Eagles detailed breakdown
National Football League
Draft King Mailbag
January 11, 2005
Lou Pickney, DraftKing.com
Reader feedback is always welcomed here at DraftKing.com. Send your thoughts to me at LouPickney@gmail.com.
From: ajm1613@***.com
Sent: Tuesday, January 11, 2005 6:49 PM
To: Lou Pickney
Subject: Eagles Draft
You responded to a recent email in your mailbag on this issue, so if I’m sounding redundant I apologize. In your most recent mock draft (January 5th) you said this concerning the Eagles, “Fason has applied for early entry into the draft, and with a wife and two kids who can blame him? While Philly has a good RB in Brian Westbrook, Fason would be a nice fit to provide depth and potentially eventually become a starter.”
Do you really think that for a team to acquire “depth” they have to use a first round pick? Isn’t “depth” a player like Chester Taylor (pick 207) or Jesse Chatman (undrafted)? The Eagles use a variation of the west coast offense and only run the ball 24 times a game; do you actually think a first round pick would be worth it?
Obviously because of your “…potentially eventually become a starter,” comment, I assume you either don’t think Westbrook is a very good back or you don’t think the Eagles will re-sign him (scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in 2006). Which is it? I would hope the Eagles do not limit Westbrook’s carries, when he touches the ball ten or less times on offense, the Eagles are 7-8. When he has more than ten offensive touches, the Eagles are 19-0. Is it because of this “depth” they lack? They lost four games last season when a fairly healthy Correll Buckhalter and Duce Staley took his carries, and another when they had all the carries. You can think whatever you want about him because you probably have seen him play and looked up his stats (177 rushes (27 stuffs) for 812 yards (4.6 yards/carry), 3 touchdowns. 73/87 (83.9%) receptions for 703 yards (9.6 yards/catch), 640 YAC, 6 touchdowns.1 fumble, 1 lost, 0 recovered. 1 penalty for 4 yards (1 false start)) but taking carries away from him is a mistake.
As the other email you responded to stated, the Eagles don’t usually draft running backs and since Heckert arrived for the 2002 draft they usually draft players to contribute in their third season (Sheppard (Vincent), Brown (Taylor), Lewis (Bishop), Westbrook (Staley), McDougle (Burgess), Smith (Lewis), McMullen (Thrash), Andrews (Runyan)). Also understand the Eagles value certain positions above the others, defensive end, cornerback, quarterback and offensive tackle. Sheppard is an AP All-Pro, Brown is an ESPN All-Pro, McNabb is a Pro Bowler, Tra Thomas is a Pro Bowler, and Andrews was just drafted. Kearse is one of the defensive ends…
Thank you for listening to my rant about 1/32 of your draft, It was probably a waste of your time.
Lou: Actually I don't consider that a waste of time. As I've written before on here, I can't follow every team with the same detail and attention that fans of those given teams can. So when someone takes the time to give me their detailed opinion on the team they follow closely, I appreciate it and take it into consideration.
The important thing to remember with the NFL Draft is that teams often don't draft according to need. Think of Atlanta taking T.J. Duckett right after shelling out big money for Warrick Dunn in free agency, or Buffalo drafting an injured Willis McGahee with Travis Henry coming off of a strong 2002 season. Had I projected those moves, I would have been accurate. But by the same token, I would have had sharp questions on both moves to answer, and it would have been quite difficult to justify them.
But keep in mind that Philly has two picks in relatively close vicinity (which will be even closer if they make it to, or win, the Super Bowl). It's possible they could take Fason, then go DT, DE and OG with their two second rounders and third rounder (in whatever combination).
As for the depth argument, you can gain depth in later rounds, but the potential for becoming a bona fide starter and/or someone who gets strong carries is key. When you consider the potential for injury at the RB position in the NFL, it is prudent to have a second option who is capable of carrying the ball effectively. Westbrook did a good job this year in being both a rushing and a pass receiving threat, but it doesn't mean that having someone like Fason on the roster wouldn't be a good idea. Remember how concerned many onlookers were when Westbrook was hurt for a few games this season. Had someone of Fason's calibre been on board, I'd suggest that the level of concern would have been much lower.
