Philadelphia Eagles: Grading the Eagles' Last 10 Drafts

With the 2012 NFL Draft rapidly approaching, it may not be a bad idea to hop in our Delorean and take a look at past drafts of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Before we begin, I want to let everyone know the criteria I gave while grading each of the last 10 drafts.  It goes as follows:

• What was the immediate impact of that year's draft class?
• What was the long-term impact?
• Was the first pick a hit or miss?
• Were there any "diamond in the rough" players selected?
• How many starters did it produce?

Without further ado, I give to you my grades from the past 10 Eagles drafts.

2002

1-26: Lito Sheppard, CB

2-58: Michael Lewis, SS

2-59: Sheldon Brown, CB

3-91: Brian Westbrook, RB

4-124: Scott Peters, C

5-162: Freddie Milons, WR

6-198: Tyreo Harrison, LB

7-238: Raheem Brock, DE

Grade: A-

We start the grading process on a high note.  2002 was a very good season for the Eagles in terms of landing quality players in the draft.  The first four picks turned into high-end starters for the team for quite a few years.  Of course, it always helps when you have someone like running back Brian Westbrook in your draft class.  It can be argued that Sheldon Brown had a more productive career than Lito Sheppard, who was drafted higher than him.

2003

1-15: Jerome McDougle, DE

2-61: L.J. Smith, TE

3-95: Billy McMullen, WR

4-131: Jamal Green, DE

6-185: Jeremy Bridges, G

7-244: Norman LeJeune, DB

Grade: D

As good as the 2002 draft was, the 2003 one was just as bad.  The most productive player out of this group was Smith, who had, at best, a very average career as an Eagle.  It is worth noting that Bridges went on to have a mildly successful career, just not in Philadelphia.  

2004

1-16: Shawn Andrews, G

3-89: Matt Ware, DB

4-129: J.R. Reed, DB

4-131: Trey Darilek, G

5-162: Thomas Tapeh, FB

6-185: Andy Hall, QB

6-192: Dexter Wynn, DB

7-227: Adrien Clarke, G

7-242: Bruce Perry, RB

7-243: Dominic Perrio, C

Grade: C

The only reason I gave a grade this high because, for a few seasons, Andrews lived up to his billing as the 16th overall pick.  After a serious bout with depression, however, Andrews' career in Philly started fading away.  As for the rest of this miserable lot, all of them failed to make any significant impact with the team except for on special teams.

2005

1-31: Mike Patterson, DT

2-35: Reggie Brown, WR

2-63: Matt McCoy, LB

3-77: Ryan Moats, RB

4-102: Sean Considine, DB

4-126: Todd Herremans, G

5-146: Trent Cole, DE

5-172: Scott Young, G

6-211: Calvin Armstrong, T

7-247: Keyonta Marshall, DT

7-252: David Bergeron, LB

Grade: B+

And after two miserable drafts, the team rebounds.  Patterson has been a solid, if unspectacular, starting defensive tackle for the team, and Brown had a few mildly productive seasons.  But the real gems in this draft class came in the middle rounds.  Herremans has been a versatile player along the offensive line for the Eagles and was well worth a fourth-round pick.  Then there is Cole, who was a steal in the fifth round and has been causing mayhem ever since putting on that midnight-green uniform.

2006

1-14: Brodrick Bunkley, DT

2-39: Winston Justice, T

3-71: Chris Gocong, DE

4-99: Max Jean-Gilles, G

4-109: Jason Avant, WR

5-147: Jeremy Bloom, DB

5-168: Omar Gaither, LB

6-204: LaJuan Ramsey, DT

Grade: C+

This draft class brought with it a lot of solid contributors, even if they weren't necessarily studs.  Bunkley anchored the middle of the defensive line up until last season when he moved to Denver.  Avant has been a clutch slot receiver, often moving the chains on third downs.  Then there are players such as Justice, Gocong and Gaither who filled in adequately when needed, but were never much more than depth players.

2007

2-36: Kevin Kolb, QB

2-57: Victor Abiamiri, DE

3-87: Stewart Bradley, LB

3-90: Tony Hunt, RB

5-159: C.J. Gaddis, DB

5-162: Brent Celek, TE

6-201: Rashad Barksdale, DB

7-236: Nate Ilaoa, RB

Grade: C+

Needless to say, I think the Eagles were much better off NOT having Kolb as their starting quarterback of the future.  His first season as a starter for the Arizona Cardinals was less-than-stellar and injury-plagued.  However, he was responsible for bringing the team a second-round pick in this year's draft, so he did prove somewhat valuable.  Bradley had a few quality seasons before suffering an injury.  Now he is warming the bench for the Cardinals, a role Kolb will likely be fulfilling shortly.  Celek is the most valuable player in this draft, as he has turned into an above-average starting tight end for the Eagles.

2008

2-47: Trevor Laws, DT

2-49: DeSean Jackson, WR

3-80: Bryan Smith, LB

4-109: Mike McGlynn, T

4-117: Quintin Demps, DB

4-131: Jack Ikegwuonu, DB

6-184: Mike Gibson, T

6-200: Joe Mays, LB

6-203: Andy Studebaker, LB

7-230: King Dunlap, T

Grade: B-

Obviously, Jackson is the saving grace of this draft class.  Since coming into the league, No. 10 has been one of the most electrifying play-makers on the field.  Hopefully he will return to form and do away with his cancerous attitude after a down season in 2011.  As for the rest of the players: there isn't too much to get excited about.  At best, they were quality depth players.

2009

1-19: Jeremy Maclin, WR

2--53: LeSean McCoy, RB

5-153: Cornelius Ingram, TE

5-157: Victor Harris, DB

5-159: Fenuki Tupou, T

6-194: Brandon Gibson, WR

7-213: Paul Fanaika, G

7-230: Moise Fokou, LB

Grade: A-

Drafting players like Maclin and McCoy will automatically bump your grade up into the "A" range.  Maclin has proved to be a versatile wide receiver for the Eagles and continues to show improvement.  Expect big things from him this year.  McCoy turned out to be quite the successor to Brian Westbrook, as he has morphed into the league's best pass-catching running back.  The rest of the group may not have much to offer, but the success of Maclin and McCoy more than make up for that.

2010

1-13: Brandon Graham, DE

2-37: Nate Allen, FS

3-86: Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, DE

4-105: Trevard Lindley, DB

4-121: Keenan Clayton, LB

4-122: Mike Kafka, QB

4-125: Clay Harbor, TE

5-134: Ricky Sapp, DE

5-159: Riley Cooper, WR

6-200: Charles Scott, RB

7-220: Jamar Chaney, LB

7-243: Jeff Owens, DT

7-244: Kurt Coleman, SS

Grade: B (subject to change)

It is still too early to give this draft class an official grade, but so far it has churned out some decent players.  Graham hasn't lived up to his billing as the 13th pick in the draft, but now that he is a year removed from knee surgery it is quite possible that he can live up to his potential and add to an already formidable defensive line.  This draft class also contains the team's current starters at both safety positions.  But whereas Allen seems to be progressing into a quality starter, Coleman has proven himself better suited in a backup role.  Other players such as Chaney and Cooper also add value to the team.

2011

1-23: Danny Watkins, G

2-54: Jaiquawn Jarrett, SS

3-90: Curtis Marsh, DB

4-116: Casey Matthews, LB

4-120: Alex Henery, K

5-149: Dion Lewis, RB

5-161: Julian Vandervelde, G

6-191: Jason Kelce, C

6-193: Brian Rolle, LB

7-237: Greg Lloyd, LB

7-240: Stanley Havili, FB

Grade: B (subject to change)

Much like the 2010 draft class, it is still way too early to be giving out an official grade on last year's class.  However, this lot of players have shown some potential.  Watkins and Kelce struggled as starters along the offensive line, but more experience should help them progress as they continue to fortify an already strong line.  The surprise of this class has to be Rolle, who eventually earned himself a starting position at linebacker and was arguably the best at the position for much of the season.  Then there are players like Marsh and Jarrett who have intriguing skill sets that will hopefully give them a chance at a starting role either this year or next.  Overall, this draft class brought with it quite a few players who can help the team out in different ways.