4 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

That's where maybe Cine factors in. Despite his 4.3 he always looked like a closer to the line of scrimmage type of safety to me.

I dont know wtf to make of Cine. Complete wild card that i kinda liked out of school

But he has done squat

12 minutes ago, TEW said:

The good news is we play zone. That’s going to limit the amount of time he’s going to need to flip his hips and run down field. It also maximizes the amount of time he sits back and can break on the ball like you prefer.

I think he’s an instant, significant upgrade against the run and in tackling over Slay. I think he’s a better overall fit as far as skill set for the defense as well.

Obviously you can’t just pencil him in as a world beater and instant star. He has to prove it. But there comes a point where young players have to actually play to improve. That point is now for Ringo, and I’m excited to see what he can do. I have no doubt that if he had stayed in school and came out in this draft he would have been the first corner off the board. We got him in the 4th two years ago because of how raw he was. He's been coached up, so now it’s time for him to play.

Do you think they flip Q to the left (offense's right) and put Ringo on the right?

53 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

I was at college with his dad in the eighties. If you recall, he was picked fourth overall in 1983 by the Broncos and then was traded to the Colts for Elway. Right afterwards you could see him happily driving around campus in his new car, a Saab.

Fun fact, they don't make cars anymore but they do make submarines

Just now, DEagle7 said:

Fun fact, they don't make cars anymore but they do make submarines

We call them hoagies here.

1 hour ago, eagle45 said:

I think the Eagles/Howie made the best of a really bad hand in this draft. Screw all the talk of depth...you think a player with Milton Williams' measurables (And while he did not put it all together, he was far from a slouch in college)...goes in round 3 of this draft? He probably sneaks into round 1. You think a Kelee Ringo from UGA goes in round 4?

It was a crap draft AND the Eagles were (joyously) saddled with the #32 pick. So, no criticism here, but we all do need to re-align our expectations. We aren't going to look back on this as some fantastic draft class 10 years from now. Just not happening. The reasonable expectation here is one really good starter and a couple long term backups who make it into the lineup as replacement level starters with some projects that don't work out. If we get that, then Howie made the best of it this year. Any less is a disappointment and any more is a resounding success and surprise.

With that said...

1. Campbell. Here's our exciting pick. The downside here is utilization. I am confident that we were, in fact, OK (and then some) at off ball LB. We'd have been fine with Dean and fine with Trot Jr. in the meantime. I'll be disappointed in the value if he's just a good off ball LB who is a younger, healthier, rookie deal replacement for Nakobe Dean, who was already a young player in the fold. But that's a pretty solid floor for a player who could be so much more than that for our defense. I really want to see him do some damage as an edge. That's where the special upside comes in.

2. Mukuba. Here's the replacement level starter. I see him as the next in line of the post Dawk era serviceable but not-that-good safety draft picks...Nate Allen, Kvon Wallace, CJ Gaddis, Earl Wolff...all sort of centerfield types, decent but unspectacular athletes...similar and different in their own way. I do like that his fluidity is more in line with a CB than safety and that instincts are more strength than weakness...so maybe they get lucky. But I suspect he's the kind of guy who will hang for a while as a backup and then just quietly get upgraded after he gets a shot in the lineup.

4. Ty Robinson. I bet he'll be popular here. I feel like the floor is a popular, effective rotational DT...and the ceiling is an OK starting DT that the Eagles upgrade after a season or two of starting. But he's going to bolster that rotation quickly.

5. Mcwilliams. Here's your rare mid/late round Howie need pick. He has minimal upside. Older player with solid refinement. They needed CB depth, they drafted CB depth. Nothing wrong with that in round 5. He'll be a better, more viable and athletic version of Jobe/Ricks/etc.

5. Mondon. Would be more excited about this guy if we weren't suddenly flush with off ball LBs. This is a BPA selection with starter upside.

6. Kendall. Another need-ish pick that is off-type for Stoutland. Low upside, high polish...need depth, draft depth. Nothing wrong with that in round 6.

6. Mccord. QB factory. I'm sure they'd love to trade Mckee in the next year or 2 and groom Mccord for that role.

6/6: Hinton / Williams. Give the people what they want. The two draft picks everyone was waiting for. If the Eagles really thought either of these guys would be that special, they wouldn't have waited this long. But the same can be said for Mailata. They are a long way off, but everyone will have fun waiting for their progress under Stoutland. Would be amazing if their progress could eliminate the need to burn a 1 on an OT in the next 2 years. (Interestingly, even with Mailata, we burned a 1 on Dillard while he was developing).

6. Powell-Ryland. Probably headed straight for the PS with the sheer numbers we have at edge. No way he's in the top 5 of them.

Nothing inspiring...inspiring wasn't possible. But they made the most of it.

I think that’s a pretty good rundown of the draft.

If I were to disagree, it’s about the Campbell and Mondon picks. Listening to Howie’s press conference, it’s clear they see Campbell first and foremost as someone in the Van Ginkel role — an OLB who rushes the passer, but can also drop into coverage.

Howie made a comment about the PSU edges, alluding to Abdul Carter and Micah Parsons, and how they transitioned from off ball linebacker to being pass rushers. The Eagles were interested in Van Ginkel, but weren’t sure about the injury. They then signed Baun to be a poor man’s version of that role, but obviously fate had other plans.

I think Campbell is going to be a star, personally. Not good, but a star. He’s raw, but yet already highly productive. He’s shown he can rush the passer, drop into coverage, and run sideline to sideline as a tackle machine. He’s got solid size with the frame to get bigger. He’s freakishly athletic. My maybe not so bold prediction is that he will be one of the best players from this entire draft class assuming injuries don’t rob him of that opportunity.

And when you look at that role for Campbell, Mondon makes a lot more sense. He’s a perfect fit for Fangio’s defense with his athleticism and ability to cover. If Dean isn’t ready to start the season, I won’t be surprised if Mondon beats out Trotter. Long term, Mondon has the potential to be a plus starter. In 3 years Baun will likely be gone. Dean might be gone after this season. Mondon and Trotter are excellent options to replace them and give us quality depth until that happens.

Again, the big knock on Mondon is injuries. That could hold him back, but as a player and athlete he’s really, really good.

14 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:

Depth and competition. There's nothing wrong with making such a signing. It would be akin to them signing Devante Parker for the WRs last season. It's just depth.

You aren't getting a legit player to sign here with a 50/50 chance of making the team which is pretty much the best they can offer so I just don't see the point. There will be teams out there who can offer Simmons, Williams, and Blackmon a legit chance of starting and basically a guaranteed roster spot with the guaranteed money to go along with it. I'm not saying you specifically but people are away too obsessed with names. I would much rather tell Mukuba he has a starting spot to lose, tell Sydney Brown this might be your last real shot here so go out and win the job, and let guys like Cine and an undrafted rookie battle it out for a depth spot/ST's role than sign a guy whose best days are clearly behind him.

11 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

Do you think they flip Q to the left (offense's right) and put Ringo on the right?

I dont know, but if I had to guess, I’d say no.

Ringo is the better run defender and offenses tend to go strong right. Q is better flipping his hips and running down field, and teams tend to put their deep threat on the left.

14 minutes ago, DEagle7 said:

Fun fact, they don't make cars anymore but they do make submarines

They make fighter jets too!

1 minute ago, wussbasket said:

They make fighter jets too!

And yet the engine is American.

I posted this earlier. Someone please tell me where we need depth on defense and why we should be signing a veteran edge rusher or safety as some have mentioned. Our depth was decent already but after adding a S early and two off ball linebackers there isn't a single position that needs depth. This doesn't even take into account guys like the edge rusher from VT, Booker, and undrafted guys they are bringing in. We don't need to bring in "names" so message board warriors can be happy. Adding and developing young, fast, hungry defensive players who love football and can play multiple positions is what we have been doing and need to keep doing because you saw the results last season and it should only continue as Vic gets more guys he likes and can coach them up.

Edge - Smith, Hunt, Ojulari, Uche, Huff (Campbell)

DT - Carter, Davis, Ojomo, Robinson, Booker

ILB - Baun, Campbell, Dean (when healthy), Trotter Jr., Mondon Jr.

S - Blankenship, Mukuba, Brown, McCollum, Cine

CB - Mitchell, Dejean, Ringo, Jackson, Ricks, McWilliams

This reminded me of the recent discussion not knowing Gen-Z slang.

6 minutes ago, T-1000 said:

You aren't getting a legit player to sign here with a 50/50 chance of making the team which is pretty much the best they can offer so I just don't see the point. There will be teams out there who can offer Simmons, Williams, and Blackmon a legit chance of starting and basically a guaranteed roster spot with the guaranteed money to go along with it. I'm not saying you specifically but people are away too obsessed with names. I would much rather tell Mukuba he has a starting spot to lose, tell Sydney Brown this might be your last real shot here so go out and win the job, and let guys like Cine and an undrafted rookie battle it out for a depth spot/ST's role than sign a guy whose best days are clearly behind him.

I don't think Simmons will have a large market. He didn't have one last year and he's said he wants to play for Fangio again. If some team offers him a starting job, fine, but I don't think anyone available in free agency right now is going to be guaranteed a starting job right away. They're lingering out there for a reason. And I don't think Fangio is just going to tell Mukuba he's the starter. He'll probably win the job because he's good, but he's going to have to earn it. The Eagles love competition and having guys compete in camp. I don't think it's a necessity to add a safety, but for all we know Mukuba could suck. I think he's legit, but any rookie is a risk. If Mukuba doesn't look the part, not sure I feel comfortable with Brown who I'm confident isn't the guy. So I'm all for them adding a veteran as an insurance policy and letting the guys battle it out in camp. And I want them to do it at Edge as well. Still not satisfied with what they did there this offseason.

34 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

That's where maybe Cine factors in. Despite his 4.3 he always looked like a closer to the line of scrimmage type of safety to me.

Agreed - the timing is weird as he’s in his 4th year. So, he’ll have to fight to be on the roster this year but also be a league minimum guy next year.

1 minute ago, Sack that QB said:

I don't think Simmons will have a large market. He didn't have one last year and he's said he wants to play for Fangio again. If some team offers him a starting job, fine, but I don't think anyone available in free agency right now is going to be guaranteed a starting job right away. They're lingering out there for a reason. And I don't think Fangio is just going to tell Mukuba he's the starter. He'll probably win the job because he's good, but he's going to have to earn it. The Eagles love competition and having guys compete in camp. I don't think it's a necessity to add a safety, but for all we know Mukuba could suck. I think he's legit, but any rookie is a risk. If Mukuba doesn't look the part, not sure I feel comfortable with Brown who I'm confident isn't the guy. So I'm all for them adding a veteran as an insurance policy and letting the guys battle it out in camp. And I want them to do it at Edge as well. Still not satisfied with what they did there this offseason.

Simmons didn't have a large market last season and yet he still signed for north of 5 million. I think it was 7 or 8 million.

It's not just Mukuba, it's him, Brown, Cine, and McCollum. I'm not a fan of Brown or McCollum but that is 4 young guys (three of which are recent high draft picks) to compete for the job and depth spots. Bringing in Simmons who is just a decent starter at this point who will cost money and potentially block a young guy makes no sense in my opinion. Had they come out of the draft with no safety or someone in the 5th or 6th round it's a different conversation. You don't draft Mukuba as high you did without giving him a chance to compete for a starting spot and with Brown, Cine, etc he will have to compete and earn it so nothing will be handed to him.

They are absolutely loaded at edge rusher with depth. What they need is a starter opposite Smith and someone who can be a reliable 3rd edge rusher. They already signed Ojulari who is already a prove 3rd edge rusher when healthy and still has upside at 24, and Hunt who was playing at a pretty high level by the time the playoffs rolled around. Campbell will also be used as an edge rusher at times and for all we know they might just play him there all of the time. Uche and Huff are wildcards who sucked last year but have had success as double digit sacks guys as designated pass rushers.. Again, adding a veteran who will want money and might take away from playing time/opportunity from the young crop of edge rushers we currently have makes no sense.

You are really starting to sound like one of those fans who just wants names added to the team which is a lazy take.

I guess aside from the fake tough/crazy brave comments coming from the Dallas rookie, we got this mix of personalities in N.Jersey…

1 minute ago, T-1000 said:

Simmons didn't have a large market last season and yet he still signed for north of 5 million. I think it was 7 or 8 million.

It's not just Mukuba, it's him, Brown, Cine, and McCollum. I'm not a fan of Brown or McCollum but that is 4 young guys (three of which are recent high draft picks) to compete for the job and depth spots. Bringing in Simmons who is just a decent starter at this point who will cost money and potentially block a young guy makes no sense in my opinion. Had they come out of the draft with no safety or someone in the 5th or 6th round it's a different conversation. You don't draft Mukuba as high you did without giving him a chance to compete for a starting spot and with Brown, Cine, etc he will have to compete and earn it so nothing will be handed to him.

They are absolutely loaded at edge rusher with depth. What they need is a starter opposite Smith and someone who can be a reliable 3rd edge rusher. They already signed Ojulari who is already a prove 3rd edge rusher when healthy and still has upside at 24, and Hunt who was playing at a pretty high level by the time the playoffs rolled around. Campbell will also be used as an edge rusher at times and for all we know they might just play him there all of the time. Uche and Huff are wildcards who sucked last year but have had success as double digit sacks guys as designated pass rushers.. Again, adding a veteran who will want money and might take away from playing time/opportunity from the young crop of edge rushers we currently have makes no sense.

You are really starting to sound like one of those fans who just wants names added to the team which is a lazy take.

Simmons is coming off a year where he didn't play as well as 2023, so I don't think he'll get close to what he got last year. We'll see. I think McCollum stinks, I'm not big on Brown, I don't think Cine is an NFL player. So yeah, they have guys, but I don't really like any of them besides Mukuba. At least we know Simmons or Blackmon are playable. We don't know anyone on the roster is right now, Mukuba included given he's a rookie.

I srongly disagree with Edge rusher. I think it's the weakest aspect of the team right now with the biggest questions.

Nolan - great second half of the season, invisible the first half. I like him a lot and have hopes he can be a really good player, but still needs to prove it. Has not yet put a full season yet together in the NFL. And don't forget, everyone was calling him a bust before November 2024. He was playing preseason games into the 4th quarter.

Hunt - I like him, but still super raw and inexperienced. When he was drafted he was said to be two years away. He was thrust into playing time immediately because BG got hurt. Going into a season with him being the starter is not ideal.

Ojulari - he's ok. Eagles got him at good value, but the player is just ok and has injury issues. He went for cheap for a reason.

Uche - he blows. He's not an NFL player in my estimation. Has been awful for a couple years now. Was traded to the Chiefs and benched and didn't even play in the playoffs. He's not good.

Huff - blows as we all saw in 2024. Not a fit here.

I don't consider that "loaded at Edge rusher depth" at all. I see it as a group that's very thin with very little certainties there. I don't just want "names" I want Za'Darius Smith because he's a better football player than Ojulari, Uche, Huff, and probably Hunt right now. I want to upgrade the talent on the Eagles. If Uche and Ojulari were signed by the Cowboys, nobody would be saying they were good signings. The Eagles are coming off a Super Bowl so everyone is riding high right now so naturally people are going to view every move through a rose colored lens, but I don't think either of those players are anything to write home about and it's asking a hell of a lot on Nolan and Hunt to carry the load given how inexperienced and unproven they are.

4 hours ago, Waiting4Someday said:

How the board fell they had opportunities to get aggressive in the 2nd/3rd rounds to grab some values vs consensus at CB, but chose not to. Our first 3 picks were an ‘A’ to me, so I’m not put out at all - BUT if Howie used some resources to sneak in another top 100 pick for an outside CB that might have been cool (but maybe not possible as I think he’s been blackballed by the league).

Morrison, Amos and Revel were intriguing. Outside of that, not anyone that without a miracle would have provided quality depth this year IMO. The unknown of Johnson’s injuries is the only reason i won’t include him. However, they filled a position of need BPA by most accounts in the 2nd. The 3rd they just stockpiled picks for priority UDFA’s late in the draft.

1 minute ago, Waiting4Someday said:

I guess aside from the fake tough/crazy brave comments coming from the Dallas rookie, we got this mix of personalities in N.Jersey…

They had a good draft, very good actually. Like any other draft pick however, we need to wait and see. But I HATE that they have Scattebo and Carter. Absolutely hate it. Carter and Tracy is a very nice combo and Scattebo could be downright scary. I was hoping maybe he'd fall a bit and we'd take a chance there.

46 minutes ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

We call them hoagies here.

I had difficulty ordering a hoagie in New Paltz, NY a couple weeks ago… almost like a different country.

9 minutes ago, Wentz_Era said:

Morrison, Amos and Revel were intriguing. Outside of that, not anyone that without a miracle would have provided quality depth this year IMO. The unknown of Johnson’s injuries is the only reason i won’t include him. However, they filled a position of need BPA by most accounts in the 2nd. The 3rd they just stockpiled picks for priority UDFA’s late in the draft.

I was a big fan of Revel, maybe too big given he lasted to the 3rd.

1 minute ago, Sack that QB said:

Thanks. Very helpful. Now we have AM ZB CD JC across the middle to ball hawk. Next level stuff from Vic. And if JC rushes from the edge, then the Mac Daddy or Small World comes in.

32 minutes ago, NOTW said:

This reminded me of the recent discussion not knowing Gen-Z slang.

I need this for my house, brain rot kids are unintelligible.

1 hour ago, TEW said:

The good news is we play zone. That’s going to limit the amount of time he’s going to need to flip his hips and run down field. It also maximizes the amount of time he sits back and can break on the ball like you prefer.

I think he’s an instant, significant upgrade against the run and in tackling over Slay. I think he’s a better overall fit as far as skill set for the defense as well.

Obviously you can’t just pencil him in as a world beater and instant star. He has to prove it. But there comes a point where young players have to actually play to improve. That point is now for Ringo, and I’m excited to see what he can do. I have no doubt that if he had stayed in school and came out in this draft he would have been the first corner off the board. We got him in the 4th two years ago because of how raw he was. He's been coached up, so now it’s time for him to play.

I like the optimism and we shall see, but he’s going to be tested…a lot this year. We will probably find out real quick how good he is. Slay was really f’n good last year though and a huge part of one of the best defenses (rounded into by the end of the year) that the NFL has seen in a while. Slay’s ability to beat a WR to the point is something Ringo struggles with IMO. He’s best when he can carry someone to the boundary or get physical off the snap.

Listening to Howies closing presser, I thought he sounded a little agitated and almost like he wasn't to thrilled. He did mention the trades not going exactly their way and even hinted at next year possibly breaking the draft trade record. I wonder if he just isn't overall blown away with this outcome and is on a mission in next years draft to blow it out of the water.