By Michael McCarthy
Eagles Supreme Leader Chip Kelly had a hell of an offseason.
He seemed to do everything except the one thing that most people were watching for — grab his former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota in the draft. Well, he hasn’t grabbed him yet.
So Mariota is not expected to be on hand when the Eagles have their rookie minicamp this weekend, May 8-10.
However, Kelly did send QB Nick Foles to St. Louis for the Rams’ oft-injured Sam Bradford. Then, just when things seemed almost calm, Kelly signed former Heisman Trophy winning, controversy-stirring, quarterback Tim Tebow.
Of course, Kelly also traded prolific running back LeSean McCoy — who has turned out to be every bit as passive aggressive as Donovan McNabb, please get over yourself, Shady! — to the Bills, then acquired free-agent running backs DeMarco Murray (Cowboys) andRyan Mathews (Chargers), who join Darren Sproles in trying to get touches.
Here is a look at the revitalized, 2015 version of the Eagles. Well, so far, anyway:
2014 RECORD: 10- 6, 2nd in NFC East
COACH: Chip Kelly
3rd season as Eagles/NFL head coach
20-13 overall; 0-1 postseason
2015 CAMP SCHEDULE
Rookie minicamp: May 8-10
OTA dates: May 26-28, June 1-2, June 4, June 8-11
Mandatory Minicamp: June 16-18
PROJECTED DEPTH CHART
(Rookies in capitals)
Offense:
WR: R. Cooper, M. Austin, S. Ajirotutu, Q. Pratt
Slot: J. Matthews
LT: J. Peters, A. Gardner
LG: E. Mathis, D. Kelly
C: J. Kelce, D. Molk, J. Vandervelde
RG: A. Barbre, M. Tobin, J. Andrews
RT: L. Johnson, K. Graf
TE: B. Celek, Z. Ertz, T. Burton
WR: N. AGHOLOR, J. Huff, W. Murphy, J. Maehl
QB: S. Bradford, M. Sanchez, M. Barkley, T. Tebow, G. Kinne
RB: D. Murray, R. Mathews, D. Sproles, K. Barner, M. Tucker
Defense:
RDE: F. Cox, B. Bair, B. MIHALIK
NT: B. Logan, B. Allen, W. Keliikipi
LDE: C. Thornton, V. Curry, T. Hart
LOLB: C. Barwin, M. Smith, T. Long
LILB: M. Kendricks, J. HICKS, B. Jones, E. Acho
RILB: K. Alonso, D. Ryans, N. Goode
ROLB: B. Graham, B. Braman, B. Hepburn
LCB: E. ROWE, W. Thurmond, N. Carroll, J. Watkins, J. SHEPHERD
SS: E. Wolff, C. Prosinski, J. Couplin iii
FS: M. Jenkins, C. Maragos, E. Reynolds
RCB: B. Maxwell, B. Boykin, E. Biggers, R. EVANS
Special Teams:
P: D. Jones
PK: C. Parkey
LS: J. Dorenbos, B. Celek
H: D. Jones
PR: D. Sproles, R. Cooper
KR: J. Huff, D. Sproles, N. Carroll
GRADING THE DRAFT — B
Per Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
With so much talk of the Eagles looking to move up to nab Marcus Mariota, it would be easy to miscast Nelson Agholor as a consolation prize. In reality, Agholor’s agility, speed and soft hands made him arguably the second-most pro-ready receiver in this class (behind No. 4 overall pick Amari Cooper). It won’t take long for Agholor to prove a star in coach Chip Kelly’s offense. Not surprisingly, the rest of Philadelphia’s draft was dedicated to defense with Utah’s Eric Rowe projecting as an upgrade at either cornerback or safety. I like his range and ball skills best at safety, especially with the Eagles nabbing an underrated cover corner in JaCorey Shepherd in the sixth round. If third round linebackerJordan Hicks can show more durability in Philadelphia than he did at Texas, he could prove quite a steal.
SCOUTING ALL DRAFT PICKS
–Round 1/20 – Nelson Agholor, WR, 6-0, 198, USC
Agholor caught 104 passes for the Trojans last year, the third most in the school’s history. He can line up inside or outside and has sub-4.4 speed and excellent hands. He also was one of the country’s better punt returners.
–Round 2/47 – CB Eric Rowe, CB, 6-1, 205, Utah
The Eagles like big corners that excel in press man coverage and Rowe fits the bill. He also has extensive experience at safety. Thirty-six of his 45 career starts at Utah were at safety. The Eagles likely will start him out at corner, where he’ll compete for the starting job opposite Byron Maxwell.
–Round 3/84 – LB Jordan Hicks, ILB, 6-1, 236, Texas
Hicks is two years removed from a ruptured Achilles, but showed no signs of the injury last season. He’s a smart, instinctive three-down player who is joining a crowded field at inside linebacker. He’ll likely spend his rookie season earning his keep on special teams. But withDeMeco Ryans turning 31 in July and Mychal Kendricks on the last year of his contract, he could contend for a starting job in 2016.
–Round 6/191 – JaCorey Shepherd, CB, 5-11, 199, Kansas
Shepherd converted from wide receiver to corner after his freshman season. He also returned kickoffs for the Jayhawks. He has excellent ball skills. Too soon to guess on his roster chances.
–Round 6/196 – Randall Evans, CB, 6-0, 198, Kansas State
Evans is a former walk-on with good size and speed. He ran a 4.44 at his Pro Day. Has played nickel as well as outside and also has the skills to convert to safety.
–Round 7/237 – Brian Mihalik, DE, 6-9, 295, Boston College
Mihalik has intriguing size and length and will be given a shot at making the team as a five-technique d-end. But it’s probably a longshot. He was consistently blocked by much-smaller Florida State TE Nick O’Leary when BC played the Seminoles.
NOTABLE VETERANS ACQUIRED:
–WR Seyi Ajirotutu: UFA Chargers; $825,000/1 yr, $80,000 SB/$380,000 guaranteed.
–LB Kiko Alonso (trade Bills).
–WR Miles Austin: UFA Browns; $2.3M/1 yr, $500,000 SB/$1M guaranteed.
–CB E.J. Biggers: UFA Redskins; $745,000/1 yr.
–QB Sam Bradford (trade Rams).
–LB Brad Jones: FA Packers; $2.85M/2 yrs, $500,000 SB.
–RB Ryan Mathews: UFA Chargers; $11M/3 yrs, $3M SB/$4M guaranteed.
–CB Byron Maxwell: UFA Seahawks; $63M/6 yrs, $6M SB/$25M guaranteed.
–RB DeMarco Murray: UFA Cowboys: $40M/5 yrs, $5M SB/$21M guaranteed; $3M for injury only/$3M RB 3/17.
–QB Tim Tebow: FA; $660,000/1 yr.
–CB Walter Thurmond: UFA Giants; $3.25M/1 yr, $2M SB.
NOTABLE PLAYERS LOST:
–S Nate Allen: UFA Raiders; $23M/4 yrs, $4M RB 2015/$11.8M guaranteed
–TE James Casey (released).
–LB Trent Cole (released).
–CB Bradley Fletcher: UFA Patriots; $1.5M/1 yr, $100,000 SB/$1.25M guaranteed.
–QB Nick Foles (traded Rams).
–G Todd Herremans (released).
–WR Jeremy Maclin: UFA Chiefs; $55M/5 yrs, $12M SB/$22M guaranteed.
–LB Casey Matthews: UFA Vikings; $825,000/1 yr.
–RB LeSean McCoy (traded Bills).
–RB Chris Polk: RFA tender withdrawn/Texans; $660,000/1 yr.
–CB Cary Williams (released).
PRE-SEASON PEEK — Mark that calendar
All times Eastern
Aug. 16: INDIANAPOLIS (Sun.), 1:00
Aug. 22: BALTIMORE (Sat.), 7:00
Aug. 29: at Green Bay (Sat.), 8:00
Sept. 3: at N.Y. Jets (Thu.), 7:00
