Sunday, April 29, 2012

Philadelphia Eagles 2012 Draft Picks

With the 22nd pick in the seventh round(229th overall) the Philadelphia Eagles wrapped-up their 2012 NFL Draft and added what they hope would be the last few remaining pieces for a Super Bowl run next season.

Some players, such as defensive tackle Fletcher Cox out of Mississippi State and inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks from California, will be expected to play a major role right out of the gate, while others such as Arizona quarterback Nick Foles and wide receiver Marvin McNutt were selected to add depth at their position.

All-in-all, it was a very productive three days for the Birds as they appear to have successfully addressed some of their more pressing needs with their nine overall picks. The following is a round-by-round recap of each selection:



Rd 1, Pick 12 (12)

Cox, Fletcher DT



Rd 2, Pick 14 (46)

Kendricks, Mychal ILB



Rd 2, Pick 27 (59)

Curry, Vinny DE



Rd 3, Pick 25 (88)

Foles, Nick QB



Rd 4, Pick 28 (123)

Boykin, Brandon CB



Rd 5, Pick 18 (153)

Kelly, Dennis OT



Rd 6, Pick 24 (194)

McNutt, Marvin WR



Rd 6, Pick 30 (200)

Washington, Brandon OG



Rd 7, Pick 22 (229)

Brown, Bryce RB

Friday, April 27, 2012

The Eagles dive down to get their man

Heading into this year's draft, the Eagles made it very clear that adding a run-stopper to their defensive line was one of their top priorities. They had targeted Mississippi defensive tackle Fletcher Cox as the perfect player to fill that need, but the problem was that he was a top-10 prospect and they were picking 15th in the first round.

That did not stop Andy Reid, who is like a big kid in a candy shop when it comes to drafting lineman, from convincing the Philadelphia brain-trust to trade-up for Cox after he was still on the board when Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe went to Kansas City with the 11th overall pick. The Eagles jumped at the chance to part with a fourth and sixth-round pick to swap first-round picks with Seattle to get their man.

The general consensus from the majority of the football experts applaud this move as a great coup for Philadelphia, but excuse us fans if we remain a bit skeptical; given the Birds' past track record with first-round lineman on either side of the ball.

The following is my recap of the entire first round of the 2012 NFL Draft as original posted on Bang the Book


2012 NFL Draft- First Round Round-Up

Saturday, April 21, 2012

NFL 2012 Draft Update- Top Running Backs

This year's NFL draft is less than a week away with the first round kicking-off on Thursday night. The second and third rounds will be conducted on Friday night and the final four rounds will held on Saturday afternoon.

Most mock drafts still have the Eagles taking a defensive lineman with the 15th overall pick in the draft. Look for the Birds to pull the trigger on Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, if he happens to still be available when they are officially on the clock. Right now it looks like Carolina may snag him with the the ninth pick so the next best available choice would be Michael Brockers from LSU. He is 6-foot-6 306 lbs and the premier run-stopper in this year's draft; racking-up 79 tackles in two seasons with the Tigers. He would certainly plug a major hole in the Eagles' defensive line and can be used to take some pressure of the linebackers and secondary, which has had their share of problems stopping the run in the past.

With LeSean McCoy coming off a Pro Bowl season, these is little chance that Philly would take a running back in the early rounds, but the following is a link to my preview of the top four backs available in this year's draft as originally posted on Bang the Book


NFL Betting Trends- Top Running Backs in this year's draft

Saturday, April 7, 2012

NFL Betting Trends –2012 Draft Update

This year's NFL draft is less than three weeks away and all indications are that the Eagles have their eye on former Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox as their choice with the 15th overall selection. This pick would fit perfectly with Andy Reid's love of taking either a defensive or offensive lineman in the first round.

Ever since picking Donovan McNabb with the second overall pick in the 1999, the Birds have drafted a lineman in seven of the 10 drafts where they had a first-round pick (they traded away their first-round pick in 2007 and 2008 for extra picks in the later rounds). This strategy has been sketchy at best with a couple of questionable calls in defensive tackle's Corey Simon and Broderick Bunkley to some downright horrible picks in defensive end Jerome McDougle and tackle Shawn Andrews.

The jury is still out on 2010's first round pick, defensive end Brian Graham and 2011's pick, offensive guard Danny Watkins, but the early returns are not promising. This is not to say that Philly does not need help on both front sides of the ball, but there are more pressing needs at linebacker and safety. That is the problem when you have a head coach that not only has a lineman mentality, but is built like one too.

The following is a link to my recent draft update for the NFL in general as recently posted on Bang the Book.


NFL Betting Trends – Draft Update April 5