Meriweather could give Considine a run at safety for Eagles

By BOB GROTZ, bgrotz@comcast.net

04/28/2007

PHILADELPHIA -- When the NFL draft begins at noon today, the teams that have spent the past few months blowing smoke must put up or shut up. Even casual fans can see through the camouflage and decipher the spin when players come off the board fortifying positions of need.

The fiscally prudent Eagles don’t pour a ton of money into the draft to waste picks on guys that have no shot of pushing for a starting job.

How do the Eagles really feel about their safeties, cornerbacks, linebackers, defensive ends and the rehab of quarterback Donovan McNabb?

The draft, like the eye of the camera, doesn’t lie.

"We don’t want to draft a guy we don’t think has the ability to start in the
NFL," Eagles general manager Tom Heckert said. "We don’t want to draft a guy as
a backup. Now, you do have late-round guys. But since I’ve been here I think
we’ve drafted maybe two guys that we had worse than a fifth-round grade on."

All of that said, Heckert’s vision of a wheeling-and-dealing first round appears to be on the mark. Draft buzz was at a frenzy all of Friday.

The Oakland Raiders control the board. With the first pick, they have made full use of their leverage by conducting preliminary negotiations with the agents for quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell and Brady Quinn as well as wide receiver Calvin Johnson. The reward for taking fewer dollars, of course, is being the first overall draft choice. What’s a few million in Monopoly money anyway?

The Raiders also put the word out that franchise wide receiver Randy Moss can be had for the right price, according to a source.

If the Raiders bypass Russell to draft Johnson, widely viewed as the top player in the draft, the wake could swamp other draft boards because Russell has been almost everyone’s choice to go first. Several teams are interested in trading up and down, according to reports.

Elsewhere the Washington Redskins still are trying to ship the sixth overall pick to the Chicago Bears for franchised linebacker Lance Briggs, according to a source who feels the deal is close to happening.

The source also said the Denver Broncos desperately want to trade up and land middle linebacker Patrick Willis of Mississippi.

The buzz surprises even longtime NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock, a 10th-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1981 who later played defensive back for the New York Giants and settled in Newtown Square.

A few restless hours after getting to bed early Friday morning, Mayock tore up the mock draft he had meticulously crafted for months."This is the most interesting draft I’ve ever seen," Mayock said. "My gut still tells me JaMarcus Russell will go first but if the Raiders try to move Moss they’re doing it for a reason; probably for Calvin Johnson. There are a lot of things that can happen, a lot of variables all the way through."

In a wild first round the Eagles could benefit when draft boards are adjusted for some players almost certainly will drop during runs at such positions as defensive back and wide receiver.

If the Eagles stand pat, Mayock suspects the draft will unfold to the point where they draft safety Brandon Meriweather of Miami, off-the-field warts and all. Mayock thinks Meriweather is more than talented enough to take a starting job from Eagles safety Sean Considine, Heckert’s unending praise of his 2005 fourth-round draft pick notwithstanding.

Reggie Nelson, the athletic safety out of national champion Florida, would also be a consideration if available, according to Mayock, although he has the Gator going to the New England Patriots a couple of picks earlier.

"I think the Eagles’ position stays the same," Mayock said. "They’re fortunate in that their needs line up with the positions that figure to be there when they pick. They can upgrade with a safety like Meriweather and if he’s not there they take a corner like Chris Houston or Aaron Ross."

The Eagles also could trade out of the first round for picks either this weekend or next year, and land a serviceable cornerback in the second round. They entertained Marcus McCauley (6-1, 201) of Fresno State, once a first-round type of talent who ran a 4.39 at the combine and has safety size.

The Eagles could fortify the middle linebacker position in the second round with a prospect like David Harris (6-2, 245) of Michigan, the second-rated inside ’backer. The Birds visited with inside linebacker Desmond Bishop (6-2, 240) of California, considered more of a second-day pick.

Running back/fullback Brian Leonard of Rutgers is a late second-round possibility for the Eagles according to a team source.

The Eagles visited with hulking wide receiver Roy Hall (6-2, 229) of Ohio State, who ran a sizzling 4.49 in the 40-yard dash at a personal workout to vault into first day draft contention.

Likewise wide receiver Jacoby Jones (6-3, 210) of Lane College is a sleeper first-day pick, a Kevin Curtis-type late bloomer who also excelled at basketball and track. Jones visited with the Birds after running a 4.50 at his pro day.

Finally, don’t be surprised if the Eagles come out of the draft with another quarterback. They like John Beck (6-11/2, 215) of Brigham Young University and Kevin Kolb (6-3, 220) of Houston, among others, having visited with both.

A pack of quarterbacks likely including Trent Edwards (6-3, 225) of Stanford and Drew Stanton (6-3, 226) of Michigan State likely will come off the board in the first day, possibly somewhere in the second round.

For Jeff Garcia fans, the Eagles worked out Jared Zabransky, the Boise State quarterback that reminds scouts a lot of Garcia.

Zabransky (6-2, 219) most recently led BSU to a Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma. Like Garcia, he’s also deadly accurate and mobile.
©DelcoTimes 2007

For Birds, draft is same as always

By Bob Brookover
Inquirer Staff Writer


Nothing has changed this year, and nothing would have changed last year.

That's what Eagles general manager Tom Heckert said when he was asked about the team's draft philosophy now that new NFL commissioner Roger Goodell intends to severely punish players who get into trouble on and off the field.

Goodell, who replaced Paul Tagliabue before last season, made it clear earlier this month with his one-year suspension of Tennessee defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones and the half-season suspension of Cincinnati wide receiver Chris Henry that player misconduct would not be tolerated.

The commissioner's new conduct policy could force some teams to think long and hard about drafting players who have exhibited questionable behavior during their college careers.
"I don't think it affects us," Heckert said. "We've always been concerned about that stuff, so I don't think it really affects us at all. We'll still do the same things."

That's an interesting statement because the Eagles, with their first two picks in last year's draft, took a couple of guys who got into some trouble when they were in college. First-round pick Brodrick Bunkley was arrested in 2003 for petty theft when he stole a video game at a Florida Wal-Mart. The defensive tackle out of Florida State was forced to pay a fine and perform 16 hours of community service.

Second-round pick Winston Justice was arrested in February 2004 for brandishing a replica gun at a fellow student at the University of Southern California. Justice pleaded no contest to the charge. USC suspended him from the team for the 2004 season, and it cost the offensive tackle a chance to be part of the Trojans' national championship team that year. He also was arrested in 2003 on a charge of soliciting an undercover police officer as part of a prostitution sting operation in Long Beach, Calif.

Heckert said the Eagles asked Bunkley and Justice about their criminal records before the draft and were convinced the two men had matured to the point that they would not have conduct issues as professionals.

"I don't want to sound like we weren't concerned about it, because we were," Heckert said. "But we talked to them and we heard what we wanted to hear. We would have taken those guys this year, too."

The Eagles don't always like what they hear when they interview players before the draft, and they aren't always convinced that a player has changed his ways. When Andy Reid finished an interview with former Ohio State star Maurice Clarett at the scouting combine in 2004, he was sure that the kid still had problems.

"We've been really picky here," Heckert said. "We drop guys in a heartbeat. Let's say we take a guy off the board, and he goes somewhere, and he is a Pro Bowl player. Hey, that's fine. But if you take a guy and he screws up, then it's a big deal. We're pretty hard on these guys, and we take a lot of guys off the board."

Bunkley, of course, didn't have a great rookie year, and Justice never even dressed for a game because he was stuck behind veteran tackles William Thomas and Jon Runyan. When you talk to both players, however, they sound sincere in their remorse.

"It was just a stupid, stupid mistake," Bunkley said. "It was embarrassing for me, and it was embarrassing for my family. I did my community service with some kids after it happened, but I know I was there for the wrong reason.

"I'm a guy who once he gets hit over the head, I learn what to stay away from. You're in the NFL, and you have a chance to make a whole [lot] of money, so you better carry yourself the right way because you are a role model to kids."

Talk to Justice and there's no hint that he is anything other than a mild-mannered giant intent on not making the same mistakes that blemished his college career and may have cost him a chance at being a first-round pick. The Eagles were thrilled to get Justice in the second round and have insisted they were going to take him in the first round if Bunkley had not been there.
"I got a lot of questions about it, and I thought the way I changed as a person, the coaches would be able to see that," Justice said. "The most important thing is that I know I changed from the whole incident and my life has really turned around from it. Back then, I was so lost as a person and my character was so lost, I didn't know what I was doing or feeling back then. I just try to look forward, because I'm a better person now."

The Eagles could have another difficult draft-day decision Saturday if they decide to draft University of Miami safety Brandon Meriweather, who was a central figure in an ugly brawl the Hurricanes had with Florida International last season. Last July, Meriweather pulled out a handgun and shot at an assailant who had shot one of his Miami teammates in the buttocks. Charges were not filed against Meriweather for that incident.

"That's something we're really investigating," Heckert said. "I think he's a good kid. He's never been arrested or anything like that, but that fight was so public. It looked bad, and it was bad, and we've talked to him at length about it."

Contact staff writer Bob Brookover at 215-854-2577 or bbrookover@phillynews.com.
http://www.philly.com/philly/sports/eagles/20070422_For_Birds__draft_is_same_as_always.html

Is this a hint, that the Birds might want to draft Safety Brandon Meriweather? I hope so, he is a playmaker. I hope they really look into this, and take everything into consideration, because not everybody who has a checkered past, turns into Pacman Jones.

Hopefully Bunkley, and Justice will get their chance to play soon. Bunkley definately has the starting job spot for him to take this year. It's his time to setp up, and shine.