The first NFL Draft of the (hopefully long and prosperous) Chip Kelly era has concluded. The Eagles hauled in a total of eight players, adding some good depth and a couple of potential starters to their squad. They also managed to get what I strongly believe were a couple of steals in the later rounds, which is always nice. Kelly certainly surprised more than a few with his somewhat odd (yet interestingly promising) draft class, but he did what he ultimately thought would give the Eagles the best chance to succeed in the long term. Now, let’s get down to business and break down each one of the new Eagles:
Round 1
Lane Johnson, T, Oklahoma (4th overall)
Pick Overview: I’ve previously discussed how much I liked this pick. In Johnson, Kelly found the tackle that best fit his up-tempo offense, and also fulfilled one of the biggest needs the team had entering the draft by getting someone to partner with Todd Herremans on the right side of the offensive line. Even though the Eagles reached a bit by getting him with the fourth pick, the pick was so solid that it’s alost impossible to fault it.
Pick Grade: A-
Round 2
Zach Ertz, TE, Stanford (35th overall)
Pick Overview: This pick was the one that probably surprised me the most. Even though Ertz was easily one of the best prospects available in the second round, tight end wasn’t a glaring need for the Eagles. I, for one, thought that the usually reliable Brent Celek and newly-signed James Casey had the position covered; but Kelly seems to think otherwise.
This pick probably means that the disappointing Clay Harbor will be gone before the season starts, and that we will be seeing a lot of two tight end sets. The Eagles got a great player with this pick, just not one that they particularly needed.
Pick Grade: B
Round 3
Bennie Logan, DT, LSU (67th overall)
Pick Overview: “Big people beat up little people”, those where the words uttered by Chip Kelly on one of his firsts interviews as Eagles head coach. By picking Logan the Eagles’ boss got himself a 6’3”, 310 lb bully that will surely beat up a lot of little people. Logan’s gargantuan frame makes him somewhat slower and unable to rush the passer, but it enables him to be one heck of a run stopper. The best thing about Logan, though, is that (being a defensive lineman) he adds depth to one of the thinnest positions on the roster. I think that Logan will be a solid, if unspectacular player for the Eagles in the years to come.
Pick Grade: B
Round 4
Matt Barkley, QB, USC (98th overall)
Pick Overview: Wow, just wow. I was so shocked by this pick, that I didn’t even know how I felt about until about ten minutes after it happened. I figured that after passing on quarterback on the first three rounds, the Eagles had decided against drafting a quarterback altogether (and I was right, somewhat, more on that in the next paragraph). After letting the move sink in for a few minutes, I began to love it.
Kelly, who later said in an interview with the NFL Network draft analysts that he didn’t intend to take a quarterback but had Barkley so high on his draft board that he couldn’t resist jumping on him to start the fourth round, might have gotten his quarterback of the future with this pick. The current Eagles’ head honcho drafted the man that was the hottest (and by that I obviously mean most physically attractive) quarterback prospect just a year ago. A weak senior season at USC caused the man that was touted as a potential number one overall pick twelve months ago to slide into the fourth round, at which point he was simply too alluring (again, physically speaking) for the Eagles to pass on.
Chip Kelly maintained throughout the months leading to the draft that he would make his offense fit the quarterback, not vice-versa. Until he got Barkley, I didn’t believe him. When asked about Barkley being a fit for his offensive system by NFL Network analysts (a question commonly asked by many other journalists everywhere), Kelly simple replied that: “If he [Barkley] can get us in the end zone, he’s a fit”. Had Barkley simply stumbled upon the Eagles lap, I would’ve though Kelly was just being political with the above statement; but the fact that he traded up to get him tells me that he saw something in the young quarterback and liked it.
Personally, I believe that Matt Barkley can be a starting quarterback in the NFL, and a very good one at that. I’ve been a fan of his for a few years now, and any doubts that I had regarding him being a fit for Kelly’s system were quelled by the coach trading up. I honestly think the Eagles got away with a huge steal on this one.
Pick Grade: A+
Round 5
Earl Wolff, S, NC State (136th overall)
Pick Overview: The fact that general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Chip Kelly waited until the fifth round to address the secondary tells me that they’re both feeling really good about the four potential starters they brought in through costless agency (cornerbacks Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher and safeties Patrick Chung and Kenny Phillips). What little tape I have watched of Wolff showed me that he is a very tough, physical player. He is a big hitter with solid tackling skills; a good trait considering no defensive back on the team last season missed what seemed like a thousand tackles each week. He is, however, a prone to being found out of place in pass coverage. Still, he adds depth to a position that was a weakness last season, so I’ll give this pick a good grade.
Pick Grade: B-
Round 6
N/A
Round 7
Joe Kruger, DE, Utah (212th overall)
Pick Overview: Kruger, who is the brother of Super Bowl-winning linebacker Paul Kruger, gives depth to the position that needed it most before the draft. He is an above average pass rusher that was projected to be off the board in the third round by NFL Draft guru Mel Kiper, which means the Eagles might have yet another steal in their hands. With a seventh round pick, the Eagles reinforced one of the areas that needed it the most entering the draft with a guy that was projected to be taken four rounds before. Solid pick.
Pick Grade: B+
Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State (218th overall)
Pick Overview: I loved this one; I think this guy could be one of the biggest steals of the NFL Draft. This is a guy that was ranked as a top 100 prospect by many pundits, and many mock drafts had him going in late second or third round. This is a guy that strengthens what was the weakest position of the team last year, and could also become the team’s returner. Based on what I saw of him at Oregon State, I can say this guy could potentially be a starter within the next few years. The upside for this guy is huge, and I’m glad the Eagles saw it.
Pick Grade: A
David King, DT/DE, Oklahoma (239th overall)
Pick Overview: The Eagles used their last pick to further fortify the defensive line, a sensible choice. King is certainly not my favorite defensive line prospect, but I can’t really get picky with a late seventh round pick. I think that King will rarely see any playing time, and is just another body at a position that required it. He posted on Twitter that he's a lifelong Eagle fan, at least he's got that going for him.
Pick Grade: C+
Overall Draft Grade: