Philadelphia Eagles' Top 10 Offensive Draft Prospects

Ah, draft time. A familiar, yet maddening time for Eagles fans. Every year on the last Saturday in April, we hope for the next Eagles star, most of the time, we are left pondering, "Do they know what the hell they're doing?"

With the way the Eagles have drafted for the past two years, you have to wonder that very question.

The Eagles traded their first-round pick in the past two drafts, leaving many fans speechless. From a fan's standpoint, I can't tell you how loud I was when I heard Roger Goodell announce the bad news last year.

Thank the lord for DeSean Jackson, eh?

Now we move to the upcoming 2009 draft. The Eagles have two first round picks, thanks to a trade in 2008 in which the Eagles traded their first round pick to Carolina for their first-rounder in 2009, and their second- and fourth-round picks that year.

There are many questions and predictions floating on who they should and shouldn't pick, as well as who they WILL and WON'T pick. Well here are my top ten draft prospects for the Eagles in 2009.

1) Chris "Beanie" Wells, RB, Ohio State, 6'1 237 lbs.

The Eagles will be very lucky should Chris Wells fall to them at the 21st pick. What could lead to this occurring would be the plethora of receivers and tackles that should be taken withing the first 20 picks.

Wells projects a lot like Steven Jackson of the St. Louis Rams. He has a great combination of size, power and speed.

When able to get to the outside, he shows great breakaway speed and once that speed kicks in, you really don't want to be in front of that truck.

Wells accumulated nearly 1,200 yards in 2008, along with eight touchdowns. While that did not quite live up to his 2007 season, he was sidelined for three games with an ankle injury.

Questions about his durability have caused some minor concerns in some circles, but I don't really consider this a major issue.

Wells could be the heir apparent to Mr. Questionable, better known as the Eagles explosive when healthy Brian Westbrook.

Westbrook is by no means a bruiser, and he struggled in short yardage situations.

Which again leads to Wells. He could bolster the Eagles rushing attack with his power, and solve our short-yardage prayers.

2) Brandon Pettigrew, TE, Oklahoma State, 6'5, 257 lbs.

Brent Celek is a very good receiving tight end. But I would rather send Brian Westbrook to stop that linebacker coming off of the weak side.

This is where Pettigrew would come in handy. Brandon Pettigrew will be a star in the NFL. His blocking capabilities along with his pass catching skills set him apart from every other tight end available in the 2009 draft.

Pettigrew didn't have the season he expected in 2008, mostly due to an ankle injury that sidelined him for three weeks. But he was very productive upon his return, making big plays and opening running lanes.

Questions arose about Pettigrew's character after he was charged with assault on a police officer in February 2008.

Police responded to an altercation at a Stillwater residence, asked people to leave and Pettigrew reportedly elbowed an officer in the chest. The situation has since quieted, which leads me to believe that those questions are pretty much irrelevant.

3) Eben Britton, OT, Arizona, Height:6-6. Weight: 310.

Britton is one of many talented tackles that should be taken in the first round. Most would consider him a top 15 pick if not for Eugene Monroe and the other four dominant tackles.

Britton is a natural, fluid athlete who is very fast (5.05) for his immense size. He moves well once he gains the second level and is a good pass blocker who shows great footwork and natural knee bend. Moving very well laterally, he has enough strength to seal off a side. Britton has shown the ability to pull and work up the field and is a very competitive and well respected leader in the huddle.

Some of the flaws in Britton's game would be that he struggles with the wide pass rush and really has his fits with stunts, but that should improve in time.

Britton, with some work could be a very solid lineman in the NFL, he just needs a bit more work. If he falls to the Eagles, Jon Runyan could take this massive monster and show him the ropes of the tackle position.

4) Hakeem Nicks, WR, North Carolina - 6'2 210 lbs.

Hakeem Nicks has been considered by many to be the "CURE" for the Eagles so-called "receiving woes." While Nicks may be just the sexy pick to many of us, there is no denying that this guy has some special abilities that the Eagles' current receivers lack.

While Nicks lacks pure speed for a reciever, he has been very productive in his short collegiate career. He has amassed 2,180 yards and 17 touchdowns over the past two seasons and is the most prolific receiver in Tar Heel history.

Standing 6'2 and weighing 210 pounds, Nicks should develop into a solid receiver in the NFL. Teams looking for a good complimentary receiver like the Eagles should be happy with picking him.

Nicks would solidify the Eagles' need to add a physical receiver who can go up and get the ball.

5) Shonn Greene: RB, Iowa - 5'11 235 lbs.

Honestly, who saw Shonn Greene having the year he had in 2008? I certainly didn't.

Greene was arguably the best running back in the nation in 2008, rushing for over 100 yards in every game. No matter who you are, that is a very impressive feat.

Unlike Chris Wells, Greene has a very small amount of wear and tear on his body. For the first two years of his college career, he rushed for a meager 378 touchdowns and just two touchdowns.

That lack of pounding should benefit him in the NFL. He will be fresher than most backs coming out in 2009, which could move him to a late pick in the first round.

Body wise, Greene is massive. Built like a locomotive, those who are the first to contact him usually end up on the losing end, this guy rarely goes down after the first hit. That works well into the Eagles strategy I would say.

There is some question about his blocking ability, but his size could put those doubts to rest. He should have little trouble picking up the blitz at the next level.

Similar to Wells, Greene could solve the Eagles' problems in short yardage situations. His size gives him such an advantage, at a stout 5'11", he has a pretty low center of gravity to go along with his massive frame.

The Eagles may be even lucky enough to get him in the second round if he falls there.

6) Chase Coffman, TE, Missouri - 6'6, 245 lbs.

If Missouri had not blown its title hopes sky high in October, we would be talking about this guy being in the top 25 picks.

Coffman practically wrote the tight ends record book at Mizzou. He finished his senior season with 90 receptions for 987 yards and 10 touchdowns, not too shabby, eh?

His blocking skills do not really rival those of Brandon Pettigrew, which might lead the Eagles to shy away from him. But even with that minor issue, he is still the top receiving tight end available in the draft.

If Andy Reid is so inclined as to take this particular prospect, it could vastly improve the Eagles passing game.

Even as a rookie, he could still be a better blocker than any of the Eagles current tight ends, which could lead to some great things in both the passing and rushing attacks.

7) LeSean McCoy, RB, Pittsburgh - 5'11, 210 lbs.

McCoy is probably the most confusing on this list. There is no arguing his production at Pitt. Two seasons of over 1,300 yards and a combined 35 touchdowns is pretty tough to do.

The reason that McCoy is such a confusing pick is that it is really hard to gauge how good he really is. In the NFL, you need to be able to run well between the tackles, and that is something LeSean really struggles with.

But even with that problem, he shows very good instincts and balance. Many times, you will see him bouncing off tackles that most backs would struggle to break. He shows a solid second gear and is a real home run threat.

Also, he is not too bad catching the ball out of the the backfield, which is something most backs need to do in order to succeed in the NFL nowadays.

McCoy could be available in the second round if he doesn't have a good showing at the combine, which might make him more appealing to the Eagles. Philly could use him as a change of pace back or just to give Westbrook a rest early in his career.

8) William Beatty, OT, Connecticut -  6'6 306 lbs.

Beatty is another one of those very good tackles that could get lost in the shuffle of the first round. His massive size and frame could make him a very attractive pick at 28 or in the second round should he fall there.

Beatty's strength is by far his footwork. He is quick, light on his feet and can easily get to the next level. He does a fine job of sustaining his blocks and is a very solid pass blocker.

He handles the speed rush very well and displays very good balance. He has the skills to succeed at the next level, but will need some improvements.

Some of those improvements could be what keeps the Eagles away from him. He is not overpowering for his size and is not the run blocker is his capable of being.

He has had some minor injury problems, something the Eagles could do without, and he does not really use his hands well.

He could be a nice project pick if the Eagles were to sign Jordan Gross in free agency and keep Jon Runyan. Therefore, he could learn under their tutelage and develop his skills.

9) Phil Loadholt, OT, Oklahoma -  6'8 337 lbs.

At a whopping 337 pounds and standing a massive six feet eight inches, Phil Loadholt is exactly what his name implies, an absolute load. Loadholt will most likely be another project at tackle if the Eagles were to take him.

While he has his massive size, he is not overly light on his feet. But can you blame him? He weighs nearly 350 pounds, people.

He really struggled against the speed rush in 2008 and more notably, against Brian Orakpo of Texas. I remember watching Orakpo just torture Loadholt in that classic shootout between Texas and Oklahoma.

But Loadholt showed some solid improvement during senior bowl week. He performed better against the speed rush and seemed to be a bit quicker. But as I said earlier, he will be a project even if he is a first round selection.

He has terrific upside and if he doesn't work out as a tackle, he definitely has the size to switch to an interior lineman.

10) Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR, Maryland - 6'3 210 lbs.

Who's to say that the Eagles don't need more speed at receiver? Me. I love speed.

Darrius Heyward-Bey brings speed, size and strength. He is an inch taller and weighs only five pounds less than the much ballyhooed Hakeem Nicks.

It really comes as a shock to me that there is no hype around him at all. Maybe it's because of the lack of offense at Maryland this year. The quarterback play has been awful for the past couple of years, which has hampered some of DHB's success.

DHB has the size, strength and athleticism to be a real producer in the NFL. He has all of the intangibles to be a first round pick in april. But thanks to the lack of any passing game at Maryland, he will need to prove that to the scouts at the combine.

Using his athleticism, DHB could become one of the best jump-ball threats in the entire league.

He has the speed to burn and the overall ability to embarrass a defender. The only thing I would say he needs to improve on would be his route running. But other than that, I really don't see a glaring flaw in his game.

The Eagles could use his unique skill set in a variety of ways. If they draft him, they would most certainly have a dynamic passing attack in 2008.

This concludes my list. Any two of these 10 players would give the Eagles some help and keep them on the track to a Super Bowl.