With the lockout over, the Philadelphia Eagles went out and pretty much bought themselves their own version of a ‘Dream Team’. But why did they need to? Was it a case of poor drafting hurting the team or were they just looking for that extra dose of talent to push them over the edge?
We put the Eagles through the Draft Grader with each pick between the 2008 and 2010 draft classes receiving a grade between +2.0 and -2.0 (in 0.5 increments) that depends upon:
• Where they were drafted
• Their performance
• Their contribution (how many snaps their team got out of them)
• Other factors such as unforeseen injuries and conditions that could not have been accounted for
Let’s take a look at how Philadelphia drafted.
+2.0: You’ve just found Tom Brady in the 6th round
Forget drafting a quarterback, they just picked one up out of prison!
+1.5: Getting much more than you bargained for!
LeSean McCoy, RB (53rd overall pick in 2009): After a tough rookie year, McCoy came back much stronger with an impressive sophomore season where he ranked ninth overall in our running back rankings. A year later, he had our highest pure rushing grade and is firmly established as one of the league’s best running backs.
+1.0: The scouts nailed it!
Desean Jackson, WR (49th overall pick in 2008): There’s plenty not to like about Jackson. His attitude, his ability to go missing, and his drops to name the big three. But he’s a downright scary receiver who can strike from anywhere on the field and cause all sorts of problems as a returner. You either love him or hate him, but you better not let him get behind you.
+0.5: Never hurts to find a solid contributor
King Dunlap, T (230th overall pick in 2008): A former seventh round pick, Dunlap is the kind of reliable swing tackle teams love (who also showed in 2011 an ability to play at guard). Able to step in at a moment’s notice, he rarely lets his team down after picking up a -2.2 grade in 658 career snaps.
Jeremy Maclin, WR (19th overall pick in 2009): A solid guy to have catching balls, Maclin is the type of reliable player every receiver group needs. The only problem is he’s a former first round pick, so you’d like to see him impose himself a bit more and become one of the top receivers in the league. He hasn’t done that yet.
Moise Fokou, LB (230th overall pick in 2009): Not a bad pick at all to turn a seventh round pick into a guy who has managed 866 snaps on defense (with a +1.5 overall grade) and who has contributed 27 special teams tackles over three years.
Nate Allen, S (37th overall pick in 2010): Allen’s hot start to his NFL career made way to being exposed as his rookie season developed, before an injury cut it short. It took him some time to find his stride the following year, but he looked to be getting back to the kind of safety that will prove a reliable starter capable of making plays.
Kurt Coleman, S (244th overall pick in 2010): Managed 1,110 snaps on defense since being drafted, and while he had plenty of low moments as a sophomore, a decent rookie campaign and some production on special teams make this better value than you’d normally get for a seventh-rounder.
0.0: It could have been worse
Mike McGlynn, G (109th overall pick in 2008): Manned the center spot in 2010, and while he struggled with his pass blocking was a decent enough, if inconsistent, run blocker.
Quintin Demps, S (117th overall pick in 2008): Didn’t get much of a chance on defense, but for two years had a positive impact on special teams, including a 15-special-team-tackle season as a rookie and a kickoff returned for a touchdown.
Jack Ikegwuono, CB (131st overall pick in 2008): A once highly regarded college prospect, knee injuries ruined the career of Ikegwuono. The Eagles get a pass on the pick since the upside was high and they did have 10 picks in 2008.
Mike Gibson, G (184th overall pick in 2008): Back with the Eagles after missing his rookie year through injury, and then being nabbed off their practice squad.
Joe Mays, LB (200th overall pick in 2008): The worst thing about this pick is Mays only managed 75 snaps for Philadelphia in over two years with the team. Not recognizing talent is a horrible trait, because Mays has gone onto star as the kind of two-down linebacker the Eagles desperately need. A win for the scouts negated by a loss for the coaches.
Andy Studebacker, LB (203rd overall pick in 2008): Taken off the Eagles' practice squad by the Chiefs.
Cornelius Ingram, TE (153rd overall pick in 2009): Two ACL tears in back-to-back years seemed to ruin what promise Ingram had–just couldn’t recapture his burst after his second tear occurred in 2009.
Macho Harris, S (157th overall pick in 2009): Didn’t look horrible when he started at safety for the Eagles (especially considering he converted from a college cornerback) but didn’t last into Year 2.
Fenuki Tupou, T (159th overall pick in 2009): After missing his rookie season with a chest injury, Tupou was cut by the Eagles.
Brandon Gibson, WR (194th overall pick in 2009): Traded weeks into the 2009 season, he did at least help the Eagles acquire Will Witherspoon.
Paul Fanaika, G (213th overall pick in 2009): The Eagles lost Fanaika to the Redskins who took him off their practice squad.
Brandon Graham, DE (13th overall pick in 2010): The jury is still out on Graham, largely thanks to a horrible ACL tear that cut short his rookie season. Until then he’d looked a very promising pass rusher, picking up a +11.4 grade in this regard while being sub standard in run defense. 2011 year was a near complete washout and enters his third season with the need to really showcase what he can do.
Keenan Clayton, LB (121st overall pick in 2010): Needs to get on the field more, but has looked better (in very limited opportunities) than some of those ahead of him on the depth chart.
Mike Kafka, QB (122nd overall pick in 2010): Has the look of a career backup who will struggle to ever see the field more than the 33 snaps he managed in 2011. Still, managed to look better than Vince Young in limited action.
Clay Harbor, TE (125th overall pick in 2010): To be a success Harbor needs to do more as the Eagles' No. 2 tight end.
Riley Cooper, WR (159th overall pick in 2010): It’s not enough to just play a lot of snaps, Cooper needs to make some plays. A guy who has proved capable of making life harder for his QB than it needs to be, and who needs to take a big step forward if he’s to run more than 217 pass routes in 2012.
Charles Scott, RB (200th overall pick in 2010): Traded away before the start of the 2010 season for Jorrick ‘I playd eight snaps on defense’ Calvin.
Jamar Chaney, LB (220th overall pick in 2010): You can sometimes ask too much of a player, and that appears the case every time the Eagles let Chaney take the field. Suffice to say, earning a -19.0 grade over the course of two seasons is not good.
Jeff Owens, DT (243rd overall pick in 2010): Three snaps as a rookie and nothing more as the Eagles waived him months after suffering a serious knee injury requiring reconstructive surgery.
-0.5: That pick was not put to good use
Trevor Laws, DT (47th overall pick in 2008): You don’t draft a defensive tackle mid way through the second to just backup starters and assume a situational role. Even when opportunity knocked, Laws was unable to take it, looking the kind of mediocre player you’d find later on in the draft.
Trevard Lindley, CB (105th overall pick in 2010): A former fourth round pick, Lindsay was something of a disappointment, but also lacked any sort of luck with the Eagles deciding to invest heavy on proven cornerback talent.
Ricky Sapp, DE (134th overall pick in 2010): Didn’t manage a single snap (or gameday active) for the Eagles as he was unable to overcome college injuries.
-1.0: What a waste!
Bryan Smith, DE (80th overall pick in 2008): Cut after a year, the undersized Smith didn’t manage a single defensive snap. Not good enough for a team that likes to rotate their defensive linemen and get players who can contribute on the field.
Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, DE (86th overall pick in 2010): It’s never good when a third round pick finds his way onto your team's practice squad and only sees NFL action in a meaningless game. A disappointment and true waste of a pick.
-1.5: The scouts/ coaches failed, big time!
Nothing overly terrible here.
-2.0: You just drafted the love child of Jamarcus Russell and Ryan Leaf!
No Russell/ Leaf hybrids in these classes.
Summary
If you were going to criticize the Eagles you’d say they just haven’t done a good enough job of finding solid starters, while at the same time they’ve had a bit of misfortune with injury. Some of this was brought on by themselves (you select guys coming off serious knee injuries, you’re running a risk), but the 2010 class especially has seen it’s top two picks unable to reach their full potential because of injury. Somewhat underwhelming, you understand why Philadelphia has been so active in free agency.
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