Draft

Yesterday, we took a look at some potential rookies who could step in and replace DeSean Jackson should the two sides fail to agree on a new deal (or the franchise tag isn’t applied). But there’s one guy on that list we probably should have included–Rutgers WR Mohamed Sanu. Sanu is only 6-2, 215-pounds, but is a physical receiver that can stretch the field and go the distance every time he touches the ball. He would provide an excellent compliment to Jeremy Maclin and create matchup nightmares for opposing secondaries. Sanu leaves Rutgers after three seasons at Rutgers where he [...]

Editor’s note: Staff writer Steve Fini checks in with a look at what the Eagles might do to replace the potentially departing DeSean Jackson. The Eagles will have a gaping hole at wide receiver in 2012 if they decide to let DeSean Jackson walk come March. This will be a hole they must fill. While potential free agents Dwayne Bowe and Vincent Jackson present possible targets, it’s more likely the team will address this need through the draft. Upgrading internally is not an option if this team wants to make a legitimate run at a Super Bowl in 2012. And [...]

The following is a truth we hold to be self-evident–the Eagles need better play at linebacker. Is it possible that young players like Casey Matthews and Brian Rolle can make significant improvements in year two and provide that much needed upgrade? Sure. Would it better to draft an absolute animal, a guy that plays with reckless abandon and actually looks like he may kill opposing players? Hell yes. Enter Vontaze Burfict, a guy who fits the profile of the versatile, nasty linebacker the Eagles so desperately need, but seem to go out of their way to avoid. The 6-3, 250-pound [...]

Editor’s note: It’s that time of the year, folks. Now that it’s February and the attention will soon shift from the Super Bowl to a bunch of eligible 2012 NFL Draft participants running around in their underwear, it’s time to turn our full attention to the draft. We know the Eagles haven’t picked a linebacker with a first round pick since 1979. And we know that the Eagles have admittedly prioritized more pass rushers to aid Jim Washburn’s fierce pass rushing defensive line. But in our first release, well, we think the Eagles are going to finally buck the trend [...]

Editor’s Note: Written by staff writer Steve Fini The Eagles may be mathematically alive for a playoff spot, but let’s face it–the season is over. The once inconceivable descent to a top-5 pick in April’s NFL Draft is becoming more likely as each loss mounts. Fans will be pining for a franchise-changing player. Since Andy Reid took over in 1999, the Eagles have only had two top ten draft picks–Donovan McNabb in 1999 (second overall) and Corey Simon in 2000 (sixth overall). So while the team’s draft performance in the first round under Reid has been mediocre at best, he [...]

First, I gotta ask–what the Hell are the Oakland Raiders thinking? It’s been widely reported the Raiders have traded for former All-Pro quarterback Carson Palmer, a move that makes sense for both teams given Andy Dalton’s emergence in Cincinatti and Jason Campbell’s season-ending injury. The Raiders have a legitimate shot to win the AFC West behind a strong run game and stellar defense, but not with Kyle Boller playing out the string at quarterback. Given Palmer’s refusal to take another snap in a Bengals’ uniform, the stars aligned for a deal. But acquiring Palmer for two first-round draft picks? I [...]

  In the NFC East, we brew up a special kind of hatred for our enemies. Rutgers – my alma mater – was and still is certified Giants country, and I don’t think I’ll ever forget the vicious insults and venomous taunts I had to trade every Monday on College Avenue when I proudly wore my Birds jersey to class. The same for my internship in New York, where the anger directed at me on subway cars and street corners was so palpable you could actually feel it in the air, like some sinister humidity. But I never once considered [...]

  This weekend, ITI will be teaming up with The Landry Hat, G-Men HQ, and Riggo’s Rag to bring you a comprehensive NFC East draft wrap-up. All four analyst teams will be trading questions, criticisms and maybe just a little bit of trash talk as we break down the picks and cast our predictions for the 2011 season. As the defending Kings of the NFC East, we need to know exactly what we’re dealing with this year. Who’s going going to be the Redskins quarterback? Is Tyron Smith really going to single-handedly fix that wretched offensive line in Dallas? Should [...]

    The NFL offseason calendar, in any normal year, usually goes like this: Superbowl, coaching moves, break, free agency, combine, pro days, pre-draft analysis, the draft, post-draft analysis and then, sometime in early May, draft grades. This year, even with all the labor issues and lawsuits, seems to be no different. It’s early May, and regardless of whether or not the 2011 draft class will actually become a part of the NFL this year, the grades have arrived. Personally, I’ve never paid attention to grades. They’re arbitrary, childish, and in the long run they’re about as accurate as fortune [...]

   It was another long draft weekend for the Philadelphia Eagles, one that wasn’t short on surprises, trades, controversy, and debate. Andy Reid proved, once again, that he is as unpredictable and unconventional a head coach as there is in the National Football League. Combined with the ongoing – and sometimes utterly confusing – courtroom developments in the NFL labor situation, the past four days have been enough of a whirlwind to put any professional sports journalist in the loony bin, and I’ll admit I wasn’t immune.

  For centuries, dozens of cultures throughout the world have shared a common belief in something called a “Grand Birthday,” the once in a lifetime event when a person’s calendar birth date and age collide. Today, for example, I turned 27 on the 27th of April. Today is my Grand Birthday. According to folklore, a Grand Birthday – or Champagne Birthday, or Lucky Birthday – is supposed to be a perfect storm of good luck, 24 straight hours of winning lottery tickets and green lights. Well, as I am just about a half hour away from the end of my [...]

  by Ryan Thompson While the NFL Lockout situation still remains up in the air, we know one thing for certain: the NFL draft will take place Thursday night at Radio City Music Hall, and Andy Reid will once again be put in the hot seat. Many people expect the Eagles to select an offensive lineman with the 23rd pick in this year’s draft, hoping to fill a void in a group that allowed Eagles quarterbacks to be slammed to the turf 49 times in 2010, good for 4th most in the NFL. However, based on Reid’s success rate in [...]