hands in order to be an NFL backup.

Eric Tomlinson, TE, UTEP (Twitter) The 6-6, 263-pounder is a blocking tight end. He is limited athletically but was a two-year starter.

Denzel Rice, CB, Coastal Carolina (Twitter) - He was a two-time second-team All-Big South selection. Rice stands at 6 feet, 190 pounds. More here on Rice.

Travis Raciti, DL/OLB, San Jose St. (Matt Barrows) - Raciti (6-5/285) has the length the Eagles covet up front, and the team reportedly brought him in for an official visit. It's unclear whether they'd want him to add weight to become a two-gapping defensive lineman or see his value being at OLB.

John Harris, WR, Texas (Adam Caplan) - He didn't start until last year. Harris (6-2, 218) caught 68 balls for 1,051 yards and seven touchdowns in 2014. He reportedly ran a 4.5 at his Pro Day.

Raheem Mostert, RB, Purdue (Adam Caplan) - Mostert (5-10, 185) is not a big guy, but he's a burner. He reportedly ran 4.32 at his Pro Day. Mostert brings versatility to the table. He had 93 carries for 529 yards last year, but also caught 18 balls and handled kickoff returns for the Boilermakers.

Malcolm Bunche, OL, UCLA (Adam Caplan) - He began his college career at Miami before transferring to UCLA as a graduate student. Bunche (6-6, 310) started six games last year but then lost his job, per the Los Angeles Times. The Newark, Del. native reportedly missed the Alamo Bowl because of academic issues.

Cole Manhart, OL, Nebraska-Kearney (His Twitter) - He played tackle, but will likely have to move to guard. Manhart (6-6, 310) played against Division II competition but has athleticism. Here's what an AFC South scout told NFL.com:

"He has to move to guard to have a shot, but he's not a bad football player. I just don't know if he's going to be strong enough to play in the league."

Mike Coccia, OL, New Hampshire (Matt Lombardo) - The Bethlehem, Pa. native played center and was a four-year starter. He's 6-3, 301 per The Boston Globe.

Andrew Gleichert, TE, Michigan State (His Twitter) - The 6-5, 264-pounder began his career as a walk-on and earned a degree in biochemistry/molecular biology. He started 11 games in his college career and caught a total of eight balls for 69 yards.

B.J. McBryde, DL, UConn (Desmond Conner) - The 6-5, 304-pounder played for four different head coaches during his time with the Huskies. He dealt with some family issues and never reached his full potential, but has the frame the Eagles are looking for in their defensive linemen.

Jordan DeWalt-Ondijo, OLB, Duke (Duke Football Twitter) - The 6-4, 240-pound edge defender had 4.5 sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss last year. He started 22 games and graduated with a degree in political science.

Rasheed Bailey, WR, Delaware Valley College (Adam Caplan) - The 6-2, 205-pounder played his high school ball at Roxborough. He caught 80 balls for 1,707 yards and 19 touchdowns last year. The Daily News recently had a good profile on Bailey.

Brett Boyko, OL, UNLV (Ross Jones, FOX) - The 6-7, 301-pounder was a four-year starter. From NFL.com's Lance Zierlein:

Lacks the athleticism teams want from tackles and the strength they are looking for at guard, but his savvy should get him into a camp. His best position may end up at center.
 
KU's JaCorey Shepherd ready to prove NFL worth with Philadelphia Eagles following costly mistake

By Jesse Newell

jesse.newell@cjonline.com

MIKE GUNNOE/SPECIAL TO THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL

Kansas cornerback JaCorey Shepherd was taken by Philadelphia in the sixth round of Saturday's NFL Draft.

Kansas cornerback JaCorey Shepherd tried to play Yahtzee and Trouble with his cousins, but it was difficult while the rest of his family members were paying attention to the NFL Draft on Saturday.

I just had to make sure I wasnt watching the TV, Shepherd said.

The 5-foot-11 senior had promised himself beforehand that he wasnt going to make himself nervous that he was going to do everything possible to distract himself from the life-changing moment that was about to come.

It probably was a wise decision. Shepherd, who was listed by ESPNs Mel Kiper as the best player available for nearly two rounds Saturday, finally was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round as the 191st overall pick.

Theres relief. Theres excitement, joy and happiness, Shepherd said. Ive been waiting on this moment my whole life, so its special.

Shepherd was one of three Jayhawks drafted Saturday, the highest total since three were taken in 2010.

For Shepherd in particular, it was the end of an educational process where the cornerback likely saw his draft stock slip based on a single decision in late March.

Just three days before KUs Pro Day, Shepherd injured his hamstring, but scouts in attendance convinced him he still needed to run a 40-yard dash so they could report something back to their teams.

While injured, Shepherd ran a 4.62 and a 4.65. He says when healthy, hes more in the 4.40- to 4.45-second range.

Its a learning thing for me to understand that Im my own businessman and I make my decisions. If I dont want to do something, dont do it, Shepherd said. I knew I wasnt healthy.

Shepherds agents told him afterward to be prepared for what was to come. With a better 40, he likely would have gone in rounds 2-4. The slow time, though, was likely to push him to the later rounds.

Even Kiper, who gave Shepherd a glowing report based on his film, mentioned the 4.6 time on ESPNs Saturday broadcast.

The hamstring was the main reason I dropped so low, Shepherd said. It doesnt bother me. Regardless, it never did really matter where I went anyway. I just wanted the opportunity. Im just glad I got the opportunity.
 
Not saying he can't play but I call BS. A 3 day old injured hamstring is a fatal error that costs more than .2 seconds in a 40yd dash.

 
Not saying he can't play but I call BS. A 3 day old injured hamstring is a fatal error that costs more than .2 seconds in a 40yd dash.
It's possible. If it's only a slight pull or strain, it's on your mind when you run and if you're trying to protect it, then your stride shortens and you slow down. It might be BS, but it's plausible, in Mythbusters terminology.

Edit: It should be obvious on film if he's a 4.45 or a high 4.6 player.

 
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Deamon said:
@ZBerm: Chip on La'el Collins:"It wasn't a hard decision ...I don't think we should be talking about draft picks. Two people have lost their lives."
Smokescreen? We sign him Monday?
From your mouth to Chip's ear...Hopefully Collins and his representatives realize the uniqueness of the Eagles' situation. We have a glaring need on the OL, yet we failed to address it in the draft or free agency. I'm guessing that every other team that had such a need made some kind of move to fill it, so Collins would be facing competition to start. Really not an issue here. He could easily claim the RG job, eventually the RT spot, setting himself up for a nice payday when his rookie contract is up.

 
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Deamon said:
@ZBerm: Chip on La'el Collins:"It wasn't a hard decision ...I don't think we should be talking about draft picks. Two people have lost their lives."
Smokescreen? We sign him Monday?
From your mouth to Chip's ear...Hopefully Collins and his representatives realize the uniqueness of the Eagles' situation. We have a glaring need on the OL, yet we failed to address it in the draft or free agency. I'm guessing that every other team that had such a need made some kind of move to fill it, so Collins would be facing competition to start. Really not an issue here. He could easily claim the RG job, eventually the RT spot, setting himself up for a nice payday when his rookie contract is up.
I think this would make sense for him for sure (if he's innocent). Really hoping this happens (if he's innocent). I think Chip will for sure look into it (if he's innocent) and give him an offer because the fit is too perfect. Hopefully we find out asap (if he's innocent), and see if he can become a 'chip guy'. Don't see Chip wanting that kind of press, or that kind of guy in the locker room, but I don't know much more about him outside of these potential accusations. Let's go get him! (if he's innocent)

 
Anyone else surprised that the Eagles didn't sign a UDFA quarterback? Really thought they'd be looking for someone to compete with Barkley, who they clearly have no faith in at this point. Should we take this as a sign that Chip actually believes in Tebow?

Yikes.

 
Anyone else surprised that the Eagles didn't sign a UDFA quarterback? Really thought they'd be looking for someone to compete with Barkley, who they clearly have no faith in at this point. Should we take this as a sign that Chip actually believes in Tebow?

Yikes.
3rd QB might as well be a back up punter IMO. Let Tebow and Barkley fight for it. That's enough for me.

 
Anyone else surprised that the Eagles didn't sign a UDFA quarterback? Really thought they'd be looking for someone to compete with Barkley, who they clearly have no faith in at this point. Should we take this as a sign that Chip actually believes in Tebow?

Yikes.
We already have 5 QBs on the roster... don't think adding a 6th would do much.

Did we sign more UDFA then most teams? Are list is huge, does every team usually have this big of a list?

 
Anyone else surprised that the Eagles didn't sign a UDFA quarterback? Really thought they'd be looking for someone to compete with Barkley, who they clearly have no faith in at this point. Should we take this as a sign that Chip actually believes in Tebow?

Yikes.
We already have 5 QBs on the roster... don't think adding a 6th would do much.Did we sign more UDFA then most teams? Are list is huge, does every team usually have this big of a list?
Re: QBs, we were shopping Barkley pretty hard so I figure he's done here. And Chip said Kinne was trying to move to a new position. Leaving Tebow - thus the perceived need for another body.

Think we signed more UDFAs than most teams did, but not the most overall.

 
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They signed the max UDFA's they could, to bring them to the 90-man limit. Other teams may have had less roster spots to fill.

And the 4.45/4.6 40 times for Rowe crack me up. Do you realize how insignificant (and imperceptible, in reality), .15 of a second is? If you had Player A with a 4.6 chase a player with 4.45 speed, over a 100-yard field (and assume they run at their individual rate all 100 yards), the separation between them would never even reach 1 yard.

Put full equipment on Player A and Player B, and have them play 3 quarters of an NFL game, and that 40-yard combine time means nothing. Conditioning, footwork, cover skills, intelligence, etc. are more important, in a game situation. I'm trusting that the Eagles did their homework and liked what they saw on film, in game situations, from him. And if the plan is to have him convert to a safety, the 40 time means even less.

P.S. Bradley Fletcher ran a 4.5, good for top 10 among CBs in his draft class (and Malcolm Jenkins, same draft and first CB selected (and now a safety), ran a 4.53)

 
They signed the max UDFA's they could, to bring them to the 90-man limit. Other teams may have had less roster spots to fill.

And the 4.45/4.6 40 times for Rowe crack me up. Do you realize how insignificant (and imperceptible, in reality), .15 of a second is? If you had Player A with a 4.6 chase a player with 4.45 speed, over a 100-yard field (and assume they run at their individual rate all 100 yards), the separation between them would never even reach 1 yard.

Put full equipment on Player A and Player B, and have them play 3 quarters of an NFL game, and that 40-yard combine time means nothing. Conditioning, footwork, cover skills, intelligence, etc. are more important, in a game situation. I'm trusting that the Eagles did their homework and liked what they saw on film, in game situations, from him. And if the plan is to have him convert to a safety, the 40 time means even less.

P.S. Bradley Fletcher ran a 4.5, good for top 10 among CBs in his draft class (and Malcolm Jenkins, same draft and first CB selected (and now a safety), ran a 4.53)
FYI I think the 40 time controversy pertains to JaCorey Shepherd not Eric Rowe.

So the Eagles are now at the 90-player limit? Wonder which poor soul gets cut loose once we come to terms with La'el Collins...

 
And the 4.45/4.6 40 times for Rowe crack me up. Do you realize how insignificant (and imperceptible, in reality), .15 of a second is? If you had Player A with a 4.6 chase a player with 4.45 speed, over a 100-yard field (and assume they run at their individual rate all 100 yards), the separation between them would never even reach 1 yard.

Put full equipment on Player A and Player B, and have them play 3 quarters of an NFL game, and that 40-yard combine time means nothing. Conditioning, footwork, cover skills, intelligence, etc. are more important, in a game situation. I'm trusting that the Eagles did their homework and liked what they saw on film, in game situations, from him. And if the plan is to have him convert to a safety, the 40 time means even less.
This is a great point. Your math is wrong, but still a great point.

(Would be 3.26 yards of separation after 100 yards at 40 speed)

 
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Eagles fire:

Anthony Patch, Director of College Scouting - Had been with the Eagles for 11 years. Current position since 2012.

Rick Mueller, Director of Pro Personnel - Joined the Eagles in 2012.

Brad Obee, Southwest Area Scout - Joined the Eagles in 2009.

http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2015/5/4/8543937/chip-kelly-ed-marynowitz-eagles-scouting-staff-anthony-patch-rick-mueller

Interesting timing.
As far as the timing I think this is the norm. I saw earlier that quite a few teams did the same type of housecleaning today
 
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I did see the Jets' news afterwards. Seems kind of strange to me.
Happens every year. You have to go through the draft with the guys you have because of all the work you've already put in with them, and the privileged info they have. After the draft, personnel departments go through lots of change

 
Ten Thoughts On the Eagles DraftBy Sheil Kapadia |

May 5, 2015 at 9:30 am;
Below are 10 thoughts on the Eagles selections.

1. We talk a lot around these parts about measurables, but I think we need to retire the idea that Chip Kelly is only interested in big wide receivers. Nelson Agholor (6-0/198) ranks in the 30th percentile in height and the 43rd percentile in weight. Last year, the Eagles drafted 5-11 Josh Huff and were reportedly interested in 5-10 Brandin Cooks. Kelly has said repeatedly that he thought Odell Beckham Jr. (5-11) was the top player in the 2014 draft. He wants guys who can beat press coverage, and versatility is a plus.

Blocking matters, but sometimes people get carried away with that aspect. It's not as if wide receivers are going to shove defensive backs 10 yards out of bounds. Kelly just wants guys who are willing to get physical and help in the run game.

On the other side of the ball, height absolutely is a factor at cornerback. I think the cutoff is probably 5-11. That's how tall Kansas CB JaCorey Shepherd (sixth-round pick) is. Last year, the Eagles signed 5-11 Nolan Carroll II and drafted 5-11 Jaylen Watkins.

2. Next February, when people tell you that combine testing doesn't matter much (specifically as it pertains to the Eagles), be sure to laugh at them.

Asked about what second-round pick Eric Rowe brings to the table from a physical standpoint, Kelly said without hesitation: "He went 4.45 in the 40. He was a 3.94 in the short shuttle, and he had one of the best three-cones at the combine. Thirty-nine inches in the vertical jump and I think 20 reps in the bench press. When you look at him from a height, weight, speed factor, he was in the top 25 percent of all the defensive backs that were out there, and I think in most cases in the top 10 percent."

Kelly was not looking at a paper when he reeled off those numbers. But he does this routinely. Granted, with Rowe, Kelly was slightly off - Rowe ran a 3.97 in the short shuttle and had 19 reps on the bench - but Kelly clearly plays a lot of attention to the combine testing.

3. The same goes for official visits. The Eagles are allowed to bring 30 prospects to the NovaCare Complex before the draft. They can't work them out in Philadelphia, but they can interview them, do film work, etc.

Trending: Eagles Add Undrafted Free Agents
This year, five of the team's six picks came in for official visits. The only exception was Kansas St. CB Randall Evans.

"I think they are really valuable," Kelly said. "Any time you get an exposure, you get a better idea of what they are all about. And I know some people, Ed [Marynowitz] mentioned, use them as smokescreens or things like that. We're not into that. I want to find out as much as we possibly can about each individual prospect so that when we are really involved and kind of looking at them we are making accurate decisions.

"Our mantra is we don't care who we don't get. We care very much who we do get. So everybody is, ‘Oh, we should have had that guy.’ We'd better really know about that guy we get. That's where we are trying to dig deeper and work even harder at knowing everything about those guys and trying to get out as many times as we can. If we don't bring them in here, we are certainly going to see them at their place and just visiting with them. The scouts really did a good job in terms of getting all the background information because the tape is the tape. I think anybody can look at the tape, but then you have to dig and figure out how do they really fit in terms of what we are trying to build here."

In other words, the official visits help with the #culture rating.

4. The idea that the Marcus Mariota possibility was a media creation is hilarious to me. I get the Mariota fatigue. It was four months of non-stop speculation. But the fact of the matter is that Kelly tried to move up for his quarterback. He talked to both the Titans and the Bucs. By all accounts, the Eagles were the most serious suitor.

Kelly saying the team didn't "offer" any players seems like semantics. Would he have been willing to part with certain players to land Mariota? Of course.

In the end, what I underestimated was that the Titans really did want to draft Mariota. My sense at the time was that they were trying to leverage the best offer. But in reality, they had no interest in doing a deal. Kelly clearly had interest and explored making a move. He has admitted as much. But because the Titans wanted Mariota, there wasn't anything he realistically could have done.

5. My initial reaction when the Eagles used the 20th pick on Agholor was: I thought they would wait to take a wide receiver. Once again, this class of pass-catchers was said to be loaded. Why not address another need and then take a receiver in the second?

But looking back, I have no issue with what they did, given how the board fell. Had they drafted another position in the first round (say UConn CB Byron Jones), here are some of the receivers who would have been available to them in the second: Arizona State's Jaelen Strong, Georgia's Chris Conley and Auburn's Sammie Coates. Those are talented players, but none is as polished or as versatile as Agholor.

Of course, you can make the argument that they wouldn't have had to trade up in the second to land Rowe and could have held on to those fifth-round picks. That's totally fair. But from a strictly "who they got" perspective, I like the Agholor/Rowe combination better than the Jones/[strong, Conley, Coates] combination.

6. For the second year in a row, a run on offensive linemen doomed the Eagles. They were hoping to address that need in the third round with the 84th overall pick. But in between the Rowe selection and the eventual Jordan Hicks selection, 10 offensive linemen went off the board. Among that group, there were several who might have fit: Oregon's Jake Fisher, Hobart's Ali Marpet, Utah's Jeremiah Poutasi and Oregon's Hroniss Grasu. Others like South Carolina's A.J. Cann, Colorado State's Ty Sambrallo and Missouri's Mitch Morse very well could have been on the Eagles' board as well.

In the end, the Eagles failed to draft an offensive lineman for the second straight year. They haven't taken one since Lane Johnson back in 2013. Others have tried to downplay the concern, but I'm not in that camp.

Allen Barbre is a 30-year-old journeyman who has started eight games in seven seasons. Matt Tobin (granted, he was dealing with an injury) struggled last year to the point that he was eventually replaced by Andrew Gardner. This team is very thin up front.

Last year, Kelly was pretty direct in pointing out he wasn't able to call some things offensively because of the injuries and personnel on the offensive line. Jason Peters and Evan Mathis (assuming he's on the team) will each be another year older. And right guard is a gaping hole. It's possible that the Eagles stike lightning in a bottle and find an unknown who can get the job done, but the O-Line is what makes everything go on offense. And it's absolutely a concern heading into OTAs.

7. I think we have enough proof to suggest Kelly doesn't believe he can plug just anyone in at wide receiver. The team has spent a first-, second- and third-round pick on the position in the past two drafts. And the Eagles tried to bring Jeremy Maclin back. Kelly knows he needs talent at that spot.

I also think that the Agholor selection means Riley Cooper could be in trouble. It's entirely possible that the team's best three wide receivers end up being Jordan Matthews, Agholor and Josh Huff. That would put Cooper in the No. 4 hole, assuming he's better than Miles Austin.

Then again, I could also see a situation where Kelly stays loyal Cooper, and we're all wondering in Week 3 why one of the younger guys has not replaced him yet.

8. T-Mac and I were talking about many of the Eagles' moves and came to the conclusion that the issues from the previous season seem to be the driving factor in Kelly's decisions. For example, the secondary was a disaster down the stretch, so he signed Byron Maxwell, tried to add Devin McCourty and drafted Rowe. Inside linebacker depth hurt the Eagles because of injuries to DeMeco Ryans, Mychal Kendricks and Najee Goode, so the team traded for Kiko Alonso and drafted Hicks. The previous year, it was all about beating man coverage, so Kelly added Darren Sproles and brought Maclin back.

That theory also applies to the above point on Cooper. I just don't see how Kelly and the coaches could have self-scouted and come to the conclusion that Cooper as a starter gives the Eagles the best chance to win. The theory applies to the offensive line as well. I don't think it's about Kelly devaluing offensive linemen. He wanted to add one early in the draft, but just couldn't get it done given how the board fell.

9. Neither Kelly nor Marynowitz had ever run a draft before, so one of the concerns going in was how they would assess value/compensation. I asked Kelly if the team uses a draft value trade chart.

"We have a trade chart, but I think it's changed a little bit with the new CBA," he said. "There's a formula, and there's math involved in it. We had a computer doing it. I was told there would be no math, so we have a computer that actually computes that for us. You just say, ‘What is two fives and this?’ and hit a button and it comes up. Is it a negative number or a positive number? If it's a positive number, we would agree to it. When it's a negative number, no. But if you're buying, you may have to give a couple points. If you're selling, you obviously want to get a couple back."

In other words, they use a chart, but it's not the Jimmy Johnson chart that is available online and pre-dates the most recent CBA.

10. As friend of the blog Sam Lynch has pointed out, if we're going to grade the draft, now is the time to do it. Evaluations should be made given what we know at the time of the selections. In five years, anyone can look back and judge how the players ended up performing, but that's not the point. It's about whether the teams made the best use of their resources at the time of the draft.

Having said that, I'm going to go B-. Regular readers know Agholor was one of my favorite wide receivers in this draft. And the Eagles bolstered the secondary with the Rowe selection in the second. I was a fan of both those picks.

So why not a higher grade? Not finding a single offensive lineman is a big blow. And assuming Rowe is going to start out at cornerback, the safety issue is still, well, an issue. Meanwhile, for the second straight year, the Eagles failed to come out of the draft with a developmental quarterback. It's hard to find a franchise guy, but since the Matt Barkley pick, they seem to prefer trying to strike gold with veterans (Mark Sanchez, Sam Bradford) over developmental guys.

I'm not saying there's a mid-round QB they absolutely should have taken, but at some point, it'd be nice to get a young guy on the roster who has a shot down the road.

Overall, I think they got quality players (the first two specifically) and addressed a couple needs. That gets them to a B-.
 
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The most glaring worry for me is the OL depth for sure but I don't blame Kelly as I don't think any of the lineman in the 1st or 2nd rounds were BPA over Agholor and Rowe. It just really sucks that Clemmings and a few other guys went right before the Eagles in the 4th. You'll be relying on Andrew Gardner and a disgruntled Evan Mathis (if he is still with the team) at the guard position. Plus a declining Jason Peters who should still play close to a Pro Bowl level for one more year. It'd be a god send if one the UDFA seem to win over the guard spot or provide much needed depth. It's a thin depth chart at arguably the 2nd most important position on the offense.

 
The most glaring worry for me is the OL depth for sure but I don't blame Kelly as I don't think any of the lineman in the 1st or 2nd rounds were BPA over Agholor and Rowe. It just really sucks that Clemmings and a few other guys went right before the Eagles in the 4th. You'll be relying on Andrew Gardner and a disgruntled Evan Mathis (if he is still with the team) at the guard position. Plus a declining Jason Peters who should still play close to a Pro Bowl level for one more year. It'd be a god send if one the UDFA seem to win over the guard spot or provide much needed depth. It's a thin depth chart at arguably the 2nd most important position on the offense.
Still a chance to strike gold with Collins if he doesn't go to Buffalo or Tampa. Would completely turn our draft from a B- to an easy A by adding an extra 1st rounder, in the position we need it the most. Please Chip, find a way to get this done.

 
The most glaring worry for me is the OL depth for sure but I don't blame Kelly as I don't think any of the lineman in the 1st or 2nd rounds were BPA over Agholor and Rowe. It just really sucks that Clemmings and a few other guys went right before the Eagles in the 4th. You'll be relying on Andrew Gardner and a disgruntled Evan Mathis (if he is still with the team) at the guard position. Plus a declining Jason Peters who should still play close to a Pro Bowl level for one more year. It'd be a god send if one the UDFA seem to win over the guard spot or provide much needed depth. It's a thin depth chart at arguably the 2nd most important position on the offense.
Still a chance to strike gold with Collins if he doesn't go to Buffalo or Tampa. Would completely turn our draft from a B- to an easy A by adding an extra 1st rounder, in the position we need it the most. Please Chip, find a way to get this done.
I don't see it happening. Even if he ends up not being a suspect in the murder of his ex-grilfriend it still raises doubt that enough that this guy might not be the best of persons and Kelly just doesn't take big risks like that (yeah I know, LaGarret Blount was a duck, he was also kicked off the team).

Collins may have ended up in a wrong place wrong time scenario and he could be a good guy I just don't think Kelly wants to risk it, even if it would make a world of difference to the OL depth.

 

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