Hobbs' latest injury puts the Eagles defense in a bind.


No, this isn't an old article from last season. For the second straight year, Ellis Hobbs is reportedly going to miss the rest of the season due to a neck injury.

The news is being reported by CSNPhilly.com's Derrick Gunn.

Hobbs was injured on a helmet-to-helmet hit with New York Giants reserve defensive end Dave Tollefson on a kick return. Once Tollefson and Hobbs collided, Hobbs dropped the ball and immediately went motionless.

He laid on the field for a good 10 minutes before being taken off on a stretcher.

"He was upset because he wanted to get up and go," head coach Andy Reid told the media after the game. "Sometimes that happens in those situations. I told him to stay down there and trust the guys that were working with him. I said, 'Let's just make sure things are OK, and let's not do anything stupid here.'"

Hobbs did not lose mobility in his extremities as he gave the thumbs up on his way out of the stadium and walked out of the X-ray room later. The X-rays were negative, but an MRI later revealed a disc injury. And given Hobbs' history, the team isn't expected to take any chances.

Dimitri Patterson will continue to start at right corner, and Trevard Lindley will likely see an increased role as the team's dime corner.

But even with Lindley there to step up and take a larger role, I would expect the team to bring in another corner. Lindley only gives them four corners since Jorrick Calvin is mainly a kick returner who was not expected to contribute on defense.

With Hobbs out, Calvin will likely be the guy returning kicks for the rest of the year.

Hobbs, playing on a restricted free agent tender, is unlikely to be re-signed during the offseason after losing his job to Patterson and has most likely played his last game as an Eagle.

UPDATE: Hobbs' agent has confirmed that Hobbs is heading to the IR.

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Coleman looks to immediately assume a backup role.


According to Tony Pauline's (of SI.com) player rankings, the Eagles had a fairly successful draft with six picks he would rank as value picks, and three guys he would call a reach. A reach, of course, being a player taken before his projected grade, and a value being a player taken after his projected round.

Four picks, according to Pauline, were right where they should be. Brandon Graham (DE - 1st round), Nate Allen (FS - 2nd round), Daneil Te'o-Nesheim (DE - 3rd round), and Keenan Clayton (4th round) were all spot on according to their grade.

Mike Mayock, however, had a sixth or seventh-round grade for Te'o-Nesheim. But, for our purposes, let's stick with what Pauline says -- mainly because it looks better.

The reaches, for some odd reason, all came in the fourth round. And some of them, specifically Clay Harbor, were very bad.

Trevor Lindley, the first pick of the Eagles' four fourth-round picks, got a sixth-round grade from Pauline. Mike Kafka, the quarterback out of Northwestern, had a fifth-round grade, and Harbor had an astounding seveth-round, or free agent, grade.

The Eagles must have seen something they like in Kafka, because there were a few quarterbacks still available that were universally ranked higher. John Skelton, a guy they really seemed to like, and Tony Pike were still on the board at the point Kafka was drafted, making it look even more like a reach.

Lindley is another perplexing pick. He seems to play a lot like Asante Samuel, a guy who, by all accounts, drives defensive coordinator Sean McDermott crazy with his freelance style of play and his refusal to play press. Lindley doesn't have the superstar syndrome that Samuel seems to have, but he has the same downfalls as Samuel.

Harbor is a guy I know very little about, but there doesn't seem to be many "experts" that have him as a good pick so early in the draft, so it's has to be a cause for concern. Reid and company used to get the benefit of the doubt, but ever since they got burned by Bryan Smith and Chris Gocong it's impossible not to second guess when they reach so badly.

However, credit must be given when credit is due.

Of their 13 picks, Pauline has six rated as value picks. Ricky Sapp (DE/LB - 5th round), Riley Cooper (WR - 5th round), Charles Scott (RB - 6th round), Jamar Chaney (LB - 7th round), Kurt Coleman (S - 7th round), and Jeff Owens (DT - 7th round).

Sapp had a second-round grade, while Cooper, Scott, Chaney, Coleman, and Owens all had third-round grades.

Sapp will probably compete at SAM linebacker because of his size (6'4, 250), but the rest of these guys will have a difficult time finding a role outside of special teams.

Cooper will probably make the team solely on his ability to play special teams. Scott will have to compete with Eldra Buckley for the third running back spot and have to show he can play special teams -- an area in which Buckley excels.

Chaney will probably have to compete with Gaither, but Gaither's versatility will make it very difficult for him to find a place on this team, much less with a role on the defense. Owens, a run-stuffing defensive tackle, will have a very hard time because the Eagles have an abundance of tackles like Owens.

Brodrick Bunkley, Mike Patterson, and Antonio Dixon are all run-stuffers, so unless Owens can generate some pressure up the middle in preseason he could find himself on the practice squad or simply cut altogether.

Coleman, a safety out of Ohio State, probably has the best chance of the late-round picks to make the team. With Nate Allen probably stepping into the role of free safety right away, Marlin Jackson and Macho Harris could be moved to cornerback. That would leave Quintin Demps as the only backup safety.

Coleman is currently listed as a strong safety, making it even more likely that he becomes the guy behind Quintin Mikell since the Eagles are currently lacking a true No. 2 strong safety.

No draft class can truly be evaluated for three seasons, so it's impossible to know how well the Eagles have done with these picks. But on the surface, it looks like a great haul for a young team looking to retool and compete immediately and for the next five or six seasons.
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Ricky Sapp could be the very best value in this draft.


After taking one guy per round in the first, second, and third, the Eagles have since made six picks in the fourth and fifth rounds. Of those picks, half has been offense and half has been defense.

In all, the Eagles have drafted six defensive players heading into the sixth and seveth rounds. They still need a running back (fingers crossed for LeGarrette Blount), could use a punter, and will probably take an offense lineman.

I mean, it just wouldn't be an Andy Reid draft without taking a flier on a BYU offensive lineman in the late rounds. And with two compensatory picks (back-to-back) the Eagles cannot trade anyway, expect at least one of them to be an offensive lineman.

But, anyway, let's take a look at the six guys the Eagles have added in the fourth and fifth rounds.



Round 4 (pick 105): Trevard Lindley, CB, Kentucky

Lindley is only 5'11, 185 pounds, so lack of size could be an issue. He was regarded as a top-flight talent before injuries hampered his performance last season and really hurt his draft stock.

He's a guy who will get burnt every once in a while because he goes for the big play, but he will also get that big play and make the most of it. That just happens to sound like another cornerback the Eagles have, doesn't it?

However, unlike that other cornerback, Lindley seems willing to tackle. The problem is that Lindley's size makes it difficult for him to tackle consistently without hurting himself. He could stand to be a bit taller, but 5'11 is tall enough. He will have to get in the weight room and add some muscle if he doesn't want to be the next Lito Sheppard -- a lot of talent on the sideline.



Round 4 (pick 121): Keenan Clayton, LB, Oklahoma

Clayton, at only 6'0, 230 pounds, is a guy without a position. He probably fits best at the WILL position, but he's also a guy who the Sooners tried out at strong safety because he doesn't seem to have the strength needed to play linebacker.

The Eagles will probably try to use him as a linebacker, but he could be a project and give them a few headaches trying to find a place for him. Reid did, however, say that Clayton is the guy he's most excited to see in offseason workouts.



Round 4 (pick 122): Mike Kafka, QB, Northwestern

I thought the Eagles were going to target John Skelton, but once again the Eagles show that the amount of time they spend with a player means nothing. They watched Skelton throw and met with him three or four times, but passed on him for Kafka. They spent 15 minutes to Brandon Graham, but traded up for him in the first round.

Kafka comes in as the third-string quarterback behind Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick, but looks to become the backup next season once Vick is allowed to walk.

Coach Reid has made it clear that there is no open competition for the starting spot, so I don't really understand taking a quarterback this high.



Round 4 (pick 125): Clay Harbor, TE, Missouri State

I honestly don't know a whole lot about Harbor except that he was a guy who stood out at the Combine and made a real impression with great hands. He'll come in as the backup to Brent Celek and, at 6'3, could be a guy used a lot in the redzone.

The biggest thing the drafting of Harbor is the prospect of Cornelius Ingram, a fifth-round pick last season, moving to wide receiver. He's got the ability and the hands to play the slot and contribute in the redzone, and Harbor's presence could allow that to happen.



Round 5 (pick 134): Ricky Sapp, OLB, Clemson

At 6'4, 250 pounds, Sapp will not be playing defensive end for the Eagles. They drafted two defensive ends before him, and currently have six on the roster, so moving Sapp to compete at SAM makes too much sense to ignore.

Currently, the only guys battling for that spot are Alex Hall and Moise Fokou, so adding a guy who could have been a first-round pick in the fifth to compete with them is a win-win situation for the Birds.

I'll even go out on a limb and say I believe Sapp could win the job if/when the position move is made.



Round 5 (pick 159): Riley Cooper, WR, Florida

Cooper is 6'4 and a great special teams player, so taking him in the fifth round should turn out to be a real steal. He's going to take time to develop as a wide receiver, but should be able to dive right in to Bobby April's special teams and make an instant impact.

A pure special teams player is something the Eagles need now that it looks like Tracy White will be allowed to walk, so this looks to be a good pick for the Birds.
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