I'm not on board with this "draft all defense" notion

[IronEagle]

Eagles need to be flexible in the draft. When you start drafting strictly for need you get into trouble.

[Big Little]

Draft for best player available..

WR/OL/LB/S where ever they fall

[Sect 236]

Eagles need to be flexible in the draft. When you start drafting strictly for need you get into trouble.

When you start drafting strictly for need you get Danny Watkins and Jai Jarrett.

[CCPete]

The Best player available is a cop out. Only done by FOs who don't have the ability to identify weak areas and fill them with quality players. Chips final year in Philly is setting up up to be a major disappointment. Anyone who watched this past Super Bowl and can't figure out what the Eagles need to do to be a serious contender is a mental midget. Chip wants to leave playing chip ball. Offense offense offense. And it will wind up being another year where they beat the bad teams and get destroyed by the real contenders because there ain't no defense in chip ball.

[Two Gap Penetrator]

You say best player available and then....

...you list a few positions. What is it that you want? You can't have it both ways.

[IronEagle]

...you list a few positions. What is it that you want? You can't have it both ways.

I can't speak for BL but I do think it's possible to strike a balance between the two approaches.

If there is a talent available at a position of non need who is an order of magnitude better than those available at positions of need you need to consider selecting him. If the talent level is fairly uniform when you are selecting, then need should play a larger role.

My big problem is with the reaches. Eagles fans have seen way too many of those over the years.

[Two Gap Penetrator]

Oh definitely. I don't want to see one.....

....REACH defensive end EVER again. IDK, what's the one position we really don't need. Running back? OK, so don't take any running backs. Best available at anything else.

[Snakebitten]

This team has plenty of holes on defense to fill. They shouldn't have to reach. If they want to go best player available, do it on the defense. A WR is a want not a need. They didn't address the defense last year. They need to do it this year. Draft these players so they don't have to roll the dice by overpaying other teams players with health concerns or other baggage.

[Greenstealth]

Exactly

This team has plenty of holes on defense to fill. They shouldn't have to reach. If they want to go best player available, do it on the defense. A WR is a want not a need. They didn't address the defense last year. They need to do it this year. Draft these players so they don't have to roll the dice by overpaying other teams players with health concerns or other baggage.

Every level of the defense still has holes.

[ishimonster]

If a stud WR falls into their lap

Eagles need to be flexible in the draft. When you start drafting strictly for need you get into trouble.

AND there isn't an equally or close to equally talented CB/S on the board I would take him. Otherwise, almost every pick needs to be spent on adding more talent and depth to the defense.

Other than maybe a new RG to replace Herremans, the offense doesn't NEED any more starters, whereas the defense still does.

S/CB/OLB, in that order.

[Big Little]

That's what I meant, they have holes and they, we all, know... I just don't want to see them reach for a player instead just take the best availble to fill those holes..

Oh forgot to mention Kicker, that is a GLARING hole on this team

[AnnapolisEagle]

Eagles need to be flexible in the draft. When you start drafting strictly for need you get into trouble.

I think we'll really see them going (mostly) best available, unless that best available is a running back. I mean, they could even surprise us and draft Manziel if he falls all the way to 22. Nothing seems impossible.

When it comes to FA, they're only going to target young guys and not pay for past production. Jenkins fits that mold. I think Byrd would've been great to have, so I wonder exactly what kind of contract they'd have been willing to give him.

The rest of the additions so far seem like end-of-roster replacements for other guys who will be leaving (the Colt Anderson types).

Trading for Sproles is a surprise, and while he's 30, it's essentially a 1-year, $3.5M contract. And there's no doubt they wanted a solid pass-catching RB to back up Shady.

I would've been interested to see what Ware could bring to the defense, but definitely not at the number he got. Revis and Talib could've helped, too, obviously, but I can see why they would be gun-shy on corners.

Curious about Revis' contract...1 year, $12 million. If he wanted a prove-it deal, that's pretty expensive. Low-risk for the Pats, yeah...but then you might have to let him walk if he demands a huge deal.

Anyway... the Eagles can draft pretty much any defensive position in the first round and get good value. Add that guy to a defense that will be much improved by adding Jenkins (I don't think we fully understand how terrible the safety play was last year) and getting Wolff back from injury, and I think that side of the ball isn't in bad shape.

-AE

[Loki]

zzzzzz

[TerpEagle]

I think we'll really see them going (mostly) best available, unless that best available is a running back. I mean, they could even surprise us and draft Manziel if he falls all the way to 22. Nothing seems impossible.

When it comes to FA, they're only going to target young guys and not pay for past production. Jenkins fits that mold. I think Byrd would've been great to have, so I wonder exactly what kind of contract they'd have been willing to give him.

The rest of the additions so far seem like end-of-roster replacements for other guys who will be leaving (the Colt Anderson types).

Trading for Sproles is a surprise, and while he's 30, it's essentially a 1-year, $3.5M contract. And there's no doubt they wanted a solid pass-catching RB to back up Shady.

I would've been interested to see what Ware could bring to the defense, but definitely not at the number he got. Revis and Talib could've helped, too, obviously, but I can see why they would be gun-shy on corners.

Curious about Revis' contract...1 year, $12 million. If he wanted a prove-it deal, that's pretty expensive. Low-risk for the Pats, yeah...but then you might have to let him walk if he demands a huge deal.

Anyway... the Eagles can draft pretty much any defensive position in the first round and get good value. Add that guy to a defense that will be much improved by adding Jenkins (I don't think we fully understand how terrible the safety play was last year) and getting Wolff back from injury, and I think that side of the ball isn't in bad shape.

-AE

Revis' last deal was essentially a prove-it deal. Little to no quaranteed money, just high yearly salaries. Maybe he's just embraced the mercenary role.

[Two Gap Penetrator]

OH! What did I say earlier in this thread!

The best X's and O's guy on Igglephans AGREES with the Penetrator of Multiple Gaps! Let's do lunch.