The Philadelphia Eagles
went into the 2010 NFL
Draft with glaring holes in
their defense. The defensive
line was thin, the secondary
needed help, and
until the recent acquisition
of Ernie Sims, the line
backing corps looked
weak.
For now, these gaps have
been plugged with youth.
The Birds added 9 players
on defense last weekend,
and now look like a team
that can compete in the
loaded NFC East.
When the Eagles traded
up from their 24th spot to
the 13th, everyone assumed
it was to select safety Earl
Thomas out of Texas. The
Eagles needed a safety and
he was clearly the best one
on the board.
However, the Birds had
other plans. Bucks student
Bill Scott knew their eyes
weren’t on the safety.
“I knew they wouldn’t
take Thomas, he’s too
small. They needed defensive
line help. I just figured
it would be Derrick
Morgan,” Scott said.
Morgan, a defensive end
from Florida State, was
regarded as the best
prospect at his position in
this year’s draft.
However, the Eagles saw
something in Brandon
Graham that they couldn’t
pass up. They jumped up
11 spots to Denver’s 13th
slot and selected the defensive
end out of Michigan.
Graham, a second-team
All-American last year as a
senior, is a speedy pass
rusher that has been compared
to Dwight Freeney.
He’s small for his position,
but has a non-stop motor
and a variety of pass-rushing
moves that could allow
him to excel in Sean
McDermott’s aggressive
defensive scheme.
Third round pick Daniel
Te’o-Nesheim out of
Washington, fifth rounder
Ricky Sapp out of
Clemson, and seventh
rounder Jeff Owens from
Georgia join a now deep
defensive line. McDermott
prefers to use a rotational
system on his defensive
front, so the added depth
should prove necessary as
the season goes along.
In the second round, with
the pick acquired for
departed quarterback
Donovan McNabb, the
Eagles selected safety Nate
Allen out of South Florida.
Safety was the largest position
of need, and Allen
should step right into the
starting free safety spot
aside Quentin Mikell.
The two safties should
work nicely together;
Mikell is a physically
strong safety that supports
in the run game, while
Allen is a smaller free safety
with excellent ball skills
and the ability to matchup
with slot wide receivers.
While the team did not
draft an offensive linemen,
the offense wasn’t ignored
entirely. In the fourth
round, the Eagles added a
third quarterback in Mike
Kafka out of Nebraska.
They also picked up a
promising young tight end
out of Missouri State, Clay
Harbor. Both of these
players have a lot to prove
coming into the NFL;
Kafka needs to show he
can grow into a capable
quarterback at the next
level, while Harbor needs
to prove that his production
in college isn’t all attributed
to him playing against
smaller schools.
In the fifth round, the
Eagles landed wide receiver
Riley Cooper out of
Florida. He gives us
another tall possession
receiver option to go along
with mainstay Hank
Baskett.
Charles Scott, a running
back out of LSU was a
great value in the sixth
round. While he doesn’t
have the explosiveness of
an every down back, Scott
could prove to be the tough
inside runner the Eagles
have been lacking in short
yardage situations since
Tony Hunt didn’t work out.
The Eagles reached in the
third round for Te’o-
Nesheim, a defensive end
with a similar style as
Graham. He is a solid
player and
should fit in
with the Eagles
plans, but in the
third round the
Eagles should
have looked at the
cornerback position.
The departure of
Sheldon Brown
forces Ellis Hobbs
into a starting role
opposite Asante Samuel,
and leaves the cupboard
rather bare on the outside.
Cornerback Trevard
Lindley, selected in the
fourth round, isn’t the type
of playmaker the Birds
needed to acquire to help
bolster the 27th worst pass
defense in the league last
year.
As always, time will
tell whether or not
this draft was a success.
With a young
offense bursting
with upside,
stocking up the
defense was a logical
move.
Offensive line is
still a concern, but
the Eagles aren’t
considering this a
“rebuilding” year,
despite the
departure
of McNabb, Westbrook,
and Brown.
There is a potential for a
solid team not only this
year, but, more importantly,
beyond. The future
remains bright for an
organization that has been
a model of consistency
over the last decade.