YOU DON'T want to hear this, but no matter how
astute the Eagles are in their
decision-making this weekend, there's a pretty good chance that none of the players they select in this latest draft crapshoot is going to make much of an immediate impact beyond special teams.
If they take a safety or cornerback in the first round, the best-case rookie scenario, unless somebody gets hurt, is that he plays a half-dozen snaps in their dime (six defensive backs) package on passing downs.
If they select a linebacker on the first day, he'll take a number and get in line behind Takeo Spikes and Jeremiah Trotter and Omar Gaither and the cast of thousands that will be auditioning for the strongside starting job and hope Jim Johnson still remembers his first name come late-August.
If they take a running back early, well, if Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter don't break or tear anything next season, the kid will be lucky to get 20 touches.
You're probably asking yourself right now, what's my point here? Well, my point is that the key to the Eagles' improvement this season won't be the level of contribution they get from their 2007 draft class.
It will be the level of contribution they get from their previous two draft classes.
The Eagles selected a total of 19 players in the 2005 and '06 drafts, 16 of whom still are on their roster. They got some production from those two classes last season, but not nearly enough.
They need defensive tackle Brodrick Bunkley to step up and be the player they thought he was when they spent the 14th pick in the 2006 draft on him. They need their other high-priced, first-round tackle, Mike Patterson, to play better than he did last year.
They need defensive end Trent Cole (fifth round, '05) to stop running out of gas in the November-December homestretch (no sacks in the final six games of the last two seasons).
They need strong safety Sean Considine (fourth round, '05) to prove he can be a solid NFL starter.
They need Chris Gocong (third round, '06) to prove that this whole defensive end-to-strongside linebacker experiment isn't the dumbest idea by this organization since former owner Norman Braman gave Mike Quick a clubless golf bag as a retirement gift.
