2011 Philadelphia Eagles NFL Draft Needs

The Philadelphia Eagles are on the clock with the 23rd overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft. Let’s take a look at their biggest needs and how those needs might be addressed on draft day.

1. Cornerback: Asante Samuel, who picked off seven passes last season, is one of the best, but the Eagles need to upgrade at the other cornerback spot. Philly allowed 31 touchdown passes last season as a reliable option opposite Samuel never emerged. With LSU’s Patrick Peterson and Nebraska’s Prince Amukamara expected to be long gone by pick No. 23, Philly likely won’t address this need with its top pick. It would make more sense to use it on a better overall player who fills another need area. The Eagles will still be in the running for a player like Utah’s Brandon Burton in the second round or Buffalo’s Joshua Johnson in the third.

2. Outside Linebacker: You might say the Ernie Sims experiment didn’t go as planned as he contributed just two sacks and 55 tackles. Moise Fokou doesn’t appear to be a long term solution either. The Eagles need to find an upgrade at outside linebacker who can put consistent pressure on the quarterback. A player like UCLA’s Akeem Ayers may be able to provide the answer. Ayers could go sooner but will likely fall into Philly’s lap here because he didn’t perform well at the combine. Too much stock gets put into the NFL’s track and field day. All you have to do is watch a little tape on Ayers and it’s easy to see he’s a player. All the teams with an outside backer need who pass him up will likely be kicking themselves in a couple years. If the Eagles decide to wait to fill their need at linebacker, they could still be in the running for Illinois’ Martez Wilson in round two or Ohio State’s Ross Homas in round three.

3. Offensive Line: Even with the most elusive quarterback in the NFL under center (Michael Vick), the Eagles allowed 49 sacks last season. Left guard Todd Herremans and left tackle Jason Peters are keepers but the right side needs upgraded. With this in mind, don’t be surprised if Philly spends its first round pick on a tackle like Colorado’s Nate Solder, Mississippi State’s Derek Sherrod or Wisconsin’s Game Carimi. Solder has great potential because of his size (6-foot-8, 319 pounds) and athleticism (4.96 40-yard dash). Sherrod is also a good option because of his versatility. He can play both guard and tackle. Carimi has the potential to be an elite run-blocker and has shown that he can come up big when matched up against good pass-rushers. He could start at right tackle out of the shoot and eventually move to left.  Philly could also add a guard prospect like Lehigh’s William Rackley in round two.

4. Quarterback: With Vick being handed the controls, Kevin Kolb is likely to be traded this offseason while his value is still high. The Eagles are also reportedly getting trade offers for third-stringer QB Mike Kafka. The team will certainly pounce on the right deal, which means they may want to think about adding a signal caller. The Eagles likely won’t address this area in the first few rounds, but could take a shot on a player like Virginia Tech’s Tyrod Taylor or Texas A&M’s Jerrod Johnson late.  Both are versatile quarterbacks that could learn a lot from Vick.

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