Eagles Wake-Up Call: DeSean, Vick Talk Geno Smith

The Geno Smith conversation is not just being had on talk radio, in bars, and on your favorite blog. Turns out, it has seeped through the NovaCare walls and into the weight room as well.

“I have been hearing about that, honestly, too. Geno Smith was a great player at West Virginia. He has done some great things. He could probably fit right in with this offense,” said DeSean Jackson in an interview with NFL Network. “Mock drafts and things like that, I don’t really get into them because a lot of times none of that stuff turns out to be right. We will see, I am getting interested… Hopefully whoever comes in can help us get to where we need to, fast and in a hurry.”

The host asked if Michael Vick would have provided as diplomatic of an answer.

“Actually, me and Mike Vick were just talking about that in the weight room the other day,” said Jackson. “Mike Vick is at the point in his career where he is 32, he feels him getting  a one-year contract, that he still has a lot to go out there and prove. At the same time, he understand it is a business and the team and organization will have to do whatever they can to make it work.  I think he will be ready this year to go and you will see a different Michael Vick this year.”

Vick will get back under center when the Eagles start up their three-day minicamp Tuesday. Jackson said that Chip Kelly is putting in plays “slowly but surely” (word is there is some read option in the early installs), and that the new coach is busy establishing the new pace.

“Chip Kelly he has come in and started an energy in this building with determination [and] with hard work. I haven’t been doing some of these workouts we are doing right now since college,” said Jackson. “They are just up-tempo, very fast. We get in and get it done. When we are in this building we are definitely a 100 miles-per-hour and running.”

 WHAT YOU MISSED

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WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Jason La Canfora takes a very strong stance when it comes to Smith, saying that there is no doubt that he will be a top-5 pick.

Too many teams have too much legitimate interest in Smith, the standout from West Virginia. In reality, with the quarterback dust essentially settled now in terms of free agency and trades, Smith’s stock will only rise the rest of this month. He has certain undeniable traits working in his favor, there remain a ton of teams that still are anything but settled on a quarterback on a long-term basis, and these top draft picks are just so damn cheap these days that it will continue to entice teams to try to trade into the top five.

Ultimately, La Canfora is not convinced the Eagles will be the team to scoop him up.

Do I think the Eagles take him? My gut says no, but they’re not doing all of this due diligence on him as a favor, either. Michael Vick is a year-to-year proposition, Nick Foles is a developmental guy most likely, and if Smith looks like the best fit to be Chip Kelly’s long-term guy, then it could happen.

Gregg Rosenthal lists five players that could scramble mock drafts. Tavon Austin is one of them.

[Geno] Smith appears to be getting overrated. Austin might be underrated. In today’s NFL, space players like Austin have more value than ever. Forget about his size; it’s easy to imagine Austin getting drafted a lot earlier than expected.

COMING UP

Just two weeks away now from the draft…