NFL Draft 2011: Eagles Likely to Take a Chance on CB Jimmy Smith

The Philadelphia Eagles coaching and scouting staff has been working diligently over the past couple of months trying to get a better understanding of Eagle hopefuls who are entering the draft. Mock drafts have flooded the web and from what I’ve gathered throughout the sea of names is that two players are among the top of the list on the Eagles' radar.

Colorado CB Jimmy Smith and Wisconsin OT Gabe Carimi are the names most often mentioned and according to the folks over at GCobb.com. Philadelphia was more than impressed with Smith during their workout.

General Manager Howie Roseman confirmed the Eagles' interest in Smith during a radio interview yesterday and made it a point to declare the front office wasn’t concerned with Smith’s rap sheet for off-the-field issues. The focus is more on doing whatever it takes to get the fans a long desired super bowl victory.

However, Bo Wulf of the Eagles blogsquad recently posted his most recent segment of his “On the Clock” series, which was perfectly timed for the Eagles to be up just hours away from the big event. The problem is that during the course of his mock drafts he has Jimmy Smith already off the board at No. 20 to Tampa Bay. To make matters worse he also has OT Gabe Carimi (No. 21, Kansas City) and Anthony Castonzo (No. 22, Indianapolis) off the board as well. It’s an intriguing piece which you can check out here.

In fact, the whole series was well put together, so kudos to Bo on a job well done!

I’m not buying in to it however, maybe it’s my belief that the Eagles will do whatever they need to in order to land Smith but I’m not naive either. I completely understand the reality that one team can throw a monkey wrench in the whole draft and Smith just might not be available.

So what would the Eagles do? I’m going to play along with the Blogsquad crew and select a round one option for the Birds in the event Smith is off the board.

Of the names Bo has remaining at the positions of need, and the caliber of the players, I think the Eagles would look to the offensive line and select Derek Sherrod out of Mississippi State. If this is the scenario that unfolds this evening, the Eagles will be forced to figure out a way to jump up in the second round to acquire either Brandon Harris (Miami) or Aaron Williams (Texas). According to nfldraftscouts.com, both players are graded to be taken in the later part of the first round in to the early part of the second.

Unforeseen events generally occur on draft day and I don’t expect this one to be any different from previous drafts. The Eagles front office has their draft chart nearly complete, maybe crossing their “T’s” and dotting the “I’s,” but for the most part they are the only ones who truly knows which direction the Eagles will go.

We’re just over four hours folks until the party begins, what are your draft day plans?

Round 1 Pick Recap (Mock)

Primary: CB Jimmy Smith

Alternative: OT Derek Sherrod

Follow each of the 32 teams picks in this years draft at BleedingEagleGreen.com or by clicking here