Eagles Improving Other Teams in Top Rounds of NFL Draft
By Dave Searles
Nov 17, 2013; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Ace Sanders (18) is defended by Arizona Cardinals free safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) during the second half of the game at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports
5) 2013 NFL Draft, Third Round
Philadelphia Eagles select Bennie Logan, Nose Tackle (67th overall)
Arizona Cardinals select Tyrann Mathieu, Safety (69th overall)
At the core, the Eagles absolutely needed to address nose tackle in 2013 after changing defensive alignments from a 4-3 to a 3-4. Eagles 2012 third round pick Bennie Logan has done nothing to show why he shouldn’t have been the pick all along, and is expected to play a large role in Eagles defensive coordinator Billy Davis’ defense moving forward. I’m just not sure they anticipated how much success the Honey Badger, former LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu, would have as a rookie for the Arizona Cardinals at a position that ultimately remains the most deficient of deficiencies for Philadelphia to this day.
After a rookie year which saw Logan accumulate 27 tackles and two sacks, he’s nowhere near “bust” territory, but also has plenty of room to improve moving forward. It’s not out of the question that the Eagles continue to seek options to address nose tackle for 2014. On the other hand, the Eagles ended up giving up the most passing yards in the NFL in 2013 and got burned in both attempts to fix safety via free agency with Kenny Phillips and Patrick Chung. Unfortunately, Mathieu tore two ligaments (ACL/LCL) in December against the St. Louis Rams, but not before amassing 68 tackles, two sacks and an interception, which is the sort of help the Eagles could have greatly used from a safety in 2013.