What They’re Saying: Peter King, Draft Grades And More

We rounded up some reaction to the Eagles’ draft yesterday, but there’s plenty more trickling in today.

So here’s a look what analysts around the country are saying about the Birds.

SI.com’s Peter King weighs in with his thoughts:

Two Philly thoughts: I have no idea what Chip Kelly’s going to do on offense, and I think he likes it that way. If two of his three quarterbacks (Nick Foles and Matt Barkley) are pocket guys, is he really going to make his quarterback pocket a movable feast? I think Tony Dungy’s right (his son played for Kelly at Oregon) when he says he expects Kelly’s NFL offense to be like Buffalo’s under Jim Kelly — very fast-paced, but not necessarily with a quarterback who has to run to win … And from the amount of fact-finding Eagles GM Howie Roseman has been doing over the past couple of months on switching to the 3-4 defense, I was surprised Philadelphia, which had five picks in top 200, used only one on a front-seven player, defensive tackle Bennie Logan of LSU, the 67th overall pick.

Evan Silva of Rotoworld.com gives the Eagles a C+:

Ertz can stretch the field vertically and creates downfield separation better than consensus top tight end Tyler Eifert. Logan and Barkley were odd picks because the former’s fit is questionable in Philly’s new three-man front and Barkley lacks athleticism in addition to starting-caliber arm strength. All of Philly’s rookies look like good values — particularly Kruger and Poyer — but this haul included a lot of head scratchers. I still feel confident saying the Eagles’ roster improved with this draft, and quite possibly significantly.

Clark Judge of CBSSports.com thinks the Matt Barkley pick means Michael Vick’s days are numbered:

Only there is a certainty, and it’s this: With the addition of Matt Barkley, the Eagles just found their successor to Michael Vick.

It may be now. It may be later. But it’s going to happen, and it’s going to happen for the right reason: Coach Chip Kelly can’t win with a quarterback who commits the mistakes Vick does. Over the last three years, the guy fumbled 32 times, or more than any quarterback but one.

Chris Burke of SI.com gives the Eagles a B+:

Until we know more about Chip Kelly’s plans, let’s just chalk the Matt Barkley pickup to finding a potential first-round QB at No. 98. The rest of this class figures to be more important in 2013. No one more so than OT Lane Johnson, who has the athleticism to thrive under Kelly. TE Zach Ertz could be a dangerous weapon in this offense, too. Defensively, expect DT Bennie Logan to help and CB Jordan Poyer to possibly prove the steal of the draft.

SI.com’s Don Banks names the Zach Ertz pick as one he loved from Friday:

Philadelphia getting Stanford tight end Zach Ertz with the third pick of the second round, giving the Eagles a young pass catcher who will help whoever wins the team’s starting quarterback job.

Jennifer Floyd Engel of FoxSports.com gives the Eagle a B:

Call me crazy or call me consistent. What I like most is getting the free-falling USC QB Matt Barkley in the fourth round. Chip Kelly knows him, and I still like his chances of being a good pro and life raft if Mike Vick falters.

Alex Marvez of FoxSports.com gives the Birds a D:

I’m cool with the selection of Oklahoma tackle Lane Johnson at No. 4 overall. I’m not nearly as fond of using a second-round pick on Stanford tight end Zach Ertz with Brent Celek and James Casey already on the roster nor with the Eagles spending a fourth-round choice on Barkley with Nick Foles already serving as Michael Vick’s backup.

Jason Cole of Yahoo Sports gives the Eagles a B:

The start of this draft was much stronger than the end of it. Johnson comes in as a starter to immediately help an offensive line that was a mess last season because of injury and inexperience. Ertz is a great weapon in the mold of Jason Witten who will pair with Brent Celek to provide the Eagles with ample opportunity for an explosive two-tight end set. The combo of Ertz, Celek, DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, LeSean McCoy and Michael Vick could be really fun in Chip Kelly’s offense. Where things went sideways was in the middle of the draft with Logan, who is an underachiever, and Barkley, who was overrated and not altogether necessary. The fact that Philly traded up to get Barkley when it already had second-year passer Nick Foles is perplexing.

Rob Rang of CBSSports.com gives the Eagles an A-:

While Barkley does not possess elite straight-line speed, he does have the intelligence to make decisions quickly as well as excellent accuracy while on the move, making him a potentially very nice fit in this offense. The USC product possesses the best combination of the three traits that I’ve found to be the best indicators of future success in the NFL — accuracy, anticipation and awareness — and I believe he’ll prove his doubters wrong and emerge as the most successful of the 2013 quarterback class. Of the Eagles other day three selections, I really like the schematic fits of Utah defensive end Joe Kruger and Oregon State cornerback Jordan Poyer, two more highly productive Pac-12 performers whom Kelly (and GM Howie Roseman) know well.

The Eagles fall in the “Honorable Mention” category of Bucky Brooks’ evaluations on NFL.com:

Much of the focus on the Eagles’ draft revolves around a surprising selection of Matt Barkley to begin Day 3, but Chip Kelly and Co. deserve credit for picking up elite players at every turn. OT Lane Johnson and TE Zach Ertz were among the best at their respective positions in this draft; both players will make immediate contributions as first-year starters or vital backups. Earl Wolff is a hidden gem with starting potential. He definitely could provide a boost to the Eagles’ back end as a rookie.

Marc Sessler of NFL.com ranks rookie QBs based on their chances of success. He’s got Barkley sixth:

You have to love Barkley’s fire. He’s agitated, he feels overlooked, he’s itching to prove the NFL community wrong. Landing in Philly was a stunner. On paper, Barkley doesn’t mesh with coach Chip Kelly’s fast-paced attack, but the Eagles coach has stressed that scheme alone won’t dominate his thinking. Still, Barkley is lost in a crowded quarterback room, where he’ll be challenged to separate himself.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
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