Philly SportsCast

The following has been taken from a Pairface post on the Philly Forum. It can offically be called the “Pairface Post of the Year.”

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Well, with one of my favorite weekends of the year coming up, I thought I’d put my draft geek side on display and look at the recent history of the draft for all of the NFC East teams. And when I looked at the numbers, they were pretty startling. This Eagles’ front office has done a very good job with the draft, despite picking after their NFC East competition for most of this decade. By and large, the fans have been mostly critical of the Eagles’ drafts over the past few years (especially the jackals on WIP). And there have been some misses for sure. But the Eagles have done a better job than the other teams in the division, and the numbers you will see will support this claim.

There have been several reasons (or excuses, depending on who you talk to) for the Eagles’ divisional dominance. The 2 most common reasons credited are the salary cap management of the Eagles’ front office, and the fact that the other teams in the division have not been very good overall for the past 5-6 years.

Both are valid points. The Eagles HAVE been the best at managing the cap over the last several years, and there’s really no debating that. Their philosophy of refusing to overpay players, and being very selective when dealing with players over 30 years old has been a very solid model that other teams are now copying. Of the several players they let walk in recent years, only Derrick Burgess really stands out as a guy the Eagles should have retained.

On the flip side of this philosophy, the Redskins outbid other teams every year for suspect free agents, no matter how old they are, or what their true production value really is. They end up with washed-up players like Mark Brunnell and Shawn Springs, and busts like Adam Archuleta and Brandon Lloyd. But they do have exciting off-seasons, and manage to whip their season-ticket base into a frenzy every February.

The rest of the division has also not been very good over this span. The Cowboys, Redskins and Giants have all had coaching and/or management transition during this time. The Cowboys and Redskins also brought in veteran QB’s that turned out to be mistakes.

But the salary cap has brought parity. Yet the Eagles are able to remain the best team in the division. And the reason that is hardly mentioned as the catalyst for this is the DRAFT. Consider:

The Eagles have 30 of their own draft picks on the current roster (16 offense, 14 defense)
The Giants have 19 draft picks (8 offense, 11 defense)*
The Cowboys have 18 draft picks (9 offense, 9 defense)
The Redskins have 15 draft picks (8 offense, 7 defense)

16 of the Eagles 22 current starters are their own draft picks (73%), 8 offense, 8 defense
12 of 22 current starters for the Cowboys (55%), 5 offense, 7 defense
11 of 22 current starters for the Giants (50%), 4 offense*, 7 defense
8 of 22 current starters for the Redskins (18%), 4 offense, 4 defense

* - Counting Eli Manning as a NYG draft pick, even though he was drafted by San Diego and traded to the Giants.

Just on these raw numbers, the Eagles appear to have clearly superior draft stats compared to the rest of the division, even though they have been slotted near the back of the draft order every year since 2000, except for last year, where the Eagles slotted 14th.

Looking beyond the initial draft stats, the following posts will be the last 5 drafts of the teams in the NFC East, starting with 2002.

2002 Draft

Eagles
Round 1, pick 26 – L. Sheppard**
2-58 – M. Lewis
2-59 – S. Brown**
3-91 – B. Westbrook**
4-124 – S. Peters
5-162 – F. Milons
6-198 – T. Harrison
7-238 – R. Brock

Giants
Round 1, pick 14 – J. Shockey**
2-46 – Carter
3-78 – Hatch
5-152 – Greisen
6-188 – Mallard
7-226 – Jones
7-245 – Monk

Cowboys
Round 1, pick 8 – R. Williams**
2-37 – Gurode**
2-63 – Bryant
3-75 – Ross
4-129 – Martin
5-168 – Hunter
6-179 – Walker
6-208 – B. Johnson
6-211 – Slowikowski

Redskins
Round 1, pick 32 – Ramsey
2-36 – Betts*
3-79 – Bauman
3-87 – Russell
5-159 – Lott
5-160 – Royal
6-192 – Coleman
7-230 – Grau
7-234 – Scott
7-257 – Cartwright*

* - Still on active roster
** - Starter

The Eagles easily won this draft. Even though they were initially criticized for drafting Sheppard and Brown while Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor were Pro Bowl CB’s at the time. These picks turned out to be strokes of genius, as Vincent and Taylor were no longer starting at CB for any team within 2 years of those picks. They also got arguably the steal of the draft in the 3rd round with Westbrook, and got 3 solid starting years from Michael Lewis (including a Pro Bowl) before his play went downhill.

The Cowboys had the 2nd best draft this year, imo. Though it can be argued that Williams has not lived up to being the 8th overall pick, he’s a solid player. Gurode is a marginal starter, but a starter nonetheless.

The Giants and Redskins had poor drafts. Shockey is a Pro Bowl talent, but has battled injuries. No other players from that draft are still on the Giants roster. Betts came on for the Skins last year when Portis went down, but goes back to being the backup this year. Cartwright is a special-teamer.

Score it:
Eagles (far and away)
Cowboys
Giants (distant 3rd)
Redskins

2003 draft

Eagles
Round 1, pick 15 – McDougle*
2-61 – LJ Smith**
3-95 – McMullen
4-131 – J. Green
6-185 – Bridges
7-244 – LeJeune

Giants
Round 1, pick 125 – Joseph*
2-56 – Umenyiora**
3-91 – Shiancoe
4-123 – Babers
5-160 – Diehl**
6-199 – Ponder
6-207 – F. Walker
7-240 – Drake
7-249 – Lucier
7-255 – Walter

Cowboys
Round 1, pick 5 – Newman**
2-38 – Johnson
3-69 – Witten**
4-103 – James**
6-178 – Tucker
6-186 – Z. Smith
7-219 – Bates

Redskins
Round 2, pick 44 – Jacobs
3-81 – Dockery
7-232 – Hamden

* - Still on active roster
** - Starter

Tough to call this one. Both Dallas and the Giants had good drafts. I gave the Cowboys the edge here, because they picked up 3 starters, and got outstanding value with the Witten pick. Newman, after a rough start, has come on in recent seasons.

The Eagles had their worst draft of the Reid era this year. They traded up to pick McDougle, who turned out to be a bust, even though he’s still on the roster (for one more camp, anyway). And they took LJ Smith with Witten still on the board. Just a bad draft, top to bottom. However, they still beat out the Skins, who traded away most of their picks, and don’t have anyone on their current roster from this draft, though they got a few starting years from Dockery.

Score it:
Cowboys
Giants
Eagles
Redskins

2004 draft

Eagles
Round 1, pick 16 – Andrews**
3-89 – Ware
4-129 – Reed
4-131 – Darilek
5-162 – Tapeh**
6-185 – Hall
6-192 – Wynn
7-227 – Clarke
7-242 – Perry
7-243 – Furio

Giants
Round 1, pick 4 – Rivers (Traded for Manning**)
2-34 – Snee**
4-97 – Torbor**
5-136 – Wilson**
6-168 – Taylor
7-203 – Strojny
7-253 – Hilton

Cowboys
Round 2, pick 43 – Jones**
2-52 – Rogers
3-83 – Peterman
4-121 – Thornton
5-144 – Ryan
7-205 – N. Jones*
7-216 – Crayton*
7-233 – Reeves*

Redskins
Round 1, Pick 5 – Taylor**
3-81 Cooley**
5-151 – Wilson
6-180 – Molinaro

* - Still on active roster
** - Starter

Decent draft all the way around. I think every team could make a case for having the best (or worst) draft. The Eagles picked up starters Andrews and Tapeh. The Giants traded for Manning, picked a solid SS in Gibril Wilson, and 2 marginal starters in Snee and Torbor. The Cowboys got Julius Jones, and a good value pick in Crayton in the 7th round. And the Redskins picked up Taylor and Cooley with their top 2 picks.

Overall, a very close draft to judge. The Giants picked up the most. However, they paid a HUGE price for Manning, and he has not lived up to that price to this point. If you go by who the best player out of this draft is as of right now, that player is Shawn Andrews. However, because the Giants got 4 starters out of this draft, I would score it:

Giants
Eagles
Redskins
Cowboys

2005 draft

Eagles
Round 1, pick 31 – Patterson**
2-35 – R. Brown**
6-63 – McCoy*
3-77 – Moats*
4-102 – Considine**
4-126 – Herremans**
5-172 – Young*
6-211 – Armstrong
7-247 – Marshall

Giants
Round 2, pick 43 – Webster*
3-74 – Tuck*
4-110 – Jacobs**
6-186 – Moore

Cowboys
Round 1, pick 11 – Ware**
1-20 – Spears**
2-42 – Burnett
4-109 – Barber*
4-132 – Canty**
6-208 – Beriault
6-209 – Pettiti
7-224 – Ratliff

Redskins
Round 1, pick 9 – Rogers**
1-25 – Campbell**
4-120 – White
5-154 – McCune
6-183 – Newberry
7-222 – Broughton*

* - Still on active roster
** - Starter

This is where it starts to get difficult to evaluate. However, it appears as if the Cowboys and Eagles have separated themselves from the Giants and Redskins.

I gave the edge to the Cowboys here, because Ware is the best player in the division from this draft. Marion Barber was excellent value in the 4th round. Spears and Canty have been disappointing starters, especially Spears, who was the 20th overall pick. But Ware is a special player that really makes the difference.

The Eagles made the most out of their draft position. They did not have the opportunity to draft a Ware-type player. But they did get 3 starters in Patterson, Reggie Brown, and outstanding value in the 4th round with Herremans. McCoy and Considine have been marginal as starters, but are young, and now have experience.

The Redskins had two 1st rounders in this draft, thanks to a trade. They’re high on Jason Campbell. But then again, they have to be, because Brunnell was so bad. Carlos Rogers is terrible, and a waste of the 9th overall pick. Other than these 2, not much left.

The Giants paid the rest of their Manning tab in this draft. They got decent value with Jacobs in the 4th, but marginal roster players in Tuck and Webster.

I scored this one:
Cowboys
Eagles (close 2nd)
Redskins (distant 3rd)
Giants

2006 draft

Eagles
Round 1, pick 14 – Bunkley*
2-39 – Justice*
3-71 – Gocong*
4-99 – Jean-Gilles*
4-109 – Avant*
5-147 – Bloom*
5-168 – Gaither**
6-204 – Ramsey*

Giants
Round 1, pick 32 – Kiwanuka*
2-44 – Moss*
3-96 – Wilkinson*
4-124 – Cofield**
4-129 – Whimper*
5-158 – Peprah
7-232 – McPhearson*

Cowboys
Round 1, pick 18 – Carpenter*
2-53 – Fasano*
3-92 – Hatcher*
4-125 – Green
5-138 – Watkins*
6-182 – Stanley*
7-211 – McQuistan*
7-224 – Whitley

Redskins
Round 2, pick 35 – McIntosh**
5-153 – Montgomery*
6-173 – Doughty*
6-196 – Golston*
7-230 – Lefotu*
7-250 – Simon

* - Still on active roster
** - Starter

This draft is nearly impossible to evaluate, and still needs another year to develop. The Eagles have 8 picks from this draft on their roster, the Giants and Cowboys have 6 each, and the Redskins have 5. Kiwanuka had a solid rookie season for the Giants, but goes back to 2nd-string with Strahan returning. Carpenter got on the field and made some plays for the Cowboys. And Gaither took the starting spot from McCoy half-way through the season, and looks like a player.

Looking at the Eagles, Bunkley really hurt himself by holding out. He never did catch up last year, so there’s added pressure for him to perform. Justice is being groomed to take over at LT for Tra Thomas, so that pick could turn out like the Sheppard pick in 2002. Gaither and Gocong will each compete for a starting LB spot. Avant, Jean-Gilles and Ramsey are serviceable depth players, but will be challenged for roster spots. And Bloom with either sink or swim this year.

As for the other teams, I can’t really say. Kiwanuka can play for the Giants, and Sinorice Moss will have to overcome injuries. Fasano was a curious pick in the 2nd round for the Cowboys, considering they already have Witten. And the Redskins are high on McIntosh at OLB, but I haven’t heard anything about the other picks.

The Eagles have the edge in numbers. But whether that translates into quality on the field remains to be seen.

Score it “Incomplete”, but if I had to pick now, I’ll go with the homer pick:
Eagles
Giants
Cowboys
Redskins

So in the last 5 drafts:
The Eagles have picked 11 starters and 11 backups.
The Cowboys have picked 9 starters and 11 backups.
The Giants have picked 9 starters and 8 backups.
The Redskins have picked 5 starters and 7 backups.

Over this time, the records for NFC East teams are:

Eagles: 53-27 (.663 win percentage)
Cowboys: 39-41 (.488)
Giants: 39-41 (.488)
Redskins: 33-47 (.412)

These records correlate closely to just about all of the draft statistics. The Eagles have built their team through the draft more than the others. The Cowboys and Giants have done decent jobs building through the draft. And the Redskins have neglected the draft in favor of free agency.

The conclusion from all this is that the Eagles’ front office knows what it’s doing when it comes to the draft, and the fans should give them the benefit of the doubt before crucifying them for their picks. WIP will be all over them on Monday morning, no matter who they pick, because that’s how they pay their bills. But don’t fall into that trap. The Eagles might not get a bona fide Pro Bowler with the 26th pick. But what their track record shows is that they will find some good production players in the 2nd round and beyond. In other words, it will be almost as interesting for Eagles’ fans on Sunday as it will on Saturday, even if we don’t know it.