Draft Review: QB Kevin Kolb

I hated this pick when I saw it during the draft. I was hoping for the razor back corner back Chris Houston, and instead the Eagles took the quarterback from Houston. I was shocked just like McNabb was, and everybody else was. That shock then turned into an anger, because I felt the Eagles had blown it. Not only did they give up Anthony Spencer to the Dallas Cowboys, but they drafted a player who wont help them win a Superbowl this year.

The hatred grew inside of me, to the point that I was ready to start an anti-Kevin Kolb campaign. I think the main reason for that was that I did not want to believe that the end of McNabb as an Eagle could be near. After watching McNabb develop over his career, going deep into the playoffs four of those years, and seeing what a great QB he has become, it is hard to imagine the Eagles without him. Even though Jeff Garcia did well last year, I really just felt like five would be back next year. I think all Eagles fans, including his critics will miss Donovan McNabb when he is no longer here.

My first reactions to the pick, were very harsh, and after having a few months to think about things, those feelings changed. I feel that the Eagles decision was due to the fact that McNabb is 30 years coming off a torn ACL injury, and he has been injured three of the last five seasons. That would make a QB prospect pretty important priority in the draft, and I understand now why they took Kevin Kolb.

I am not sold on Kolb's abilities though. He ran a shotgun style offense at Houston, and many plays were gimmicky. That offense is very different from the west coast offense Big Red has implemented here. I also think the competition level he faced is very weak, and the NFL is a huge step up from that. I do like Kolb's size, and watching film, he seems to be very accurate on short routes.

There are many questions that I have of Kevin Kolb, and I am hoping that the Eagles front office picked the right guy. Other QBs that were available at that spot, were John Beck, Drew Stanton, and Trent Edwards. I would hate for one of them to turn out to be great, and the Eagles dropped the ball on one of them. We will find out soon enough.

The best thing about picking the QB is with Donovan McNabb still around as of now, Kolb has plenty of time to develop behind him. The coaches can mold him into the QB they envision for their offense, and he will likely have at least a few years, before he is asked to be the man.