May 1, 2009
1st round: Jeremy Maclin - while Maclin is certainly a top ten draft talent and a steal at pick 19, he is still a rookie wide receiver who is playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. And as we have all seen in the past, Andy Reid rarely trusts his young wide receivers with his playbook. If history is an indication of things to come, Maclin may have been the best player available, but he won't pay dividends right away.
Moreover, with the huge need for a consistent pass-catching and blocking tight-end, the Eagles left talented tight-end Brandon Pettigrew on the board. They may have gotten the best player available, but they failed to fill a major hole on their roster.
Grade: B+
2nd Round: LeSean McCoy - While McCoy isn't the biggest running back in the world (5'11" 210), he will provide a serviceable backup for Brian Westbrook, which should keep Westbrook much healthier. Additionally, McCoy has shown the ability to be a playmaker in the open-field and could provide the Eagles with a much needed weapon on offense.
Grade: A-
5th round: Cornelius Ingram - Since the Eagles didn't have any picks in the third and fourth rounds, after trading out of the third round, they chose Ingram, who was a great athlete before suffering an ACL tear during a drill last August. He hasn't played since. While at Florida, he was a liability as a blocker and often shied away from contact. He could be a decent threat with his height and speed, but if he doesn't develop the ability to take on LBs in the run-game, the Eagles will still be in need of a good blocking tight-end.
Grade: C
5th round: Victor Harris - This pick is a little confusing. Harris is known as a hard hitter who while he doesn't have the straight line speed to stay with speedy wide receivers, thrives in a zone defense. The Philadelphia Eagles with their blitzing could be planning to move Harris to safety. Still, Harris' size (5"11', 187) could hinder him against the bigger tight-ends and running backs in the NFL.
Grade: C
Considering that the rest of the Philadelphia Eagles 2009 draft picks have little to no chance of making the team, we’ll stop the evaluations here. While getting the talented Maclin was a steal, the Eagles still failed to address a major need by failing acquire a tight-end who could not only be a consistent pass-catching threat, but could also aid as a quality blocker in the running game. More than that, the Philadelphia Eagles have a history of not allowing their rookies to see the field often enough to become a factor for their first couple of years. Even Brian Westbrook was relegated to punt and kick-off returns for his first two years in the NFL. Thus, it would be hard-pressed to call Maclin a “steal” now. Still, if Maclin can turn out to be the player that most scouts think that he can be, if LeSean McCoy can be a suitable replacement when star running back Brian Westbrook needs a break and if Cornelius Ingram can turn into a weapon with his gaudy 6’4” height, the 2009 draft will be a successful one. Until then, there are simply too many unknowns and not enough drafting for the needs that they had. I have to “call it like I see it.”
Overall Draft Grade: B-
