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Philadelphia Eagles Draft Breakdown – Safety Earl Wolff

May 22nd, 2013 at 10:31 PM
By Scott Anderson

After an off-season of mostly defensive signings, specifically in the secondary, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted safety Earl Wolff out of North Carolina State University in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL Draft to bolster an already deep secondary. As it stands right now, Wolff sits behind Patrick Chung and Nate Allen at the Strong Safety position with Colt Anderson rounding out the position. 

'NFL Draft' photo (c) 2011, Zennie Abraham - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

Wolff was a standout player for the NC State defense as he earned the starting job in 2010 and earned the teams award for the Most Outstanding Defensive Back at the end of the season. He ended that season with just under 100 tackles, two sacks, an interception and three forced fumbles. He followed up that performance the following year with 105 tackles as well as three interceptions and forced fumbles. Wolff ended his senior year with just under 120 tackles and two interceptions.

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Philadelphia Eagles Draft Breakdown – QB Matt Barkley

May 17th, 2013 at 10:00 AM
By Scott Anderson

A move that surprised many, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted quarterback Matt Barkley out of the University of Southern California in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. The Eagles were originally linked to having interest in Geno Smith and E.J. Manuel, but they ended up passing on both of them as they filled other important positions before making the plunge at quarterback.

'JHT_1575' photo (c) 2012, Neon Tommy - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

Barkley was ranked second at his position at the draft although he didn't go until the fourth round. He has the experience of running a pro-style offense at USC so the transition from college to the NFL should be a smooth one. USC designed the offense so that the pocket could move. This allowed Barkley to show his accuracy while on the move. Speaking of accuracy, Barkley is very accurate in the short and mid-range passes. His long-range accuracy is not as good but his receivers adjusted to get under the ball. The main weakness to Barkley's passing game is that he is inconsistent when he is under pressure and can't set his feet to step into his throws. Even with that weakness, he still manages to hit his targets. 

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Philadelphia Eagles Draft Breakdown – DT Bennie Logan

May 9th, 2013 at 11:41 AM
By Scott Anderson

The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Defensive Tackle Bennie Logan out of Louisiana State University in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft.  Looking at Logan's statistics and the Eagles' depth chart, it can be seen that he won't be a Day One Starter.

'NFL Draft' photo (c) 2011, Zennie Abraham - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

Logan didn't get the starting job at LSU until 2011 after he redshirted his freshman season and played in only three games during the 2010 season.  Logan bulked up during the 2010 season which is what led to him getting the starting job the following year where he recorded 57 tackles.  In 2012, he racked up 45 tackles.

With only two full seasons playing at the position for LSU in the SEC, Logan will need some more experience before he gets the starting job on the Eagles.  Right now Logan will be the second string Nose Tackle in the Eagles' new 3-4 defense with the newly acquired Isaac Sopoaga getting the starting job.  

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Philadelphia Eagles Draft Breakdown – TE Zach Ertz

May 6th, 2013 at 7:10 PM
By Scott Anderson

The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Tight End Zach Ertz out of Stanford in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft. Ertz was ranked as one of the top Tight Ends in the draft so he is sure to bring a lot to the table with the Eagles.

'NFL Draft' photo (c) 2011, Zennie Abraham - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/

As a junior in college, Ertz became the go-to Tight End at Stanford. At the end of the season, Ertz had 898 yards and six touchdowns on 69 catches, leading most of the receiving categories for the team. 

Ertz is a Tight End who not only can block, but is fast enough to break away from defenses and get open. His NFL Draft Profile says he added 30 pounds after he arrived at Stanford. The extra bulk and muscle surely helped him thrive as a Tight End. Ertz also has great vision and looks for the soft areas in defenses in order to get even more yards after the catch.

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Philadelphia Eagles 2013 NFL Draft Coverage (Day One)

April 26th, 2013 at 1:13 AM
By Scott Anderson

The 2013 NFL Draft has officially started and the Philadelphia Eagles have made their first selection. Despite the rumors of the Eagles trading the fourth overall pick away or selecting a quarterback (Geno Smith/E.J. Manuel), the Eagles have selected Offensive Tackle Lane Johnson of the Oklahoma Sooners.

'Oklahoma Sooners iPhone wallpaper' photo (c) 2009, xploitme - license: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

The top three Offensive Tackles went within the first four picks of the draft. The Kansas City Chiefs selected Eric Fisher from Central Michigan with the first overall pick of the draft while the Jacksonville Jaguars selected Luke Joeckel from Texas A&M with the second overall pick.

In a previous article, "Philadelphia Eagles Need to Address Offensive Tackle Position at the Draft," Johnson, Joeckel and Fisher were each looked at. Johnson was ranked as the third best player at the position behind Joeckel and Fisher. For the Eagles, it was going to be between any one of these three and a quarterback for their first pick. It looks like head coach Chip Kelly saw that an offensive lineman was a greater need than a quarterback right now.

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