It seemed the Bird’s had hit rock bottom to bring in the New
Year when long tenured Head Coach Andy Reid was fired on Jan 1. The Eagles also
got rid of all big name veterans on defense in Nnamdi Asomugha, Cullen Jenkins,
Dominique Rodgers- Cromartie and Jason Babin (at the end of the season). The
re-building process had begun.
“I was thinking we were in for a long re-building process,”
said Eagles fan Ben Becker, who attended The Draft at Radio City Music Hall with
friend Ryan Woods this weekend. “We seemed to need help at every position.”
The Eagles first big off-season splash came when they landed
Oregon Head Coach Chip Kelly. The offensive mastermind brings with him a
reputation for high-speed and fast scoring on offense.
“It’s exciting to think of the kind of points this team
could put up next year, but the coach can only do so much. You still need to
have the players to win.” said Ben.
The Eagle’s seem to have taken a step forward in acquiring
those players.
After disappointing drafts the last few years, the Eagles
seem to have finally come out on top and may even be the weekend’s big winner.
Ryan Woods, who resides in South Jersey said, “I loved a lot
of these picks. The last few years has proven how important the Draft is. You
can’t just go out and pay big name players. We showed that. Now, I’m excited to
see how these young guys play.”
The Eagle’s decided to take advantage of the fourth overall
pick to improve on one of the worst offensive lines in football in 2012, going
with Oklahoma tackle Lane Johnson. He was one of three offensive tackles
selected with the first four picks.
“Crazy how many good offensive lineman there were, but I was
really excited to get the Oklahoma kid,” said Ben.
And he should be. The 6’6, 300 pound tackle also ran a 4.7
at the NFL combine, the fastest time of all offensive linemen. His athleticism
is unmatched, as he was a Quarterback in Junior college just 4 years ago. He
put on size and power while at Oklahoma and should be a huge asset in Kelly’s
offense, where lineman must be able to pull and get down field.
The Eagle’s continued with offense in round 2, selecting
Stanford Tight End Zack Ertz. His catching ability makes him an exciting threat
for the Eagles to use as Ryan Woods liked the pick. “Stanford has produced
great NFL tight ends the last two seasons. Hopefully, he’s the next one and can
make a quick impact.”
The Eagles moved to the defensive side of the ball in round
3, drafting Bennie Logan from LSU. He should help the Eagles in getting
pressure on the Quarterback from the inside with his bull rushing skills.
The Eagle’s move of the draft came in round 4, when they
surprised everyone and traded up in order to draft Matt Barkley the USC
Quarterback. Barkley was considered a Top Prospect but was in the middle of a
nose dive into day three of the draft before the Eagles scooped him.
“He’s definitely a work in progress and I don’t think he can
start right away, but he has a lot of potential and is extremely smart. He
could be the quarterback of the future and be an Eagle for a long time,” said
Becker.
The Eagles wrapped up the draft by selecting Earl Wolff (S,
NC State) in round 5, Jon Kruger (DE, Utah)/ Jordan Poyer (S, Oregon State in
round 6 and David King (DT, Oklahoma) in round 7.
“Even with a lot of promise, until the players report to
mini-camp, they are still just names on a piece of paper. Only time will tell
if the Eagles are heading in the right direction,” Becker concluded.
Fans should find out soon enough, as the Eagle’s rookie
mini-camp opens up on May 10th.
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