With the annual NFL Draft set to begin Thursday 8:00 p.m. at Radio City Music Hall in New York, students at Bucks have various opinions on how the Philadelphia Eagles should use their first top five pick in over a decade.
After finishing with a 4-12 record last season, the Eagles will select fourth overall with a need for young talent on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
Unfortunately, unlike many other draft classes there is not a standout franchise quarterback among this year’s draftees. As a result, there is no consensus among draft experts as to how the early stages of the draft will play out.
With the uncertainly at the top of the draft board rumors have swirled as to which players will be available once the Eagles are on the clock. A slew of mock drafts have listed a handful of players that could be standing at the podium wearing midnight green this week.
Despite being the consensus top quarterback many fans are scared to gamble on West Virginia’s Geno Smith because of questions regarding his work ethic. However, some at Bucks believe that this is the perfect year to gamble on a quarterback of Smith’s ability.
“Foles doesn’t fit and Vick is hobbled and old,” said Justin Trask of New Britain, citing that the hiring of Chip Kelly requires some new blood. “We need a young quarterback and Geno should be our guy.”
As Trask noted, the Kelly hiring undoubtedly changes the locker room culture as well as the personnel on the depth chart, and because of his athleticism, Smith could be a fit in Kelly’s up-tempo system.
However, the team’s switch from a 4-3 defense to a 3-4 scheme makes Oregon linebacker Dion Jordan a perfect fit, said Scott Lawson, a pharmacy major from Warrington.
“Dion Jordan is one of the few prospects with the potential to be a great player. He reminds me of Aldon Smith,” Lawson said.
The seventh overall pick of the San Francisco 49ers, Smith has been a nightmare matchup for defensive coordinators since entering the league.in 2011. Accompanying Smith in that draft was emerging quarterback Colin Kaepernick who helped lead the 49ers to last year’s Super Bowl.
Lawson wants the Eagles to land a similar haul.
“They got two franchise players, so I think we can get a quarterback in round two,” he said.
Even though they differ on players, Trask and Lawson agreed the Eagles must select a fast and athletic player with their first pick.
When asked which quarterback the Eagles should target in the second round, the unanimous answer among students was Florida State’s E.J. Manuel. An intriguing fit, Manuel will likely need a redshirt year behind Vick or Foles similar to how Kaepernick was developed in San Francisco.
While getting a franchise quarterback or stud pass rusher would be ideal, the Eagles should select one of the top offensive tackles in the draft, according to Nick Haegle of Warrington.
“Vick got crushed back there last year and we need to upgrade our line if it isn’t healthy,” Haegle said.
There are three offensive tackle prospects projected to land within the top seven picks. One of those, Oklahoma’s Lane Johnson, recently said there was a “good possibility” that he would be selected by Philadelphia.
Johnson would be a good choice, but only if the team opted to trade down from their selection overall and took Johnson around the seventh pick, said Christian Bristow of Chalfont.
“Lane Johnson seems pretty good, but if we could trade down a few spots and get some future picks that would be ideal,” Bristow said.
With only rumors go on, fans will need to wait and see what decision the Eagles will make with their top picks. Depending on what direction the team goes in this unpredictable draft may inevitably be one to remember.