Average Draft

Rich Hoffman comes to the defense of the Heckert/Reid draft record, looking at the 2002-06 selections as compared to the other elite (i.e., winningest teams during that time span). By a measure of pro bowlers, established starters, solid pros, and contributors, the Eagles picks are in the middle of the pack compared to the Pats, Colts, Steelers, Broncos, Packers, and Seahawks.

 

The end result, Hoffman contends, is that the draft – or rather perceived poor drafting – isn’t holding the Eagles back. True enough, I suppose, though I’ll be reviewing these drafts in more detail over the coming days (since, you know, I’ve got nothing better to do because the Eagles aren’t in the playoffs). But the fans’ biggest beef is with the picks that were obvious reaches at the time. You know, like Matt McCoy, who was a second-team all Mountain West conference player while his teammate and positional peer, LB Kirk Morrison, was an all-American. Guess which one never developed into an NFL linebacker because he could not make up for in speed what he lacked in size? And guess who has established himself as a tackling machine and perennial pro bowler?

 

It was funny during the Bills game as Stewart Bradley and Akeem Jordan were flying all over the field, the announcers commented on the improved play of the Eagles linebackers and said that Reid noted that they had had difficulty at LB but that they went back to re-evaluate their evaluations. Stewart Bradley is the best evidence of this new LB player evaluation. Which is to say, the Eagles stopped drafting undersized LBs from small schools, and gone with proven players at major schools (Bradley, from Nebraska, and Gaither, from Tennessee).