Philadelphia Eagles
2012 NFL Draft Team Analysis - AFC
EAST
Buffalo |
Miami
| New England
|
NY
Jets
WEST
Denver |
Kansas City | Oakland |
San Diego
NORTH
Baltimore |
Cincinnati
Cleveland |
Pittsburgh
SOUTH
Houston
| Indy |
Jacksonville |
Tennessee
2012 NFL Draft Team Analysis -
NFC
EAST
Dallas |
NY
Giants
| Philadelphia
|
Washington
WEST
Arizona |
San Francisco
|
Seattle |
St. Louis
NORTH
Chicago |
Detroit
| Green Bay |
Minnesota
SOUTH
Atlanta
| Carolina |
New Orleans |
Tampa Bay
- 2011
Philadelphia Draft Breakdown
- 2010 Philadelphia
Draft Breakdown
The Draft Was ... surprisingly not all that flaky for Philadelphia. The Eagles usually do their own thing when it comes to the draft and don’t tend to care about value or what anyone else is doing, but they came up with some nice values this year. Fletcher Cox was a no-brainer with the 12th overall pick, and LB Mychal Kendricks and DE Vinny Curry are excellent pass rushing prospects in the second round. The offense has its quarterback of the future with Nick Foles in the third. WR Marvin McNutt was an outstanding get in the sixth round and RB Bryce Brown was a chance on greatness in the seventh.
Best Value Pick: WR Marvin McNutt, Iowa, 6th round
Worst Value Pick: OT Dennis Kelly, Purdue, 5th round
They Should've ... taken a run at a safety. The Eagles got terrific value at just about every spot, but they needed safety help and didn’t get any. However, it’s hard to argue with any of the picks in the first four rounds, and any shot at a safety from the fifth round and beyond would’ve been nothing more than a guess.
Division Draft Ranking: 1
Overall Draft Ranking: 9
First Round
DT Fletcher Cox, Mississippi
State (Jr.) 6-4, 298
Overall Pick No. 12 CFN Overall Ranking: 8
CFN Analysis: Few players shot up the draft board faster. Cox was one
of the highest risers the more teams started to examine the back
half of last year. Very athletic and very strong, he can fit a
variety of roles for an Eagle defense that really, really needed
help on the defensive front. Philly could’ve stayed put and
gotten a strong defensive tackle, but it made the move to get
its guy.
While other tackles might have a greater upside, and there are
some phenomenal specimens others will take a chance on, Cox has
the potential and the talent to be the steadiest all-around
playmaker of any of the prospects. While he’s not massive, and
he doesn’t have too much room to get any bigger, he’s a
tremendous interior pass rusher with stunning quickness and the
cut-on-a-dime ability of a speed end. Perfect for a 3-4 line,
he’s going to be asked to get into the backfield and shine, but
he might need a massive anchor on the nose. He’ll be okay
against the run, and he might be a bit of a finesse defender
from time to time, but there’s a high floor on his abilities and
there’s almost zero bust potential.
CFN Projection: First Round
Second Round
ILB Mychal Kendricks, California
5-11, 239
Overall Pick No. 46 CFN Overall Ranking: 41
CFN Analysis: The Eagles always seem to get guys like this. There are
flaws in his game and he might not fit a prototype, but he’s a
pure football player who can move and can become a disruptive
force on the outside while DeMeco Ryans can dominate in the
interior. The right pick at the right time, Philly got a good
fighter of a player to go along with first round DT Fletcher Cox
to improve the front seven.
Really, really fast. He upped his stock in a huge way at the
Combine with a 4.47 to go along with an explosive vertical and a
nice 24 reps on the bench. Considering he’s a great hitter who
blows through a ball-carrier, his athleticism could put him on
the outside or in. Always working and always going 100 miles per
hour, he gets to plays on hustle as well as his speed. The
problem is his size. He’s not small, but this is it; he doesn’t
have any room to get any bigger. While he’s an inside
linebacker, he can be pushed around and he can be erased be a
tough blocker. He’ll do whatever is needed to succeed, and he’ll
be a nice part of any defense.
CFN Projection:
Second Round
Second Round
DE Vinny Curry, Marshall 6-3, 266
Overall Pick No. 59 CFN Overall Ranking: 34
CFN Analysis: Philly doesn’t need Curry, and it didn’t need a pass
rushing end, but Curry was too valuable to let slide any
further. With Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks already taken,
the front seven got a mega-boost of talent and should be
terrific – and disruptive – for the next several years. This
also should be a kick in the pants for Brandon Graham to become
more of a playmaker. Curry will never, ever take a play off and
he’ll push for the job.
An outstanding and productive college player who didn’t get
enough national attention playing at Marshall. A worker, he
never took anything for granted and always seemed to work to
improve and sharpen his game. With good pass rushing ability,
quickness, and strength, he’s one of the best all-around ends in
the draft. Good enough against the run and with an innate
ability to never take a play off, there’s little bust potential.
However, there also might be a hard ceiling on what he can do.
He’s not an elite athlete and he can be shoved a bit – he’s
better against the run when he gets to move a bit. When he gets
to be a pure pass rusher he’ll be fine, but any team that gets
him will be hoping for a true three-down defender.
CFN Projection: Second Round
Third Round
QB Nick Foles, Arizona 6-5, 243
Overall Pick No. 88 CFN Overall Ranking: 67
CFN Analysis: Foles has to be ready to roll right away considering the beating Michael Vick has taken over the last few years. However, he's a wee bit different in styles and Philadelphia will have to be ready to to tailor the attack around two different quarterbacks. Basically, this is a pick that shows that Vince Young and Mike Kafka can't play.
It’s going to take a little bit of time and a lot of tweaking, but the raw tools are there to become a pro bomber who can stretch the field as well as hit on the short-to-midrange passes with regularity. Huge, he has the bulk and the height, but there’s no mobility and he has to improve his pocket presence; he has to get used to playing under center. Willing to push himself and do the work needed to improve, the character and the upside are there to eventually grow into a dangerous leader of an attack. It’s going to take some work, though, to move away from playing in a pitch-and-catch midrange spread attack to working in a normal pro offense, but judge him as a prospect three years from now and not from what happens right away.
CFN Projection: Third Round
Fourth Round
CB Brandon Boykin, Georgia 5-10, 182
Overall Pick No. 124 CFN Overall Ranking: 81
Boykin is what a pure cornerback should look like. He’s not all that big to be put at safety, and might seem a bit smallish, but he’s rocked up and can really, really move. A phenomenal athlete, he can jump out of the stadium and can run like a top-shelf NFL prospect. Fast, quick, and smooth, again, he looks the part. Throw in his excellent return skills and he’ll be a valuable prospect in a variety of ways. However, while he has the tools, they don’t necessarily translate to the field with mediocre tackling skills, little physical ability against the bigger receivers, and injury issues. He’s not quite built to take a beating and he doesn’t have any room whatsoever to get any bigger. If nothing else, he’ll be an elite return man who can be used a bit in various defensive packages, but for where he’s going to be taken, he needs to cover someone.
CFN Projection: Third Round
Fifth Round
OT Dennis Kelly, Purdue 6-8, 304
Overall Pick No. 154 CFN Overall Ranking: Unranked
Very, very big with a great frame, long arms, and the room to get a bit bigger, he’s an athletic blocker who might be worth a flier in pass protection. He’s not quite physical enough and he doesn’t finish his blocks as well as teams might like, but he can find a home as a right tackle who’ll be tough to get around. He moves just well enough to stick on a roster as a swing backup.
CFN Projection: Free Agent
Sixth Round
WR Marvin McNutt, Iowa 6-2, 216
Overall Pick No. 194 CFN Overall Ranking: 129
The former quarterback is smart, tough, and knows how to find the seams and knows what he’s supposed to do; he plays receiver and thinks like a QB. Bulky, he’s physical and he isn’t afraid to mix it up, and he has the speed to go along with the size checking in under 4.5. It took a little while, but he’s getting the finer points down, even if he doesn’t really look the part. Ready out of the box, he can step into any system and be a part of the passing game, but he’s not going to be anyone’s No. 1 and he’ll be erased by any good NFL corner. Yes, the wheels are there, but he’s not the best of athletes and he still has plenty of work to do and some tuning. There are plenty of negatives, but he’ll turn in a fine, productive career.
CFN Projection: Third Round
Sixth Round
OG Brandon Washington, Miami (Jr.) 6-4, 320
Overall Pick No. 200 CFN Overall Ranking: 162
A big pounding run blocker, the sky’s the limit with tremendous upside and the potential to be a steal if he wants to work for it. Not an athlete in any way, even though he might end up seeing a little time at right tackle, he’s at his best when he’s able to see-guy, hit-guy, and bury his man. The frame is there and he has all the tools, but he has to live with an NFL strength and conditioning coach to tighten everything up and he has to camp out with a position coach to learn the finer points of the position. There’s a lot to work with, but he’s a huge risk if he doesn’t decide he wants to be special. Give him a year or three and he could blossom, but it’ll be a shock if he produces right away.
CFN Projection: Fourth Round
Seventh Round
RB Bryce Brown, Kansas State (Soph.) 6-0, 220
Overall Pick No. 229 CFN Overall Ranking: 218
The late rounds of a draft are almost always worthless, so that’s when you swing for the fences. Brown’s career so far has been an all-timer of a disappointment after being considered by many to be the No. 1 overall high school prospect in 2009. He was okay early at Tennessee, left, and ended up at Kansas State before getting booted for not wanting to do the work. The size is great, the speed is good enough, and he’s a natural runner who has special abilities and visions. After being given multiple opportunities he’ll be given one chance and one chance only, and he has to take advantage. There’s enough talent to warrant a throwaway late draft pick just to see if there’s anything to work with – his tank is full after doing almost nothing in college – but he can be quickly and easily cut if he doesn’t show a spark out of the box.
CFN Projection: Free Agent