Sapp probably won't the be last guy stashed on IR.


Ricky Sapp, the Eagles' fifth-round pick out of Clemson, has been placed on Injured Reserve and will apparently need knee surgery. Whether or not he really needs knee surgery is irrelevant, however, since the Birds were going to find a way to stash him on IR anyway.

In Sapp's place, the Eagles picked up defensive end Pannel Egboh off waivers from the Houston Texans as a roster filler for the final preseason game.

Sapp was a guy who was being talked about as a late first, early second-round talent, but fell all the way into the fifth round for obvious reasons if you've been paying attention to the preseason.

It's been a tough go for Sapp, but what's more puzzling is that no one can seem to put a finger on what exactly the issue is. The best I can guess is that he just doesn't have the motor needed to get around an NFL-caliber tackle -- right or left.

He seems to have a good first step off the line, but is continuously just getting ridden past the quarterback and clear out of the play. Adding to this theory is the fact that teams have seemed to run right at him in the preseason, and with great success.

Usually, that means the tackle is coming back to the huddle and telling his quarterback -- who is in turn telling the offensive coordinator -- that the end over top of him is taking an outside path to the quarterback every time and not even attempting an inside move.

Even standing up in Sean McDermott's "Joker" role gave Sapp trouble. Everyone talks about the difficulty for a defensive end to stand up and make plays that way, but he wasn't being asked to play linebacker. He was only being asked to be able to move around and create mismatches along the line of scrimmage, and he couldn't even do that.

I personally believe Sapp can turn into a player one day, but he made it fairly obvious early on that he wasn't ready for the speed and intensity of the NFL. But that should come with time and eventually give the Eagles a very good pass-rushing option.
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Moving Ricky Sapp from DE to OLB will be a project.


As I reported last week, Ricky Sapp, one of the Eagles' fifth-round draft picks, will not be playing defensive end as he did in college at Clemson. Instead, Sapp will be competing with Moise Fokou, Alex Hall, and perhaps fourth-round pick Keenan Clayton, at SAM linebacker.

The spot likely would have been up for grabs had Chris Gocong not been traded, but the Eagles moving him to Cleveland said loud and clear that the spot would go to whomever could take it.

Sapp likely comes in as the third guy in line for the job, but don't count him out. Fokou was a pleasant surprise last season, and Andy Reid seems to like Hall (acquired in the Gocong/Sheldon Brown trade), but neither guy is established and could easily be overtaken with a strong performance in training camp and preseason.

That being said, it still looks like a bit of a long-shot that Sapp opens up the season as the starter.

He certainly has the talent to overtake both of them, but Reid and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott seem to favor guys with some experience over rookies.

Historically, rookies don't start for Reid, but a few guys have come in and performed well as rookies, which might have changed Reid's perspective and thoughts on rookies.

But if Sapp doesn't win the spot at SAM outright, the coaching staff cannot make the same mistake it made with Gocong. They became so hellbent on turning him into a traditional linebacker that they completely ignored his ability to rush the passer and, in the process, sold the whole team short.

Sapp will certainly be a project, but the work they put into him should pay off in the end.
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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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