The unofficial start of the NFL
season is this Saturday, as the
league holds its annual collegiate
draft. For football fans, the draft
is like the spring of a new NFL
season, with everything seeming
new and exciting. Every fan
thinks their team has a chance to
hoist the Lombardi trophy, no
matter how far-fetched it may
seem.
And nowhere is that sentiment
more shared than in
Philadelphia.
This year’s draft holds enormous
possibilities for the Eagles.
Will they select a wide-receiver
such as Limas Sweed from
Texas? Will they take a safety
such as Miami’s Kenny Phillips?
Or will they tap into this year’s
strongest positional talent pool
and take an offensive tackle,
maybe Jeff Otah from
Pittsburgh? These questions and
many others will be answered on
draft day.
One thing is for certain, the
Eagles have plenty of areas that
need addressing.
Special teams were atrocious
last year for the Eagles, and a
return man is a must. Besides
costing the Eagles a game last
season, there was absolutely no
threat from the Eagles return
duo of Reno Mahe, and Correll
Buckhalter. To have a third of a
game go completely ignored is
unacceptable. The Eagles must
address this need somewhere in
the draft.
The Lito Sheppard situation is
also going to factor in to this
year’s draft for the Eagles. It is
possible they will trade
Sheppard before the draft. He
could be dealt for a draft pick, or
a wide-receiver. Reports out of
Cincinnati are that Chad Johnson
wants out, and the Eagles could
be a possible suitor.
After witnessing the New York
Giants win the super bowl with
key contributions from multiple
rookies, there is no reason to
think the Eagles could not do the
same.