BirdsFan.com - A Philadelphia Eagles Blog » NFL Draft 2009

Comments from the new additions

BirdsFan — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 22:00:29 +0000

Former Eagle Gary Cobb has recently spoken with many of the new faces of the Eagles organization asking for their thoughts on the team and the type of contributions they think they can make. The group seems to be confident and ready to get down to work for the upcoming season. I like the attitude the players are expressing because they don’t seem to be cocky but they feel that they can definitely make an impact for this organization. One thing to evaluate when bringing a player in is their attitude. Some players are just mental wrecks (bet a certain wide receiver comes to mind). All of these players seem to be level headed and determined to show the city of Philadelphia what they can do.

Check out what some of the new guys told Gary and check out his thoughts as well.

Cornelius Ingram
Jeremy Maclin
Victor Harris
Ellis Hobbs

Eagles sign undrafted free agents

BirdsFan — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:15:30 +0000

Well the day after the draft, the Eagles have added nine undrafted prospects to the squad. The list is below.

Walter Mendenhall – RB – Illinois State
Dallas Reynolds – OG – BYU
Brandon Robinson – WR – Boston College
Courtney Robinson – CB – Massachusetts
Sam Swank – PK – Wake Forest
Marcus Thigpen – RB – Indiana
Josh Gaines – DE – Penn State
Reshard Langford – S – Vanderbilt
Marcus Mailei – FB – Weber State

Eagles second day picks

BirdsFan — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:10:09 +0000

If you watched the second day of the draft, you may have been frustrated by how the Eagles traded back on multiple occasions. However, I think most people are viewing Sunday and the draft as a whole a success for the Eagles.

The Eagles took the following players Sunday:

5 17 (153) C. Ingram TE Florida
5 21 (157) V. Harris CB Va Tech
5 23 (159) F. Tupou OT Oregon
6 21 (194) B. Gibson WR Wash St
7 4 (213) P. Fanaika OG Arizona St
7 21 (230) M. Fokou OLB Maryland

Ingram and Harris are good additions and should definitely make contributes to the team somewhere down the line, and we know that Maclin and McCoy should be able to step in and make an impact right away.

Take a look at Todd McShay’s draft review and look at the compliments he gives to the Eagles for the picks they made.

Eagles take McCoy with second pick

BirdsFan — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 01:11:30 +0000

With their second selection in the NFL draft, the Eagles assessed their need at the running back position by selecting LeSean McCoy out of Pittsburgh. McCoy was the best available running back on the board so it is definitely a nice addition after missing out on the “big three” running backs that were taken in the first round. McCoy doesn’t have the exact size and power the Birds wanted but he is an explosive player with good hands.

I think it is a nice addition to the offense. He is a play maker that should definitely be able to make some plays at the professional level. It seems like the Eagles are really trying to provide Donovan the play makers he’s been asking for.

Eagles take Maclin with first pick

BirdsFan — Sat, 25 Apr 2009 22:23:06 +0000

The Philadelphia Eagles have traded up from 21st to 19th in order to select Missouri wide receiver Jeremy Maclin. Maclin was projected by many to go in the top 10 but fell as the day continued. This is the second year that the Eagles have used their first pick of the draft to take a wide receiver. With this selection, it appears that the Birds will stop their pursuit of wide receiver Anquan Boldin.

Maclin is a very solid player but the selection came as a big surprise to me. Both Chris “Beanie” Wells and Brandon Pettigrew were on the board and the Eagles passed on both of them. It will be interesting to see what the Eagles do the rest of the day as they still need a running back. Maybe they will make a move for Donald Brown if he falls into the second round.

Will the Eagles trade back?

BirdsFan — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 00:56:20 +0000

There is a lot of talk lately concerning players the Eagles might trade for and how they may bundle their picks to do things. What there isn’t a lot of talk about is whether or not the Eagles will actually use the 21st overall pick to draft a player. We’ve all seen it before, the Birds get us all excited as their first round pick finally comes up, then they trade the pick away. Sadly, this trend could very well happen again this year.

Most experts don’t believe that tight end Brandon Pettigrew will be around for the Eagles to pick up with the 21st pick. Tight end is a big need for the Birds but there Pettigrew is the only one worth the money at that pick. An offensive tackle was a need until the Jason Peters trade so that means they won’t go there. A wide receiver could be a possibility if a guy like Hakeem Nicks is available, maybe even Darrius Heyward-Bey.

The only need left from here is a runningback. This is obviously where most fans want the Eagles to go at pick 21 but it I don’t know if they will. I believe Chris “Beanie” Wells and Knowshon Moreno are a leg up on all the other backs. If neither one is available when the Eagles step to the plate, I can easily see them trading back. Donald Brown is talented but I don’t think the Eagles want to pay him the money a 21st selection is worth.

So, it will be interesting come draft day. Will the Eagles use their first round pick or will they let us wait around all day to see what they do and then trade back?

Eagles Ready to Make Big Splash?

BirdsFan — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 22:18:46 +0000

Today, the Eagles were visited by top offensive tackle prospect Jason Smith. Out of Baylor, Smith is projected to be one of the top three overall picks in the NFL draft. It is said to almost be concrete that the Lions will take Georgia QB Matthew Stafford with the number one overall pick. After the Lions, the Rams are the next to pick. With the loss of Orlando Pace this offseason, I would almost say it is a certainty that the Lions would take Smith if the Lions take Stafford. The Chiefs have the third overall pick in the draft and it is rumored that this is where the Eagles could possibly move up. If Smith were to still be on the board after the first two selections and the Eagles liked what they saw today, they could package their first two round picks along with something else to move up and hopefully get the starting left tackle for the next 10+ years. In all honesty, I don’t think it will happen due to the Rams need for an OT.

Although I’m a bit sick of talking about it, there are still rumors flying around about Anquan Boldin. Yesterday it was said that the Cardinals are listening to offers for Boldin again. Today it was said that the Cardinals would trade him for a first and third round pick. This is obviously something the Eagles could do since they have two first round picks. However, I’m a bit tired of getting my hopes up so I’m not going to think about it and just hope that it happens.

RB Prospect – Kory Sheets

BirdsFan — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:00:15 +0000

Runningback out of Purdue, Kory Sheets, has visited the Philadelphia Eagles. It appears as though the Eagles are assessing a wide variety of talent at running back from projected first rounders to those who will be available in later rounds. Sheets has good size at 6′ 0″ and 210 pounds and also good speed posting a 40-yard dash time of 4.39 at the NFL Combine. During his senior year, Sheets carried the ball 234 times for 1131 yards and 16 touchdowns.

It is interesting to see the Eagles taking this approach. They have evaluated running backs from a wide range of talent. Tom Heckert has said that he doesn’t feel they need to take a RB in the first round although all the mock drafts have them taking one and the fans feel they should as well. I believe they need to go after Moreno, Brown, or McCoy. I’m not a big fan of Beanie Wells. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing them take one of those backs in the first round then a back like Sheets in the third or fourth round if he’s there. Lorenzo Booker has proved nothing, Buckhalter is gone, and B-West needs help.

WR Prospect – Deon Butler

BirdsFan — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 20:44:31 +0000

A wide receiver who’s draft stock has been rising lately is Penn State’s Deon Butler. Butler has already conducted a private workout with the Eagles as well as cross-state rivals Pittsburgh. At 5′ 10″ 170 pounds, Butler does not have ideal size; however, what he lacks in size, he makes up in speed. While participating in the NFL Combine, Butler posted a 4.38 40-yard dash time. Butler was part of a dynamic trio of receivers at Penn State who are widely considered to be the best class of receiver the school has ever had. In his senior season, Butler had 47 receptions for 810 yards and seven touchdowns.

I think many people in the area would love to see Butler join the Birds because there are so many PSU fans around Philadelphia. Personally, I do not think that Butler is the type of receiver the Eagles need right now. Butler has about the same skill set as DeSean Jackson but I think Jackson is a better receiver. The good thing about Butler is that he can be had in the third or fourth round.

CB Prospect – Bradley Fletcher

BirdsFan — Tue, 14 Apr 2009 21:35:23 +0000

Iowa cornerback Bradley Fletcher has scheduled a visit with the Philadelphia Eagles. At 6′ 1″ and 200 pounds, Fletcher posted a 4.44 40-yard dash time at his Pro Day. In his senior season, Bradley recorded 60 tackles with three interceptions and a forced fumble.

Fletcher obviously has better size than any other Eagles corners and still has optimal speed. It is projected that Fletcher will be taken somewhere in the third round. I think that if the Eagles are going to draft a corner they should go after someone with size who could potential match up with bigger receivers (especially now that it sounds like Braylon Edwards will soon be a Giant). If the Eagles are really interested in Fletcher they could potentially package some late round picks to move up into a late second round or early third round position.