Philadelphia Eagles Turn to Draft To Rescue Offseason

Yes, believe it or not, the NFL draft is once again here. The months of conjecture, hypothesizing, and just plain guessing are coming to a close.

Before all the deals and picks are made, we, at PossessionPoints.com, thought we would add our own data to the mix over the next few weeks to see what holes the teams are looking to fill. 

Before we look to the draft, we like to look at a team’s PossessionPoints performance from the previous season to assess their strengths and weaknesses.

Last season, the Eagles were a good PossessionPoints team, both offensively and defensively, and we were not the least bit surprised they made it to the NFC Championship game as a wild card.

In fact, our Preseason Preview issue last year had the Eagles heading to the Super Bowl. 

In PossessionPoints, we color-code outstanding performances in green and miserable performances in red.

During the '08-'09 season, the Eagles attained nine green offensive performances and eight green defensive performances. This was balanced against just three red offensive and three red defensive performances.

So, despite all the melodrama surrounding the Donovan McNabb benching and other distractions, the Eagles did prove to be a very good team. (PossessionPoints.com Eagles 2008 Team Page)

According to our proprietary stats and data, if the Eagles left things as they wer, any addition to the offense or defense would have been an asset, though Philadelphia did not cry out for any major changes on either side of the ball.

However, let’s look at what the Eagles have done in the offseason, which, we admit, has changed our view.

The Eagles lost to their defensive leader who was the spirit behind the team, Brian Dawkins, to free agency. Also gone are running back Correll Buckhalter, tight end L.J. Smith, safety Sean Considine, and tackle Tra Thomas.

Free agent tackle John Runyon may also turn out to be a loss for the Eagles.

To compensate for these losses, Philadelphia signed tackle Stacy Andrews from the Bengals, defensive backs Sean Jones from the Browns and Rashad Baker from the Raiders, and running back Leonard Weaver from the Seahawks.

These non-standout NFL names from non-standout NFL teams have not inspired confidence in the Eagles’ loyal fans, who are still reeling from the loss of Dawkins.

The Eagles must now look to the draft if they are to fix their broken wings. Fortunately, they have 11 picks overall in seven rounds, including four picks in the top 100.  

We would like to see the Eagles address the running back, tight end, and wide receiver positions on offense. But knowing the Eagles, we would not be surprised to see them draft a lineman before anybody else.

The top-rated tight end, Brandon Pettigrew, out of Oklahoma State is 6’6” and 263 pounds. We know McNabb loves throwing to his tight ends and this guy could be quite the target. He is almost certain to be around when the Eagles pick at 21.

The Eagles could gamble that he will be there at 28, but that may cost them. 

If, by some chance, we see that University of Mississippi’s Michael Oher is still there at 21, we would not be disappointed if Philadelphia selected this offensive tackle.

In selecting Pettigrew or Oher, the Eagles may have to take the chance that they would strike gold—like the Bears and Texans did last year with Matt Forte or Steve Slayton—and wait to pick a running back with either their 53rd or 85th pick. 

One running back we see that might be gold with a later pick is Rashad Jennings from Liberty University, a non-football power school.

We all know the Eagles love these schools, and sometimes these picks pan out. Just look at Brian Westbrook, a product of basketball powerhouse Villanova.  

On the defensive side, Philadelphia may be able to draft someone who has a younger body than Dawkins, even though that body will not replace the emotional leadership that Dawkins provided.

We can see the Eagles going for a safety selection with their 53rd or 85th pick.

Some of the prime candidates who could be around then would be William Moore of Missouri, Patrick Chung of Oregon, and Chip Vaughn, known to be a big-hitting enforcer, of Wake Forest.  

If Moore is available, he would be our favorite pic. But if not, we would like them to see the Eagles pick up Vaughn at 85 or later.