Friday, February 22, 2013
A guard for Philly at No. 4?
By Tim Kavanagh
It's a debate that rages every draft season -- should a team drafting in the Top 10 prefer taking a possible superstar at a high-profile position, or should they go with a player at a less illustrious position who'll be a reliable 10-year starter? It's come up again this year in regards to Alabama OG Chance Warmack, who some draft analysts believe is not only the best offensive lineman available in this year's crop, but perhaps even the best overall prospect. And there's now an argument for the Philadelphia Eagles taking him at No. 4 overall.
As Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News writes, the Eagles have one vacancy on the offensive line: right guard. C Jason Kelce, as well as OTs Jason Peters and Todd Herremans will be returning from injury, and LG Evan Mathis is coming off a strong campaign. The RG slot should belong to former first-rounder Danny Watkins, but Watkins has yet to show that he's capable of starting at the NFL level.
Enter Warmack? It's a possible scenario, one of a handful of prospects that could have their name called by Roger Goodell as the first draft pick of the Chip Kelly era (some of the other possibilities include OTs Luke Joeckel and Eric Fisher, CB Dee Milliner and DT Star Lotulelei). While taking an OG there isn't going to push the needle for particular cohorts of the fanbase, it's the kind of decision that can pay off substantially for the long-term.
