NFL Combine 2011: The First Step To a Solid Draft for the Eagles

The 2011 NFL Combine starts today, giving college players who are entering the draft an opportunity to showcase their talents.

Players participate in a number of drills, which are public for all coaches and scouts to watch. Teams also have the opportunity to speak privately with select players to learn more about them and determine the mental part of their football capacity.

Many scouts and coaches have already watched tons of tape on different players, but this is the first chance to gather knowledge about players first hand.

For the Eagles, today and Sunday will be particularly important as the offensive lineman and secondary workout on these days. The team could very easily draft a lineman in the first round and will also look to draft a corner sometime during the draft.

The Eagles will be looking for help at both the tackle and guard positions. Not a lot of interior lineman get drafted in the first round, so the Eagles will look for options that they could draft in the middle rounds.

After not drafting a single lineman last season, the Eagles will more than likely draft multiple lineman this year. They need to find a solution on the right side of the line to protect Michael Vick’s blindside.

The combine will serve as an opportunity to take a closer look at players the team is already interested and help decide who they’d like to bring in for a personal workout.

With offensive tackle being a huge priority, the Eagles will closely watch the top tackles at the Combine and invite many of them in for a personal workout.

Many draft experts have the top tackle prospects being taken with picks 15-25. The Eagles are towards the end of this range, so if they find someone they like, they might have to move up to get them.

In terms of corner, the Eagles will probably look outside of the first round. There are a few elite corners who will be off the board when the Eagle selection comes around and there won’t be any left worthy of a first round selection.

The Eagles should also take a close look at the linebackers who workout on Saturday. They have a few free agents they won’t be able to sign and will need to add some depth there.

Ernie Sims should be exiting Philadelphia, so there will be an open starting position up for the taking during Training Camp.

Overall, the Combine isn’t going to determine exactly who the Eagles will end up drafting. However, it’s a helpful step in gearing which way the team wants to go.