Sunday, February 10, 2013
Eagles' draft plans at No. 4
By Tom Carpenter
The Philadelphia Eagles have the No. 4 overall pick in the upcoming draft, and there is no clear-cut answer as to what they will do with it.
Their options run the gamut from trading the pick to drafting an offensive player to drafting a defensive player. Here are several expert takes from all angles:
Dan Graziano
Twitter mailbag: Thoughts on Eagles' pick"Anything's possible, but if I'm the Philadelphia Eagles, the only way I'm trading out of the No. 4 overall draft pick is if I decide I need to move up a spot or two to get the quarterback of my dreams. And since that guy doesn't appear to be in this draft, I stay put at No. 4. That No. 4 pick is a pretty good pick. A partial list of players who were picked fourth overall since the turn of the century includes Matt Kalil, A.J. Green, Trent Williams, Darren McFadden, Philip Rivers and Justin Smith. You can get a really good, franchise-altering player at No. 4, and that's what I think the Eagles should do."
Todd McShay
McShay's Mock Draft 2.0"Luke Joeckel, OT: West Virginia QB Geno Smith is a possibility here, but Joeckel is one of the top three overall prospects in this class and would be tough to pass up. New head coach Chip Kelly favors smaller, more athletic linemen like Joeckel, who would take care of a desperate need for an overall talent and depth upgrade along the offensive line. The question is whether the Eagles would feel comfortable moving Joeckel to the right side to accommodate returning LT Jason Peters."
Mel Kiper Jr.
Kiper's Mock Draft 2.0"Dee Milliner, CB: I noted in the previous mock that on a per-play basis, rookie Brandon Boykin might have been the best player in the Eagles secondary toward the end of the season. The Eagles could see a number of personnel changes with the new regime, but they can't afford to fall off significantly in the secondary in a division with Eli Manning, Robert Griffin III and Tony Romo. You might expect Chip Kelly to score points, but he's always put a great emphasis on his defense too. Milliner has elite grades in terms of awareness and ball skills, and he's a physical corner who can push wideouts off routes. And he can flat-out tackle."
