May 15, 2015
David J. Phillip/AP
La'el Collins was there for the taking in the seventh round, but the Eagles passed. Will they regret it?
In five years, Eagles fans will look back at the 2015 NFL Draft and wonder what might have been with LSU OT/OG La'el Collins. Collins could have a great career and they'll lament that the Cowboys got him instead. Or maybe Collins will indeed turn out to be a character risk they were right to avoid.
In a very good piece for Sports Illustrated, Robert Klemko chronicled Collins' draft process, and how he eventually wound up with the Cowboys. The interesting part that is relevant to the Eagles is that Collins' agents claim they were bluffing when they said Collins would not sign with any team that drafted him after the third round.
Some teams express contempt for Collins’ bold move. Others call his agents to gauge their position. Are they bluffing? Six teams tell the agency they’re going to draft him on Saturday, the third day of the draft. “If you draft him, he’s going into next year’s draft,” McCartney tells them.
Was it a bluff?
“We can put it on the record now: We were never going back in the draft,” Smith says of waiting for the 2016 draft. “If someone had drafted him, we would’ve had a long, long discussion about it, but at the end of the day you can’t go back in the draft. He could get injured, gain weight, or 10 great tackles could come out. Too many risks.”
What the above means is that had the Eagles drafted La'el Collins in... say... the seventh round... he ultimately would have signed with them, if you believe his agents' revelation that they were bluffing, which I do. Of course, we don't know whether or not the Eagles even had any interest at all. But he was there to be had.
The Eagles weren't alone in their high regard for Bradford's NFL prospects. Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, head coach of the Rams in 2010, revealed this week that former Browns personnel czar Mike Holmgren tried "anything and everything" to trade up from No. 7 to select Bradford with the No. 1 pick.
Sam Bradford "checked all the boxes" in terms of what you look for in a quarterback coming out of college. He had a strong arm, an accurate arm, a brain, leadership qualities, underrated mobility, etc etc. Of course, 2010 was a long time ago. In 2010, Kevin Kolb was the Eagles' Week 1 starter. It'll certainly be very interesting to get a good look at him during training camp.
I'm not writing this up on its own, but it's worth a mention:
Chris Shea, ex-Dolphins scout, was hired to be #Eagles director of scouting administration/strategic management. Wasn't formerly announced.
— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) May 15, 2015
"I call LeSean McCoy a guy that beats defenses; I call DeMarco Murray a defense-beater. That's the difference. He ain't running around nobody. He's running through you, and now you've got all these defensive backs on the football field trying to tackle a defense-beater, not a guy that beats defenses."
Strangely, I follow what Irvin is saying there.
Darren Sproles came in at number 81. You can watch the video of him here.
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski
