Rule the Eagles Out for the Fourth Overall Pick

Mary Kay Cabot, for the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

At least three or four teams in the top 20 have expressed interest in trading up, and the Browns are expected to have some enticing options on draft day.

Rams coach Jeff Fisher, who has the No. 6 pick, has already identified the Browns as a potential trade partner, and the Eagles at No. 15 are believed to be interested in trading up, sources said. At least two other teams are in the mix.

The Browns are trying to drum up interest in their pick and the Eagles are a logical team to use for that purpose. Don’t buy it.

What the Eagles Should Not Do in the First Round

There’s something odd about the run-up to the NFL draft that causes everyone to start shouting out possible players the Eagles could choose in the the first (and every) round. It makes for fun speculation, but ultimately each prediction is little more than a guess.

Perhaps a more fruitful topic for discussion isn’t trying to decide what the Eagles will do or who they should pick — but rather who they shouldn’t. Honestly, while I’m learning more every day about the various options at defensive line and elsewhere, even the early prospects are still mostly a mystery to me. But I have strong opinions on what the Eagles should not do in the first round.

Don’t Draft a Quarterback. I already talked about why the Eagles weren’t a good fit for Robert Griffin III, but now Ryan Tannehill’s name keeps popping up for a first round option. The same argument applies, but especially for a guy who isn’t of RG3’s caliber. Quarterbacks like Tannehill have shot up draft boards in recent years because of the importance of the position and scarcity of franchise players, which makes such a selection in the first round a huge reach.

Don’t Draft a Running Back. I like Trent Richardson as much as the next guy, but even if he fell to a place where the Eagles could grab him, I still wouldn’t be happy. The team already has an elite running back in a league that values them less with every passing day.

Don’t Draft a Wide Receiver. Third or fourth round, sure. I’d like some depth and competition, but they have their starters locked up through the next two seasons at least. Leave it alone.

Don’t Draft a Tight End. There is no clear-cut first round caliber guy here. Case closed.

Don’t Draft an Offensive Lineman. I’m not taking anything for granted at tackle, where Jason Peters will be out for the year, but Demetress Bell and King Dunlap will almost certainly be better in 2012 than what you could find at number 15 overall in this weak class. Unless you worry about Peters’ recovery beyond that, this isn’t a position of need. And please, nothing could be worse than drafting another first round guard.

Hey, look… there seems to be a general trend here.

Photo from Getty.

Defensive Draft Prospects in 140 Characters or Less

Sheil Kapadia:

Greg Cosell of NFL Films has been Tweeting out notes on draft prospects while watching film the past few weeks. Here’s a roundup of his thoughts on defensive players, along with my Eagles slant on each position.

Great draft resource for those wanting short takes on all the defenders the Eagles might be interested in the early rounds.

Mock Draft Brings Out the Best in Beat Reporters

Bowen, Domo, McLane, Tamari, and Kapadia work their way through a first round mock draft in glorious style. The picks inspire discussion, and banter is even better. Enjoy.

Westy Talks Shady

Eagletarian:

Westbrook took to Twitter today to gauge the fans’ views on McCoy’s contract situation, and add his own.

“So basically everyone feels that he should get paid??,” he tweeted…

“Like Arian Foster? I think he is definitely if not the best, at least the second best back in the league right now and deserves it #payMccoy”

“The only leverage players have in this situation is to hold out! Unfortunately its still not a lot of leverage!! #payMccoy”

“Players dont want to have to worry about their contracts during the season which is why the off season is the time to get it done”

This probably isn’t true, but I like the idea that McCoy is speaking through Westbrook here. Arian Foster money, here we come.

Low Expectations for Demetress Bell

I’m a big believer in the market economics of the NFL. If 32 NFL teams pass on a player until the sixth round, he doesn’t have a particularly high chance of success. It’s the same with free agents who don’t receive serious interest on the market.

Derek Landri, who re-signed with the Eagles yesterday, would be in the latter category. He was a productive back-up with the team last year, but even after perhaps his best season as a pro, no other team offered him a long term deal — and the Eagles weren’t anxious to get him back either. He seems to still have an uphill battle to make the roster, especially if the team jumps in with a first round defensive tackle.

The same thought process leads me to question Demetress Bell’s value as well. Bell shopped himself around quite a lot, visiting a handful of different cities in order to seek a long term deal. But he was never offered one, even by the suddenly desperate Eagles.

Technically, Bell’s contract is 5 years, $35 million, but everyone knows he’s not coming back after 2012. The $8.5 million roster bonus in 2013 makes that a foregone conclusion. What does it say about Bell that in the modern NFL where left tackles are one of the top two or three most important positions on the field, he couldn’t find one team to give him a legitimate multi-year deal? Is he really any better than King Dunlap?

On the other hand, he was undoubtedly the best player the Eagles could get when they learned that Jason Peters was lost for the year. That has to count for something. And over the last two seasons, he’s been as good or better than Todd Herremans according to Pro Football Focus’s pass blocking efficiency statistic:

Maybe Bell will play up to his potential this season, or even exceed his past performance now that he has Howard Mudd as a guru. Maybe he’ll manage to stay healthy the whole year. Or maybe he’ll give the Eagles exactly what they paid for, a questionable veteran on a relatively meager deal.

Impossible to say for sure, but I’m not really looking forward to finding out the answer.

Photo from Getty.

Hey Asante! You're the Best Ever Of All Time

Jimmy Kempski:

So Asante Samuel found an article I wrote about him. And apparently, he liked it. Thanks, Asante. I love you too.

What about me, Pres? This wasn’t good enough for ya? Then again, there was this and this.

Howard Mudd is the 'Real Deal'

Bo Wulf, for the Eagles Website:

“After the visit (with the Eagles), I talked to him and I said, ‘Jason, what do you think about coach Mudd?’” said Bell. “He said, ‘He’s the real deal … If you want to be a Pro Bowler, come here and you have coach Mudd and me behind you and you don’t have a choice.’ So that’s a great business decision for me.”

You don’t get much better endorsements. Apparently, Mudd is also the reason Demetress changed the spelling of his name.

(via Derek)