Eagles Blog

Mike Mayock says the Eagles are a mystery team becasue no one knows what Chip Kelly will do.

Mike Florio expects a surprise pick from Kelly because he’s unconventional.

I kinda think these guys might be taking things a bit too far. Kelly is different, but the #4 pick in the NFL Draft is still the #4 pick. If they mean taking Tavon Austin, okay, I’ll buy that as a surprise pick. If they mean E.J. Manuel…no way.

Ziggy Ansah or Barkevious Mingo would be reasonable surprises. Tyler Eifert would be an extreme head scratcher. What kind of surprise are these guys expecting? Chip may be a bit odd with picks, but I don’t think he’ll shock us.

Here is a great piece from Andrew Brandt on how things are set up and what actually happens.  Brandt worked for the Packers, consulted with the Eagles, was an agent for a while, and now does media work. He knows football from every angle.

There is a good Brett Favre story in the piece. He wasn’t too keen on a non-move and let management know about it. A lot.

Jeff McLane of the Inquirer offered up some draft predictions. Two of the more interesting are:

1 – The Eagles will not draft Dion Jordan.

This comes across as pure speculation. Maybe Jeff has heard something and just wanted to deliver the info in a safe way.

2 – Vinny Curry will be on the trade block.

I’ve gone back and forth on this.  Curry isn’t an ideal fit for the new defense (based on what we know). That said, he was a 2nd round pick last year and the front office may be hesitant to give up on him so quickly. If the Eagles could get a 3rd round pick, they might do that. Solid value. I don’t think they’ll give him away.

I did a mock draft for my PE.com column this week. No trades.

It is really hard to be comfortable with a mock if the Eagles don’t have extra picks. It would be okay if you didn’t have to mix in a QB, but with that “need” you eat up a valuable resource.

This wasn’t intended to be my ideal draft, but rather just a look at one possible scenario.

Per Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens are keeping an eye on OT Lane Johnson. Moving up from 32 to the Top 10 would be very hard, but you never know if someone is desperate to move back.

Should the Eagles consider a move like this? The Ravens would have to include a 2014 1st rounder in  the package. That is very tempting, but I think the Eagles need to stay near the top of the draft to land an impact player. The Eagles aren’t in complete rebuilding mode the way some 4-12 teams with a new coach might be.

The Raiders are a more logical target. That roster has been gutted in a cap purge. They need bodies and don’t have a full set of picks. One player at #3 isn’t going to make a substantial difference.

Per Ian Rappoport of NFL.com:

“The Eagles reached out to Tavon Austin yesterday, doing more due diligence. They’d be willing to move back. Covering their bases in case?’

Anyone who has watched Austin play has to have made the connection that he would be prefect for Chip Kelly. Austin can catch short passes and turn them into long gains and sometimes long TDs. He would also offer impact as a RS.

I don’t know that Austin is a target at 4, but he could be if the Eagles move back to 7 in a deal with the Cardinals. And certainly he’d be a target if the team moved even farther back.

Per Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated:

“@SI_PeterKing on SIDraftLive: “Chip Kelly likes Geno Smith … but he really likes Nick Foles.”

This could be nothing. Or it could be a point that a lot of people are overlooking. What if Chip Kelly really does like Nick Foles? I know that Foles isn’t the athlete that Kelly used at Oregon, but there are exceptions to every rule. I had little interest in redheads until I started watching The X-Files and became enamored with Agent Scully. So what I’m saying is that Nick Foles could be Chip Kelly’s Gillian Anderson. Let Football Outsiders try to top that.

From the NFL:

“On the Eagles pick at No. 4, Mayock: OT Lane Johnson fits the exact up-tempo style of HC Chip Kelly. If not Johnson, I think DE Dion Jordan”

I completely agree. A lot of people connect the Eagles to Eric Fisher, but I think Johnson is a much better fit. He is the better athlete and has RT experience. He also played in an up-tempo offense at Oklahoma.

The only quiestion with Jordan is whether he gets past the Jags at #2.

Here is a good article on TE Gavin Escobar. The Eagles have shown a lot of interest in him, going to work him out and bringing him to Philly. Escobar has terrific hands and is a vertical threat, as well as catching short and medium routes. He would be an excellent fit for Chip Kelly’s offense.

The Eagles could trade down in the 2nd to take him or get him in the 3rd round.

The great Reuben Frank offers up some thoughts on Tom Gamble and the impact he could have on the Eagles front office.

There are no great nuggets in there since Gamble isn’t available for interviews, but it does sound like he’s been a big help to the Eagles. We can only hope that he and Howie Roseman will be masterful in making picks and working the phones in the upcoming days.