Tweet
I said before the draft that the most important thing for a team to do in the early draft was add raw talent, at any position. Of course this is exactly what the Eagles did in the first round, and it was a recurring theme throughout the draft. But the 2009 draft nevertheless represented a departure from recent Eagles drafts, as Reid and Heckert focused a great deal, perhaps more than any other draft weekend, on win-now impact.
#21 - Jeremy Maclin - I love the pick purely because of the philosophy behind the pick. A guy that was just too good to pass up on. The best-run franchises in the NFL - Steelers, Colts, Chargers, Ravens, etc... do this consistently. (The Patriots play a slightly different game on draft day, but their strategies are still based heavily on value.) Whether the Eagles rank among those teams is up for debate, but regardless it's never a bad idea to do what they do.
#28, #132 - Jason Peters - The Eagles' trump-card move of the offseason focused on both winning now AND accumulating raw talent, adding one of the league's premiere players in his prime, and at our position of greatest need to boot. An absolute masterstroke of a move, and I say that without the slightest trace of homerism.
#53 - Lesean McCoy - I thought Knowshon Moreno and Donald Brown were a cut above McCoy, so I actually don't consider this pick so much a value steal as addressing a desperate need. But judging by how unimpressed everyone seemed to be with this year's RB class, it's probably good the Eagles got one of the consensus top 4.
#85 - Ellis Hobbs - It's worth debating whether the Eagles' slavish devotion to long-term value helps the team or holds them back, but this was a prime example of what can happen when you insist on value. The Eagles probably could have traded the #85 pick for Ellis Hobbs. Instead, they manage to turn it into Hobbs, a 7th rounder, and then got the 3rd round pick back next year. Just a great, nifty little value move, and another one that adds win-now help AND value for the future.
#153 - Cornelius Ingram - I don't really know much about the tight end prospects, but I wasn't surprised to see them fall a lot farther than everyone expected. This actually happens with TE prospects pretty much every year, not that anyone seems to notice. So whatever. If nothing else, they seemed to get the last guy in this tier, so by definition that's a great value move on paper. I'm a little skeptical on Florida offensive players, to be honest.
#157 - Victor Harris - It was interesting to hear Reid talk about him in his PC. "He's unique... He is a football player... This kid loves to play the game... He makes plays, and he plays so smart, and so instinctive, and so much energy... he's fun to watch." You know who it made me think of? Quintin Mikell. And you know what? It's not so crazy to start planning for Mikell's replacement. He'll be 29 next year, and Mikell's not a guy who has the kind of impressive physical talent that helps you age well. Once his physical skills dip even a little bit (like, say, once you turn 30,) it could really hinder him. It's hardly an immediate need, but taking Harris in the fifth isn't a bad way to start looking.
#159 - Fenuki Tupou - Again, he was higher on the boards, for what that's worth. We've seen this pick before. Honestly, we could use a little depth at G and RT. I'm not sold on Jean-Gilles in the slightest, and it'd be nice to have an OT backup who wouldn't force us to move Herremans or Shawn in case of injury.
#194, #213, #230 - Whatever. Just some guys.
All told, the Eagles' 2009 draft was converted into two in-their-prime veteran players, an injection of early-round offensive talent, some intriguing 5th round depth guys, and three picks in next year's draft. A nice combo platter of win-now aggressiveness, raw talent acquisition, and late round value-hoarding. In the end, it's no surprise the Eagles' draft is getting such rave reviews from the media and the fans - it had a little something for everyone.
#21 - Jeremy Maclin - I love the pick purely because of the philosophy behind the pick. A guy that was just too good to pass up on. The best-run franchises in the NFL - Steelers, Colts, Chargers, Ravens, etc... do this consistently. (The Patriots play a slightly different game on draft day, but their strategies are still based heavily on value.) Whether the Eagles rank among those teams is up for debate, but regardless it's never a bad idea to do what they do.
#28, #132 - Jason Peters - The Eagles' trump-card move of the offseason focused on both winning now AND accumulating raw talent, adding one of the league's premiere players in his prime, and at our position of greatest need to boot. An absolute masterstroke of a move, and I say that without the slightest trace of homerism.
#53 - Lesean McCoy - I thought Knowshon Moreno and Donald Brown were a cut above McCoy, so I actually don't consider this pick so much a value steal as addressing a desperate need. But judging by how unimpressed everyone seemed to be with this year's RB class, it's probably good the Eagles got one of the consensus top 4.
#85 - Ellis Hobbs - It's worth debating whether the Eagles' slavish devotion to long-term value helps the team or holds them back, but this was a prime example of what can happen when you insist on value. The Eagles probably could have traded the #85 pick for Ellis Hobbs. Instead, they manage to turn it into Hobbs, a 7th rounder, and then got the 3rd round pick back next year. Just a great, nifty little value move, and another one that adds win-now help AND value for the future.
#153 - Cornelius Ingram - I don't really know much about the tight end prospects, but I wasn't surprised to see them fall a lot farther than everyone expected. This actually happens with TE prospects pretty much every year, not that anyone seems to notice. So whatever. If nothing else, they seemed to get the last guy in this tier, so by definition that's a great value move on paper. I'm a little skeptical on Florida offensive players, to be honest.
#157 - Victor Harris - It was interesting to hear Reid talk about him in his PC. "He's unique... He is a football player... This kid loves to play the game... He makes plays, and he plays so smart, and so instinctive, and so much energy... he's fun to watch." You know who it made me think of? Quintin Mikell. And you know what? It's not so crazy to start planning for Mikell's replacement. He'll be 29 next year, and Mikell's not a guy who has the kind of impressive physical talent that helps you age well. Once his physical skills dip even a little bit (like, say, once you turn 30,) it could really hinder him. It's hardly an immediate need, but taking Harris in the fifth isn't a bad way to start looking.
#159 - Fenuki Tupou - Again, he was higher on the boards, for what that's worth. We've seen this pick before. Honestly, we could use a little depth at G and RT. I'm not sold on Jean-Gilles in the slightest, and it'd be nice to have an OT backup who wouldn't force us to move Herremans or Shawn in case of injury.
#194, #213, #230 - Whatever. Just some guys.
All told, the Eagles' 2009 draft was converted into two in-their-prime veteran players, an injection of early-round offensive talent, some intriguing 5th round depth guys, and three picks in next year's draft. A nice combo platter of win-now aggressiveness, raw talent acquisition, and late round value-hoarding. In the end, it's no surprise the Eagles' draft is getting such rave reviews from the media and the fans - it had a little something for everyone.
Comment