The New Eagles Draft Picks Rookie

 

Philadelphia Eagles With the 2014 NFL Draft in the books, football fans are undoubtedly excited about the impact their new draft picks, especially the early rounders, Philadelphia Eagles will have on the field. Some will undoubtedly start right away and provide a huge upgrade immediately, while others will have to wait on the bench for a season, Philadelphia Eagles or maybe several, before they finally get their shot at stardom. The Eagles picked their players this year with an eye towards future seasons, but that doesn’t mean that some of them won’t make an impact in 2014. Philadelphia Eagles The statistics in the predictions are my educated assumption barring any injury to the rookies or anybody above them on the depth charts, Philadelphia Eagles.

Marcus Smith, OLB,
Smith was drafted to improve the Eagles’ pass rush after having one of the worst defenses against the pass throughout all of 2013. Philadelphia Eagles Smith is a big, athletic, raw linebacker with a lot of potential that many fans feel was drafted too high. I think he won’t start, since Trent Cole and Connor Barwin have those positions locked down, but Smith will see a lot of playing time in rotation and compete for a starting job once the Eagles lose either Cole or Barwin to free agency in 2015 or 2016. Philadelphia Eagles I believe he’ll see action in all 16 games, starting none of them but accumulating 35-45 tackles, 10-15 for a loss, Philadelphia Eagles and between 6 and 10 sacks, much of which will come in the second half of the season as he builds up momentum for a big 2015, Philadelphia Eagles.

Jordan Matthews, WR,
Philadelphia Eagles Matthews was my favorite pick of the draft, and I believe he will have the most successful rookie season among all of the Eagles’ draft picks. He was obviously picked to fill the hole left by DeSean Jackson, although he is a completely different player than Jackson was. Philadelphia Eagles He will be the 3rd receiver on the depth chart behind Jeremy Maclin and Riley Cooper, and he will play primarily in the slot. Philadelphia Eagles He is entering one of the most potent offenses in the NFL and he will see a lot of playing time. Philadelphia Eagles He’ll play all 16 games, starting 7 or 8 (sometimes the team starts in a slot formation and sometimes it doesn’t.) He will catch around 70 passes for 850 yards and 7 or 8 touchdowns.

Josh Huff, WR,

The Birds double dipped on receivers on the second day, and Nick Foles is a happy man as a result. Huff will only be the 4th receiver but he will still see some playing time because Chip Kelly likes to spread the ball around. Kelly knows Huff and how ready he is for the NFL more than any other coach, Philadelphia Eagles so he’ll give him plenty of time on the field but not more than he can handle. Philadelphia Eagles Huff may also see time on special teams as well. He’ll play in all 16 games, starting none, catch 35-40 passes for around 500 yards and 4 or 5 touchdowns, end.

Jaylen Watkins , CB,

Begin Watkins, Philadelphia Eagles who is the brother of 4th overall pick Sammy Watkins, enters the depth chart as the 4th cornerback behind Brandon Boykin, Bradley Fletcher, and Cary Williams. Philadelphia Eagles I believe he will leapfrog Roc Carmichael in training camp. He will see a lot of time on special teams and in the dime package. He will play all 16 games, start 0, make 30 tackles and an interception or two. Philadelphia Eagles If Williams or Fletcher leaves in free agency in 2015, Boykin will probably be moved to the outside and Watkins will be the top candidate for the permanent slot corner, Philadelphia Eagles.

Taylor Hart, DE,

Start The second former Duck to evolve into an Eagle over the weekend was Taylor Hart, Philadelphia Eagles a former defensive end that has the size and athleticism that led Kelly to recruit him to Oregon 4 years ago. Philadelphia Eagles Like Huff, he knows Hart more than any other coach in the NFL. He has great awareness and instincts for a 5th round pick and he will certainly be among the top backups in 2014, Philadelphia Eagles and possibly compete for a starting job in the future if he continues to develop under Kelly. He will play mostly special teams and as a rotational backup in all 16 games, starting 0, gathering 15-20 tackles, 3 sacks, and quite possibly a blocked field goal, Philadelphia Eagles.

Ed Reynolds, S,

The Reynolds is the second defensive back the Eagles drafted, Philadelphia Eagles and the third Pac-12 player. He and Nate Allen will likely serve as backups to Earl Wolff and Malcolm Jenkins, Philadelphia Eagles and he’ll see a lot of play on special teams. Some writers are saying he might not make the team, Philadelphia Eagles but as a new draft pick I find that highly unlikely. Philadelphia Eagles He’ll be strong on special teams, though, and he’ll have 20-25 tackles on special teams this season Philadelphia Eagles.

Beau Allen, NT,

Philadelphia Eagles The Eagles add a huge, 330-pound nose tackle with their final pick. Don’t let Allen’s size fool you, he isn’t a two-down player though. As a 7th round Philadelphia Eagles pick he’ll have to fight for playing time in a crowded interior line that features 2013 starter Cedric Thornton, Cliff Geathers, Damion Square, and fellow rookie Taylor Hart all vying for a spot. How he performs at the line on special teams will be key to making the team, end it.

The Grades For Each of the Eagles Draft Picks

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.

The Eagles Offseason Signings

Start The Philadelphia Eagles entered their second offseason under Chip Kelly without any glaring holes on the team. Philadelphia Eagles The offense was one of the best in the NFL in 2013, Philadelphia Eagles setting a single-season franchise record for points scored. Philadelphia Eagles The defense was one of the NFL's most improved during the second half of the season, Philadelphia Eagles at one point surrendering 21 or fewer points in nine straight games. Philadelphia Eagles That means the Eagles didn't have to look to fill four or five starting spots for the future this offseason. Philadelphia Eagles They added one new starter on the defensive side of the ball and took away one starter on the offensive side of the ball. Philadelphia Eagles The rest of their additions were purely value pieces, Philadelphia Eagles and that's what you like to see a contending team do during the offseason. Philadelphia Eagles The following slides will highlight six different acquisitions for the Eagles, Philadelphia Eagles three underrated moves and three overrated moves. Philadelphia Eagles The Eagles may or may not have added an extremely valuable offensive weapon in multi-talented running back Darren Sproles, who was acquired for a fifth-round draft pick. Sproles, 31, isn't an ordinary running back. He's never carried 100 times in a season and at 5'6'', it's highly unlikely that he could carry the load if LeSean McCoy went down with an injury. Sproles was signed for his abilities as a receiver and a return man. Chip Kelly's offense is all about creating mismatches and a shifty, elusive player with Sproles' speed will be a nightmare for defensive coordinators. My only concern is that Sproles is past his prime, maybe even significantly past his prime. It's hard to imagine a 31-year-old running back not being on the decline and Sproles' numbers in 2013 indicated that he is. Although he caught 71 passes, he averaged just 4.2 yards per carry and scored just four total touchdowns. He also averaged just 6.7 yards per punt return and 21.3 yards per kick return. Those are easily the worst combined return numbers of his career. Sproles benefited from a top-10 quarterback in NFL history and an offensive genius in Sean Payton. He still plays with a very good quarterback and a potentially brilliant offensive mind. It's just a stretch to think that Sproles doesn't see his numbers decline again in 2014. Flash back to the postseason in the wild-card round after the 2013 season. With the Saints clinging to a 13-7 lead midway through the third quarter, Drew Brees and company faced a 3rd-and-12 from their own 42-yard line. Brees promptly hit rookie receiver Kenny Stills for a 14-yard gain and a first down, beating little-used Roc Carmichael for the key gain. Carmichael had only been inserted into the game when Bradley Fletcher had to leave with an injury just a play earlier. That one play led to the Saints' second touchdown of the game, giving them a 20-7 lead in a game they would eventually win 26-24. Although the Eagles chose to keep veterans Cary Williams and Fletcher as their starters for another year, they greatly increased their depth by adding Nolan Carroll from the Miami Dolphins. In 2013, Carroll allowed just a 47.8 completion percentage and a 65.0 passer rating. Only one cornerback in the NFL bettered both marks last year. Although Carroll has an outside chance to defeat Fletcher and earn the number two starting cornerback spot, he'll likely be the fourth corner (Brandon Boykin has the nickel spot locked up). The difference between a seasoned veteran like Carroll and an unproven player like Carmichael is tremendous. In fact, if Carroll had been covering Stills in that playoff game, there's a chance the Eagles would have stopped the Saints and won the game. The Eagles tried everything they could to convince their fan base that they made the right decision in signing veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins instead of Pro Bowlers Jairus Byrd or T.J. Ward. I'm certainly willing to give the franchise every benefit of the doubt. But at this point, I remain unconvinced that Jenkins will be able to cure the Eagles' woes at safety. In 2013, Jenkins rated as one of the worst safeties in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. He surrendered a 103.3 passer rating and missed 16 tackles. No safety in the league rated worse on both marks. Jenkins' biggest asset is his versatility. Originally drafted in the first round as a cornerback, he switched to safety after his rookie year. The Eagles will be able to use Jenkins to cover in three and four wide receiver sets instead of replacing him with another defensive back. While I appreciate Jenkins' versatility, I still remain largely skeptical about the signing. He's just not very good at safety. Let's hope Billy Davis' scheme is able to bring out the best in him. The Eagles signed outside linebacker Bryan Braman with the intent of using the 27-year-old to improve their special teams. After all, the Eagles allowed arguably their best special teams player from the past few seasons, Colt Anderson, to walk in free agency this offseason. Braman's biggest asset is his abilities on special teams but he's been a very pleasant surprise on the defensive side of the ball during OTAs. At least one Eagles writer, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com, thinks Braman could push for serious playing time as Connor Barwin's backup at the "jack" linebacker position. The Eagles lacked serious depth on defense in 2013, but they managed to stay relatively injury-free. If Barwin, one of the most important defenders on the team, suffers an injury, Braman is going to need to be able to step in and fill the void. The Alex Henery hate reached a breaking point following the team's postseason loss to the New Orleans Saints. The third-year kicker missed a 48-yard field goal in the team's eventual two-point playoff loss, capping off easily the worst year of his short career. In 2013, Henery proved to be inconsistent. He couldn't handle any field goals of longer than 50 yards. And his distance on kickoffs consistently ranked among the worst in the NFL. Naturally, the Eagles brought in competition for Henery this offseason. The new kicker, Carey Spear, is known as Murderleg. and a cool nickname is about all he brings to the table. Spear has been thoroughly outplayed by Henery in camp, to the point where Henery appears to have the job all but locked up for a fourth straight year. It's been bad enough that the Eagles should look at bringing a veteran into training camp because Spear clearly can't give Henery the competition he desperately needs. Philadelphia Eagles The Jordan Matthews bandwagon has been through the roof since the Eagles drafted the Vanderbilt wide receiver in the second round of the draft. Matthews, a cousin of the legendary Jerry Rice, Philadelphia Eagles has already been called the best wide receiver at camp by Eagles reporter Jimmy Kempski. Philadelphia Eagles He's big, fast, strong, intelligent and an extremely hard worker. Matthews is expected to open the season as the slot receiver, per Chip Kelly, but I wouldn't be surprised to see him emerge as the go-to receiver for Nick Foles by the end of the season. Philadelphia Eagles I'll go as far as to say that Matthews has almost no bust rate. Philadelphia Eagles He could easily win Offensive Rookie of the Year. He'll be a Pro Bowler within three years. Philadelphia Eagles I wouldn't be surprised to see him become the best receiver in the draft. Philadelphia Eagles The sky is the limit for Matthews, especially if remains in Kelly's offense, Philadelphia Eagles.

The Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson

DeSean Jackson Is a good release In the aftermath of the Eagles' decision to release wide receiver DeSean Jackson, there was more speculation than explanation available. That's how wide receivers coach Bob Bicknell got drawn into the conversation.  During a mid-December game in Minnesota, Bicknell and Jackson were seen shouting at each other on the sidelines. It was the kind of scene that plays out every week in the NFL. But when a player gets released just a month after playing in the Pro Bowl, a scene like that suddenly seems more important.  Like most of coach Chip Kelly's assistants, Bicknell is not available to the media most of the time. All of the assistants talked Monday, so it was the first time Bicknell was asked publicly about Jackson.  “Honestly, I don't remember too much about that [Minnesota] situation,” Bicknell said. “It wasn't something that was carried too long. I think it does happen from time to time.  “I never had a problem with DeSean Jackson. I enjoyed coaching him. I enjoyed the year I had with him. As a coach, you move on so quickly. Once that decision was made, I moved on. I wish him nothing but the best. He did everything I asked him to do.”  Jackson produced career highs in catches (82), yardage (1,332) and touchdowns (nine) in his only season under Bicknell and Kelly. Now it will be Bicknell's task to replace that production without Jackson or slot receiver Jason Avant, who left as a free agent.  “I think it comes from everybody,” Bicknell said. “It comes from everybody being a little bit more comfortable in the offense. We've always had good guys in that [meeting] room. I have great confidence we have a lot of guys in that room who can make plays.”  Riley Cooper returns as one starter. Jeremy Maclin, who tore an ACL in training camp last season, returns to the starting lineup. Draft picks Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff provide different skill sets. Arrelious Benn and Brad Smith are veterans with chances to contend for playing time.  “A lot of guys are fighting for that position now,” Bicknell said. “They're all out there making a lot of plays. Jordan Matthews is a pretty fast guy. Brad Smith is really good with the ball in his hands. I don't look at it like, we can't go deep.”  The Eagles also added running back Darren Sproles, who has excellent speed. He's not in Bicknell's meetings, but he's one more player who will get the chance to help replace what the Eagles got from Jackson.  As for Bicknell, he said he had no issues with Jackson.  “I never had a problem with DeSean,” Bicknell said.Good luck to him.

Need to replace Jackson

Philadelphia Eagles Jordan Matthews, the second-round pick from Vanderbilt, has gotten a fair amount of attention during the past two weeks of OTA practices. He’s gotten quite a bit from quarterbacks, who like throwing to a 6-foot-3 target with good hands. He’s gotten attention from defensive backs, who go where the ball is going. And Matthews has gotten a fair amount of attention from reporters working the who-will-replace-DeSean-Jackson angle. That is understandable enough. The release of Jackson, a Pro Bowl receiver in his prime, was the most puzzling move yet during Chip Kelly’s tenure as head coach. Whatever you think of the move, and the explanations or lack of same, the Eagles created a need for themselves and Matthews is the draft pick destined to be seen as the solution to that problem. But that’s not really fair. The truth is, the Eagles have to replace the element of speed that Jackson provided. They can do that a number of ways. Matthews might not have quite that elite speed himself, but he can be part of the mix in Kelly’s offense. “I can see Matthews has a quick first step,” veteran cornerback Cary Williams said. “I can see him being very explosive out of breaks. And once he gets his hands on the ball, he looks like someone who can break a couple tackles and take a simple, six-yard curl into an 80-yard play.” For now, Matthews is running with the second team as the slot receiver. That has more to do with Kelly’s approach to teaching rookies than anything. Chances are, Matthews will replace Jason Avant in the slot, with Jeremy Maclin, back from a torn ACL, stepping into Jackson’s spot on the outside. Maclin has good speed, but not Jackson speed. The Eagles added elite speed when they acquired Darren Sproles in a trade with New Orleans. But as Kelly was quick to point out last week, Sproles is a running back. He’s not a wide receiver. Still, Sproles’ speed can have the same effect on defenses as Jackson’s did. He can force defensive coordinators to account for him, and that is half the battle. Kelly’s ability to deploy his other weapons, to take advantage of the space created by that speed, is the other half. “We knew [Sproles] was a really, really talented player, and when he got here, he showed that right from the jump,” Kelly said. “We heard from the coaches that coached him what an intelligent football player he is and learned that from the first day he was in this building, and how sharp he is and how dedicated he is. “I talked to Norv Turner (who coached Sproles in San Diego) and he remarked to me when I saw him at one of the pro days, he said, ‘You'll have to slow him down because he only knows one speed.’ And that's the same thing you see. Darren practices and trains at one speed. It's awesome. He fits in with the culture that we want in terms of preparation, but it's everything we wanted when we got him here.” Kelly’s ability to move Sproles around, and to mix and match all his other offensive weapons, will give the Eagles plenty of versatility this season. It is that, more than Matthews or any other one player, that will replace Jackson’s speed. Good luck to him.