Free Agency, 2008 Re-draft And McDermott

Some weekend links to pass along before the divisional round begins…

The Rotoworld crew has a terrific master list of free agents up. Some things that stand out:

* There are not a lot of quarterback options out there. They’ve got Michael Vick as their top QB free agent. That means he probably has a decent chance of finding a more attractive option than coming back to the Eagles.

* There has been some talk about Jeremy Maclin potentially signing a one-year “prove-it” deal and then trying to cash in next offseason. But looking at the list of wide receiver free agents, he could very well get a nice multi-year offer on the open market this offseason. Rotoworld has Maclin as the second-best free agent wide receiver behind only Denver’s Eric Decker. Maclin tore his ACL, but he did so in the summer and will be more than a year removed from surgery by the time next season starts.

* Meanwhile, Riley Cooper is listed as the 10th-best wide receiver.

* The safety rankings are also noteworthy. As Tim mentioned earlier this week, the top two guys – Buffalo’s Jairus Byrd and Cleveland’s T.J. Ward – both played their college ball at Oregon. Nate Allen, though, is No. 8. Allen certainly improved in 2013, but this is another reminder that teams around the league have trouble finding safety help. It’s just a thin position overall.

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ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper Jr. re-drafts the 2008 class. If teams had it to do all over again, Kiper says DeSean Jackson would have gone No. 8 to the Jaguars:

Not only does Jackson have more than 1,500 more receiving yards than the next closest pass-catcher in the class, he’s also been underrated in his durability, having played in 87 of a possible 96 regular-season games. The Jags get a dynamic playmaker instead of one of the bigger busts in the draft — not a bad exchange.

The Eagles traded their first-round pick (No. 19) to Carolina that year. They took Trevor Laws (No. 47) and Jackson (No. 49) in the second round. Other than Jackson, the Eagles didn’t get much in 2008: Laws, DE Bryan Smith, OL Mike McGlynn, safety Quintin Demps, CB Jack Ikegwuonu and OL Mike Gibson.

If you’re wondering who Kiper had going No. 19 (the Eagles’ original slot), it was All-Pro guard Carl Nicks.

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Les Bowen of the Daily News caught up with Sean McDermott and wrote a good feature this week. I thought this nugget was interesting:

McDermott looks a little more weathered, less fresh-faced, than he did when he left Philadelphia. He said he slept 4 nights a week in the office back then, doesn’t now.

As we mentioned earlier this year, Eagles coaches (including Chip Kelly) do not spend their nights at the NovaCare Complex.

McDermott and the Panthers take on the 49ers Sunday afternoon for a chance to go to the NFC title game.

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