One thing that I'm sure will happen is that people will complain when the Eagles cut a few of their picks and say they should have traded up (or not back). But the point of 10 picks is that you get to see all 10 and figure out which 7 or 8 perform

No earth shattering opinions here, but it certainly looks like after round 1 the board didn’t break as Howie hoped.

We know Howie is aggressive in getting his guy after previous misses (notably the Marcus Smith draft and another time where there was an OL run like he had never seen).

It sure sounds like he wanted to move up in round 2 but the cost was too high. He sat back and got a perfect fit at safety for Fangio’s scheme. If Mukuba had longer arms and played at 200 pounds he probably is a Raven instead of Malaki Starks. It’s not good to frequently bet on outliers, but I think this was a bet worth taking. That said, based on the consensus board and things like that, I get the tepid response. Maybe it means something that Howie had the opportunity to move down from 64 but decided he was too good to risk losing.

Round 3 was similar, except Howie didn’t have a guy he felt strongly enough about to stick and pick. I don’t know if a run happened or he got sniped just before his pick or it was simply a dead zone. Trading back was the smart thing to do. I didn’t like the idea of Ty Robinson on night two. Day 3 is a different story. I think he’ll be a pretty good rotation piece as long as he can play with a better pad level.

McWilliams… I don’t really feel strongly one way or the other about him.

Mondon… should have known we’d draft him. He’s small and doesn’t really have the frame to bulk up. If he’s a core special teamer and quality backup, it’s perfectly fine. He reminded me a bit of Oren Burks, and then I heard Fran compare him to Burks too.

Kendall… I like him so much better than McMahon last year. Kendall has the size to at least fill in in a pinch at guard. McMahon could never do that, and it’s really hard to roster a center-only backup.

The two giant OL make sense as Stout projects. If he’s liked them, so be it. If I had to bet on one, I think the Texas kid is the better bet if only because of age and lack of experience.

The VT edge is interesting based on production and pass rush skill. Looks like a sieve against the run. Huff 2.0? If so, hopefully it’s the Jets version.

I’m a little disappointed in a stacked TE and RB draft that we didn’t get a single one, but at least we didn’t force the issue.

28 minutes ago, CouchKing said:

I've got a stupid idea.

Trade with Cleveland for Shedeur Sanders.

Send them Bryce Huff or Dallas Goedert

Send them Tanner McKee or Kyle McCord

Send them Nakobe Dean

You're right....it was a stupid idea

5 minutes ago, pgcd3 said:

One thing that I'm sure will happen is that people will complain when the Eagles cut a few of their picks and say they should have traded up (or not back). But the point of 10 picks is that you get to see all 10 and figure out which 7 or 8 perform

If the Eagles traded back it was for a reason - they likely ranked dozens of players at that stage of the draft close enough to each other in terms of value and what they were looking for - that trading back made the most sense at the time.

Folks seem to forget the draft is essentially a crap shoot. On average, 30-40%+ of first round picks are no longer in the NFL after 5 years and the % goes up quite a bit once you hit the later rounds - so basically you’re better off having more later round picks (especially if you have them ranked close to each other) so that you end up hitting on more in the long term.

Howie knows what he’s doing and he’s been doing it at a high level for years.

2 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

No earth shattering opinions here, but it certainly looks like after round 1 the board didn’t break as Howie hoped.

We know Howie is aggressive in getting his guy after previous misses (notably the Marcus Smith draft and another time where there was an OL run like he had never seen).

It sure sounds like he wanted to move up in round 2 but the cost was too high. He sat back and got a perfect fit at safety for Fangio’s scheme. If Mukuba had longer arms and played at 200 pounds he probably is a Raven instead of Malaki Starks. It’s not good to frequently bet on outliers, but I think this was a bet worth taking. That said, based on the consensus board and things like that, I get the tepid response. Maybe it means something that Howie had the opportunity to move down from 64 but decided he was too good to risk losing.

Round 3 was similar, except Howie didn’t have a guy he felt strongly enough about to stick and pick. I don’t know if a run happened or he got sniped just before his pick or it was simply a dead zone. Trading back was the smart thing to do. I didn’t like the idea of Ty Robinson on night two. Day 3 is a different story. I think he’ll be a pretty good rotation piece as long as he can play with a better pad level.

McWilliams… I don’t really feel strongly one way or the other about him.

Mondon… should have known we’d draft him. He’s small and doesn’t really have the frame to bulk up. If he’s a core special teamer and quality backup, it’s perfectly fine. He reminded me a bit of Oren Burks, and then I heard Fran compare him to Burks too.

Kendall… I like him so much better than McMahon last year. Kendall has the size to at least fill in in a pinch at guard. McMahon could never do that, and it’s really hard to roster a center-only backup.

The two giant OL make sense as Stout projects. If he’s liked them, so be it. If I had to bet on one, I think the Texas kid is the better bet if only because of age and lack of experience.

The VT edge is interesting based on production and pass rush skill. Looks like a sieve against the run. Huff 2.0? If so, hopefully it’s the Jets version.

I’m a little disappointed in a stacked TE and RB draft that we didn’t get a single one, but at least we didn’t force the issue.

Agree with all this. I think the OTs they would have taken got snapped up before them (one because of a move back). It is what it is. We're talking about projects anyway. Between the two they got and the Rutgers kid that's 3 big guys with a chance. Hope one pans out. I think the UF kid they signed as a UDFA is a decent back with at least a shot. Honestly with the possible OL stashes I suspect they could just carry 3 RBs and leave a few on PS

Overall I think the board after rd 1 didn't fall the way they'd hope but they still worked and got a bunch of guys they liked. They didn't panic which was good.

5 minutes ago, Ace Nova said:

If the Eagles traded back it was for a reason - they likely ranked dozens of players at that stage of the draft close enough to each other in terms of value and what they were looking for - that trading back made the most sense at the time.

Folks seem to forget the draft is essentially a crap shoot. Even first round talents have close to a 40-50% fail rate after 5 years in the NFL and the % goes down quite a bit once you hit the later rounds - so basically you’re better off having more later round picks (especially if you have them ranked close to each other) so that you end up hitting on more in the long term.

Howie knows what he’s doing and he’s been doing it at a high level for years.

He looks the other direction too like with Coop last year. Would you rather have both of Mukuba & Robinson or just one of TJ Sanders or Donovan Ez? I'm not sure but I don't think that was even an option as it would have more than those picks to move up and I wouldn't give up this year's 2nd and next year's 2nd for either which might not have been an option anyway

11 minutes ago, pgcd3 said:

Agree with all this. I think the OTs they would have taken got snapped up before them (one because of a move back). It is what it is. We're talking about projects anyway. Between the two they got and the Rutgers kid that's 3 big guys with a chance. Hope one pans out. I think the UF kid they signed as a UDFA is a decent back with at least a shot. Honestly with the possible OL stashes I suspect they could just carry 3 RBs and leave a few on PS

Overall I think the board after rd 1 didn't fall the way they'd hope but they still worked and got a bunch of guys they liked. They didn't panic which was good.

If you’re referencing Charles Grant, I don’t think we got sniped. Maybe he was on the short list, but if he was indeed the target they wouldn’t have moved down the first time. We know Howie did it in the past when they were between two players (McNeill and Williams). I tend to doubt that was the case. I just don’t think they felt strong enough about him. Howie basically said as much about Robinson if you read between the lines. They liked him enough to consider him at 96, but he wasn’t head and shoulders above the pack so they moved down.

Really liked Howie’s in-depth answer about what they look for on Day 3. I’m surprised he was willing to share that.

9 hours ago, Alphagrand said:

Dillon Gabriel really isn’t much good at all, so Sanders should be able to beat him out for a QB3 spot by the end of training camp and preseason. That’s only if he comes to camp with the proper attitude — which hasn’t been his M.O. to this point

I've watched Gabriel all year as an Oregon fan and to me he's one of those QB's that is not an NFL level QB. Real good in college but I don't see him doing well in the pros. Sadly I feel the same about McCord. Wasted a pick on him but at least it's a later round pick.

2 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

If you’re referencing Charles Grant, I don’t think we got sniped. Maybe he was on the short list, but if he was indeed the target they wouldn’t have moved down the first time. We know Howie did it in the past when they were between two players (McNeill and Williams). I tend to doubt that was the case. I just don’t think they felt strong enough about him. Howie basically said as much about Robinson if you read between the lines. They liked him enough to consider him at 96, but he wasn’t head and shoulders above the pack so they moved down.

Yep in a way that's why it was an 'unexciting' draft. Other than Campbell they didn't love the value or the player of anyone enough to move up when that was possible. Ultimately it doesn't even mean much when they get on the field

Wonder how Bo Wulf is handling Barkley hanging out with Trump today. Probably in some corner hyperventilating.

The OL battles are going to be interesting to watch.

How many do they keep? I've got 10 or 11. In bold are my current locks.

The question is, do they keep guys with upside, or do they keep veterans who they trust in plug and play situations?

The Eagles declined the option on Kenyon Green but I'd assume he's a lock based on seeing what they an do with him and that trade is nearly complete now. The Eagles took Smael Mondon Jr. with the pick they got in return.

Kendall Lamm is the veteran swing tackle for this year.

Do they keep 1 or 2 of the rookie tackles? Both Pierce and Williams are terrific projects for Stoutland. Hinton is the most polished, has played both tackle positions. After seeing the success of Becton being a mauler at RG, do they try to convert one of the rookie tackles to RG?

Even before the first OTA takes place, I have 9 locks with 7 guys battling for 1 or 2 spots.

Maybe some of this depth can be used as trade bait for a TE/WR/RB/DE?

Center- Jurgens, Kendall

G- Dickerson, Steen, Green, Keegan, Pryor

T- Johnson, Mailata, Kinnard, Toth, Lamm, Driscoll, Hinton, Williams, Pierce

10 minutes ago, pgcd3 said:

Yep in a way that's why it was an 'unexciting' draft. Other than Campbell they didn't love the value or the player of anyone enough to move up when that was possible. Ultimately it doesn't even mean much when they get on the field

I believe GMs have been studying Howie and know his tendencies by now. Buffalo moved to 109 and took the huge DT from Kentucky, Deonte Walker. Eagles took Ty Robinson at 111. Buffalo knew the Eagles were going to take a DT and worried it was Walker. Maybe the Eagles would have and maybe not but Buffalo knew a DT was coming for the Eagles. You can say the same thing about Sanders and the Eagles. Everybody knows the Eagles will draft or trade for a QB every year. Other GMs are game planning Howie the way teams gameplan each other.

I believe other teams, other GMs and the league hate the Eagles, due to:

(1) Howie getting so much great pub from writers, the talking heads, etc about how he is the best GM in the league, in sports, master of the draft, etc.

(2) The success of the tush push. Anybody really think the league would want to ban it if the Cowboys were the team using it so successfully. Or the Giants and Steelers?

25 minutes ago, pgcd3 said:

Yep in a way that's why it was an 'unexciting' draft. Other than Campbell they didn't love the value or the player of anyone enough to move up when that was possible. Ultimately it doesn't even mean much when they get on the field

It means exactly zero. All that matters now is what these guys do on the field. Here's to hoping they do well... or at least most of them do.

1 hour ago, Sack that QB said:

I think he would've fit Fangio's system well. Sets the edge, tough, gritty, strong, and always had a knack for making big plays in big spots. He was like BG in that regard.

Agreed 100%. He was one of my 5-6 favorite players in this draft.

15 hours ago, mattwill said:

You are a tough audience Vic. And I personally think you are wrong in your assessment. Here’s my logic.

I believe we are both on the same page on Campbell being an A+ pick. Some would argue that the trade up was not necessary, but setting that aside, the trade did set a price for trading up one position in the Draft at a 5th Round pick. That helps in assessing your alternative scenarios.

You said you preferred Gillotte and Porter to Makuba, and those two players were on the Board, so there would be no cost to take them other than the cost of Safety not being addressed. Others who like you aren’t thrilled with what Howie got, wanted Omarr Norman-Lott or Tory Amos, both of whom would have necessitated a trade up. For the sake of discussion let’s say Buffalo would have accepted Pick 161 and 64 in exchange for 62. That means we wouldn’t have Smael Mondon as well as not having Mukuba. To trade up to select Amos would have used Pick 134 in the trade and 134 netted Howie picks 145, 191 and 207, which became CB Mac McWilliams and the two developmental OTs Hinton and Williams. As you point out, 96 could have yielded Watts (or Mukuba) but then we wouldn’t have gotten Ty Robinson, and I believe Robinson is as good as or better than Norman-Lott … and I am a big Norman-Lott fan.

When I step back and look at what the Eagles needed going into the Draft and what they came out with I like this Draft a whole lot, especially given how weak the overall Draft pool was.

— Campbell is a home run

— Makuba is a BPA at Safety where we needed competition. Watts would have given us the same. You liked Watts more than Makuba. Others liked Makuba more than Watts. That happens in a subjective process/activity like the Draft

— Robinson working side by side with Jordan Davis on running downs and side by side with Jalen Carter on passing downs fills the Milton Williams void almost perfectly.

— Mac McWilliams is a superb match to Fangio’s strong preference for Zone defenses. PFF gave McWilliams a super high grade in zone coverage.

— Mondon fills the hole left by Oren Burks’ departure very well, some have argued better than very well.

— Kendall is a solid backup Center and useful Guard depth. We had no backup Center on the roster as of this morning.

— Kyle McCord is a very attractive developmental QB. I have personally been banging the drum for him for over two months. Excellent immediate insurance in case DTR does not pan out.

— The two developmental massive OTs are perfect students for Stoutland University

— Powell-Ryland isn’t anything more than a designated pass rusher, and I personally wanted Josiah Stewart really really badly, but he would have necessitated a seven position trade up to get and that would have meant losing most of the players we actually did get in Day Three.

So, while the pain of watching other teams pick my favorite players was both acute and immediate, patiently waiting for the whole Draft to play out eliminated that pain.

JmO

"So, while the pain of watching other teams pick my favorite players was both acute and immediate, patiently waiting for the whole Draft to play out eliminated that pain."

I am sure that someday soon my pain of watching my favorite players being picked by other teams, especially in the second round!!!, will diminish.

I sincerely hope that Howie theory of lets throw as many darts at the board wall and see if they will stick works.

However the chances of 4-6 rounders becoming starters is 16 percent. And 7th rounders on is less than 9 percent.

We will see if Eagles can overcome statistical averages, and succeed due to superior trainers developing players especially at offensive line. I hope they do.

5 hours ago, DEagle7 said:

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

Missed opportunity to call them Saabmarines

4 hours ago, greendestiny27 said:

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.

They had Saquon for years and did nothing, Scattebo isn't even in the same stratosphere. I'm not seeing why so many people are afraid of the Giants right now. They had a really good draft, where most of the impact is on defense. Their offense still blows

1 hour ago, pgcd3 said:

Eagles inviting a lot of WRs to camp. Those camps really are more for WRs and DBs

No the camps aren’t really for just WRs and CBs. Folks confuse lack of thud and lack of full squad level practice with not including the OL, DL, LBs and RBs. This is about getting them in to familiarize the coaches and the players, to go through the playbook basics and fundamentals and the meetings. (The rostered players have access to the coaches the following week as Phase I goes from strength and conditioning and weights to some practice field work.

Eagles are light at receiver even with all the RBs and TEs given the number of defensive backs on the roster right now.

1 hour ago, CouchKing said:

I've got a stupid idea.

Trade with Cleveland for Shedeur Sanders.

Send them Bryce Huff or Dallas Goedert

Send them Tanner McKee or Kyle McCord

Send them Nakobe Dean

Yup…thats quite stupid

Way to early 53 man prediction:

Locks (41):

QB (2) - Hurts/McKee

RB (3) - Saquon/Shipley/Dillon

WR (4) - AJ/Devonta/Dotson/Wilson

TE (2) - Goddert (he's staying)/Calcaterra

OL (7) - Lane/Steen/Cam/Dickerson/Mailata/Green/Kendall

DT (5) - Carter/Davis/Ojomo/Robinson/Booker

Edge (4) - Nolan/Hunt/Ojulari/Huff (like it or not his salary makes him uncuttable)

LB (4) - Baun/Campbell/Trotter Jr./Mondon Jr.

CB (4) - Mitchell/DeJean/Ringo/McWilliams

S (3) - Blankenship/Brown/Mukuba

ST (3) - Elliott/Mann/Hughlett

PUP - Dean (does not count against 53 man)

Bubble (24 players/12 spots available)

Definitive Positions (8)
1. QB3 - McCord/Thompson-Robinson

2. WR5 - Ainais Smith/Gray

3. TE3 - Granson/Jenkins/Bryant

4&5 OL8 and OL9 - Lamm/Pryor (G/T)/C. Williams/Hinton/Keegan/Kinnard (T/G)

6. Edge5 - Uche/Powell-Ryland

7. CB5 - Adoree Jackson/Ricks

8. S4 - McCollum/Sam/Cine

Options for final 4 roster spots:
FB - Van Sumeren

DT6 - Byron Young/Hall

RB4 - Davis-Price

OL10

Edge6

CB6

TE4

Longshots (21 players)

RB - Nichols/Montrell Johnson/Powell

TE - Latu/Muse

WR - Marshall Jr./Cooks/Morin

OL - Toth/Pierce

Edge - Patrick Johnson/Mathis/Henry

LB - Gant/Dixon

CB - AJ Woods/Mayes/Nickerson

S - Hook/Brandon Johnson

ST - Avery Williams

Intl Exemption - Valahaki (does not count against 53 man)

1 hour ago, pgcd3 said:

One thing that I'm sure will happen is that people will complain when the Eagles cut a few of their picks and say they should have traded up (or not back). But the point of 10 picks is that you get to see all 10 and figure out which 7 or 8 perform

Yep. He essentially drafted lottery tickets.

11 minutes ago, RememberTheKoy said:

He get fired?