As most Eagles fans, if not all, saw already, Philadelphia traded back from the 22nd pick to the 26th pick last night and wound up taking DE Marcus Smith out of Louisville with that pick. It was a very polarizing pick for Philly, as fans either expressed extreme joy or fits of rage on twitter last night.
Is Marcus Smith a good fit for this team? Yes, if he can bring the quickness around the edge that he had at Louisville. Smith is a great pass rusher and should help the Eagles' line put more pressure on opposing QBs, making the secondary's jobs much easier. Was he a bit of a reach at 26? He probably was. While he fills a need that the Eagles have, there were still four or five players available at his position that were initially ranked higher. Stephon Tuitt, Kyle Van Noy, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Kony Ealy are all still on the board. Then again, we don't have the same information that the Eagles' scouting department has, so maybe Smith was the way to go. In Chip we trust.
Anyway, what's done is done, and all we can do from here is worry about the next six rounds of the draft. Philly now has an additional third round pick to work with from the trade last night, so the strategy changes a little bit. They still need to draft a wideout, which they will assuredly take care of sometime Friday night. The Eagles have their second round and two third round picks tonight, I guarantee that one of them will be a receiver.
The Eagles are also looking to upgrade their secondary, and should be able to find a safety or a corner tonight as well. Lamarcus Joyner out of Florida State could be an interesting addition to the defensive backfield. Although they addressed their pass rushing need, don't count out the Eagles drafting one more before the weekend is over. Marcus Smith is listed as a defensive end, so an outside linebacker could be an area of interest. The offensive line, although one of the best in the league, is aging and they could use an additional man to assist them this season. The offense is very fast paced, so the lineman could tire easily, making room for an additional lineman.
There are still many places the Eagles can look to upgrade at, but there are still six rounds left to do so. In Chip we trust.
By: Dan Goggin
Follow us on twitter @BroadStBeat
Anyway, what's done is done, and all we can do from here is worry about the next six rounds of the draft. Philly now has an additional third round pick to work with from the trade last night, so the strategy changes a little bit. They still need to draft a wideout, which they will assuredly take care of sometime Friday night. The Eagles have their second round and two third round picks tonight, I guarantee that one of them will be a receiver.
The Eagles are also looking to upgrade their secondary, and should be able to find a safety or a corner tonight as well. Lamarcus Joyner out of Florida State could be an interesting addition to the defensive backfield. Although they addressed their pass rushing need, don't count out the Eagles drafting one more before the weekend is over. Marcus Smith is listed as a defensive end, so an outside linebacker could be an area of interest. The offensive line, although one of the best in the league, is aging and they could use an additional man to assist them this season. The offense is very fast paced, so the lineman could tire easily, making room for an additional lineman.
There are still many places the Eagles can look to upgrade at, but there are still six rounds left to do so. In Chip we trust.
By: Dan Goggin
Follow us on twitter @BroadStBeat
RSS Feed
