Much like after every dictator that is overthrown, the Eagles are in a state of flux where they’re trying not to create a massive amount of change while trying to change what failed under the dictatorship. The Eagles didn’t blanche from moving on from some of El Presidente Chip Kelly’s worse ideas and have used them to collect more picks and move up in the 1st round. Doug Pederson has been brought in to restore the Andy Reid West Coast offense and allow for, for lack of a better adjective, more normality to the franchise.
1st(8 from Miami): Ezekiel Elliott, RB Ohio State
The more film I watch on Elliott, the more I like the comparisons to Edge James. He has the vision, acceleration and speed that James had. They’re also fast short striders which is something that you really look for in running backs because that means they can react faster and cut quicker. As for Ryan Matthews, the Eagles have been trying to deal him as well.
3rd(77 from Detroit): Rees Odhiambo, OL Boise State
Odhiambo is a bit of a tweener: he’s probably a guard in the NFL but could play right tackle in the right scheme. He’s had a lot of medical issues in college and has yet to play a full season so there is some risk here. But he’s a tough, smart blocker who will be a positive force in the locker room. The Eagles take him to develop behind Wisniewski and Brooks at guard and look to Odhiambo to replace one of them by 2018.
3rd(79): Sheldon Day, DL Notre Dame.
It’s hard to project where Day will end up since he has a very mismatched set of skills and tools. He’s got the size and power of a 1 tech penetrator but not the speed. So, he’s either a matchup nightmare at the 3 or a pass rush specialist at the 0. He’s too small to play the 2 or 5. For the Eagles, he’s a situational penetrator that they use on passing downs.
4th(100 from Tennessee): Cyrus Jones, DB Alabama
He’s probably a zone corner who also contributes in the return game. He doesn’t have great size and struggled against bigger wideouts throughout his career. I worry that he’s too aggressive on and off the field, but the locker rooms might love that.
5th(153): Brandon Doughty, QB Western Kentucky
Smart, accurate thrower who lacks top level arm strength and isn’t that athletic. He’d learn behind a similar quarterback in Chase Daniel (who is more athletic). A pure developmental pick here.
5th(164 from Pittsburgh): Willie Henry, DL Michigan
Henry looked like a great prospect at times for Harbaugh, but he also looks very limited and raw. If a team takes him hoping he can play 3 downs for a defense, he’ll bust out. He has to be a situational rusher at 5 or 3 and let him use his quickness and twist move while a team teaches him more moves and not to bite on hard counts.
6th(188): Brandon Shell, OL South Carolina
Art Shell’s nephew was a very good right tackle for the Gamecocks, then struggled when he moved over to the left hand side for his senior year. He has some good natural power and if given time could develop as a right tackle.
7th(233): Nile Lawrence-Stample, DL Florida State
He’s a 2 gap 0 tackle who plays best as a 1 gap 1 tackle. Sometimes this works, in the NFL it means that he’ll struggle the more he plays. He needs to play less aggressive and get into that 2 gap mentality to stick in the NFL.
7th(251 from Arizona): Elijah Shumate, DB Notre Dame
A pure project. Shumate has great size and some athletic ability but he’s extremely raw and struggles in space. He’s a special teamer for now, but long term could become a starting strong safety if he can stay in the box.