May 02, 2015
There's a feeling that you can never really evaluate a draft class until three years have gone by, but that's not going to stop me and my media ilk from judging the draft less than a day after it has wrapped up. In this case, we'll spare you the letter grades, and instead grade the Eagles' picks on the much more scientific smiley face scale.
Agholor is slightly undersized (6'0, 198) but fast (4.42 40). He is a polished route runner with great hands and has value on special teams as a punt returner. By all accounts, he is also viewed as a great competitor with high character (#culture).
Wide receiver became a gaping hole on the Eagles' roster after Jeremy Maclin bolted for the Chiefs in free agency. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Agholor is often compared to Maclin, in terms of size and skill set. Agholor will join a wide receiver corps of Jordan Matthews, Riley Cooper, Josh Huff, and Miles Austin.
Official Jimmy grade:
Christmas gift equivalent (I celebrate Christmas, so I have a #ChristmasBias. Apologies in advance. Please mentally substitute whatever it is you celebrate if it's not Christmas from here on out): A new iPhone. You already had an iPhone, but someone stole it. It really doesn't feel like a new gift, but it's nice getting a fresh, new, out-of-the-box toy with the plastic peel off thing still on it.
Rowe played three seasons at safety for Utah before moving to corner for his senior season. Within the Eagles scheme defensively, the Eagles will most likely look to utilize Rowe's impressive size at a corner spot opposite Byron Maxwell. At 6'1, 205, Rowe is a physical, violent corner who is very good at press coverage, and excellent in run support on the edge.
If he proves ineffective on the outside, the Eagles could also look to move him to safety. While it has become more difficult to find good safeties, cornerback is still the more important position.
The Eagles currently have a mix of players in Nolan Carroll, Brandon Boykin, and Walter Thurmond at CB, none of whom the Eagles would ideally like to start on the outside. The Eagles would be thrilled if Rowe can earn a starting job at CB in camp.
Official Jimmy grade:
Christmas gift equivalent: The new season of Madden. You not only really want it, but you have to have it if you want to keep up with your friends.
Hicks was a major recruit out of high school, as he was the 16th highest rated high school player in the nation in 2010 by Rivals.com. However, he had season ending injuries both in 2012 and 2013, which he detailed in a long-form piece by Sports Illustrated.
Hicks has less than ideal size at 6'1, 236, but his Combine measurables were excellent. In 2014, Hicks was credited with 113 tackles, 11 TFL, 3.5 sacks, and 2 INTs.
The Eagles are bloated at ILB. They have Kiko Alonso, DeMeco Ryans, Mychal Kendricks, Brad Jones, Najee Goode, Emmanuel Acho and now Hicks on their roster at ILB.
Regardless of Kendricks' status on the roster for the 2015 season, Hicks' role on the team seems fairly straightforward. He'll likely serve as a backup at ILB and contribute on special teams, with an eye toward eventually taking over for Ryans in the middle of the Eagles' defense.
Official Jimmy grade:
Christmas gift equivalent: A television that you don't really need. It's new, and not an upgrade over the one you already have, and you're only going to get 10 cents on the dollar when you try to sell the old one on Craigslist.
Shepherd, like your typical Chip Kelly draft pick, has character in spades. He was announced as one of Kansas University's "Men of Merit," which recognizes "a group of students, faculty and staff positively defining masculinity through challenging norms, taking action and leading by example while making contributions to university and/or the community."
Shepherd is 5'11, 199, and he ran just a 4.65 and 4.68 at his Pro Day, although his times may be misleading because he reportedly ran his 40 time while injured.
There's also this:
My non biased steal of the draft? JaCorey Shepherd CB @ Kansas. 2 years of film on him and not once did anyone complete a deep ball on him.
— Clint Trickett (@CJTrickett9) May 2, 2015
Official Jimmy grade:
Christmas gift equivalent: A new wireless headset that you can use to play your new Madden game online. It's kind of a piggy-back gift off the Madden game you already got earlier, so it's not really anything new, but still useful nevertheless.
Over the last three years at Kansas State, Evans had seven interceptions, 28 pass breakups, and an impressive five forced fumbles. At 6'0, 195, he has the prerequisite size the Eagles like in their corners, and he ran a 4.4 40 at his pro day.
The Eagles showed interest in Evans during the pre-draft process, as they reportedly brought him in for a visit to the NovaCare Complex. Evans' "bottom line," via NFL.com:
BOTTOM LINE Full-timer from the slot for Kansas State. Evans has produced noteworthy on-ball stats with his passes defensed and four interceptions in 2014 and his average of 66 tackles per season since 2012 shows his willingness to support the run. Evans shows plus football intelligence and is proactive in coverage rather than reactive, but his long speed is iffy on tape and and he looks best suited to play in zone coverage. Evans has a shot at getting drafted thanks to his size, production and pro-day speed.
Official Jimmy grade:
Christmas gift equivalent: Another wireless headset, but this one not as good as the one you just opened two minutes ago.
Mihalik is the second rated SPARQ defensive lineman in this draft, which is a measure of Speed, Power, Agility, Reaction, and Quickness. You can learn more about SPARQ here. In 2014, Mihalik had 16 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss, and one batted pass.
Official Jimmy grade:
Christmas gift equivalent: The day-after Christmas gift from your cheap Aunt Connie. It's in a plain white envelope, and your name isn't even on it, so you've identified it as a $15 gift card to Toys "R" Us. Instead, it's a $10 gift card to Barnes and Noble. You weren't expecting much, and that's exactly what you got.
The Eagles have three projected starting offensive linemen over the age of 30, including the oldest projected starting OG and the second oldest projected starting OT in the league. It was imperative that the Eagles added youth/depth to their OL, but for the second consecutive year, they failed to do so.
Official Jimmy grade:
Christmas gift equivalent: Not getting a new bike. Your bike is old as hell, the chain falls off all the time, the brakes are starting to wear, and it's really only a matter of time before it dies. You need a bike. A great new bike with sweet rotors or pegs would be great, but anything will do, really. You just need something to get you from A to B. And not only did you not get the bike, but there's almost no chance you'll be getting a new one until next Christmas, so you just have to hope your old bike survives one more year.
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