Eagles Draft Report

It was clear that head coach Andy Reid and general manager Howie Roseman had a theme for the 2010 draft. And they didn’t waver from it. The theme was to draft character guys who love to play football and to stick to the draft board. Reid said he did not want to reach for a position of need. He said the goal of the draft was to take the best available football players at the time of selection.

The Eagles also made some trades when they wanted to go up and get a particular player as they did with their first round pick. And they took the liberty of trading back when they did not wish to choose a player at that juncture. Let’s take a look at the key players the Birds drafted.

In the first round the team selected Brandon Graham, a defensive end from the University of Michigan. As I mentioned the team traded up to get Graham. They gave up 2 third round picks along with the 24th selection in this year’s draft in order to move up from pick 24 to 13. Graham has a high motor. He is a good tackler. I noticed watching film of him that he really drives through the ball carrier and delivers a big blow. Graham stands a little over 6-1 and weighs about 270 lb. He has good speed for a defensive end at 4.72 in the 40-yard-dash. Graham has been labeled as being an intense football player who is a natural leader. He shows good speed off the corner. And has a good swim move which he will use to explode inside of the blocker to take an inside lane to the quarterback. I think Graham will excel when defensive coordinator Sean McDermott uses him to stunt. Graham had 10 ½ sacks in his senior season. And led the nation in tackles for loss in 2009. He plays with good leverage. Therefore, I think he will play the run well. Graham will play left defensive end for Philadelphia.

Safety Nate Allen was the team’s lone second round choice. Which was 37th overall. It was actually one of the picks acquired in the Donovan McNabb deal with Washington. The team will get either a 3rd or a 4th round pick in 2011 to finish the deal. Allen is a consistent safety who always seems to be in the right place. The University of South Florida product has 4.50 / 40 speed and can play some corner as well. Allen is 6-0 ½ and about 208 lb. He possesses good hands and ball instincts. Allen is a smart football player which is important for a safety. He displays good technique. Allen isn’t a flashy football player, but he looks real steady on film. He does play a little high at times. Not a devastating tackler, but a sound tackler.

Daniel Te’o-Nesheim a defensive end from the University of Washington was the Eagles third round choice [86th overall]. I thought Te’o-Nesheim was a bit of a reach with this selection. He plays fast and with a lot of intensity. The former Huskie is said to be a hard worker. Even though Te’o-Nesheim has good speed for a defensive end at 4.70 / 40, he is a bit raw as a pass-rusher. He will need to develop better technique in the pros. The 6-3, 265 lb defensive end seems to want to primarily beat tackles off the corner with speed. He will also need to be more alert in the run game.

With their first pick in the 4th round, the Eagles selected Trevard Lindley, a cornerback from the University of Kentucky. Lindley had a high ankle sprain this past year, which was his senior season. He missed 4 football games and probably could have missed more, but he decided to tough it out. Reid said the Eagles brass took Lindley’s junior season more into account, when he wasn’t injured and was moving better, than his senior season. He had good games against some of the better wide receivers in the SEC. The 6-0, 180 lb corner has good height and fairly long arms. He has the tools to play man-to-man coverage. As he possesses good hips, and plays the football well. Lindley will need to get stronger. He is not the most physical player.

Keenan Clayton was the team’s second 4th rounder. The 6-1, 230 lb outside linebacker originally came to Oklahoma University as a safety. He didn’t have great speed for a safety, but had very good speed for a linebacker, so he stayed at that position. Clayton is extremely athletic. He runs about a 4.6 / 40. Clayton mans long arms, which will serve him well in terms of causing fumbles. Though he is small for a linebacker, and may have difficulty getting off of blocks in the NFL.

Mike Kafka, a quarterback from Northwestern was taken by the Eagles with their third 4th round draft choice. Kafka has good size at 6-3, 220 lb. He is an accurate passer. Kafka is extremely athletic for a QB. He can scramble to buy time in the pocket or he can run for yards. He does tend to lock onto his initial read. So he will need to get better in terms of going through his progressions. Played in a spread offense at Northwestern, in which he was primarily in shotgun. Has only an average arm. But does get rid of the ball quickly. I really like this kid’s skill set. Reid knows how to develop a quarterback. And I am guessing Kafka intrigues him. Kafka reminds me of Jeff Garcia a bit.

Clay Harbor was the team’s final 4th round pick. Harbor is an athletic tight end. The Missouri State University product can make plays down the seam in the passing game. Which can be a real asset against a two-deep zone. Harbor has decent size at 6-3, 245 lb. And is a willing blocker.

Philadelphia chose defensive end Ricky Sapp with their first 5th round choice. The University of Clemson product slid to the 5th round because of a torn ACL he suffered in 2008. Sapp has good speed at 4.7 in the 40. And could become a very good pass rusher in the NFL. He will need to get stronger as he does not get off of blocks at times. Sapp will also have to improve against the run. He has room to add size to his 6-4, 245 lb frame. Sapp has an explosive first step. He has a high ceiling.

With their second pick in the 5th round, the Eagles took Riley Cooper, a wide receiver from the University of Florida. The 6-3, 223 lb receiver could be a good fit for this team. The Eagles have an abundance of receivers that are 6-0 and under, but every team needs a guy on the outside with some size. Cooper is a good athlete. He has the ability to go up and get the football and possesses excellent body control. Therefore, he could be an ideal candidate for fade routes when the offense is inside the opposition’s 10-yard-line. Cooper was the roommate of quarterback Tim Tebow in college. He [Cooper] was drafted by the Texas Rangers most recently, and by the Phillies in 2006 to play baseball. Cooper has since given up baseball to concentrate on his football career.

Overall, I am giving the Eagles a solid B grade on this year’s draft. I like the fact that they drafted speed. And guys who actually enjoy playing football. Maybe the Shawn Andrews debacle taught them a lesson. The team will hope a defensive end emerges from the 3 they drafted to complement Trent Cole. And they are banking on safety Nate Allen to compete for the starting free safety job. It would also be nice if one of the linebackers pans out. We will just have to see how training camp and the preseason unfold.

76ers Fire Another

As expected, the Philadelphia 76ers fired head coach Eddie Jordan. Jordan and his version of the “Princeton Offense” were simply not good fits for this team’s personnel. The Sixers were one of the poorer defensive teams in the league as well under the former Sacramento Kings coach. I think president and general manager Ed Stefanski should be let go as well. He has done a subpar job at those positions.

NBA Player Of The Year

Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder is my choice for this award. Durant is a special player. I thought the 6-9 small forward from Texas University would be a really good NBA player. But I don’t think anyone foresaw this happening, especially this soon. Durant may be the best player in the league currently. He led the league in scoring in his second year, averaging 30.2 points-per-game. He also averaged 7.6 rebounds a game along with nearly 3 assists. And guided his team to a 50 win season.