The Eagles Greenprint for Success

I began writing this article before the Tennessee Titans brought the Eagles back down to Earth, but I think my writing is even more fitting now that we’ve lost the captain of our ship for the season.


The Eagles need a new “greenprint.” What is a “greenprint”, you ask? Well essentially it’s a blueprint, but the Eagles wear green. Hence, it becomes a “greenprint.” Get it? It’s clever isn’t it?

Well, I thought it was.

Moving past my word shenanigans, the Iggles need to start thinking about the future, and they need to think a little further than the personnel that they have right now. The signings of Mike Patterson, Trent Cole, and Reggie Brown are positive steps, but they also need to begin thinking about their position in next year’s NFL draft. There may be several weeks remaining in the 2006 NFL season, but it’s never too early to start thinking about the draft. So please allow me to put on my Mel Kiper Jr. mask and enlighten you with some musings about who the Eagles should be looking at next April.

Round 1

Right now, the Eagles biggest weaknesses seam to be linebacker and strong safety. Some people may argue for a wide receiver, but aside from Calvin Johnson’s possible early entry, there is not much to be excited about at WR (and the Eagles will not be drafting high enough to select Johnson). I see two guys as strong first round picks for the Eagles. The first is Paul Posluszny, the all-world linebacker from Penn State. The Eagles need a hardnosed guy next to Trotter in their linebacking corps. Posluszny has great talent, great character, a great understanding of the game, and a great work ethic. The second guy the Eagles should set their sights upon is Michael Griffin, the outstanding safety from Texas. The biggest problem with the Eagles current safety, Michael Lewis, is his continuing difficulties in pass coverage. Griffin has spent some of his collegiate career as a cornerback, so he has the ability to defend the pass. And he can still lay the wood on an opponent just as well as Michael Lewis. Originally, I was going to say the Eagles may have to find a way to move up in the first round to obtain one of these two guys, but I have little faith that Jeff “Latino Heat” Garcia or A.J. "Comp a" Feeley will lead us to more than a victory the remainder of this season. So the Birds may be in good shape. If they prove me wrong, the Eagles need to move up.

Round 2

A second priority is depth and a change of pace at the running back position. It’s time for the Eagles to get themselves a big, durable back. Fortunately, they don’t even have to venture outside of the state to find him. Tony Hunt is a perfect back for the Philadelphia Eagles. Hunt runs hard. I mean real hard. He blocks very well and is an effective receiver out of the backfield. He is also 6’ 2”, 230lbs. Can you remember the last time the Eagles had a back like that? Yeah, I can’t either. I know some of you may believe that I am blinded by my Penn State ties, but it is mere coincidence that PSU has two great prospects that would be excellent fits with the Eagles. The Eagles should look in to obtaining an additional 2nd round pick too. They could move Roderick Hood or Darwin Walker to obtain this pick. If they do that, they should look at filling the strong safety or linebacker position they do not fill in the first round. A few solid prospects are David Harris (Michigan), Prescott Burgess (Michigan), Anthony Waters (Clemson) or Patrick Willis (Ole Miss) at linebacker. A few secondary options at safety (sorry about the pun) would be Tom Zbikowski (Notre Dame) or Aaron Rouse (Virginia Tech).

Round 3
The third round is a tricky call. I would like to see the Eagles target Brian Leonard (Rutgers) at fullback. He’s another tough kid, who blocks well and is an excellent receiver. A perfect fit for the Birds throw-first offense. He also has great leadership skills. Another area of concern to target in the third round would be the quarterback position. McNabb has been injured the last two years. Also, none of the Eagles QBs are young, so it’s time to bring in someone young to groom into a competent backup for McNabb. A few names of players who could be available are: Drew Tate (Iowa), Sam Hollenbach (Maryland), Jared Zabransky (Boise State), Zach Taylor (Nebraska) and Chris Leak (Florida). I’m not a huge fan of Leak, but with the pass emphasis at Florida, he could be a fit for the Eagles. The rest are all solid QBs with good leadership skills and a good understanding of the game. Taylor and Hollenbach are probably the two best fits for the Eagles.

Round 4
If you haven’t already noticed, all of my suggestions have been seniors. Many of them could have left school early. Instead, they returned and proved their commitment to team play and winning. All of these guys are quality character guys who love to play the game and play it the way it’s meant to be played. They’re “football players” and we all know the added respect and ability that comes with that title. The remaining few rounds should be about gathering more depth for the current team. Most of the pieces are there for a strong Super Bowl push next year. With the addition of even one or two of my earlier recommendations, the Eagles will be in good shape to clearly separate themselves from the rest of the NFC. In the fourth round, there are several players I’d like to see the team target - these players include: Brent Celek (TE-Cincinnati), Jayson Swain (WR-Tennesee), Ramzee Robinson (CB-Alabama), A.J. Davis (CB-NC State), Noah Whiteside (WR-South Carolina), Brandon Myles (WR-West Virginia), Mike Jones (OL-Iowa) Roman Fry (G-Clemson) or Matt Bihl (C-Michgan).

Round 5
I hate to say it, but we need to start thinking about life without Brian Dawkins. He is getting older and has been nagged by injuries at times (though he’s not injury prone by any means). I believe there are several free safeties that could be available at this point in the draft that could provide some support for the Eagles. They may never replace Dawkins, but you never know. Again, here are a few names to keep in mind: J.D. Nelson (Oregon), Marcus Griffin (Texas), and Ryan Mundy (Michigan).

Rounds 6 and 7
I’m not going to offer too many suggestions here because I think the Eagles have shown themselves to be good at finding decent talent in these rounds. Also, it’s tough to know how the draft will turn out once you get into the late rounds. Personally, I like the idea of adding more depth to the secondary, wide receiver contingent, and defensive line. They hopefully can move Darwin Walker, as I suggested above, because they drafted a defensive tackle in the 1st round the last 2 years. If they do move him I like guys like Marquay Love (Houston), Amobi Okoye (Louisville), DeMarcus Tyler (NC State) and Jay Alford (PSU). At receiver I like D’Juan Woods (Oklahoma State) and James Finley (Oregon). Finally, for some late-round thievery, I'd recommend selecting cornerback Frank Wiwo (Miami-Ohio). I mean, how do you not draft a guy named Wiwo? He has decent speed and solid cover skills. Did I mention he's 6'3" 175lbs? The Eagles lack that kind of height in their secondary to help defend the Burress' and Colstons' in the league.

There you have it. The Eagles may not be too successful the remainder of this season without #5, but they now have their “greenprint” for success come next April. I know a lot can change between now and April with all the workouts and the combine, but this is at least a good starting point for the Birds big-board.

As a final note, I'd like to apologize to Eagles fans everywhere. Perhaps my inclination to begin work on this article and its content before today’s game brought some bad karma the Eagles’ way. I assure you that it was not my intent. I hate to see the Birds lose as much as you do, but I have a love for the college game and the more I watch these players in their final college games, the more I hope some of them are wearing green next season.

Just remember...even though the Birds chances may have flown South for the season, we can always hope they return with vigor in the Spring.