From my standpoint, it would have been a safe pick to pick any of the defensive backs on the board when the Eagles’ first pick came at number 36 in Round 2. I liked Eric Weddle out of Utah who was a two time defensive player of the year. I also kept hoping that Paul Posluszny would fall into our hands, and he did, but management would not take him because of all the “depth” at linebacker right now.
I call it “depth” because our linebacking corps is not too stellar. Trotter is starting too age and Takeo Spikes could still be a liability coming off his injury. Dhani Jones played the star guitar and danced drunkenly in the streets of Miami a lot better than he tackled, which is why the Eagles just released him. I am not sold on Chris Gocong yet as he spent last year on Injury Reserve and he is a still a ‘tweener at this point and not a true SAM.
As for our first pick in the draft, I was as shocked as anyone else. Kevin Kolb, which is pronounced like corn on the “cob,” is a quarterback that I ironically drafted in a current franchise for Madden 2007. He was the backup to D-Mac for quite some time, but with the Training Camp drills, he slowly came into his own and became the MVP of the NFL and won the Super Bowl in the same year.
I can’t say that this will happen to the real Kolb as Madden is generally wrong about a lot of things. Case in point, Michael Lewis develops into a 99 within two seasons. Clearly his pass coverage ability did not matter as time went on. Despite the shock of the pick (I feel they could have snagged him in the third round perhaps, but after the Eagles drafted Kolb there was a run on QBs), I think it could potentially pay dividends in the end. I am not saying this kid is going to be the next Montana, but he is going to have a couple years to develop in the Eagles offensive system, which is generally hard for rookies coming out of the draft to understand.McNabb is not going to be traded any time soon and his rehabilitation is ahead of schedule as we know. I realize that this injury was different from the sports hernia, but Donovan came out firing last season by putting up potential MVP numbers. The ACL injury is much more serious and we all know what happened to Culpepper when he tried to rush his comeback. I see the drafting of Kolb as an insurance policy mainly. The quarterback depth right now is great for the Eagles, but it’s starting to age much like the linebacking corps. McNabb, Feeley, and Holcomb are all over the age of 30. I feel like its never too early to add youth to a position, and because Kolb is going to be riding the bench for the a few years, he’s going hopefully going to know the offense much like Feeley did when he stepped in for McNabb in 2002.
The second pick in the second round was at least a pick that I expected to happen at some point during the draft. Notre Dame defensive end Victor Abiamiri brings a young pair of legs to the D-line. It wasn’t hard to notice that the signing of Darren Howard was a bust as he barely provided a pass-rush last year. He will bring something to the table because he had 10 1/2 sacks and 15 TFL on a Notre Dame defense that is anything but stellar. Additionally, Victor is large for a defensive end, at 6-5 and 271 pounds, and while he is not going to be a starter right now, he will most likely provide some bulk to the run-stuffing game, which has been an irritating problem for the defense the past few seasons.Sticking with the idea of big (we here at Stain Club obviously enjoy going big with our huge units and BPAS, so it should come as know surprise that I fully endorse the Eagles actions when it came to getting “bigger” in this draft), the two third round picks certainly epitomized this trend. First, there was Stewart Bradley, a hulk of a linebacker who outweighs
most of our players at this position, weighing in at 256 (that’s almost equal to Trotter!). He played both MLB and SAM, but he could potentially push for playing time behind Gocong in addition to special teams. I liked this pick even more when I heard that the Patriots actually desired him. As if they need any more help with the signings of Adalius Thomas and Donte Stallworth, in addition to the steal of the century by acquiring Randy Moss for a measly fourth rounder. Disregarding that previous rant, Bradley also could potentially be the future MLB due to his experience at the position. It would also move Omar Gaither back to the WILL, but that’s all speculation at this point. He also has a pretty sweet 'do, but I think he trimmed it for the post-draft mini-camp. 
If you want more hugeness, you got it as the Eagles’ second third round pick was the best of the draft in my opinion as I have gone to Penn State these past four years and watched as Tony Hunt became a larger and larger bull-dozer each season he started. The “Thunder and Lightning” comments will be flying out of everyone’s mouth once the season rolls around if Hunt surpasses Buckhalter on the depth chart. The best part about Hunt is he provides this team with the bruising back that they have needed for years to get the tough, short yards that could make or break a game. Offense coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will not be reluctant to throw in Hunt if the Eagles face a third and short with four minutes to go in the fourth quarter as he has the potential to carry defenders past the first down marker. Great, great pick to end the first day.
