Geno Smith fell to the Eagles at 35. If they wanted him, they had him. They didn’t want him.
At least not as much as Stanford tight end Zach Ertz — the 6-5, 249-pounder out of Alamo, California.
“He’s a mismatch nightmare,” said Chip Kelly. “If you get him isolated on a defensive back it’s very, very difficult to cover because of his size, but he’s also too athletic to put linebackers on.”
Lane Johnson told us on Friday that he wrestled bears “in his spare time” growing up. Only to say that he made the whole thing up minutes later. Interesting way to introduce yourself to Philadelphia.
“I thought it would be a good joke, people may think we do that down in Texas, but it wasn’t.… Read More
A couple notes and thoughts while we wait to see if Geno Smith is coming to Philly:
– Yesterday was Smith’s mother’s birthday. Obviously, it wasn’t as festive of an occasion as everyone had hoped. That was part of the reason why Smith planned on leaving New York City instead of sticking around for Day 2 of the draft, according to a source who was with the signal-caller Thursday night. He didn’t want his mom to be upset, and planned on going home with her and watching the draft there.
How far has Geno Smith’s stock fallen? Who might the Eagles target at 35? And is Tyrann Mathieu on the team’s board? We explore in the latest Twitter Mailbag.
By the early look of things, all three of the elite tackle prospects were going to be off the board before the Eagles even got on the clock. Eric Fisher and Luke Joeckel went 1 and 2, and the O-line needy Dolphins traded into the third slot, presumably to land Lane Johnson. Instead, they grabbed Chip Kelly‘s old student, Dion Jordan.
They would have a chance to land a tackle after all.
“We thought he was the most athletic tackle we’ve seen,” said Kelly. “He has a huge upside. He hasn’t played a ton of offensive tackle but he has played the right side and the left side so he has experience at both sides.
“The game is won up front. He’s a tough, physical guy and that’s what I think we were looking for as we went into this draft. It’s an exciting thing when you can target people and get what you’re looking for.”
It’s time for the first annual Birds 24/7 Draft Predictions, where Sheil and I lay it all on the line in a fight for bragging rights. Kapadia is still stinging from his sound defeat in our 53-man projections battle back in training camp. Let’s see if he can get on the scoreboard.
Happy Draft Day, everyone. Sheil and I have gotten the recommended 10-12 hours of sleep, have our personalized smoothies in hand and are ready to roll. I’m sure you are, too.
Now that the much-anticipated day is upon us, mocking season is (mercifully) coming to an end. But not before a pair of heavy-hitters weigh in.
Peter King and Mike Mayock both rolled out their predictions Wednesday.
If the Eagles don’t use their first-round pick on EJ Manuel, they are not going to land him. That’s the feeling of one league source close to the situation, who says a couple teams are showing significant interest in the Florida State signal-caller.
“I think the media is pretty far off as far as where they have EJ right now,” the source said.
Chip Kelly has to be intrigued by Austin. How could an offensive junkie not be drawn to a playmaker who has caught over 100 balls each of the last two seasons, and finished his senior year with almost 2,000 all-purpose yards and 15 touchdowns? Kelly wants versatile players. Austin lines up all over the field, and returns kicks and punts as well. Kelly wants to score touchdowns. Austin specializes in it.
The question is: Would the new Eagles coach use his first-ever draft pick on the 5-8 wideout?
Eric Fisher has visited five NFL teams during the pre-draft process, including the Eagles. The 6-7, 306-pound Central Michigan product told PFT that he made trips to Philadelphia, Jacksonville, Detroit, Cleveland and Carolina.
Some believe he will be the Eagles’ pick at 4. Others don’t think he will last that long. What does Fisher think?
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Sheil Kapadia has been writing about the Eagles since 2008. His previous Philly.com blog, Moving the Chains, was named one of the best in the state by the Associated Press. Sheil's main joys in life are family, football and finding good parking spots.
Tim McManus is a bulldog reporter with a nose for news and story angles that will get people talking. He'll talk about it himself on 97.5 The Fanatic, where he serves as a host and Eagles beat reporter. Tim, an award-winning journalist, will be with the team around the clock.
