Philadelphia Eagles 2015 Mistakes To Avoid

Oct 26, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Philadelphia Eagles linebacker

(90) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Eagles 24-20. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

IV.  Drafting For Need

We hear it every year.  “The Philadelphia Eagles organization views the draft uniquely.   We position the team to select the best player available.”   And then, round one happens and fans worldwide are left to their “wth?” reactions as the team invariably reaches for a player to fit… a need.

Some teams can and do get away with it.   Some teams sitting high in the draft have a need for a specific position and low and behold the highest rated player at that position falls to them.
Them, yes… but not to our Eagles.  If you look back to the ugliest drafts in the past 20 years, inevitably you can identify the worst luck in any draft occured when the team – knowingly or unknowingly – attempted to match a prospect with a team need.  There is a litany of bad draft choices:

2014- Outside linebacker Marcus Smith II, 2011 – Offensive Guard Danny Watkins, 2001 – Wide Receiver Freddie Mitchell

And still, with each year, we are told that the team has “learned from the mistakes of the past” and is committed to drafting the best player.     The problems with attempting to fill a roster need with a draft selection is fraught with complications:  If the player doesn’t develop quickly enough?  If the player doesn’t develop?   Does the team have a plan B?   Is there even competition for that position?

Off-season pressure on newly signed NFL rookies is pretty much a pressure cooker.  On each play, the player must know their role, the roles of other players, and what to do if the play breaks down in any number of ways.   When you place that rookie in an immediate starting role, you pretty much have set them up to swim or drowned.  There is no “sit this one out and digest” opportunity for them at that point.

That type of sink or swim approach typically sinks the Eagles.  Perhaps this year, with a new man at the helm, that best player available approach will happen?

Next: Committing Too Much Salary To One Player