During the lockout, if you wanted football news that did not have some sort of legal jargon mixed throughout, the only thing to look at was draft news.

Mock drafts, big boards, and all other sorts of stuff that usually proves worthless when all is said and done was the only thing to give us our fix.

Unfortunately, as is the case most years, I'm left pulling out my hair wondering how and why the guys with journalism degrees think their opinion should be taken seriously.

Then I get the urge to dive off a bridge when their opinion actually is taken seriously and regurgitated by some fans.

It happens every year in Philly without fail.

This year, the "expert" opinion that has my head spinning is all the talk about what a huge need right tackle is for the Eagles.


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According to Aaron Wilson of NationalFootballPost.com, the Philadelphia Eagles were on hand Monday to watch the workouts of a couple Ohio State linebackers: Brian Rolle and Ross Homan.

Rolle (5'10, 229) ran a 4.56 40-yard dash at the combine, which was third-best amongst linebackers. He was also a first-team All-Big Ten selection with 76 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions.

Even though he played middle linebacker at Ohio State, Rolle has been working out at defensive back for some teams and seems to be exactly what the Eagles look for in their WILL linebackers; see: Keenan Clayton and Ernie Sims.

Homan (6'1, 240), on the other hand, probably translates to MIKE or possibly SAM at the next level.


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The draft, as we know, is an art and not a science.

The fact that there are any number of ways to decide why or why not to draft a player gives that part away, but basically there are three ways teams approach the draft.

One is to draft according to need, the second is to draft the best player on the board regardless of position, and the third is to draft the best player according to need.

Those are, of course, in no particular order.

Personally, I subscribe to the third philosophy -- it's just the one that seems to make the most sense. If you draft according to need, you're likely to reach, and if you draft the best player on the board, you could wind up with 12 right tackles -- maybe they're Pro Bowlers, but what do you do with them?

So in order to come away with the best draft possible, teams should list out their needs, prioritize them, and draft the highest-rated player on their draft board who plays the position they feel they need most.

If this is what Andy Reid and Howie Roseman do come draft day, then there is no way they will draft an offensive tackle as a lot of people have suggested. Maybe this Gabe Carimi is as good as people are saying, but as far as I'm concerned drafting another right tackle doesn't make any sense.


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