About the Players the Eagles Drafted

1(26)-Marcus Smith, OLB, Louisville

The best part of this pick is that he is not a project. During Andy Reid’s draft he would pick players that he had a crush. They would be expected to play a position that they did not play in college or their body does not fit. Marcus is 6-4 and 258. Smith has NFL size, athleticism, and skill. He can play OLB in the NFL because he can rush the passer, set the edge, and play in space. Smith is not a pure pass rusher. Marcus Smith does not have to start right away. This is good because he will have a lot of learn. Cole and Barwin will start the season dominating the snap count. Smith will come in situationally. Hopefully Smith is a soon to be Connor Barwin. 

2 (42) - Jordan Matthews, WR, Vanderbilt

Matthews will be the one player of the Eagles 2014 draft that will be able to contribute effectively right away. This receiver out of Vanderbilt has good size due to his long arms and big hands. Jordan Matthews is a muscular receiver that has the drive and focus to fight for the ball in the air at its catchable highest point. This took Riley Cooper a while to learn. That is a difference between a fifth round pick and a second.  Matthews has no injury history and has started every game in college. Like Kelly’s offense Vanderbilt’s is also a spread offense. So Jordan Matthews is another good fit for the offensive scheme. Matthews will be replacing Avant. Maclin and Cooper will be predominately outside. 

3 (86) - Josh Huff, WR, Oregon

Chip Kelly knows what he is getting with Josh Huff because Huff is from Oregon. Oregon players were both tough and fast. Huff is a player that will do what some players would not so others will appear to be faster. Kelly knows Huff will play special teams, block, sot WR, and outside. He is an option at kick return. He is a role player that will be most effective in the middle of the field. Being 260, he can take hits and be physical in the middle of the field. He could be the Eagle’s future Darren Sproles. 

4 (101) - Jaylen Watkins, CB, Florida

Watkins is 5-11 and 194. During his college career for the Florida Gators he played S, CB and nickel corner. At the combine he ran a 40 in 4.41. But he is also agile. The Eagles will most likely see where he fits at early on in training camp. When it gets towards the end they will have him learn and stick with one position. He is best in man coverage. He has the skillset of being a Charles Woodson type of player. 

5 (141) - Taylor Hart, DE, Oregon

Big guys beat up little guys. This is an adage from Chip Kelly that is almost a cliché within the Eagles blogosphere. Hart is 6-6 281. Hart is not only big he is athletic, which allows him to be versatile; something else that Chip treasures. On passing downs or nickel or dime Taylor can be on the inside of the defensive line, DT. And for the base defense he play on the outside as a 3-4 DE. He can be a pass rusher and play 2-gap defense. Hart will be competition for backup DE spot. This depth will help the Eagles rotate their defensive lineman. Oh and he fits what Chip Kelly wants so much because he was from Oregon.

 
5 (162) - Ed Reynolds, S, Stanford

This guy is smart. Chip Kelly had a theme of picking graduates and not juniors. He wanted players that committed to their academics. Safety is a position that is often called the QB of the defense. They have the most to read and interpret before the snap. A safety has to know whether to backpedal or to move up into the box. The Eagles were impressed with not only his school brain coming from Stanford, but his football brain as well. During Kelly’s press conference after the pick, Chip mentioned that he was impressed by how well he can breakdown film. It is comforting to know that the coaching staff feels comfortable with Reynolds running the defense. He is not a captivating player, but Kelly wants a secondary that will tackle and keep the play in front of them by sticking with their assignment. He is a basic safety that can play through contact. 

7 (224) - Beau Allen, NT, Wisconsin

The Eagles defense was on the field for the most amount of time last out of the entire NFL. Allen will allow depth. Jerry Azzinaro, Eagles defensive line coach, will be rotating his defensive line players more this coming year than last year. Allen is not a nose pick. He is a nose tackle that will contribute right away by allowing the starters to rest. When the eagles picked him, other teams were looking forward to signing him as an undrafted free agent. The Philadelphia made sure to get him. This pick was a good value and fit. He fits a need that the Eagles needed at backup NT. He will compete against Damian Square for the backup NT spot on the roster. Being 6-2 322 he has the size to be effective against the run. He is a big weird guy.
-Glen