Philadelphia Eagles The 2014 NFL Draft is in the books. Philadelphia Eagles
Coming into it, we knew the Eagles needed to make some solid additions to help
sustain their position atop the NFC East. There were a number of needs that
they had to address. Philadelphia Eagles Coming in, Philadelphia Eagles they
needed a pass rusher, help in the secondary, some depth along the front seven,
and depth on the offensive line. Philadelphia Eagles As can be expected, the
Eagles were movers and shakers throughout the draft. Philadelphia Eagles They
entered the draft with six selections and ended up picking seven players. Philadelphia
Eagles Let’s take a look at the picks. Marcus Smith,
OLB, Philadelphia Eagles Louisville (First round, 26th overall) After trading
back four picks from 22 to 26, the Eagles surprised many when they took Smith. Philadelphia
Eagles We knew that they desperately needed to upgrade their pass rush, but it
didn’t seem likely that there would be anyone worthy of the pick late in the
second round. The Eagles took the pass rusher they wanted with their pick and
got an athletic player with length who has a lot of upside. Smith came out of
high school as a quarterback but quickly made the transition to defense upon
arrival at Louisville.
He has relied on his athleticism thus far and has the room to get much better
at the next level. The curious thing about the pick was the timing. Many
thought Smith was more of a second round talent. It caught a lot of people off
guard when he went in the first round. The Eagles were passionate about the
pick and downplayed it being a reach. However, I’m not so sure that anyone else
would have taken him in the first round if the Eagles did not. Jordan Matthews,
WR, Vanderbilt (Second round, 42nd overall) This was my favorite pick of the
Eagles draft. They clearly had the need at wide receiver after releasing DeSean
Jackson. Matthews is a big-bodied receiver with great speed. He has the ability
to go over the middle and is very good and going up and getting the ball.
During his time at Vanderbilt, he set SEC records for receptions and yards. Chip
Kelly has indicated that they will use Matthews in the slot. He also noted that
a lot of teams seem to be putting smaller guys in the slot, but they prefer to
put a bigger guy in that position. I think that Matthews will become a popular
target for Nick Foles very quickly. Matthews can really do it all. He’s a great
receiver and is also a good blocker. I’m very excited to see Matthews on the
field. Josh Huff, Philadelphia Eagles WR, Oregon (Third round, 86th overall) After
adding a receiver in the second round, the Eagles added even more depth at the
position by taking Huff in the third round. I’m not gonna lie, at first I was a
little thrown off by taking Huff in the third round. I thought it was a bit too
early. However, the more I thought about it, the more I liked it. Let me tell
you why. There is no one in the NFL who knows Huff better than Chip Kelly. Philadelphia
Eagles It’s not even close. Chip has a vision of how he wants his offense to
look and the type of players needed to execute that vision. With Huff, Chip
knows exactly what he’s getting and the options that Huff brings to the
offense. He’s the type of player that can lineup everywhere. He can lineup on
the outside, in the slot, play out of the backfield, and anywhere else you can
imagine. We know that Chip likes to create unique packages and run plays that
no one else in the NFL does. Huff gives him a ton of options and provides more
options and a position that was still looking pretty thin, even after the
addition of Matthews. Jaylen Watkins, CB, Florida (Fourth round, 101st overall)
After making a trade, the Eagles ended up with the first pick on the third day,
an optimal position to be in. They had the option to take any player they
wanted or field trade offers with a team who wanted to move up to get someone.
They chose to take the guy they wanted by taking Watkins, a guy that Howie
Roseman was very high on. What they have in Watkins is a versatile player who
can lineup in multiple spots in the secondary. Watkins comes out of Florida as a corner, but
had experience playing safety in college as well. The Eagles will be able to
evaluate Watkins leading up to the season before deciding where he fits in
best. At the end of the day, Philadelphia Eagles they’ll likely have Watkins
focused on one position but they’ll know that they have the option to move him
somewhere else in a pinch. Taylor Hart, DE, Oregon (Fifth round, 141st overall) In the
fifth round, the Eagles added another familiar face by taking former Duck,
Taylor Hart. This wasn’t a very big surprise as the Eagles were clearly
interested in Hart. Chip knows him very well and he fits the build that they
look for on the defensive side of the ball. He’s long and is a very versatile
player. At Oregon,
he lined up all over the place, and the Eagles love having players that are
able to do that. The Eagles projected starting defensive line looks pretty much
set. I like the players that they have. What they don’t have is a ton of depth
behind the starting group. Hart is a great addition from a depth perspective
and can play a number of positions along the defensive line. He’s a high effort
guy that should be able to plug in as a spark plug when the starters need to
jump off the field. Ed Reynolds, S, Stanford (Fifth round, 162nd overall) This
pick came as a bit of a surprise after the pick of Watkins. I don’t know if
they wanted more of a pure safety or if they truly intend on using Watkins as a
corner. Regardless, it seems like they wanted to bring in additional depth to
compete with Nate Allen and Earl Wolff opposite of Malcolm Jenkins. There are
some question marks when it comes to Reynolds. He had a strong 2012 season
where he was playing more of a center fielder role. He was able to make some
plays on the ball and was an impact player. In 2013, he was more of a box
safety who was making fewer plays on the ball but looked good along the line of
scrimmage. Again, the Eagles added a player with versatility. What they do get
in Reynolds is a smart player with good size that is a sure tackler. Eagles
fans have felt the pain of safeties missing tackles for years now, so it’s nice
to add a guy where that shouldn’t be a problem. Beau Allen,
NT, Wisconsin
(Seventh round, 224th overall) With their final pick, the Eagles added a
big-bodied nose tackle out of Wisconsin.
Although it wasn’t a need that was getting a lot of attention, Philadelphia
Eagles it truly was a need. The Saints killed them up front during the final
drive in the playoffs and they couldn’t stop Drew Brees on a quarterback sneak.
Although Bennie Logan is a great talent, he doesn’t have the true frame
required for a nose tackle. Allen has the more traditional build that you look
for at the position. Philadelphia Eagles He’s not a player that will come in
and compete for a starting position, Philadelphia Eagles but he should
definitely have a role on the defense. Philadelphia Eagles I like Allen to be
on the field for short yardage situations and around the goal line. However, Philadelphia
Eagles I’m not sure if they could have waited to find this type of player as an
undrafted free agent, rather than drafting one. Philadelphia Eagles Overall,
the Eagles didn’t get a bunch of players that make your jaw drop. Philadelphia
Eagles However, I think they got some solid pieces. With the additions of
Matthews and Huff as well as getting Darren Sproles via trade Philadelphia
Eagles I think the offense may be even better next year. Defensively, Philadelphia
Eagles I think they have made some positive strides in free agency and
leveraged the draft to get better, Philadelphia Eagles end.
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