Eagles Draft Buzz Thread: 4/14
John David Mercer / USA Today
Between now and the draft, we’ll have daily threads with the latest mocks, buzz and relevant links. Check back throughout the day for updates.
1:58 p.m.: Thought this was interesting.
9. Thinking Utah’s Eric Rowe is going to be taken higher than a lot of people suspect, and a number of teams like him best at S, not CB.
— Dan Pompei (@danpompei) April 14, 2015
I really like Eric Rowe and think he will intrigue the Eagles.
12:29 p.m.: Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune seems to think the Philip Rivers-Titans rumors has legs, and he thinks the Chargers should pull the trigger on a deal.
The only real control the Chargers have with their quarterback is now, this offseason. So – and this is difficult to think, let alone write – they need to trade Rivers. If Monday night’s dinner and Tuesday’s workout in Eugene, Ore., are everything the Chargers expect, and they see in former Oregon star Marcus Mariota a possible franchise quarterback, they should do what they can to trade up and draft him.
Acee seems convinced that Rivers won’t play in Los Angeles if/when the Chargers move there.
12:24 p.m.: Charley Casserly of NFL.com mocks Alabama safety Landon Collins to the Eagles at No. 20:
Cornerback is a possibility here, but Collins fills a major need on defense.
9:20 a.m.: This Tweet created a bit of a stir last night.
Classic draft misdirection: #Eagles scouts telling teams they view SE La QB Bryan Bennett as a safety. (Chip Kelly coached the QB at Oregon) — Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 13, 2015
Misdirection? Maybe. But maybe not. As friend of the blog Justin Stranzl recently pointed out, Bennett actually got a look on defense while at Oregon (links here and here and here). So it’s entirely possible that the Eagles are looking at him in a different role.
I wouldn’t expect Bennett to be more than a late-round pick or undrafted free agent. We wrote about him in-depth here.
9:10 a.m.: Good note here.
Best hands in draft? My vote is Nelson Agholor. 134 targets (104 catches)… I counted 5 drops on catchable/unobstructed passes all year.. — Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) April 13, 2015
The Nelson Agholor buzz seems to be growing. It seems possible (likely?) that he gets taken in the first round.
8:54 a.m.: Interesting read here from Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com on the possibility of the Chargers drafting Marcus Mariota and moving on from Philip Rivers.
Mariota would be an upgrade for many NFL teams, and this is not to say that young quarterbacks can’t succeed in the NFL. Andrew Luck (25) ranked No. 11 in QBR last season and Russell Wilson (26) was No. 12. But neither of them were spread quarterbacks when they were drafted. They were pocket passers who also have mobility.
The Chargers have on their roster a quarterback who could take a generation or more to replace, let alone upgrade from. Given the game’s current landscape, why rush it?
I’m a big Rivers fan. I like Mariota too, but I agree with Seifert. If I’m the Chargers, I’m riding it out with Rivers, even though turning the page might be tempting.