When a season doesn't go as hoped, we can't help but peek ahead to the future. I've gotten quite a few NFL draft questions on Twitter (@lawlornfl). With that in mind, I figured I would answer some of the questions here.
Could the Eagles draft a QB in the first round?
I think it is definitely possible. Andy Reid and the Eagles value quarterbacks as much as any team in the league. Kevin Kolb was drafted at a time when Donovan McNabb and A.J. Feeley were already in place. The Eagles signed Mike Vick at a time when McNabb, Kolb and Feeley were all here. If the team finds a quarterback they like, I can absolutely see the pick being made.
This isn't any kind of insult to Vick. He is the starter and will be in the near future. He's also 31 years old. Vick can't play forever. The Eagles like Mike Kafka, but he has yet to prove that he's definitely the starter of the future. One of the benefits of this season is that the team will have its highest draft slot in quite some time. Going for a quarterback could be a way to take advantage of that.
As we saw last year, quarterbacks don't last long. There was a run on signal callers and four of them went in the top 12 picks. The Eagles could have a pick in that range. Stanford star Andrew Luck will be long gone. He's very likely to go first overall in the draft. Junior Matt Barkley from USC is still trying to decide whether to come out. If he does, he'll go shortly after Luck. The one star quarterback who might make it down to the Eagles spot would be Baylor sensation Robert Griffin III. He's only a junior, but could easily come out. Griffin is engaged and already has his degree. He is a serious student-athlete and not your typical jock. Griffin is going to be a Heisman finalist and when you hear him interviewed it sounds like he will head to the NFL.
More than a few Eagles fans have interest in Griffin. I do as well. He looks like a special young man. He's helped turn Baylor into a good football program. Griffin is a leader and a winner. He's dynamic on the field. Right now, he leads the country in passing efficiency (similar to the NFL's quarterback rating). Griffin has the highest efficiency rating in college football history, if that gives you any idea how great of a season he's having. Look at these numbers through 12 games: 3,998 yards, 36 touchdowns, six interceptions, 72.3 completion percentage, 644 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. Wow.
Griffin is the best deep passer in the country. He is very accurate with his deep balls and puts great touch on them. He is mechanically sound. He's got a strong arm and can make some great throws. He likes to stay in the pocket so he can get the ball to his receivers, but Griffin isn't afraid to tuck it and run. He's got sprinter speed (thanks to a track background) and can be elusive in the open field. People want me to compare him to someone. I can't think of one player. His deep passing ability reminds me of Jeff Blake (former Bengals star and an Eagles backup in 2004). Griffin's running ability and speed might remind you of a lesser version of Vick.
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| Tommy Lawlor, goeagles99 on the Discussion Boards, is an amateur football scout and devoted Eagles fan. He was a finalist for Philadelphia's Most Influential Blogger Award and is the Editor of IgglesBlitz.com |
Griffin just became a household name this year, but I've been aware of him for years. I remember watching a Big 12 preview show in the summer of 2009. The segment on Baylor had this quarterback making all kinds of highlight plays. You could see the kid was raw. He was more runner than passer back then. Unfortunately Griffin tore up his knee that year. I did take notice of him while studying Baylor prospects Danny Watkins, Phil Taylor and Byron Landor for last year's draft. Griffin was good. This season he has been special. There is a legitimate chance he'll win the Heisman Trophy. If he's on board when the Eagles pick, I'd have no arguments with the team taking him.
Could the Eagles take a linebacker early?
One sore spot with some fans is the fact the Eagles haven't taken a linebacker in the top 60 picks since Quinton Caver back in 2001. I think this could change for a couple of reasons. First, I don't think anyone would argue that the Eagles are set at linebacker. There are some potential pieces in place, but no one has emerged this year to the level that you can point to him as a really good player.
The other reason the Eagles could go for a linebacker is that this class looks good. Recent years have not been loaded with talented 4-3 linebacker prospects. I won't cover all of them, but will mention a few of my favorite players.
Boston College middle linebacker Luke Kuechly is a junior that could come out. He is a great college player and my favorite prospect in the whole draft. Kuechly already holds the ACC career record for tackles and he's just completed his junior year. He is a tackling machine. Kuechly leads the country in tackles this year and did so last season as well. Sometimes you see players credited with a bunch of tackles and then when you study the tape you see that those figures are bloated. That's not the case with Kuechly. He has great instincts and is around the ball play after play. He uses his hands well and might be the best linebacker in the draft at shedding blocks. Kuechly (6-2, 235 pounds) has underrated cover skills. He has seven career interceptions and covers more ground than you expect.
My second favorite linebacker is Danny Trevathan from Kentucky. He is another guy that posts a lot of tackles. He is currently fifth this year in tackles and was all the way down at 12th last season. Trevathan (6-1, 230 pounds) is an outside linebacker. He's not huge, but plays well in space or between the tackles. I recently watched him against Georgia and was blown away. Trevathan had 12 solo tackles, a sack and two forced fumbles in the game. He made hustle tackles out by the sidelines. Other times I watched him shed blocks and stuff inside run plays. Trevathan has an amazing 11 career forced fumbles. He is a good hitter and can make things happen.
UNC star Zach Brown is another outside linebacker. He's not as tough or instinctive as Kuehcly or Trevathan, but Brown is a great athlete. He uses his speed to be a playmaker. This year he has two interceptions, 5.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He can be very good in coverage. Brown isn't a guy who will consistently shed blocks and stuff run plays, but he's got the physical potential to develop those skills. His specialty is flying around and making things happen.
Kuechly won't go super high in the first round because he's "just" a middle linebacker. In today's NFL, that's somewhat of an insult. Brown should be a first-round pick. Trevathan will go in the second or early third round. There are quite a few other really talented prospects I'd be interested in the Eagles picking. Keep your fingers crossed, Eagles fans. This could be the year a linebacker gets taken early.
What about linebackers like Donta Hightower, Vontaze Burfict or Manti Te'o?
These are three star players I get asked about a lot. Hightower plays inside linebacker for Alabama. He moves to end in nickel/dime sets. Hightower might be the hardest hitter in college football. He's a huge guy with tremendous power. The problem is that he doesn't have the sideline to sideline speed you want in a middle linebacker. I think he's best suited to playing in a 3-4.
Burfict is a hotly debated player. Anyone who sees his highlight clips on Youtube immediately thinks they've found someone who is LT and Ray Lewis combined. The problem is that full games and highlights are very, very different. Burfict disappears in games. He can be undisciplined. He has had issues with penalties throughout his career. He doesn't shed blocks well. Burfict is a boom or bust player. He could become an impact linebacker or could be out of the league in a few years.
Te'o is interesting. He's big, but moves well and can play in space. He's missed some tackles this year and isn't always at his best as a run stuffer. I'd rather not take a chance on a player like that. All three of these players might be better off in a 3-4 so that they can blitz and play on the move.
If the Eagles decided to go for a receiver early, who would they take?
Oklahoma State star Justin Blackmon is the best receiver prospect in the country. He would be a great fit in the Eagles offense. Blackmon is 6-1 and 215 pounds. He has great hands. He's fast, but just as important, he's strong and physical. Think of him as a better version of Hakeem Nicks. Blackmon is fast enough to run by cornerbacks. He's also able to catch a slant pass and break tackles as he turns a short play into a long gain. Blackmon will go in the top 10.
I think Notre Dame's Michael Floyd is the next receiver. He's even bigger at 6-3 and 225 pounds. Floyd isn't as dynamic with the ball as Blackmon, but Floyd is special in his own way. He would be a very good fit in the Eagles vertical passing game. Either one of these guys would be an interesting addition to an already talented offense.
For more dead-on analysis from Tommy Lawlor, check out the Fan-Demonium archive.
