That sounds like a terrible Italian horror movie, huh? Instead it is a report from Pro Football Talk and is dead on the money. The Eagles did go down to Morgantown, WV to take a look at QB Geno Smith, widely considered the top QB prospect in the draft.
Chip Kelly went. And Howie Roseman. And Jeff Lurie. Could it be that the Eagles are considering Geno at #4?
In my opinion…no. This is an elaborate production to make teams in the 6 to 15 range think they need to trade up for Geno if they want him. The Eagles would love to trade back with Arizona (7) or Buffalo (8). The team would add as much as a 2nd round pick, or possibly a 3rd and 4th rounder. Since the Eagles are more than one player away from the Super Bowl, moving back and adding picks is the way to go.
Smith is a talented QB and would fit Chip Kelly’s offense. This is a smart ploy by the team to check him out and to try and create the impression that they’re interested. It is also good for Kelly to go to a few of these workouts so that he’ll start to get a feel for them and what to really look for. He’s new to the NFL Draft and the process behind it. Chip had a Pro Day every year at Oregon of course, but never had an elite QB. Those workouts take on a whole other level of importance.
If we know this is probably not real interest by the Eagles, don’t the other 31 teams? Yes. But this turns things into a game of chicken. Those teams who do want Geno have to be so sure the Eagles aren’t interested that they trust he gets by the #4 pick. If you see Geno as the key to your draft, do you take that chance? It is kind of a dumb game, but can work. Certainly worth doing.
But we don’t know that. It’s just an assumption some will make.
I commented about this on igglesblitz.com, but I don’t see how pretending you have interest in Geno Smith helps the Eagles trade down. It may make a team behind us decide to trade ahead of us, but if on draft day, the Eagles are at #4 with Smith on the board, the only reason the Eagles would consider trading out of that spot is if they don’t actually want Geno Smith. So if you are the other team, you call the Eagles and tell them, “we want to trade because we want Geno more than you” and the Eagles say, “ok, we’ll take your 2nd round pick” as the other team, you know they are bluffing so they back off saying, “No, that’s ok, you can take Geno if you want him that bad.”
That makes sense to me…
I guess that depends on how complicated you want to make the scam. If you want to get really out there, maybe they want someone to trade up to 2 or 3 to get him so that it guarantees one of the Eagles top choices falls to them? Or faking that they don’t want him so that nobody trades up ahead of them?
Tommy, have you posted your thoughts on igglesblitz as to why Geno Smith should not be a target in the draft? I was just curious. Is it just inconsistency and the losing streak at WVU? He seems to possess a lot of tools that Chip may value in the QB position. That said, I don’t think the Eagles can count on the 2014 crop of QBs. What if there is a significant regression for any or all of the top prospects or God forbid, a nasty injury to any of them.
I understand your point about the 2014 crop of QBs, but I think the place you have to start is with your assessment of Geno Smith. If you believe in him, you go after him. If not, you stay away. It doesn’t matter whether or not the 2014 group is going to be great or not. There is no value in drafting a QB you don’t believe in that early in the draft. If you draft him because you are worried the future options will not be great (and not because you actually believe in him) if he fails (as your scouting would predict), you are stuck with him at least for the near future, putting your team even further behind where it would have been.
I think it just comes to scouting and trusting your scouts. Make an assessment on Geno Smith, and then rely on that assessment.
Good points. I guess I’m just wondering why so many are down on him for the #4 pick. I’m not a Smith backer by any means, but based on Tommy’s quote”Smith is a talented QB and would fit Chip Kelly’s offense,” then what would be the argument against taking him? Value? I would think a talented QB that fits your system is invaluable. Here’s a scenario – If the Eagles held pick# 15-20, would the Eagles take him? Have traded up a few spots to get him?