Apr 26, 2013; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Chip Kelly addresses the media during a press conference at the NovaCare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Leading up to the draft, the Eagles were reportedly very high on West Virginia quarterback, Geno Smith. The Eagles management, including the owner Jeffrey Lurie, went to work out Geno Smith and this kicked started all of the rumors. Plenty of experts mocked Geno Smith to the Eagles in the first round and when Smith fell to the second round, people were sure the Eagles would select him. Instead the Eagles opted for Oklahoma tackle, Lane Johnson, and Stanford tight end, Zach Ertz. After these selections, reports came out saying the Eagles interest in Geno Smith was a smoke screen.

On the Tuesday morning, Kelly held was interviewed by WIP and he was asked about the Eagles interest in Geno Smith. Contrary to reports, Kelly said that the Eagles were interested in Geno Smith.

“First off, it wasn’t a smoke screen,” Kelly said. “We were as thorough with Geno as anyone else with our evaluation. How it happened was we were supposed to have a meeting scheduled that day with Jeffrey in the building on a couple things. And we weren’t supposed to meet until the afternoon because we were going to see Geno, and it was an hour away by plane. And he said, ‘Hey, I’ll go with you guys.’ “

Not only did Chip Kelly say that the Eagles interest was not a smoke screen, Kelly said the reason Eagles President, Jeffrey Lurie, came was because they had meeting in the afternoon, which differs from the statement Jeffrey Lurie made after the Geno Smith visit. Lurie said that he went because it was “an important pick”

Teams around the NFL use the media to try to scare teams into making bad decisions during the draft, but Chip Kelly said that’s not what the Eagles were doing at all and said that would be a “wasting our time.”

“Is it a smoke screen to other people? I think that intrigue and that part of it, I kind of get a kick out of,” Kelly said. “We don’t have enough time to go out there and say, ‘Hey, let’s bluff the other 31 teams in the league by going to do this.’ If we are, we’re wasting our time.”

 

Oct 13, 2012; Lubbock, TX, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith (12) warms up before the game against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Jones AT

As the draft approaches, along with my opinion of Geno Smith dropping, his draft status is still unclear. After the combine and his Pro Day, Smith’s stock seemed to rise through the roof to an many people had him being drafted in the top-5, with most having him go to the Eagles. Since then, there has been a flurry of moves by teams who were considered to be in the quarterback market, like Buffalo, Arizona, and Oakland, which seems to suggest that the hype around Geno has died of and teams don’t feel he worthy of a top-10 selection.

Earlier this week, Mike Tanier of SportsOnEarth.com had a very interesting piece on the West Virginia quarterback that really sums up the ambivalence teams are feeling about drafting Geno Smith.

Take away the character assassinations and sometimes over-charitable rebuttals, and we are left with another riddle of a quarterback in a class full of riddles. Smith is breathtaking at times and infuriating at others. Give him the ball, and something will happen, either awesome or terrible. He’s a great athlete who is sometimes too confident in his own athleticism. He can make four straight bonehead plays, then come back to save the game (or come close) with two perfect touchdown passes, acting as if nothing bad had happened before that. His smooth, snappy timing passes can pick a defense apart, but he is susceptible to sudden downshifts onto the blooper reel. Many love him, but some feel compelled to hate him, and there are questions about his work habits, though he never went to Cabo with a foxy paramour before an important game … That’s it! Geno Smith is Tony Romo!

The Geno Smith-Tony Romo connection, just like Geno Smith’s draft status, is one to feel ambivalent about. On one side, Tony Romo has put up great touchdown  and yardage numbers, has had hot girlfriends, and has acquired a very lucrative contract, but on the other side, Romo stinks when the game matters and you can count on him making bad plays in the clutch situation.

Though most are feeling ambivalent about Geno Smith, people like Mike Mayock, Pro Football Weekly‘s draft editor, Narwangry, aren’t feeling ambivalent about Geno Smith.

Narwangry had this to say about Geno Smith:

“Not a student of the game. Nonchalant field presence — does not command respect from teammates and cannot inspire. Mild practice demeanor — no urgency. Not committed or focused — marginal work ethic. Interviewed poorly at the Combine and did not show an understanding of concepts on the white board. Opted not to compete at the Senior Bowl and has approached offseason training as if he has already arrived and it shows in his body with minimal muscle definition or strength.”

Likewise, Mike Mayock said this about Geno Smith and the whole 2013 quarterback draft class:

“I couldn’t take Geno Smith in the top 10, probably (not) the top 20,” he said. “I can’t stand this whole quarterback class.”

As we stand now, the verdict is not out on Geno Smith as a top-10 pick, but as we get closer to the draft, expect very strong opinions of Geno Smith to surface, and I believe, you will see more against Geno rather than for him.

Be sure to voice YOUR opinions about the whole Geno Smith drama in the comment section below.

Dec 29, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; West Virginia Mountaineers quarterback Geno Smith (12) drops back to pass during the second quarter against the Syracuse Orange at the 2012 New Era Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Over the last few weeks, Geno Smith’s stock has been on the rise because he is the only quarterback with the potential to squeeze into to the first 10, and maybe even the first 5, picks of the draft. Now the question that has arisen is this: Is Geno Smith worthy of a top 5 selection? The answer to this question is unclear because there is strong support for Geno Smith being a op-5 pick and there is a strong case against it. With the draft less than 25 days away, it is time to uncover the mystery of Geno Smith.

Geno Smith has ideal height and speed to play quarterback in the NFL and he has short quick release which is also a plus. Smith is a three year starter from West Virginia and by looking at his season ending stats make your mouth drop to the floor. Last season, Smith completed 71.2% of his throws for 4,205 yards, while throwing 42 touchdown passes to only 6 interceptions (he also ran for 151 yards and 2 TDs).  These stats are awesome, but as you delve deeper into the stats, you find that the season ending stats don’t tell the whole story. In Smith’s first four games of the season he threw for 1,728 yards which looks unbelievable until you look at his opponents. West Virginia played Marshall, JMU, Maryland, and Baylor in their first four games, and all four of these teams have very bad defenses. Against the better teams, like Kansas St. and Syracuse, Smith put up poor stat lines. Last season, Smith put up huge numbers against bad teams, which helped pad his stats, but struggled against the better teams.

On tape, Smith shows that he has the ability to start at the next level, but he will also need some time to sharpen his skills before he can truly be effective. Smith has a short, quick release and generates a lot of power in his throws. Due to the attributes previously listed, Smith is extremely effective in the short to intermediate range. When a play stretches into the 15-20 yard area, Smith begins to have a bit of trouble, not much, but it is something to keep an eye on. I saw in the 15-20 yard range that Smith’s throws would begin to drift a bit high, I believe because he was trying to throw the ball so hard, that it left his receivers vulnerable to huge hits and some times, because of these hits, the ball would come loose. Again, I don’t think it’s a huge concern, but its something that kind of stuck out. In the deep throws, Smith showed he had the arm, but he seemed hesitant at times to let it loose or his accuracy was off. I think his deep ball accuracy needs the most work, but he definitely showed he could throw the ball long. One of the biggest strengths I saw in Smith’s game was his ability to go through his progressions. Even when Smith’s first or second option was covered, Smith showed the ability to check it down to his underneath receiver. Anther plus was when he was being hurried, SMith kept his eyes down field at all times as he tried to make a play with his arm, rather than his feet. The calmness and poise that I saw in Smith’s game really stood out t me and is definitely a plus for him as he looks to become a starting quarterback at the next level.

With all of that being said, I believe Smith is deserving of a top-15 even top-10, selection, but I don’t see him as a top five quarterback and I believe NFL coaches and GMs feel the same way. The Chiefs hold the first pick in the draft and they had a huge hole at quarterback. Instead of spending their first selection on Geno Smith, Andy Reid and Co. decided to pay a huge fee to acquire Alex Smith from the San Francisco 49ers. This move leads me to believe that the Chiefs didn’t feel that Geno Smith could be an instant starter at the next level, which a player selected in the top-5 needs to be.  And more recently, the Raiders, who hold the third pick in the draft, decided to trade for Matt Flynn instead of spending their first round selection on Geno Smith. And it was reported by Jeff McLane, of the Philadelphia Inquirer, reported that the Eagles will mostly likely pass on Geno Smith. McLane wrote this is his article about the Eagles potentially drafting Geno Smith. ”Chip Kelly’s belief that his offense can thrive without a franchise quarterback suggests that a team with many needs will pass on the West Virginia prospect.”

Geno Smith will most likely be drafted with in the first ten selections in the draft, I have him going 8th to the Buffalo Bills in most recent mock draft, but I don’t think Geno Smith is worthy of a top-5 selection and based on the moves and comments made by the teams in the top-5, I don’t believe that they feel that Geno Smith is a top-5 pick either.