Nate Ilaoa, Ed Marynowitz, J.P. Losman, Mike Bellamy, Keith Byars, Chuck Bednarik, Blaine Bishop and Scott Kowalkowski.
What else could it be? Roob's first-ever 25 Random Draft Points!
Sorry for the absence of SEPTA commentary, but we figured we should focus solely on the draft this time around!
1. The Eagles haven’t had the first pick in the draft in 66 years. In 1949, they picked Chuck Bednarik out of Penn with the first pick in the draft. That turned out pretty well. But they haven't had the No. 1 pick since. The Eagles are one of only five NFL teams that hasn’t had a No. 1 selection since 1950. And three of the others — the Seahawks (1977), Jaguars (1995) and Ravens (1996) — are expansion teams (or, in the Ravens' case, relocated and renamed). The only other original NFL franchise that hasn’t had a No. 1 pick since 1950 is the Bears, whose last top pick came in 1947. The Bears used that pick to draft halfback Bob Fenimore, who played only one year in the NFL.
2. Since 2003, the Eagles have drafted 30 defensive players in the first three rounds. None has made a Pro Bowl team. The Eagles are the only NFL team that hasn’t drafted a Pro Bowl defensive player in the first three rounds since 2003. The other 31 teams have combined to draft 109 Pro Bowl players in rounds 1 through 3 since 2003.
3. We’ve joked a lot the last few months about Marcus Mariota, but in all seriousness I’m pretty down-the-middle on the guy. I have no problem with Chip Kelly going after him if it doesn’t cost an arm, a leg and multiple first-round draft picks. I would just rather have, say, Byron Jones, Nelson Agholor and a first-round pick next year than Mariota. But if Mariota starts sliding or Chip can figure out a way to do this without gutting the Eagles’ storehouse of future draft picks, then do it. But the two things to remember are that other teams also want Mariota. The Eagles are not the only team trying to plot a way to trade up. And drafting Mariota is no guarantee of anything. Of the 24 quarterbacks taken since 2006 in the first round, only seven even have a winning record. And that group includes three Eagles backups: Tim Tebow (8-6), Mark Sanchez (37-33) and Vince Young (31-19). The four others are Andrew Luck (33-15), Joe Flacco (72-40), Matt Ryan (66-44) and Jay Cutler (61-58). All the hype may make it seem like Mariota is a can’t miss. But he isn’t.
4. And more: Since 1990, a span of 25 years, there have been 36 quarterbacks taken in the top 10 picks. Only three of those 36 have won a Super Bowl. Two Mannings and a Dilfer.
NFL
5. But all that said … as of now, the Eagles don’t have a quarterback who can win a Super Bowl. I would have given Nick Foles one more year to really know what you have or don’t have, but he’s gone. I don’t know if Mariota ever will win one, I tend to doubt it, but I know Bradford, Sanchez and Tebow won’t. The Eagles aren’t winning anything until they have an elite quarterback. Mariota is the only QB who is potentially elite who is even conceivably attainable. I don’t think it’s impossible, but I doubt it will happen.
6. I still think the Bucs take Jameis Winson and the Titans take Mariota.
7. I was very impressed listening to Ed Marynowitz’s 40-minute chat with the media the other day. I wasn’t in the room, but listening to the audio, he came across extremely well. Confident, knowledgeable, comfortable, very much his own man, while still sharing a vision for the team with Chip Kelly. Interesting that Kelly’s most trusted adviser and top scout is a guy Howie Roseman brought to the franchise.
8. Two of the Eagles’ last five supplemental draft picks are in the Hall of Fame: Reggie White, Cris Carter.
9. Last week, I ranked all the Eagles’ first-, second- and third-round draft picks since 1970 from top to bottom. Ike Reese complained that I didn’t do the fifth round, so in honor of Ike, here are the missing rounds, but only the top 5 and bottom 5 (take the bottom-5s for the last few rounds with a grain of salt)
4th round
5 best: 1. LB William Thomas (1991), 2. LB Frank LeMaster (1974), 3. DE Dennis Harrison (1978), 4. WR Jason Avant (2006), 5. LB Byron Evans (1987).
5 worst: 1. G Greg Naron (1985), 2. RB Ben Cowins (1979), 3. DE Mike Smith (1976), 4. QB Dave Barr (1995), 5. CB Jack Ikegwuonu (2008).
5th round
5 best: 1. DE/LB Trent Cole (2005), 2. TE Brent Celek (2007), 3. LB Ike Reese (1998), 4. WR Calvin Williams (1990), 5. TE Keith Krepfle (1974).
5 worst: 1. DB C.J. Gaddis (2007), 2. DB Marvin Goodwin (1994), 3. OT Tom Shellabarger (1971), 4. OT Fenuki Tupou, 5. RB Norris Banks (1978).
6th round
5 best: 1. RB Wilbert Montgomery (1977), 2. C Jason Kelce, 3. DL Andy Harmon (1991), 4. WR Brandon Gibson (2009), 5. FB Fred McCrary (1995).
5 worst: 1. QB Don McPherson (1988), 2. DE John Frank (2000), 3. DB Wyck Neely (1971), 4. RB Thomas Hamner (2000), 5. LB Ron Moten (1987).
7th round
5 best: 1. WR Harold Carmichael (1971), 2. DT Charlie Johnson (1977), 3. DE Carl Hairston (1976), 4. DE Raheem Brock (2002), 5. DE Will Wynn (1973).
5 worst: 1. OT Terry Strouf (1990), 2. Byron Capers (1997), 3. RB Nate Ilaoa (2007), 4. OG William Boatright (1992), 5. OT Bill Capraun (1975).
10. Two of the Eagles’ last six eighth-round picks played at least 150 games in their career. Can you name them? (see answer at No. 23)
11. It’s true that teams are built from the two lines out. But the Eagles have taken that to an extreme. Seventeen of the Eagles' 22 first-round picks since 1991 have been offensive or defensive linemen. The only exceptions are Donovan McNabb in 1999, Freddie Mitchell in 2001, Lito Sheppard in 2002, Jeremy Maclin in 2009 and Marcus Smith last year.
12. When Andy Reid took defensive backs with each of the Eagles’ first three picks in 2002, we all thought he had completely lost his mind. Lito, Sheldon and Michael Lewis. Pretty darn good draft, as it turned out.
13. A player the Eagles drafted I thought would be great that I was dead wrong about: Mike Bellamy, a second-round pick in 1990. He was a polished, productive college receiver with good speed and size. He never caught a pass in the NFL.
14. A player the Eagles drafted I thought would struggle who I was dead wrong about: Keith Jackson, a first-round pick in 1988. He had only caught 65 passes in four years at Oklahoma, just 13 receptions as a senior, and I didn’t think he could be productive in an NFL offense. But his lack of college numbers turned out to be more a product of Oklahoma’s ground attack and poor quarterback play. Jackson was a beast as an Eagle and throughout his NFL career.
15. If Jordan Matthews simply repeats his 2014 numbers (67-for-872, 8 TDs), he’ll have the second-most catches, second-most yards and second-most touchdown catches in Eagles history through two seasons. He’d trail Keith Jackson in catches (144), DeSean Jackson in yards (2,068) and Pete Pihos in TDs (18). With 78 catches for 1,197 yards and 11 TDs, he’d set franchise records in all three categories for a player in his first two years. I believe he will do that.
16. I can’t for the life of me understand why people love mock drafts so much.
17. What Eagles first-round draft pick has played the most NFL games? Would you believe Keith Byars? He played 189 games in 13 seasons, two more than Charlie Young.
18. In 1983, the Eagles drafted Michael Haddix when they could have taken Dan Marino. In 1985, they drafted Kevin Allen when they could have taken Jerry Rice. So the Eagles could have had Marino throwing to Rice for 15 years (and Mike Quick). Instead, they had a fullback with the lowest per-carry rushing average in NFL history and a useless offensive lineman who spent more time in jail than on the practice field. Imagine Marino throwing to Rice in Eagles uniforms for 15 years? It’s not whether the Eagles would have won a Super Bowl. It’s how many.
19. From 1983 through 1986, the Eagles took Haddix No. 8, Kenny Jackson No. 4, Kevin Allen No. 9 and Keith Byars No. 10. Imagine having four consecutive top-10 picks and coming up with the back with the lowest rushing average in NFL history, a wide receiver more interested in his chicken wing restaurant than playing football, a prisoner and a running back who averaged 239 yards per season in his career?
20. That’s the only stretch since 1960 the Eagles have had a top-10 pick four years in a row. The last 40 years, they’ve only had five other top-10 picks.
21. Only five defensive players in NFL history have been drafted in the eighth round or later and made at least two Pro Bowls. Four of the five played for the Eagles. And two of the five were drafted the same year by Buddy Ryan, 25 picks apart. The four are Hall of Famer Richard Dent, an eighth-round pick of the Bears in 1983, Seth Joyner and Clyde Simmons, eighth- and ninth-round picks in 1986, and Blaine Bishop and Jessie Armstead, taken by the Oilers and Giants in 1993. Dent finished his career with the Eagles. Bishop? The less we say about him the better.
22. Have the Eagles drafted better in the second round than the first round? You tell me: Here are their five-best second-round picks since 1970: Brian Dawkins, Eric Allen, Randall Cunningham, LeSean McCoy and DeSean Jackson. And their five-best first-round picks: Donovan McNabb, Mike Quick, Keith Jackson, Tra Thomas, Jerome Brown. It’s close. Which group would you rather have?
23. Here’s the answer to the trivia question up above in Random Point No. 10: Before the draft was shortened to seven rounds in 1994, the Eagles drafted Seth Joyner in 1986 (195 career games played) and Scott Kowalkowski in 1991 (158 games played).
24. OK, the pick. If the Eagles do stay at No. 20, I believe Jones, the UConn cornerback, is guy. In early March, I wrote that Arizona receiver Jaelen Strong was the pick, but it’s become clear in the last six weeks that this wide receiver class is so strong you can get terrific value in the second round, much like the Eagles did last year with Jordan Matthews. There are so many NFL-ready receivers in the draft again and so many teams that don’t need receivers, so that’s going to push some guys down. If the Eagles can get out of the second round with a corner and a wide receiver, I think that’s a very good start to the draft.
25. Finally, here’s a list of the 15 quarterbacks teams have traded up for since 2000: Michael Vick, Kyle Boller, Eli Manning, J.P. Losman, Jason Campbell, Jay Cutler, Brady Quinn, Joe Flacco, Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, Tim Tebow, Blaine Gabbert, Robert Griffin III, Johnny Manziel and Teddy Bridgewater. A couple Super Bowl winners and a couple guys with promise. But a lot of disasters too. Trading up to draft a QB certainly doesn't guarantee anything.